I wiped my mouth again, tossing the napkin on the plate, covering his hand with mine, "I tried, Davey. I tried so hard to get back to her and you." I paused feeling my throat tightened.
He smiled tightly, "I know, Kit, the stubborn mule in you wouldn't allow you to stay away forever." He sighed, "You don't know how many times I prayed you would walk in that door and help me pick her up off that floor as she sobbed in a ball. Pick her up and carry her to bed, let her fall asleep knowing that it was okay to breathe again. To live again. To walk through that door and giving me one of your shitty, not now Davey looks."
A tear escaped, Davey wiping it away before it got too far. "Dammit Kit. You know at your memorial service your mom had to comfort me? I was crying like a baby and had to walk away in the middle of the priest speaking about heaven and earth coming together in a time of mourning. I lost it and bolted. She found me under a tree and just hugged me as I let it all out. A well trained former Secret Service Agent, all the things I have seen and done." He shook his head as he blinked back tears, his eyes went wide, "Oh god! Your parents? Do they know you're alive?"
I nodded, "They do, as do Claire's parents." I slid my hand out from underneath his, standing up to collect the plates and grab him a beer and a water for myself from the fridge. "I know what you're thinking, why them first?"
Davey shook his head feverishly, "Oh god no, Kit. Your parents should have been the first to know."
I shrugged, "In all honesty, if I had known where Claire was before I told them. They would have been the last know." I handed over the beer to him and sat back down, "Erich and I discussed how to reveal that I was alive to the family and then to you all. He went through Ivan. Ivan was still hesitant to tell us where you and Claire had holed up until he saw for himself and had his own form of proof I was really me. When he had it, he told me that I should tell my parents first. I protested like any love sick fool would, but then he contacted Mr. Avondale and asked for him to bring my parents to the Avondale estate."
I paused opening my water to take a large sip, "Erich and I flew out four days ago to the estate with Ivan. It seems after my death, my parents and her parents came together and bonded. The Avondale family making sure my mom and dad had everything they needed." I smiled tighter to fend off the tears as the look on all of their faces when they opened the door to see me standing there, my mom falling apart and my dad smirking through his tears, saying "That's my tough little Steeler." raced in my head. "Granted they are still digesting it, trying to wrap their heads around the facts of it all, but my dad was the one who kept them all strong. Telling them that he would never believe I was dead if he never saw my body." I chuckled lightly, "Seems he also adopts to the stubborn mule theory."
I looked back up at Davey, "Erich explained everything to them, in layman's terms, and told them that we had to keep it a secret a little longer." I rolled the water bottle in my hands, "My dad and her dad left the next morning to tear out my headstone to smash it to pieces at the steel mill. Ivan, Erich and I returned to Geneva a few days ago to prevent Halston picking up any idea I was alive. That's when Ivan handed me the address and I ran to the nearest flight here."
I raised my head towards the ceiling, "I'm confused by her reaction, Davey." I dropped back to look at him, "When she hugged me then backed out of my arms." I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. There was a strange calm taking hold over me. Another sign of my new way of life. The old me would have charged at Claire the moment she rebuked me, spoke firmly and tried to convince her to forgive and forget whatever it was that needed forgiving. Force her like I had in her senate office about her jealousy. Confront her and stand stubborn, but I didn't feel the need to, it was like I had finally found the calm I had been searching my entire life.
It only took me finding Claire and dying to really understand that I could have had the whole time. Claire was mine, would always be mine and if I had to wait the rest of this new life for her to come back to me, I would. I would let her take the time she needed to come to terms with the emotional hell I had set in motion, and wait for her. In the meantime, I would not leave this house or her side. It was strange to feel so peaceful and controlled, but Claire's distance still confused me and worried me.
Davey chugged his beer, "You were the first person to ever make Claire feel anything in that heart of hers. Bring it to life unlike any other. You forced her to experience emotions she had ignored or never knew existence her entire life. You made her want to be human and not hide behind the persona she created to be left alone." He swirled the golden yellow liquid, "She fell in love. Fell into a true perfect love and had it all ripped out of her hands in front of her eyes like it was. You did die, Kit. None of us can dispute that fact."
Before I could reply, Claire came running down the stairs. Blowing through the kitchen, she tore open the basement door and let it slam behind her. Her feet thundering down the steps as the blue light above the door frame blinked on. Davey sighed hard, "And there she goes. We won't see her for hours, maybe days." He drained the rest of his beer and set the empty on the table, "You staying here?" He smiled gently at me.
I grinned back, "Nowhere else I'd rather be or have to be."
Davey stood up from the table, heading to the fridge, "Perfect. Come with me. We can head to the barn, go shoot things and talk more before dinner." He grabbed a few more beers from the fridge, cradling them in his arms, walking towards the back door.
I laughed at him, following and picking up both of our coats, "Maybe you can explain to me this new look of yours. A beard? You used to cry about having a five o'clock shadow on sixteen hour details." I waved my hands over his baggy sweatshirt and pants ensemble.
Davey held the door open with his foot, looking back, "My face was cold." He winked at me, crunching out in the snow the second I had the door, "Plus I think I make it look good."
"Of course you do." I reached back to close the door, letting my eyes drift to the basement door and the little blue light. Knowing Claire had finally read the notebook. I smiled a little easier, clicking the door closed and hoofing it after Davey and his clinking bottles.
________________________
Davey was right. We didn't see Claire for hours. He and I shot empty beer bottles in the barn and when he got a little tipsy he wanted to test my new gifts that came with the mutated DNA I carried. I indulged him for a little while, until I fell off the top trellis in the barn, grazing my side on a horseshoe nail and ripped my skin open from my armpit down to my hip. Davey panicked when he saw the blood and a quick glimpse of my ribs. Rushing for me, I held up my hand to stop him. Pointing for him to stop and watch as the skin reconnected and the blood disappeared. Only leaving a hole in my shirt and a stunned man staring at me. "Holy shit, Kit." Was all he said, over and over until I shoved him away, handing him another beer to really shut him up.
When dusk hit, I dragged the happy Czech into the house and sat him at the table while I tried to throw dinner together. Only finding pasta, cheese and milk, I set to making a large pot of macaroni and cheese. I continued to look back at the basement door every two minutes I stirred the pasta in boiling water, waiting for Claire to pop back out. I could feel the urge to grab her and stop her creep slowly into my body.
Davey caught me, shaking his head, "Trust me. She won't be out for dinner, dessert, breakfast and lunch. Bits is like a grumpy old turtle, hiding in her shell until she's ready to poke her head out and bite at people." He grumbled, reaching for the glass of water I set in front of him. "Leave her, it's what she wants." The bitterness was heavy in his tone.
I smiled, "Dinner should be ready in fifteen." I turned back to the boiling pot, staring at the swirling curls of pasta. The sudden weight of one thought bore down on my shoulders, if I had only stayed with Claire that day. Everything would have been different.
I had hoped Davey would be wrong, but he wasn't. Claire never came out for dinner, even after Davey stumbled up the stairs after his beer buzz wore off, to show me Iv
an's, now my bedroom. He pointed at the Captain America bed sheets, "We can get you new ones in the morning. They are clean; the wonder boy is OCD about everything." He waved his hand around the room, "Bathroom in the corner, fresh things in the closet." He turned to face me, rubbing at his head. "I'm going back downstairs for some coffee, Kit." Glancing at the clock, it was only half past seven. "I think now that you are here, I can safely run off into town and grab a few things." He patted my shoulder, "I need to leave the house for a little while, I have been trapped in here for most of the day since we got here and I crave fresh air."
"It's fine, Davey. I can take over for you." I dropped my duffel bag on next to the bed, looking around the room. Silently wishing I could crawl into Claire's bed and wait for her. It was the one thing I missed the most, sleeping in her arms or next to her. The way her body fit with mine and the way she always was just perfectly warm enough to keep me close to her. I let out a heavy sigh, hearing Davey move down the staircase and out the back door. A rush of nerves struck, I was alone with Claire in the house and it was bringing me back to the first time I was alone with her in the Malibu home. The butterflies smacking into the walls of my stomach like drunken drivers, begging me to do something other than stand and look over my shoulder out the bedroom door and right at the plain white one that led right into hers. I dropped my arms from my chest and reached out slowly, grabbing the edge of the door I pushed it closed and set about unpacking the small things I had brought with me.
When I was done, I stripped off my ruined shirt and bloodstained jeans. Rolling them in a ball I tossed them in the corner to be dealt with after my shower. Walking into the bathroom, I started the shower to let the water heat up. Reaching up to yank out my ponytail, I caught the necklace in the mirror. I stared at it for a second, the way the diamonds picked up any and all fragments of light no matter where I was, throwing it back at me in slivers of bright white light.
I ran my finger over the rounded edges, thinking back to what I asked Claire when I woke up on the table. All of the memories of that day had come back shortly after I came to in Erich's cabin, but one always stood out like a clear brand new photograph.
I furrowed my brow when another memory pushed in the sides, making me tap at the necklace a few times before I talked myself into it. I let go of the mangled ring, "What do I have to lose." and walked out of the bathroom. I dug in the pocket of my jeans, removing the brand new encrypted smart phone Ivan gave me as I ran out the door, and dialed the kid.
He answered on the first call, "Kit! Is everything back to normal? How's Dr. Avondale?"
I could feel the nervous excitement in his voice. It made me smile, "Not yet, but it will be." I ran my hands along the edge of the old wooden dresser I stood in front of, "Can I ask you a favor, Ivan?"
"Yes, of course you can, Kit. Anything at all."
I chuckled, "You vaguely mentioned the other day that you had a few friends who worked at the Smithsonian back in D.C."
"I do, yes. My old chess mate from my primary school days works in the document restoration section and my online gaming mate works in the natural history museum as a curator." Ivan paused, "I’m actually online chatting with her now."
I heard the tapping of keys in the background as I sucked in a breath, "Perfect." I walked back into the bathroom and closed door as I began telling Ivan the details of the favor I needed from him.
Five days later
Davey was right about Claire, once again. Whatever she had found in the notebook had consumed her life. She had begun to eat more, taking the offered plate or bowl as she walked from the bedroom to the basement, giving me a small glimpse of hope with the soft smile she gave as she took the food On the second day, she climbed out of the basement, handing Davey the test results in front of me as we sat at the table playing cards. She only looked in my eyes for a second and spoke, "It is you, Kit." She then broke off eye contact and went back downstairs for the rest of the day. Leaving me speechless and even more confused.
On the third day she had moved from choosing to stare at the floor and actually made eye contact with me, smiling lightly before turning away and rushing down the stairs to be swallowed up by whatever she was working on in the basement. She would come back upstairs after hours upon hours in that lab and trudge up the stairs. Collapsing in bed and sleeping for six hours before waking up and starting the cycle over. Davey took it as a good sign, since she was now actually eating and sleeping, I took it as no sign at all.
He had also begun to relax now that he could safely leave the house knowing Claire was still safe. He would leave for a few hours a day and come back, drag me out to the barn where he would fill me in on the Intel his connections collected. Halston was missing, fallen off the radar completely. This was something that bothered the both of us. We had each experienced an eerie silence before the shit storm hit. It was only a matter of time before Halston poked her head out and returned to her hunt.
The only way I could handle Claire's continuing distance, was by sneaking in her bedroom after I knew she was in a deep sleep, sit in the chair across from her bed and watch her sleep. Sometimes I would talk quietly to her as she slept, ask her how long I would have to wait for her to forgive me for leaving her when I promised I never would.
I had always known that Claire's way of dealing with a lot of things was burying herself in work. I understood that this time she would pull out all of her tricks and defense mechanisms to deal with my return, but at the same time I was getting antsy. I wanted to stop her, and force the emotions out of her. Get her to look at me, scream at me, hit me, do anything to know that there was something to still fight for.
It was now near the end of day five. Davey was cleaning up the dishes from dinner while I sat out in the living room. Curled up on the giant couch, reading a large book about Mozart I had been reading over the last few nights to put me to sleep. I had decided that tomorrow I would confront Claire head on.
I sat in my pajama pants and a sweater, reading how Mozart found inspiration to write his concertos. Looking up from pages to stare at the fire in the fireplace Davey had built before dinner. I could hear the basement door open, Claire's distinct footsteps as she moved closer to Davey, my keen new hearing perked up even more when I heard her whisper.
"Davidek, can you get a package to Sheehnan by tomorrow? Through your special channels?" Her voice was ragged, clear she had worked herself past exhaustion and her body was beginning to tell her so.
I turned to look over the back of the couch, looking straight into the kitchen I could clearly see Claire standing in front of Davey, her right hand curled around what looked like a small glass vial. He nodded, "Yea, I can. I will have to go to see Nikolai now for it to get there tomorrow."
Claire nodded quickly, running her free hand over her hair, "That's fine." She held up her hand, opening the palm to reveal a glass vial with a dark blue liquid in it, "I need you to also deliver this message to him. Sheehnan is to go to San Diego and using his connections, meet with Benson."
She tapped the vial, "I think this is what he was talking that day you and Kit met him." Davey gingerly took the vial from her. Claire folded her arms across her chest, "I will give you a set of instructions for Sheehnan, if this works like I think it should. Have Sheenan take him back to D.C. He will draw Halston out of hiding." Claire turned slowly, her eyes catching mine.
For the first time in days since I walked up to her in the snow, her eyes finally glinted with the smallest sparkle as her lips threatened to curl in a just a hint of a smile. I could feel my heart pound at the simple moment, quickly broken by Davey asking her if there was anything else. Claire turned away from me, shaking her head and disappearing back in the basement. It was a moment, a quick one, but I would take it.
I turned back to my book. Davey rushed into the living room, throwing on his coat, "Kit, I will be back in about an hour. Call me if you need anything." He started to jog towards the front door, when he paused, looking back, "Oh, there's a
package for you in your room. Ivan sent you something."
I grinned uncontrollably, "Thanks." I waved him off, "Go, we will be fine, I don't expect her to come out until morning." I winked at him as he rolled his eyes in agreement and hurried out the door. The wide grin was stuck on my face even as I fell asleep in the middle of a paragraph about how Mozart was fired from his first job. Tomorrow would definitely be the day I stopped Claire.
I turned off every one of the desk lamps and large overhead lights in the basement lab. Slowly and methodically out of a strange habit I created my first day in a full lab at University. I looked around the room one last time, smiling to myself as my eyes settled on the rack of blue filled glass vials.
Erich's notebook had given me everything like he said. Proof that woman upstairs was really Kit, my Kit and proof that she was truly a walking success of my life long work. The serums I created separately had mixed together and created the perfect storm to mutate her DNA in the way I had struggled in creating for years. Kit was a perfect accelerated human being. Her senses light years away from what humans would eventually evolve into, her strength and healing were something out of science fiction novels. Kit was a wonder of science and nature, the two complimenting each other in a way that I now fully understood Erich's hesitation in letting her free until she was fully healed.
It was his entries after she woke up that made me run down to the lab and dive into working. Yes, I was trying to avoid my myriad of emotions and avoid confronting Kit and talking to her by hiding in work, there was no excuse. But as I began to putter with the notes and formulas Erich handed to me, I began to realize that there was a way to save Benson from his hell through Kit. Combining the two serums had mutated Kit's DNA and allowed her to heal, if I did the same but without the mutating process she endured, I could possibly reverse the negative damages done to Benson's body. Heal him but allow him to maintain some of his gifts of healing and strength, I could reverse the negative side effects Dr. Bourne had placed upon him. If it worked, I could use it as bait to draw Halston out of hiding.
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