Jane slid the jacket on, pulling at the sleeves to cover the edges of her dress shirt, before looking back up in to my eyes. Her face was still a mask of professionalism, but her eyes told me how much she did really love Rebecca, "Now, let's make sure her death was not in vain, Kit."
As her words stopped, I could feel how much more Jane wanted to ask, discuss or vent about Claire and Rebecca's relationship. One that clearly bothered her as much as mine with Claire bothered Rebecca. But she was afraid her mask was slipping too far, and she sucked in a breath to steady her emotions and lock them back up before she poured her heart out to a stranger. A stranger who was the last person to see Rebecca alive.
Jane moved around me, opening the door and holding it for me to exit first. We fell into silence as she walked us to the smaller office down the hall where a handful of Ivan clones where getting Davey set up with the equipment he and I would need to keep tabs on Halston. I found myself looking over at Jane, wanting to say anything I could to comfort her about losing the one woman she loved. I knew what it felt like and after hearing her words about why Rebecca sacrificed her life, I would forever feel guilty for not doing more that day.
But when Jane glanced at me as she was handed a thin stack of Intel updates, I saw her eyes had shifted back to the stone cold NSA agent. Telling me that the topic of Rebecca would be one never to be discussed again. That she had said all she wanted or could about the loss of her love for now.
Jane tapped me on the shoulder, handing me the updates, she whispered, "Do me one favor, Kit. Make her last breath as painful as you can for Halston." She turned before I could say anything, leaving the small office like a ghost.
Her few words made me ever more determined to be the one that killed Halston. To take the burden off of Claire and serve up the cold hard justice for all of the lives she took or ruined. The day she did arrive on our doorstep would be a day she would not see the end of. I would make sure of it.
One week had passed since Davidek took us to the NSA building. One week of being on the edge and constantly double checking the tracker and watching it move deeper into West Virginia. One week of reading daily updates of Halston sightings.
One week until it all eased up and the tracker was spotted up in Michigan near Detroit. NSA agents out in the motor city had located Halston hiding in a warehouse loft, recovering from the injuries Benson inflicted upon her.
I could breathe easier knowing Halston was a few hundred miles away and apparently crippled. I had begun to question my decision at the NSA and started debating whether or not to have Jane take care of Halston. The one main reason being Kit. She was not happy and I had seen a slight shift that mirrored mine in the last few days. It was like we had both put on a heavy coat of armor and were waiting for the next wave of attacks.
It didn't affect our relationship, we didn't allow it to affect anything, but there was a constant tense feeling in the house when things grew too quite, or if she heard something miles away that made her go outside with a gun. Checking the perimeter of the house and then double checking the security systems. When she was done, she would let out a breath. Set the gun back in the drawer, come find me and help with the rest of the unpacking.
We began to let down our guard just enough to return to a normal way of living. Late mornings in bed, lunch visits from Davidek where he would tell Kit stories from our childhood and then complain about how his new house in D.C. was taking forever to be renovated. Those lunch visits would turn into quiet dinners together at the kitchen island, eating the newest recipe I was attempting, laughing when I grew frustrated and made promises to call Nina in the morning and have her come down to be our permanent chef. Dinner would then turn into long nights of making love in the shower or in the giant fancy bed with Kit's Steeler blanket tossed in a chair as we heated the room to almost unbearable temperatures.
All of it giving me hope that I could begin to live a normal life and dare to look at the future and plan for it. I had finally opened the letter from the President. A handwritten letter expressing his happiness that I had returned to the states and had requested the paperwork to file for re-election. Telling me that I would have his full support when the time came. I tucked the letter in the envelope with the paperwork, something I wanted to talk to Kit about after I told her that my father and I had agreed to rebuild the Criterion Centre underneath the new steel mill in Geneva and return to those projects when it was complete. Erich and I had been discussing it recently, and we both wanted to expand on the blue serum and work towards whatever came next with it. I had also been working on the pink serum formula, playing around with my old work and debating if I wanted to carry that one further.
I had even begun to think about buying Kit a new ring and setting up an engagement party to bring our families out to Richmond and have a proper visit. Neither Kit nor I had spent any time with our parents since she returned and it was time. Time to repair and start building our family now that we were engaged and looking at a future that could include children and annoying pets. Even Davidek had mentioned that maybe it was time he started to look at settling down.
Now as I stood out in the carriage house, trying to clear out old rusty farming tools with Kit to make room for the tubs of old clothes and books I wanted to sort through at a later time, I smiled at how strange normal felt to me. Yes, I still had Halston in the back of my mind, but I no longer wanted her to dominate my thoughts. She was being watched and all it would take was a phone call to Jane and it would be done. A phone call I had decided I would be making after lunch. The desire to find my own revenge was waning everyday normalcy and the way it felt sunk in further. I was happy, for once in a very long time, I was completely happy and I wanted nothing to dirty that. I pulled the sleeves of my thick, faded blue thermal shirt further over my icy hands. The small heater close to us was doing it best to warm up the massive old wooden carriage house as winter began to knock at Virginia's front door. Threatening to cover the fall colors I loved in a greys and whites.
"Claire, can't we just throw all this out?" Kit had her hands on her hips, staring down in a box full of old clothes. "I think it would be weird to see the needy strolling around the streets in my beer shirt collection." She sounded embarrassed at how many she had in the large box.
I stood up from the crate of college textbooks I was sorting to send off to the local library, dusting my hands off on my jeans, "I don't think anyone who needs a shirt is going to be choosy." I moved closer to Kit, my hand resting at the small of her back, I could feel her warmth through the thick Ocel Steel sweatshirt she wore. I pointed at the top one, the miller high life one I had stolen so long ago from her house in San Diego. "I still want that one."
Kit turned to look at me, giving me an, are you serious look? "To have a reminder of the messy drunk I was?"
I met her hazel eyes, "No. To have a reminder of how much we have been through and how I love you more and more every day." I bent down, plucking the shirt up and stretching it out. "Plus I kind of think the miller high life girl is cute." I smirked at Kit before kissing her quickly on the cheek, "I'm keeping it. We can send the rest to Tito. He told me there is a shelter down the street from your house that could use some donations."
Kit shook her head, "You mean his house. I signed the papers yesterday, giving him full ownership of the newly renovated and former Casa De Witmer." She bent down, folding the box lids up before scribbling for Tito on the lid in black marker, "I told him that we would be out next month to see him. He's been itching like crazy to squeeze the crap out of me since he found out I was alive." Kit peered up at me, "I asked him to be one of my bridesmaids for our wedding." The look on her face was apprehensive and goading. Kit had been dropping heavy hints in the last few days about planning a wedding, choosing a date and getting the ball rolling on furthering our lives together.
I cocked an eyebrow at the woman, "I think Tito would look dashing in pink satin." I folded the shirt up, handing it over to Kit as she stood from the box. I gave her a qu
estioning look, "I still need to propose to you properly." I reached for the chain visible around Kit's neck. "And get you a proper ring."
Kit sighed, rolling her eyes playfully as she tucked the shirt against her chest, "I think our families get the hint that we are engaged." She grabbed my left hand, bringing it up to kiss the ring she had placed on there, weeks ago, "But I understand Claire." She smiled at me, mildly deflated, turning towards the next box in many we had left to work through.
I held onto her hand, squeezing it to draw her attention back to me. When her eyes met mine, asking a silent question, I let out a slow breath. "Kit, I always dreamed about proposing to the one I loved since I was a little girl. Always playing it out in my head, making sure it would be more than perfect." I ran my thumb over her knuckles, "I only have one chance to ask the one woman I love with everything I have to live the rest of this one life with me as my wife." I paused, "I lost that opportunity once, I want to make sure I do it right with this second one. To ask you to be mine forever." I shook my head, smiling awkwardly at my own overwhelming sappiness, "It's silly, never mind."
I went to step away from Kit when I was suddenly in both of her arms, her lips meeting mine in force as she kissed me deeply. Melting away all the thoughts in my head and the slight chill in that fought its way past the small heater plugged in next to us. Kit broke off the kiss before I could drop my hands and grab her. I opened my eyes to see her staring at me with a grin and glassy hazel eyes. "I will wait, then, to make sure your dream come true. Since mine already has." Kit kissed the corner of my mouth before stepping out of my arms completely. She was blushing and grinning, pushing some of her hair from her face, she cleared her throat, "I, uh, am going to take the shirt into the house and grab a few more boxes from your office. I will be back in a minute?"
I grinned, looking down at the old dirty wooden floor. Kit was making her escape before she attacked me and used her strength to tear my clothes off and take me against the old workbench behind me. I could see it in the way her eyes sparkled as they ran over my body. It also didn't help I was wishing for the same thing, but Davidek was on his way over for lunch.
He was starting to get grumpy about always having to wait on us to "finish playing grabass." as he so delicately blurted out yesterday morning when breakfast was delayed an half hour and he was force to wait watching terrible morning talk shows to drown out the noise Kit and I were making.
I nodded, "A minute." I watched Kit walk out of the carriage house, a little bounce in her step told me that I was in for some trouble come bed time.
I sighed happily, returning to the box of outdated Biochemistry books. Setting aside which ones I could send to the library or ones that would be better suited off in the recycling to be made into the next edition. I allowed my thoughts drift to the plans I had been working on with Davidek since lunch yesterday to make that perfect proposal happen, with the perfect ring. Kit was right, we were engaged and I had a ring and our families knew, but I wanted to reset everything by asking Kit to marry me like I had planned in Geneva before the world fell apart. It was something I wanted to do for myself as much as I wanted to do for her. It was a little selfish of me, but I wanted to have happy stories to tell our friends, family and future children of how Kit and I came to be married. To create new, happier and stronger memories that I could fall back on when the nightmare ones threatened to swallow me up.
_____________________
A handful of minutes passed by without me noticing, I was too caught up in reading the first biochemistry book I had gotten in high school, marveling at how much had changed in the last twenty years. I heard the large wooden door creak open, and saw Kit walk back in as I glanced over my shoulder. She had changed out of her sweatshirt and was wearing one of the old, heavy coats I kept for when the snow finally came and we had to shovel it. I grinned, turning back into the box and noticing one of my high school yearbooks hiding underneath an anatomy textbook. I reached back with my left hand for Kit take. "You want to see what Davidek looked like at fifteen? Skater haircut with baggy skater jeans?"
Kit's hand met mine, squeezing a little too hard as she spoke, "Of course I do."
I swung my head around at the sound of the raspy voice, locking eyes on dead blue ones hidden deep in the face of Kit. I went to pull my hand free, when it suddenly felt like lightning hit my wrist and entire arm. The loud snapping sound brought me to my knees as the intense pain filled my body. I knew my wrist and arm had been broken in one quick move. I began to scream and try to pull my disabled arm free, but found the pain to be too much. Sapping my strength quickly.
I closed my eyes as the pain increased when my arm was pulled once more, "Oh Claire. Don't close your eyes. You know it will just make me want to hurt you more to keep them open." I shook my head as Halston's voice made my stomach roll. I kept my eyes closed until I heard a soft slap on the floor in front of me. I opened my blurry eyes to see the mask of Kit's face lying in front of me.
I shook my head, "Kit..." I was fighting unconsciousness and adrenaline. My fight or flight was in overdrive and I was paralyzed to act on upon it.
Halston ripped me to my feet by my broken arm, making me scream harder. I felt a hand come around my throat and under my chin, holding me up as my body wanted to collapse and pass out from the sensory overload. I felt her breath on my face as she spoke harder, "Open your eyes, Claire. Look at me." Halston pinched my throat until my eyes were forced open.
Halston grinned, stretching out the scarred skin around her neck and across her cheeks. Making her face look like it was out of a horror movie. I felt the tears streaming down my face. I had thought a thousand times what it would be like to be face to face with this woman, how I would act when the time finally came. Now, as I was inches from the woman who had caused me fifteen years of pain and suffering, the only thing I felt was pure unmitigated fear. Halston was nothing but pure insanity. The kind that nothing and no one would stop for it was fearless. I swallowed hard, finding my voice, "You don't have to do this." I scrambled to find words to negotiate with her, "The blue serum, I have it. You can have it."
Halston laughed, "Yes, I do. You and I both know that." She twisted my arm again, "But first let's make you as uncomfortable as possible and wait for your lovely fiancée to return. I have so much planned." Her voice turned morbidly giddy as she dragged me across the floor. "Then when Kit is dead, we can talk about your magical serum."
I began screaming, crying out Kit's name from the pain and the fear that was smothering me. A hard hand came down on the top of my shoulder, shattering my collarbone. Halston hissing at me to shut up.
My screaming stopped when the pain consumed my vision and pure blackness filled my world.
I chuckled at myself, skipping into the house like an excited teenager. Clinging to the old beer t-shirt and grinning, I was happy. I could genuinely say that I was happy and mean. I had gotten a little miffed with Claire ignoring the not so gentle hints about planning a wedding, but after hearing her romantic, yet convoluted, reason, I forgave her.
Dropping the shirt off in the living room, I headed straight to her office to collect the last two boxes. I had a new idea of how I wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon and it certainly did not have sorting through dusty boxes as any part of it. Moving past her desk, I glanced over her desk. Seeing nothing but the usual neatly organized piles of mail, files, and envelopes with the Senate seal dotting the corners. I knew Claire was entertaining a return to her Senate seat, sooner rather than later. In some ways I didn't want her to return to work so I could have her to myself, but I knew, one way or another, I would eventually have to make room for Claire's passions as her mind finally began to grow restless. I had decided during dinner tonight, I would bring up negotiating that we get married before she returned full time to being the Senator or the Doctor. I let out a soft sigh, looking over the desk top and all its relics of a life that I wondered if Claire would be better off leaving behind her.
I almost
walked past all of it, blissfully lost in picturing what kind of dress Claire would wear, when something caught my eye like a fish on a hook, slowing my entire world down as my heart began to pound. Making me whisper, "No..."
On the back of Claire's old leather chair, hanging off the edge was a red, black and white Kabuki mask. A small note stuck on one of the white fangs, "Join us, won't you, Kit?" I snatched the mask from the chair, feeling it crack and split in my palms as I started to rip it half.
That's when I heard Claire's screams as if she was standing next to me. Screams of sheer pain.
I ran out of the house like a lightning bolt was carrying me and made it to the carriage house in under a minute. I kicked open the door only to be overwhelmed by the thick stink of my perfume, making me cough and slam my eyes close from the sting. It was as if the entire carriage house had been soaked in it. I coughed and opened my eyes to see Halston laughing at me, "I see you got my little note." She chuckled, "You can keep the mask, call it my parting gift." Her raspy voice grated on my ears like a chalkboard from hell.
I went to lunge for her when my eyes fell to Claire. What I saw felt like a sucker punch to my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs and me back a step.
Claire was hanging up by her wrists looped around each hook of a skinning gambrel, linked up to the rafters by a thick old rope. She was unconscious, her head down and swaying aimlessly with her body. Her shirt had been torn off of her, leaving her in only her bra. From the way her left arm was a deep purple red, jutting out in odd angles told me it was broken. There were other red marks and small cuts over her torso that were bleeding slowly, where one possibly had poked at her ribs with the gut hook in Halston's hand. The sight alone made my entire body vibrate with the need to exact endless amounts of violence upon the woman who was giggling at her handiwork.
I hissed at Halston, regaining my composure to charge her again, "You bitch, you will suffer."
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