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rainbowfic2012-11-08 02:06 pm
walkwithheroes) wrote in rainbowfic2012-11-08 02:06 pm
Surely Someday: faded blue, tardis blue, heart of gold, novelty beads
Name: Nichole
Story: Surely Someday
Piece Title: Somewhere Else to Be: Part 2 (Story 4, finish)
Colors: Faded Blue: 19. Baby won't you please come home?; Tardis Blue: 23. Allow me to congratulate you, sir. You have the most totally closed mind that I've ever encountered.; Heart Gold: 25. You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly. - Sam Keen
Supplies and Materials: Novelty Beads fromsarcasticsra:
Well listen very closely
You can hear the sound
Of a love that makes my heart beat
And my head spin 'round
--"Never Have I Ever", Hot Chelle Rae
Word Count: 2,512
Rating: PG
Warnings: Possible trigger: discussion of a murder; violence; if you see anything - let me know
Summary: Simon wants Andrews to come home, but Andrews has that tunnel-vision. Warren tries to keep Maggie, whose slowly falling apart, calm.
Author's Note: Comments are lovely and I'm always grateful for them.
To: Yoshi@gmail.com
From: Schreck@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Re: The Magdalena
Yoshi,
If you can find out more about the Men in Black Coats, please do. I believe I may have found some interesting things, but I’m not certain. I need to know more first. I have heard stories of strange men, but I’m not certain they aren’t just legends.
-Schreck.
*
In the middle of Simon’s bed, Maggie sat and rocked back and forth, slowly smoothing out her hair. Her pale fingers would get tangled in her messy locks every now and again; she tugged hard every time that happened. Despite the gesture, she made no show of pain. She simply kept repeating her gesture, all the while mumbling to herself.
“I remember. I remember.”
From the doorway, Warren watched Maggie carefully. Simon had left a few minutes earlier, determined to talk to Andrews and stop the sedatives. However, Simon had given Maggie half a bottle before leaving. And now she was muttering to herself and rocking; Warren had never seen her like this, and it scared him.
“Maggie?” Warren tried to keep his voice pleasant. He had to keep in light as not to scare her. “What do you remember?”
Slowly, Maggie glanced at him through her thick hair. “There was a man.” A strange sound – half mad giggle and half cough – escaped her throat. “I was following him.” She cocked her head to one side, a confused expression flashed over her face. “Or he was following me. His black cloak hid him, but I saw. I saw. He slept. I had a sword.” Her eyes weren’t focused; she was staring past him in the most unsettling of ways. Her voice too was off, strange and quiet. “I cut off his head and put it on a pike for all the other black cloaked men to see.”
Was that a story from one of her storybooks or television shows? Maggie, at least in Warren’s mind, was too sweet and gentle to murder someone that violently. She was that strange, sweet woman from all those years ago. She wasn’t like him.
“You didn’t murder anyone,” Warren said, his voice firm. “You’re not remembering right or it’s a dream. You were in that stone box and then Andrews’s ancestors saved you. There was nothing before that.” The words sounded false even as Warren said them, but he couldn’t stop himself. They had to be true; Maggie wasn’t like him.
Maggie began rocking back and forth again. Her pale hands found her hair, slowly she smoothed it out. “Don’t tell the Wolf and the Man,” she whispered softly. “Or they’ll think you a liar and make you disappear.”
*
Simon had gone to the university looking for Andrews. He was going to have a serious discussion with the older man and let him know that the sedatives and Maggie weren’t mixing. She was in pain and confused, and it made him want to bite Andrews for ignoring Maggie’s feelings.
Simon had gone to their office, only to find it empty. Touching the desk, Simon felt the sticky texture of a perfume. He had smelt Henry Harker and Andrews’ scents mixing together; it made Simon want to gag. Following Andrews’ scent, Simon found himself standing in front of the ladies’ room: the same ladies room where he had first met Henry Harker.
“You have to come home,” Simon stated firmly, kicking open the door.
“I’m mopping.” Andrews spared Simon a glance, before going back to his work. “You’re supposed to be at home with Maggie.”
Simon swallowed hard. How could Andrews be so dismissive of this? Barely thinking, Simon went straight for Andrews’s mop. Knocking the mop out of his hand, Simon kept his firm gaze on Andrews. “Stop cleaning.” His voice was more of a growl than Simon thought it would be, but for once he didn’t mind. “Listen to me, Andrews, or I’ll rip you apart.”
For a long moment the restroom was quiet. Simon’s eyes were slowly turning a yellowish color; if Andrews had been anyone else he might have been scared. Instead of freezing up, Andrews simply pushed Simon back against one of the sinks. Andrews straightened up his jumpsuit, sniffed, and sighed heavily.
“You’re acting like a child, Simon. Keep your Wolf tame and speak clearly. What do you have to tell me?”
“You have to come home,” Simon repeated. “Maggie’s having a bad reaction to the sedatives. She’s forgetting things and she’s confused and she’ll do better if you’re around. You’re her favorite; her Keeper. We have to stop the sedatives and find around way.”
Andrews sighed as if Simon was a simple minded child who didn’t understand the larger picture. It was something that made Simon growl deep in his throat, though Andrews ignored him. “Did you lower the dosage? If you change the dosage, she’ll surely have a different reaction. Go home. I’ll be back later and check on her.”
Trying to keep calm – he really was one wrong word from violence –Simon chose his words carefully. “I tried that and nothing happened. I know you said you want money, but I can see Henry Harker’s hair on your clothing. I smelt her in the office.”
“I don’t see what my daily coffee with Henry has to do with anything.” Andrews’ tone was casual; completely at ease and completely not seeing it.
“You’ve been kissing Henry while our Maggie is at home!” Moving away from the sink and toward the door, Simon snarled at Andrews. “Don’t deny what we both know. You’re playing normal and Maggie’s in pain. Do you even care anymore or are you too obsessed with getting her out of the house?” He felt a harsh laugh escape his throat. “Do you think that if you can medicate her enough, you can just put her to sleep for a few weeks? You made a promise, Andrews. It’s too late to want out now.”
*
He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone, but when Warren started thinking about the way her creamy skin tasted, he knew it was best to fill his stomach with something. He had gone to the kitchen and taken one of his calf hearts out of the freezer. A few minutes in boiling water and it was good enough to eat.
Warren had left Maggie in Simon’s bed. He had worried about leaving her, but after sharing her secret, Maggie had gone back to petting her hair and muttering odd nonsense to herself. As he ate the heart with a knife and fork, his mind wandered back to what Maggie had told him. Had she really killed a man?
Simon had told Warren about the stone prison and how Maggie had been there for a hundred years; and how she remembered nothing before it. Were the sedatives making her remember the past? No, Warren was sure that wasn’t it.
Maggie wasn’t a killer. She was too gentle. She couldn’t go outside, anyway. Besides, she had seemed almost confused telling the story. It had to have been a memory from a book or a film. She was getting a lot of things mixed up. It was completely possible that Maggie was remembering a scene from a film or a novel, and that they would laugh about it all later. She’d smile and chide him for thinking that she could kill someone.
After finishing the heart, Warren went back upstairs to find Maggie still in Simon’s bed. She had stopped playing with her hair and was now staring straight at the wall in front of her. The wall was painted a cheerful blue and Simon had put several postcards on the wall. On each postcard was a colored photo of a famous landmark; places like the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, and the Potala Palace, among others.
“Warren?” Maggie’s voice was so low that Warren was sure he wouldn’t have heard her if it hadn’t been for his enhanced senses. “I’ll never ever see those places, will I?”
With a swift movement, Warren moved to the side of the queen sized bed. He knelt down beside it and laughed softly. “You’re seeing them now, aren’t you?”
“But, I won’t see them. Not for real.” She shifted her gaze to him. Her eyes were warm, they gave him such hope that the worst was over. “I can’t go outside. Not really. Not with people.” Reaching out, Maggie gently touched his right cheek. “Was I bad, do you think? Is that why I was locked away before?”
Oh, how he wanted to reassure her, tell her how good she was and that Andrews would find a way to make it so she could walk through the world. He wanted to say that, but Warren was old and he knew better. The sedatives weren’t working and that was that. He also had no idea why she had been put in her prison, vampire legends or no. All Warren knew what was in front of him: odd and sweet Maggie, who so desperately wanted to go outside and be like everyone else.
“Maggie, would you tell me what you plan on doing?” He took her hand from his cheek. His cold lips pressed against her skin. Maggie wasn’t cold or warm: she was somewhere in between and she tasted of sweet fruit. “On our little holiday, I mean.”
“Simon’s going to teach me to ride a bike.” Maggie smiled softly. “And Douglas says I can stay outside as long as I like. I’m not going to wear shoes,” a half-insane giggle escaped her throat, “just so I can feel what grass and dirt are like. It’ll be fun. Not like before.”
“Before?”
With a light shrug she smiled again. Only this smile was different. Her lips curled in a secretive way. “Just before.”
Her gaze firmly locked on his, Maggie slowly slid off the bed and next to Warren on the wooden floor. Curling up into a ball, Maggie stayed staring at Warren, who shifted uncomfortably under her warm but firm gaze.
“Where are your fangs?” She cocked her head to one side, her brows knitted in confusion. “Your fangs, I can’t see them.”
Maggie’s thoughts and track of mind were changing as quickly as the wind. One moment she was scaring him with her dark words, and the next she was her usual charming and oddball self. With a gulp, Warren stayed as cheerful as possible, “They only come out when I’m hungry, angry, or eating. They don’t come out so much these days.”
“Oh, is that why you never eat your hearts with us?”
“Something like that.” Looking closely Warren could see that Maggie’s eyes were clear. With the sedatives her beautiful eyes had become cloudy and unfocused. Now she was looking at him in a way that she hadn’t in hours. Either the sedative dosage Simon had given her was wearing off or it hadn’t worked at all. Warren wasn’t sure which one he would prefer, but he knew he was grateful that the normal Maggie seemed to be returning. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay.” Maggie shrugged, her eyes fixed on Warren’s mouth. “My head doesn’t feel so cloudy anymore. I feel like I said odd things, but I don’t remember what.” Licking her lips, Maggie went on. “Sometimes I forget you’re a vampire. Sometimes I forget I’m different. When I forget I want to hug you.”
Taking a deep breath, Warren grabbed Maggie’s right hand and pulled her into a hug. He would keep her save. No more sedatives: they could find another way to get Maggie to the country side. Simon was on his side, they just had to convince Andrews. Andrews wanted what was best for Maggie, so surely he’d understand. Wrapping his arms around her frail frame, Warren held her as close as he dared.
Snuggling close, Maggie buried her face into his chest. This was good, right. Her head didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had, and Warren’s body was cool against hers. She liked that his sleeves were short and his gloves fingerless. She liked that all his clothing was black and smelt faintly of cigarettes. Warren was kind to Simon and always smiled at her.
Maggie found herself wanting to do more than hug him. She pressed her face to his neck, he was so cold.
“Maggie?” Warren whispered. He felt his body stiffen, his arms released Maggie’s body. He wanted to move away, but was stopped by her words,
She tentatively kissed the curve of his neck. “James Warren, just shut up.” With a sigh, she buried her face against his cool neck. “Let me do this, just once.”
*
After his outburst in the ladies’ room, Simon had stormed out and back to the office he shared with Andrews. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that Andrews was pulling away from Maggie and their little family. Sure, Andrews wanted to bring Maggie to the countryside, but he had also been spending more and more time away from home. Andrews had even begun a romance with Henry, even though he had always told Simon romances weren’t allowed in their life. Andrews was bending all the rules for his own pleasure. He hadn’t.
For five years Simon had kept to himself, for his safety and theirs. Now Andrews wasn’t thinking and when he did nearly have a thought it was something that could lead to disaster.
Pulling open the top drawer of Andrews’ desk, Simon pulled out the key for the country house. Slowly but surely an idea was forming in his mind; a way to get Maggie to the country-side without drugging her. Stuffing the key into his jeans pocket, Simon felt himself smile.
He took out his mobile phone and quickly dialed Andrews’ number; it went straight to voice mail; “Andrews, we’re leaving tonight. No drugging Maggie, I think I have another idea. Meet me at home and I’ll explain everything.”
*
Warren stayed as still as possible, his arms mere inches from Maggie’s waist. For several minutes now Maggie had been resting her head against his chest; her arms tightly around his waist. Her breathing had slowed, but she was no closer to falling asleep then she had been the day before. She was still, quietly whispering to him;
“Douglas sees me as a child. Simon’s my very own brother or puppy, though sometimes I scare him. But you, you see me as the odd woman who tried to save you. I think I could like you so much. I do like you.” A small cough escaped her throat. “Warren? I feel funny.”
Gingerly Warren pushed Maggie away from him. Her face was even paler than usual. Normally Warren would have dismissed it as an effect of the sedatives, expect there was a small bit of blood in the right corner of her mouth. Her eyes were glued to his chest, where a splat of red blood stained his black tee-shirt.
Story: Surely Someday
Piece Title: Somewhere Else to Be: Part 2 (Story 4, finish)
Colors: Faded Blue: 19. Baby won't you please come home?; Tardis Blue: 23. Allow me to congratulate you, sir. You have the most totally closed mind that I've ever encountered.; Heart Gold: 25. You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly. - Sam Keen
Supplies and Materials: Novelty Beads from
sarcasticsra:Well listen very closely
You can hear the sound
Of a love that makes my heart beat
And my head spin 'round
--"Never Have I Ever", Hot Chelle Rae
Word Count: 2,512
Rating: PG
Warnings: Possible trigger: discussion of a murder; violence; if you see anything - let me know
Summary: Simon wants Andrews to come home, but Andrews has that tunnel-vision. Warren tries to keep Maggie, whose slowly falling apart, calm.
Author's Note: Comments are lovely and I'm always grateful for them.
To: Yoshi@gmail.com
From: Schreck@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Re: The Magdalena
Yoshi,
If you can find out more about the Men in Black Coats, please do. I believe I may have found some interesting things, but I’m not certain. I need to know more first. I have heard stories of strange men, but I’m not certain they aren’t just legends.
-Schreck.
*
In the middle of Simon’s bed, Maggie sat and rocked back and forth, slowly smoothing out her hair. Her pale fingers would get tangled in her messy locks every now and again; she tugged hard every time that happened. Despite the gesture, she made no show of pain. She simply kept repeating her gesture, all the while mumbling to herself.
“I remember. I remember.”
From the doorway, Warren watched Maggie carefully. Simon had left a few minutes earlier, determined to talk to Andrews and stop the sedatives. However, Simon had given Maggie half a bottle before leaving. And now she was muttering to herself and rocking; Warren had never seen her like this, and it scared him.
“Maggie?” Warren tried to keep his voice pleasant. He had to keep in light as not to scare her. “What do you remember?”
Slowly, Maggie glanced at him through her thick hair. “There was a man.” A strange sound – half mad giggle and half cough – escaped her throat. “I was following him.” She cocked her head to one side, a confused expression flashed over her face. “Or he was following me. His black cloak hid him, but I saw. I saw. He slept. I had a sword.” Her eyes weren’t focused; she was staring past him in the most unsettling of ways. Her voice too was off, strange and quiet. “I cut off his head and put it on a pike for all the other black cloaked men to see.”
Was that a story from one of her storybooks or television shows? Maggie, at least in Warren’s mind, was too sweet and gentle to murder someone that violently. She was that strange, sweet woman from all those years ago. She wasn’t like him.
“You didn’t murder anyone,” Warren said, his voice firm. “You’re not remembering right or it’s a dream. You were in that stone box and then Andrews’s ancestors saved you. There was nothing before that.” The words sounded false even as Warren said them, but he couldn’t stop himself. They had to be true; Maggie wasn’t like him.
Maggie began rocking back and forth again. Her pale hands found her hair, slowly she smoothed it out. “Don’t tell the Wolf and the Man,” she whispered softly. “Or they’ll think you a liar and make you disappear.”
*
Simon had gone to the university looking for Andrews. He was going to have a serious discussion with the older man and let him know that the sedatives and Maggie weren’t mixing. She was in pain and confused, and it made him want to bite Andrews for ignoring Maggie’s feelings.
Simon had gone to their office, only to find it empty. Touching the desk, Simon felt the sticky texture of a perfume. He had smelt Henry Harker and Andrews’ scents mixing together; it made Simon want to gag. Following Andrews’ scent, Simon found himself standing in front of the ladies’ room: the same ladies room where he had first met Henry Harker.
“You have to come home,” Simon stated firmly, kicking open the door.
“I’m mopping.” Andrews spared Simon a glance, before going back to his work. “You’re supposed to be at home with Maggie.”
Simon swallowed hard. How could Andrews be so dismissive of this? Barely thinking, Simon went straight for Andrews’s mop. Knocking the mop out of his hand, Simon kept his firm gaze on Andrews. “Stop cleaning.” His voice was more of a growl than Simon thought it would be, but for once he didn’t mind. “Listen to me, Andrews, or I’ll rip you apart.”
For a long moment the restroom was quiet. Simon’s eyes were slowly turning a yellowish color; if Andrews had been anyone else he might have been scared. Instead of freezing up, Andrews simply pushed Simon back against one of the sinks. Andrews straightened up his jumpsuit, sniffed, and sighed heavily.
“You’re acting like a child, Simon. Keep your Wolf tame and speak clearly. What do you have to tell me?”
“You have to come home,” Simon repeated. “Maggie’s having a bad reaction to the sedatives. She’s forgetting things and she’s confused and she’ll do better if you’re around. You’re her favorite; her Keeper. We have to stop the sedatives and find around way.”
Andrews sighed as if Simon was a simple minded child who didn’t understand the larger picture. It was something that made Simon growl deep in his throat, though Andrews ignored him. “Did you lower the dosage? If you change the dosage, she’ll surely have a different reaction. Go home. I’ll be back later and check on her.”
Trying to keep calm – he really was one wrong word from violence –Simon chose his words carefully. “I tried that and nothing happened. I know you said you want money, but I can see Henry Harker’s hair on your clothing. I smelt her in the office.”
“I don’t see what my daily coffee with Henry has to do with anything.” Andrews’ tone was casual; completely at ease and completely not seeing it.
“You’ve been kissing Henry while our Maggie is at home!” Moving away from the sink and toward the door, Simon snarled at Andrews. “Don’t deny what we both know. You’re playing normal and Maggie’s in pain. Do you even care anymore or are you too obsessed with getting her out of the house?” He felt a harsh laugh escape his throat. “Do you think that if you can medicate her enough, you can just put her to sleep for a few weeks? You made a promise, Andrews. It’s too late to want out now.”
*
He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone, but when Warren started thinking about the way her creamy skin tasted, he knew it was best to fill his stomach with something. He had gone to the kitchen and taken one of his calf hearts out of the freezer. A few minutes in boiling water and it was good enough to eat.
Warren had left Maggie in Simon’s bed. He had worried about leaving her, but after sharing her secret, Maggie had gone back to petting her hair and muttering odd nonsense to herself. As he ate the heart with a knife and fork, his mind wandered back to what Maggie had told him. Had she really killed a man?
Simon had told Warren about the stone prison and how Maggie had been there for a hundred years; and how she remembered nothing before it. Were the sedatives making her remember the past? No, Warren was sure that wasn’t it.
Maggie wasn’t a killer. She was too gentle. She couldn’t go outside, anyway. Besides, she had seemed almost confused telling the story. It had to have been a memory from a book or a film. She was getting a lot of things mixed up. It was completely possible that Maggie was remembering a scene from a film or a novel, and that they would laugh about it all later. She’d smile and chide him for thinking that she could kill someone.
After finishing the heart, Warren went back upstairs to find Maggie still in Simon’s bed. She had stopped playing with her hair and was now staring straight at the wall in front of her. The wall was painted a cheerful blue and Simon had put several postcards on the wall. On each postcard was a colored photo of a famous landmark; places like the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, and the Potala Palace, among others.
“Warren?” Maggie’s voice was so low that Warren was sure he wouldn’t have heard her if it hadn’t been for his enhanced senses. “I’ll never ever see those places, will I?”
With a swift movement, Warren moved to the side of the queen sized bed. He knelt down beside it and laughed softly. “You’re seeing them now, aren’t you?”
“But, I won’t see them. Not for real.” She shifted her gaze to him. Her eyes were warm, they gave him such hope that the worst was over. “I can’t go outside. Not really. Not with people.” Reaching out, Maggie gently touched his right cheek. “Was I bad, do you think? Is that why I was locked away before?”
Oh, how he wanted to reassure her, tell her how good she was and that Andrews would find a way to make it so she could walk through the world. He wanted to say that, but Warren was old and he knew better. The sedatives weren’t working and that was that. He also had no idea why she had been put in her prison, vampire legends or no. All Warren knew what was in front of him: odd and sweet Maggie, who so desperately wanted to go outside and be like everyone else.
“Maggie, would you tell me what you plan on doing?” He took her hand from his cheek. His cold lips pressed against her skin. Maggie wasn’t cold or warm: she was somewhere in between and she tasted of sweet fruit. “On our little holiday, I mean.”
“Simon’s going to teach me to ride a bike.” Maggie smiled softly. “And Douglas says I can stay outside as long as I like. I’m not going to wear shoes,” a half-insane giggle escaped her throat, “just so I can feel what grass and dirt are like. It’ll be fun. Not like before.”
“Before?”
With a light shrug she smiled again. Only this smile was different. Her lips curled in a secretive way. “Just before.”
Her gaze firmly locked on his, Maggie slowly slid off the bed and next to Warren on the wooden floor. Curling up into a ball, Maggie stayed staring at Warren, who shifted uncomfortably under her warm but firm gaze.
“Where are your fangs?” She cocked her head to one side, her brows knitted in confusion. “Your fangs, I can’t see them.”
Maggie’s thoughts and track of mind were changing as quickly as the wind. One moment she was scaring him with her dark words, and the next she was her usual charming and oddball self. With a gulp, Warren stayed as cheerful as possible, “They only come out when I’m hungry, angry, or eating. They don’t come out so much these days.”
“Oh, is that why you never eat your hearts with us?”
“Something like that.” Looking closely Warren could see that Maggie’s eyes were clear. With the sedatives her beautiful eyes had become cloudy and unfocused. Now she was looking at him in a way that she hadn’t in hours. Either the sedative dosage Simon had given her was wearing off or it hadn’t worked at all. Warren wasn’t sure which one he would prefer, but he knew he was grateful that the normal Maggie seemed to be returning. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay.” Maggie shrugged, her eyes fixed on Warren’s mouth. “My head doesn’t feel so cloudy anymore. I feel like I said odd things, but I don’t remember what.” Licking her lips, Maggie went on. “Sometimes I forget you’re a vampire. Sometimes I forget I’m different. When I forget I want to hug you.”
Taking a deep breath, Warren grabbed Maggie’s right hand and pulled her into a hug. He would keep her save. No more sedatives: they could find another way to get Maggie to the country side. Simon was on his side, they just had to convince Andrews. Andrews wanted what was best for Maggie, so surely he’d understand. Wrapping his arms around her frail frame, Warren held her as close as he dared.
Snuggling close, Maggie buried her face into his chest. This was good, right. Her head didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had, and Warren’s body was cool against hers. She liked that his sleeves were short and his gloves fingerless. She liked that all his clothing was black and smelt faintly of cigarettes. Warren was kind to Simon and always smiled at her.
Maggie found herself wanting to do more than hug him. She pressed her face to his neck, he was so cold.
“Maggie?” Warren whispered. He felt his body stiffen, his arms released Maggie’s body. He wanted to move away, but was stopped by her words,
She tentatively kissed the curve of his neck. “James Warren, just shut up.” With a sigh, she buried her face against his cool neck. “Let me do this, just once.”
*
After his outburst in the ladies’ room, Simon had stormed out and back to the office he shared with Andrews. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that Andrews was pulling away from Maggie and their little family. Sure, Andrews wanted to bring Maggie to the countryside, but he had also been spending more and more time away from home. Andrews had even begun a romance with Henry, even though he had always told Simon romances weren’t allowed in their life. Andrews was bending all the rules for his own pleasure. He hadn’t.
For five years Simon had kept to himself, for his safety and theirs. Now Andrews wasn’t thinking and when he did nearly have a thought it was something that could lead to disaster.
Pulling open the top drawer of Andrews’ desk, Simon pulled out the key for the country house. Slowly but surely an idea was forming in his mind; a way to get Maggie to the country-side without drugging her. Stuffing the key into his jeans pocket, Simon felt himself smile.
He took out his mobile phone and quickly dialed Andrews’ number; it went straight to voice mail; “Andrews, we’re leaving tonight. No drugging Maggie, I think I have another idea. Meet me at home and I’ll explain everything.”
*
Warren stayed as still as possible, his arms mere inches from Maggie’s waist. For several minutes now Maggie had been resting her head against his chest; her arms tightly around his waist. Her breathing had slowed, but she was no closer to falling asleep then she had been the day before. She was still, quietly whispering to him;
“Douglas sees me as a child. Simon’s my very own brother or puppy, though sometimes I scare him. But you, you see me as the odd woman who tried to save you. I think I could like you so much. I do like you.” A small cough escaped her throat. “Warren? I feel funny.”
Gingerly Warren pushed Maggie away from him. Her face was even paler than usual. Normally Warren would have dismissed it as an effect of the sedatives, expect there was a small bit of blood in the right corner of her mouth. Her eyes were glued to his chest, where a splat of red blood stained his black tee-shirt.