I chuckled, kissing her cheek, "As long as I also have you in that big fancy bed, I don't care."
Rounding the corner to hit the long wooden staircase that would take us up to our bedroom, Davidek popped out of the guest room, running a towel over his wet hair, he had a serious look on his face. "I was just about to come look for you two."
Kit caught the same look I did on Davidek, speaking before I could, "What is it, Davey?"
He dropped the towel, rolling it in his fingers he sucked in a deep breath, "Sheehnan called. Halston had an intense meeting with Benson last night at his house in Springfield." He paused, "I need you two to get dressed so we can head to the NSA. Jane and the boys are waiting for us."
I felt my entire body tighten up with every word, eventually all of the words faded into nothing. Reality popping my blissful bubble. Kit looked at me with hard eyes, "It's time. We end this now." She held my gaze until I nodded slowly, swallowing hard as the tumbleweed of emotions I had felt for a year, coiled in my stomach. I let out a gradual breath, walking out from under the blanket, I turned to Davidek, "We will be ready in ten minutes."
I didn't wait for him to answer, climbing up the stairs two at a time, I began to slither back into the walls and armor I had only shed in the last two weeks. I knew I needed to. I was done with Halston infiltrating my life. I also had to mentally prepare myself if I was going to kill her. I would not falter a second time.
I let Claire sit in the front seat of the Cadillac with Davey. That way I could watch her without her knowing how much I was watching her. The second she heard Halston's name, I saw her body and mind seize up and the walls begin to rebuild. This time around, she didn't shut me out, but did her best to hide behind the small tricks she had learned being a politician. The genuine fake smile, making eye contact to ensure that I knew she was okay when I asked.
All of it was useless on me. I had worked with a hundred politicians who played the game better than she ever could. But I left it. I didn't dig. I knew she was settling back into her mission of being the one to kill Halston and I would need the backup of the others to attempt talking her out of it and leaving it to one of us who was already desensitized by our training and experiences. I never wanted Claire to ever be tainted by the ghost having killed someone out of pure revenge or out of a directive set by someone else.
Whether it was justified or an order, it was a ghost that lingered in the back of your mind and every closet or dark corner. Taking away minute chunks of your humanity until you were left with nothing but a shell of your former self. I had seen it a hundred times with the war veterans that had been given the cushy protection details in the federal buildings, cops in major cities, Davey, other agents I had served with and sometimes I would catch glimpses of it in my own eyes when I looked in the mirror too long. Claire was a healer and I would do all I could to make sure that was never taken from her. I knew her defense would be that she had killed those two intruder’s years ago, but that was out of self-defense. No matter how she tried to play it as vigilante justice, it was far different than actively thinking and planning how to murder Halston.
Davey looked in the rear view mirror at me, "Kit, Jane was able to upgrade your retired clearance to one of an active agent. You will be able to move throughout the NSA without any trouble." He glanced at Claire, "Your Senator clearance was also boosted."
Claire nodded once, turning to look out the window. Davey returned to look at me, his eyes silently communicating that he was concerned about her shift as much as I was. I let out a breath and nodded to him that I understood. He smiled tightly, pushing his sunglasses on as he continued to navigate the thickening traffic.
Silence sat heavy in the car for the duration of the ride.
_______________________
Two hours later, Davey pulled the Cadillac up to the military gate of Fort Meade. The ominous shiny black glass building stood out like a giant mirror in the middle of parking lots and thickets of trees. I bent to look out the front window, the buildings mere presence made me nervous and wished I had dressed better than the nice pair of jeans and button down I found in the closet. Claire was dressed similarly, but her Senator persona had made her seem more elegant and professional even in jeans, blouse and her thick winter coat.
Davey handed his license over to the gate guard, telling him who we were and that we had a meeting with Jane Armstrong, Agent in charge of Information Systems. The guard ran the license, bent to look hard at my face and then Claire's before handing Davey his license and opening the gate. I felt my body tense tighter, the energy rushing through my limbs as my nervousness increased.
The interior of the building did little to ease my feeling. I could hear snippets of conversations held in private offices that made me uneasy about just about everything. I could see people staring at Claire, whispering about her and if she was that Senator. Then whispers about the Centre explosion and all the details the news fabricated. It sent my nerves into anger and I had to clench my fists to prevent from grabbing the whisperers and throttling them.
Davey lead us down a labyrinth of halls, down a handful of elevators that felt more like steel coffins than elevators. Taking Claire and I to a series of offices that I could smell was underground. The traces of dirt and water permeating the concrete and steel just enough for my heightened sense of smell to pick up. Davey suddenly stopped at a large door, pressing a small black button on an even smaller black box that looked like a light switch. I could hear the monotone buzzing through the thick sound proof walls.
The door clicked open to reveal a tall woman with auburn hair pulled back in a smooth bun. It was her hard, steely brown eyes that told me as much as I needed to know. Even as she smiled, her face, like her eyes, was hardened like that of an experienced agent. The woman was wearing a dark grey skirt that reached the top of her knees, a dark navy blue blouse that was conservative but very feminine. I could tell the woman was gorgeous and probably stunning with her hair down and out of the stuffy federal uniform she wore.
The woman continued to hold the smile tight as she greeted Davey and Claire, shaking hands. When she graced me, she held out her hand, "I don't think we have met. Jane Armstrong."
I took the strong hand, a stronger grip upon contact, "Kit Witmer." I watched her eyes flicker with the smallest hint of emotion before dropping my hand and waving us to follow her. I didn't blame her reaction, I was the last person to see her ex-girlfriend alive. From the smallest bits Davey told me in Russia, Jane and Rebecca had remained very close after the parted and had begun to get closer in the recent months a reignited relationship with Claire became a permanent lost cause. I swallowed hard, pushing out a short puff of air to calm myself, my hand falling to the necklace before I hurried to catch up to the others.
Jane was already speaking when I fell two steps behind Davey.
"Benson is in my office. He is completing his statement." Jane pushed open another handful of doors, walking us past rooms filled with the hum of computers and the taps of fingers running over keyboards. "We were able to tag Halston an hour ago outside of West Virginia near the Maryland border. Benson was able to stick a tracker on her, but after the fight they had, it seems the tracker was damaged. Only giving us partial signal here and there."
Jane opened one last door, Benson sitting on the opposite side of a large glass desk surrounded by monitors filled with the news, satellite images, and weather reports from all across the world. She smiled her steely smile as Benson looked up to see who had entered. "I will have Benson fill you in on the specifics." She took a seat in the modern black leather chair, folding her legs and arms with precision and without wrinkling one stitch of her pristine outfit.
Benson stood up, "Dr. Avondale, Mr. Janes, Ms. Witmer. It's good to see you." He was polite, professional, and yet I could see an edge lingering in his eyes. He motioned for Claire to take the seat he vacated, "Please, sit."
Claire smiled tightly, shaking her head, "I'll stand." She took to the far wall ne
xt to the line of monitors, "Jane tells us that you had an encounter with Meredith last night."
Benson fidgeted with his suit jacket, moving to stand across from Claire while Davey and I sat. "I did." He hesitated before speaking again, "I had just gotten home from meeting with Agent Armstrong and noticed that my back door had been tampered with. As I entered my kitchen, gun drawn, I could smell someone hiding in the pantry."
He furrowed his brow, "It was this strong, strange chemical smell, like they had been making bombs or cleaning the shower with bleach. I was able to catch them off guard and yank the person out of the pantry." Benson leaned against the wall, folding his arms, "It was Halston. She seemed calm. Putting on this show of being on the defense, coming in peace and that all she wanted to do was talk to me. I went with it. I had just placed the tracker Agent Armstrong gave me, in my pocket and was determined to place it on her." He looked up and made direct eye contact with Claire, "It was hard to sit and listen to her and refrain from grabbing her."
Claire held his eyes, "What did she want to talk you about?" Her tone was even.
"The blue serum. She wanted to know everything about it. How I got my hands on it, how it worked, how long did it take to reverse everything." Benson shifted away from the wall, pacing slowly. "I indulged her. Told her I had gotten the serum through the black market in Russia. That Dr. Avondale's blue serum was scavenged from the Criterion Centre right after the explosions. I then proceeded to tell her about the elaborate escape plan we created for how I left police custody and traveled to Russia to try and get more of the blue serum, since it was rumored you were there, Dr. Avondale. Meredith sat enraptured, listening to everything and buying it all. I continued, telling her that I had no idea if Ms. Witmer was alive. That my only interest was in Dr. Avondale and the blue serum."
Benson cocked his head back to look at me, "I did feed her information about Dr. Avondale moving to Richmond, like we had discussed before we all left Russia to bait her into making a move. That's when it all went to hell. Meredith began rambling on about her bees and how Dr. Avondale needed to pay for everything and that her survival was a sign that the second attempt would be slower and more painful. That she needed me to help her rebuild and find new bees to attack."
He stopped suddenly, drawing down to look at the floor, "She brought up Jessica. How Ms. Witmer murdered her and that I needed to rejoin Meredith and finish the mission we all started on when she destroyed Bourne's lab."
His jaw tightened like an overstretched rubber band, "The things she said about Jessica, the lies. I lost it, screaming at her that my wife was not the monster Meredith created, that she deserved to be at peace. We fought, viciously, and I broke her left arm, determined to break every one of her limbs before I snapped her neck. But Meredith was quicker, pulling a knife on me and shoving it in my stomach to the hilt. That was when I came to my senses enough to place the tracker on her before she made her escape. It was cracked from the fight, but it was worth the shot to try it. Meredith was shocked at how fast I healed, that my stomach pushed the knife out like it was nothing more than a small needle. I think it scared her, impressed her, I’m not sure. But she stumbled back and away from me, whispering how? Over and over. Then ran out the back door I had left open."
Benson let out a slow breath, looking at Jane, "I came to Agent Armstrong the second Meredith ran out of my house. I wanted to chase her down, finish what the old me wanted to. But." He looked back at Claire, "I'm not the monster I was and Meredith needs to face the appropriate justice for all of the lives she destroyed." He pursed his lips, "I’m sorry I couldn't stop her, Dr. Avondale."
Claire and Benson stared at each other, some sort of silent communication going on between them. It made me uneasy. I shifted in the chair and spoke to Jane, "Is the tracker working?"
Jane reached behind her, tapping one of the large monitors above her head. A map of West Virginia flickered on the flat screen. A small white blip was pulsating in the area where West Virginia met Maryland's state line. "It is working on and off. The tech team thinks that the GPS was compromised when Benson and Halston tussled. The thing comes in and goes, but it still appears to be giving us accurate locations. I have agents out in that area confirming that a subject matching Halston's physical description, broken arm and moving like she went fifteen rounds with Tyson, has been seen in the area of the tracker. The facial recognition has not been able to pick up her full face. She has been wearing a scarf over the lower half of her face."
Jane tapped on the screen one more time, bringing the map in closer to where the plantation house was in comparison to the white blip. "I predict she will start moving towards your home, Claire. It's only a matter of when she finds your address in public record." Jane turned to look between everyone in the room, "I have a handful of options we can utilize. Take her out now, my agents can move with one word. We can wait, set up another distraction or let her come to you."
I went to open my mouth to ask to hear the other options when Claire spoke, her voice had a haunting edge to it, "We wait. We sit and wait for her to show up on my doorstep and then I will take care of it."
I stood up from the chair, quicker than I wanted to, forcing everyone in the room to turn their attention my way, "Claire, I think we should hear the other options. Maybe its best if we have the NSA take Halston out." I heard Davey agree quietly with me from his seat. I took a step closer to Claire, who was still staring at the white blip hovering on the map. "That way it can be done and we can finally let this all go. No one gets harmed, in anyway."
A heavy pause fell in after my last word, the others all waiting on what Claire would say, since ultimately it was her call. Claire kept her eyes forward, "We wait for her to come to Richmond." She then pushed off the wall and went to walk towards the door, "Jane can you please make sure Kit and Davey are put into contact with the agents monitoring the tracker." She glanced over her shoulder at Benson, "Donald, will you please come with me. I would like to do a quick physical exam and see how the blue serum is doing."
I heard Davey groan and curse under his breath, clearly pissed off that Claire had taken the hardest road out with Halston. He pushed out of his chair, huffing as he brushed past Claire. I let out a breath, this was not good, "Claire, I think we should reconsider..."
She turned from Benson who now stood next to her, "There is nothing I want to reconsider, Kit. The only way I know I will find a resolve and peace to this is if I see Halston dead in front of my eyes. That way I can move on knowing that this all has finally come to an end." She held up her hand to stop the words that were rushing off the tip of my tongue to plead with her, "Kit, please." It was gentle request to leave it.
I clenched my jaw, and looked away from her. I knew there was no way to debate her when her mind was set like it was. I would have to figure something else out with Davey, Jane or Benson. Or take it upon myself to draw Halston out away from the plantation house.
Benson and Claire left the office quietly, letting the door click behind them, I let out a frustrated groan. "Dammit."
"Claire has always impressed me with her determination and unbending ways."
I turned to look at Jane, still standing in front of the monitor and now looked directly at me. I shook my head, reaching for my coat, "Yeah, well now is not the time for her to be unbending." I draped the coat over my arm, "I might be calling you later to set up a covert option to draw Halston out."
Jane chuckled, "Good luck with that. I tried once to go behind her back, against her wishes when Rebecca was sick." She moved away from the monitors, "It was only to help Claire, ease the burden of being healer and lover, but that backfired and I drove Rebecca closer to Claire and that in turn pushed Claire away. Complicating things so much more. I'd much rather stand in the way of a speeding train then try to change the mind of the good Senator."
She looked up at me, "Better chances of success with the speeding train." Jane shrugged, "Don't waste your time, Kit. Claire has tunnel vision on being the las
t person Halston sees. In all honesty, I don't blame her. If I had the chance to exact the justice I felt Halston deserves after what she did to Rebecca and the rest of you. Nothing would stop me." Jane drew her eyes down to the desk top, her jaw twitching in the way that told me she was holding back tears born from anger and sadness.
Hearing Rebecca's name, guilt washed over me, "Davey told me that you and Rebecca were together." I paused, "I'm sorry, I tried to help her that day." I shifted nervously, looking towards the door, "She saved my life."
Jane nodded with her head still down, "Don't be sorry. Rebecca knew what she was doing. She and I had just begun to rebuild our friendship and relationship in the last few months of her life. We both wanted to start again, start over. She had told me everything about you and Claire, that it was irrefutable how much you loved each other, and how much it brought Claire to life in a way it made her understand many things. Particularly what we had and gave up for careers." She drifted off, getting far too deep in personal memories, Jane cleared her throat and tilted her head to look in my eyes, "She saved you to also save Claire."
She raised an eyebrow, when my mouth dropped open to say something, "Never be sorry for that, Kit. At the end, she finally understood the connection between you two. A similar one to what she and I had." Jane straightened up, reaching for the matching suit jacket hanging over the back of her desk chair, "All I know and care about is that I was finally able to tell her how much I loved her that morning before she died. It was the one thing I always failed to do when we were together, part of the reason why she left me."
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