THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Epilogue - 11/6/16

[keepsmiling7]

lol........Christmas dinner, goose..........does it taste like chicken? I love that because we are always asking if something tasted like chicken.
It's gonna be interesting with everyone in the witness protection program. Alex, Max and Liz, and please don't separate those two.
Thanks,
Carolyn

[Eva]

Tess & Michael's talk made me smile now and then. He's something!

[sarammlover]

I know! I don't want him to walk away in the end either!! But he is right....she needs to change her name and location in a way that not even the witness protection program knows...moles everywhere! I loved Tess putting ideas into Michael's head though...just keep pushing!!

[Double Trouble]

Roswelllostcause: Thanks for reading!

keepsmiling7: Lol, somehow that question always seems to come up when trying something new. No worries, there won’t be any separating Max and Liz.

Eva: He sure is! And Tess is more than happy to stick her two cents in whether he wants to hear it or not.

sarammlover: Nope, we don’t want to see that ourselves. They won’t risk putting any of them in Witness Protection, there’s just too much at stake. Lol, Tess isn’t finished.


Part 68

Kyle was already seated at the dining room table when the others came straggling in the next morning. He was lounging back in his chair, leg propped up on the one across from him, and his hands wrapped around a mug of hot coffee. It had been a rough night, but he’d expected as much, and getting through that first one was always the hardest.

As always, Tess had been there to talk him down when he’d come out of the nightmares, shaking and dripping with sweat. The human mind was an amazing thing, capable of so many things, good and bad. There were times like the night before when he’d wake up fully believing he was still a prisoner being tortured by his captors. The pain and the fear only existed in his mind now, but nights like the night before brought it back as if it was happening in the moment rather than the distant memory it was.

It would be easy to slip back into the depression he’d suffered with after finally returning home, but he knew how to fight it back and he refused to let it win. He’d learned different coping mechanisms and most importantly, he’d learned that he had to recognize those times when he needed help and he had to reach for it. For a long time he’d worried about the effect that would have on their relationship, but eventually he’d realized that including her and sharing the burden only strengthened them.

If she had been a different woman he wasn’t sure it would’ve worked, but Tess was a breed all her own. She understood those dark moments, knew what it was like to live with blood on your hands; she had seen some of the ugliest things people were capable of doing to each other, and she didn’t judge. Her love and acceptance allowed him to live with the past in a way he might not have been able to do otherwise.

He glanced up and lifted his mug when Val came in, walking like she was in a full body cast and glaring menacingly. “I’d say good morning but judging by the way you look I’d guess that’s not the case.”

“Hmph,” she grumbled. “Mornin’.”

He took the win and motioned to the coffee pot Tess had moved to the sideboard to make it more convenient for them.

“Where’s the rest?” She moved carefully, her body so sore, she wondered if it had ever been this bad before.

“Of what, breakfast?”

“Yeah,” she glanced at the table with a lifted eyebrow.

He chuckled and nodded at the kitchen. “It’s in progress.”

Slowly she settled herself down on a chair, careful not to bend her back or neck with the move. “Jeez.”

Kyle grimaced in sympathy. “Sleep didn’t help much, huh?”

“Help?” she snorted.

He nodded and absently reached down to rub his thigh. “How’s Whitman this mornin’?”

“Like a newborn,” she rolled her eyes.

He laughed at that. “Rookies,” he said and lifted his mug in her direction.

“Yeah, apparently.” She couldn’t hide the small grin.

“Gotta be impressed by his work though.” He took a sip of his coffee and set it down again. “And he did pretty good handling himself too.”

“Yeah, gotta give him some credit,” she agreed.

“Don’t hurt yourself with the praise,” Tess said and rolled her eyes as she passed the doorway.

“Harding,” Val greeted and peered at what the woman had brought in.

She slid a platter of pancakes and sausage on the table and shot a look at Val. “I do have oatmeal if you’d prefer.”

Kyle made a face. “That a real question?”

Tess rolled her eyes at him. “Not for you,” she said with an affectionate grin. She’d tried giving him oatmeal for breakfast once – and only once. The man had a special hatred for the gooey food.

“I certainly don’t want that crap either,” Val snorted.

“Um-hmm, you might be stiff as a board but you’re gonna be fine,” Tess declared on her way back into the kitchen.

“I am fine.”

“Yes, you are,” Alex mumbled agreeably as he cautiously made his way into the room and over to one of the chairs.

“How are you feeling?” Tess yelled from the kitchen.

“Like someone scoured my leg with an iron grate,” he called back. “Can I have coffee or is it gonna interact badly with any of the meds you gave me?”

He earned a couple of weird glances for that.

“Coffee is fine.”

“What? Sometimes caffeine interacts...” He shook his head when they continued to stare at him. “Nevermind.”

Kyle just snorted into his own mug.

“Rookies,” Val muttered into her coffee.

Alex glared at her but then he saw the hint of a smile at the edges of her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Will Liz and Max be up too?” Maria asked as she entered the room and went straight to help Tess.

“I’m not sure, girl.”

She nodded quietly. “You think it’d be okay to go and see them?”

“Sure, but why don’t ya eat first? And what about Michael? Is he up?”

“He’s awake and in a mood,” she said and made a face.

“Well, that’s to be expected. I can try to give him some pain meds but he’ll probably just give me an earful with some very colorful descriptive about where I can put them.”

Kyle snickered. “I don’t know about everyone else here but I could use a good laugh.”

“I could handle watchin’ the show,” Val added.

“You’re not all crowding into that bedroom just so you can have a laugh,” Tess said and shook her head at them. But she couldn’t help adding, “Entertaining as it would be.”

“He doesn’t like being confined to the bed.”

She shot a glance at the other girl. “He’ll like it even less if he ruptures that artery.”

“No doubt.” Maria took a few cups with her, carrying them to the dining table and filling a mug for herself. “But he doesn’t care to hear it nonetheless.”

“I’m not deaf!” His voice resounded in the hallway, making her wince.

Kyle chuckled. “Oh yeah, he’s pissed. Good luck with that.”

“I’m not going back in there,” she denied and looked at Tess. “You think he could come an’ eat with us?”

Tess considered that. “I’d rather he stayed in bed but I also know if he doesn’t get up and move around a little bit he’s gonna be hell to deal with. There’s a pair of crutches in the hall closet. He’s taller than Kyle but they can be adjusted for his height. I suppose if he uses the crutches and elevates the leg while he’s eating we can let him off the chain for a while.” She shook her head. “But then he goes right back to bed.”

Maria nodded. She might be able to sell that. Hmm… she glanced over the food on the table. “Turkey sausage?” she asked, already imagining his mood worsening.

“No.” She leaned on the counter that separated the two rooms at the left end of the kitchen. “I can get my husband to eat the turkey bacon but he digs his heels in when it comes to the sausage. So we had to compromise on that.”

“How do you compromise on that? Isn’t it turkey or pork?”

“When we have bacon it’s the turkey and when we have sausage it’s his preferred high fat, high cholesterol, off the charts sodium…” she rolled her right hand.

“That even she admits tastes a helluva lot better than that turkey crap,” Kyle mumbled around a mouthful of food.

“Tsk,” Tess shook her head but didn’t say anything else. She glanced at Maria. “Wanna suggest to Michael what we just talked about?”

“No?” she tried but grinned.

Alex and Val chuckled. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” she made a face and went to get the crutches before she slowly walked back into the bedroom, where Michael was sitting on the bed. “Hey.”

“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” he muttered as soon as he saw what she was carrying.

“It’s either this and elevate your leg or have breakfast in bed,” she shrugged.

He scowled darkly, his expression mutinous. He did not want to hop around like an invalid.

“Tess said your leg needs time to heal. Time where you’re not walking on it,” she clarified when his features didn’t soften. “Look, I know how much you hate this, but if that artery bursts because you don’t listen to her it could kill you.” She shrugged and added softly, “And if you don’t mind, I’d rather not lose you.”

He didn’t want to admit that her words affected him on some level he preferred to pretend didn’t exist. He couldn’t acknowledge the emotions he could easily detect in her voice. If he did it would open the door to something that couldn’t be allowed to happen. Instead, he let his irritation color his own voice as he carefully shuffled around. “Fine,” he huffed, “gimme the damn things. But there’d better not be turkey-anything on the damn plate.”

“She’s got the real sausage,” Maria snickered.

“Yeah, well, there’d better be a goddamned salt shaker on the table too.” He took the crutches and cautiously levered himself up, taking all of his weight on his left leg.

“For someone who ate bugs, you’re so picky.”

“Yeah, well, I know what I like,” he grunted as he shifted the crutches and wedged them up under his armpits.

“A little healthy food won’t kill you. Tess won’t be around to feed you forever.”

“Yeah, and a little flavor won’t kill me either.”

“Gosh, you can be a stubborn pain in the ass.” She went into the bathroom, letting him have some time to himself so it didn’t look like she was fussing over him.

Stubborn had kept him alive and on his feet more than once so as far as he was concerned that wasn’t much of an insult. He took a few experimental steps, feeling sweat break out on his brow at the pain coursing through his body with every move. Maybe he should just relent and have breakfast in bed – with salt and real sausage. No, he refused to reveal that weakness.

Maria held her breath when she didn’t really hear much more than his labored breathing. Should she go and see if he was okay or not?

He fought to bring his breathing under control, focusing on every respiration and doing his best to settle the nausea caused by the pain. His thoughts turned to the mission he had yet to complete. He was going to track that bastard Janus down and put a bullet between his eyes, make him pay for what he’d done to all of them. As his mind turned over different scenarios the pain faded to a manageable level and he turned his head to wipe his brow on his good shoulder. Okay, that was better.

“Are you two coming?” Tess yelled from the dining room.

“Not with you raisin’ the roof out there,” he hollered back as a smirk lifted his lips.

“Shut up.”

Okay, this felt a little bit more like normal. He did his best to keep his weight on his uninjured side as he hobbled to the door. “Blondie, let’s move it!”

“One sec,” she called back and hit the lever to flush the toilet a moment later so her show wouldn’t look so suspicious.

He rolled his eyes but didn’t comment as he used the tip of one crutch to push the door wider so he could get through. He hated using crutches, hated having to rely on anything other than himself, but since falling on his face in front of the others was unacceptable he decided to simply keep his thoughts away from his current disabled condition.

Maria watched him as he moved down the hallway slowly and decided to act as normal as possible. “Let me pass, grandpa,” she said as she sidestepped him to get there faster.

“Grandpa?” His eyes narrowed and he shifted his weight, letting one of the crutches drop into his other hand so he could smack her ass. “Injured or not, one more comment like that and I’m gonna show you just how UNlike a grandpa I am.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Promise?”

His eyebrows shot up at her response. “Try me and see.” Yeah, like he could follow through on that! Well, he wasn’t completely disabled, he thought smugly.

“Maybe after breakfast. I’m starvin’.”

He chuckled and resituated his crutches. “Good, you’ll need to keep your strength up.” What the hell are you doing?! He shook his head to clear it, not wanting to let his thoughts go there.

Maria entered the room first, giving the others a small eye roll and choosing the chair on the other end so Michael could have the one closest to the door when he entered.

He looked around the room, giving everyone the once-over, before hobbling over to take a seat at the table. He released the crutches when Kyle reached for them and leaned over to steady his leg as he lifted it up onto another chair. Just that small exertion made him feel weak and he cursed his limitations.

“So now that we’re all here, who wants to say the prayer?” Tess grinned.

“I’ll do it,” Kyle said and shot a grin at her. “Good food, good meat, good God, let’s eat!”

“Amen,” Michael grunted.

“And to think,” Val said with a roll of her eyes, “people think they’re uncivilized.”

Alex chuckled. “Let’s just say they can both be pigs when they’re hungry.”

“What’s the catch, Harding?” Michael asked with a suspicious look at the food that looked like the real stuff.

“No catch.”

“The pancakes aren’t whole wheat or somethin’? The syrup’s not sugar free? The sausage for sure isn’t turkey or some other form of non-breakfast food?”

“Pancakes are partly whole wheat but they taste the same. Rest is just the usual. Jeez.”

Uh-huh, he knew she couldn’t make a meal without doing her best to ruin something about it. He snorted and started to make another comment but before he could get his mouth open Maria leaned over and slid several pancakes on his plate. He rolled his good shoulder and frowned at her, conscious of the looks bouncing around the table.

“If you didn’t know it was healthy you wouldn’t even comment,” she told him and went to serve herself.

“You don’t know that,” he grumbled and poked at them with his fork. After a few moments of her ignoring him he grabbed the butter and slathered it all over the pancakes and then covered them with warm syrup. Maybe he could cover the taste, he mused as he stretched his hand out to stab a couple pieces of sausage.

“They taste good,” Alex nodded his head when he took the first bite of his. “You really can’t tell a difference.”

“Maybe you can’t.” He cut into his and took a bite of pancake and sausage together, chewing slowly. Okay, maybe you couldn’t taste the difference, but then again, he was smart enough to cover the worst of the wheat flavor and eat the sausage at the same time. He congratulated himself on his ability to disguise the so-called ‘good stuff’ that would’ve otherwise ruined breakfast.

Maria watched him for a moment and grinned to herself. He was so full of shit.

The food kept him occupied and before long he’d cleaned his plate and filled it up again. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in days and since it didn’t taste like cardboard the way most foods made with wheat-anything did, he was packing it away. He listened with half an ear to the conversation that flowed around the table, surprised by the easy way Val contributed to the topics but keeping that thought to himself.

“Hungry much?” Kyle snorted.

“You might like all that health food she shoves down your throat, but after what she fed me yesterday I’m gonna take advantage of a breakfast that doesn’t taste like a cardboard box.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I like good food. Sue me.”

“You’re judging before trying,” Tess said.

He shook his head. “I tried the food you made yesterday. With the exception of the grapefruit and I’m never gonna eat that.”

“You tried, but with disgust, Guerin.”

“So you’d rather I what, act like I like it before tryin’ it?”

“Going at it without any doubts would be a start.”

“Huh-uh.” He didn’t go into anything with blind trust, not even food.

“Let’s talk about the signal,” Alex suggested.

“What about it?” He turned his head to pin the other man with a look.

“Well, we have control. What d’you wanna do now?”

“You’ve already determined that the attorney general has no affiliation with the Circle so we’re gonna have to meet with him and present the evidence we have. We can’t wait too long or we’re gonna miss our opportunity to bring them down. It won’t take long before they scatter to the four winds.”

“Okay, so what kinda timeframe are we talking about?”

“Baxter’s probably circling the wagons,” Kyle spoke up. “The A.G.’s probably away for the holidays, which means he thinks he has at least a week to get everything together and get out of the country.” He shook his head. “Less than a week at best. He knows we’d have to get to the A.G. and convince him that the information we have is not only proof of a threat, but also evidence of a greater conspiracy within our governing body.”

“Yeah, agreed,” Val said, looking at Michael.

He nodded. “He’s gonna insist on speaking to Maria and probably Evans and Parker. They’re all material witnesses. We weren’t counting on them bein’ part of the case against the Circle, but with their experiences while being held captive – “

“No.” Maria shifted in her seat. “No, they shouldn’t have to be put through that. We don’t even know if they know anything that would – “

“Maria,” Michael interrupted, “the fact that they were taken and held against their will and subsequently tortured isn’t something that can be swept under the rug. It’s part of the bigger, darker picture and it has to be brought to light.”

“They’re right,” Tess said calmly. “The more proof, the better.”

“But after everything they’ve been through they shouldn’t have to be put in the spotlight like that.” Maria knew what they were saying made sense and they couldn’t risk losing the case against the Circle, but what about Max and Liz? It didn’t seem right to put them on display like that.

“It’s gonna be hard, but don’t you think they want those people to be punished too?”

She swallowed with difficulty. “It just doesn’t seem right.”

“The way they were treated wasn’t right either.”

“Of course it wasn’t! But having to go over it and over it in testimony isn’t gonna make it any easier on them.”

“But in the end they’ll know they did it for a reason.”

“Okay, but only if they want to do it. Forcing them into it after what those people did to them would just be wrong. Agreed?”

“No one would be in a position to force them anyway,” Michael growled.

She shot a look at him when his tone registered. “I was just sayin’,” she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance with him.

“It was unnecessary!”

“Why’re you copping an attitude with me?”

“Me?”

“Who else?”

“I was just making a point!” He straightened.

“You can be such an asshole when you put your mind to it,” she huffed and pushed back from the table.

He gave her a phony grin. “Thanks.”

“Only you would take that as a compliment.”

“My pleasure.”

“You’re such a dick,” Val muttered but couldn’t hide her amusement.

“I have a dick,” he corrected.

“And just because you have one doesn’t mean you’ve gotta BE one,” Tess added, shooting a warning glare at her husband when she caught him silently mouthing every word she was saying.

“Says who?” he replied, irritated.

“Look, he’s been shot and impaled by a steel rod,” Kyle tossed in before the women jumped on him and things really got out of hand. “Maybe you guys should just give him a break and let him be a dick if that’s what gets him through the day right now.”

“When did you turn into such a pussy, Valenti?”

He turned to look at his buddy when his dark mood suddenly turned on him and he raised one eyebrow in question. “What?”

Michael heard the challenge in the quietly spoken word. “You heard me.” His leg was starting to throb and the pain was radiating out, making him irritable. He’d give just about anything to get on his feet and work through the pain with his fists.

Kyle bit his tongue hard until it was almost painful to keep himself from replying. He’s wounded, he’s in pain... that’s what he kept telling to himself until the need of snap at Bane was gone. “Give me some sausage, babe?” He turned to his girl.

Tess sighed in relief and nodded. “Sure.” She slid a few links onto his plate and then went to the kitchen to get more out of the pan.

Maria grabbed the empty coffee pot from the table and followed her. “It’s gonna be quite interesting the next few days,” she muttered when they were out of earshot, the sting of disappointment in her voice. Was this how she was going to spend her last chapter with Michael?

“No kidding,” Tess snorted. “He’s never been bearable when he was forced to do something. Not to mention his lack of patience.”

“It’s understandable to be grouchy, but his behavior’s off the charts.”

Tess chuckled. “Might be an insult to bears everywhere to compare him to a wounded bear.”

“You think his mood will improve?”

“In time.” She rolled her eyes. ”Just be glad Kyle’s keeping his temper in check instead of letting Michael bait him.”

Maria’s eyebrows shot up. ”They wouldn’t get in a fight over... well, nothing, would they?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Stubborn men!”

Tess snorted. “I guess that’s what you are when you’ve served others your whole life and spent most of that time hanging out with too many bad-ass humans.” She turned to look at the other woman. “Maria, he’s already changed a lot in the few weeks you’ve known him. Maybe you can’t see the difference, but believe me: Kyle an’ I and probably even Val can.”

“Maybe, but-”

“It takes time. And a lot of patience. And that’s still no guarantee, I know, but just believe that you’re able to change that man. If not you, then no one will be able to reach his heart inside that stone cold shell.”

“Time just seems to be the one thing I don’t have.”

Tess chuckled. “Well, he’s not goin’ anywhere for a while. He’s grounded until New Year’s at least. Maybe there’s time for a Christmas miracle.”

[Roswelllostcause]

Michael really needs to stop being suchba grump. Max and Liz do need to testify.

[Eva]

Being injured always brings the bad out of people. That's a fact nobody can deny. And if you're as impatient as Michael (and Val), it's a good recipe for a very grumpy and unmanageable man. To say the least...

I'm very curious in how Max & Liz will wake up. My fingers are crossed, hoping that they will find some strength together. But it's like Kyle experienced: he's damaged for whole his life and he can never completely shake off what they did to him. And they're going to be in the same situation.

[L-J-L 76]

Wondering how Max and Liz are? Hoping they are awake and willing to talk to Maria and others.


From:
L-J-L 76

[sarammlover]

OMG Michael is such a dick! SO CRANKY!! HA HA HA HA. I am glad they are all there to put him in his place. I am excited (is that the right word) to see how Max and Liz are doing!!!! Wonderful update as usual!

[Double Trouble]

Roswelllostcause: Lol, well, don’t count on him stopping right away. He’s still acting like a wounded grizzly. Their testimony could only give the group more leverage.

Eva: It sure does, especially when it’s Michael. Val’s not exactly pleasant but in comparison with Michael, well, he wins hands down. And in his current mood anything and everything is setting him off.

Your curiosity will be appeased today. The two of them have always relied on each other and they’ll stick together now. There are some experiences that can never be forgotten, they’re so damaging that they leave their mark, whether it’s physical or mental. But Max and Liz will pull together to get through the aftermath of their captivity.

L-J-L 76: We’ll find out today how Max and Liz are holding up.

sarammlover: Michael is being a major dick right now and well, he’s not ready to ease up just yet, so be prepared for another round with him today. And speaking of today... let’s check in with Max and Liz. Thanks!


Part 69

A Christmas miracle? That drew a snort from Maria. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in miracles. Hell, the fact that she was alive was a miracle in itself. But changing Michael? She was pretty sure that was asking for more than her fair share of divine intervention because saying it wouldn’t be easy was the understatement of the century. “You really believe that?”

“I believe anyone can change if they want to. I know what it’s like loving a man who’s too stubborn for his own good, hardheaded and would rather take a bullet than talk about his feelings.”

“I never said-“

“You don’t have to.” She paused. “He has to be willing to change but don’t underestimate him, Maria.”

If you only knew how many times he’s told me this thing between us will never last, she thought as she forced a smile and nodded.

“You know, Kyle wasn’t easy to reel in either. He was a fighter too. Still is, he’s just learned to pick his battles. And he finally reached the point where he understood that I’m not letting go. He pushed me away, he did stupid shit trying to make me leave, but I never let go. They’ll put their lives on the line in the name of honor and duty without question but they don’t expect it from anyone else. What it all boils down to, is they’ve gotta know they’re worth fighting for too.”

“What’d he do to get rid of you?” Maria asked, interested.

“What didn’t he do?” she countered and shook her head. “He did some of the stupidest shit. The worst thing was probably the time he thought I’d believe he’d screwed some piece of white trash slut while I was away on a mission. Honestly, the worst thing about that was that little bit of doubt that finally crept in because he was so convincing. I mean, I KNEW he’d never do that, it’s just not the way he’s wired, but I got caught up in it briefly and let myself entertain the idea of ‘what if’ and let me tell you, the fight after that one was legendary.”

“Oh wow, that’s pretty weird.”

“We went through a pretty rocky time after that. He’d been on his own for so long, relying on no one but himself, that he was sure what we have could never last. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s no magic guarantee that happens when you finally get a man like him to accept that it’s worth giving a life together a shot. But what I think they don’t understand is that they’re a lot more reliable in that area than they believe they are. They fight hard and the few they do have loyalty to will have it for a lifetime unless those people do something to betray their trust. They don’t trust easily but if they have your trust and you have theirs, that right there says a lot.”

“Getting their trust is one thing, but getting their heart is another,” Maria muttered to herself, looking at the door leading into the dining room. “Well, anyway, do you wanna get a Christmas tree?”

Tess smiled at the change of subject. If Maria only knew just how close she was to attaining that goal. Oh, he was going to dig in his heels and fight it, but she knew a losing battle when she saw one. “We have to have a Christmas tree. Christmas without a tree’s just a little bit this side of depressing, don’t you think?”

“Agreed. Do you have any decoration for it?”

She filled a mug with coffee and took a sip. “Um-hmm, up in the attic.”

“Bet the guys will love it,” Maria snorted.

“Between the decorations and the festive music Michael will probably be ready to run out the door, regardless of the threat of a ruptured artery. Val likely won’t be far behind. Kyle’s a little more mellow about it these days. Really though, I don’t go overboard. He’d never really celebrated Christmas before we got together and if it gets too over the top he’s ready to take off too.”

“Well, maybe we should just let it pass then.” Making Michael’s mood even worse seemed like a bad idea.

“No way. The key’s to avoid going over the top.”

“Okay, I’ll just trust your instincts then.”

Tess nodded. “If he’s like Kyle – and he is – there’ll be moments he’ll look like he’s ready to blow. That’s when you just have to get him out of the room and find a way to distract him for a while.”

“Distract him?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“Hey, use whatever works. I’ve found, personally, that sex is a powerful distraction.”

“Um,” Maria blushed, “he’s hurt...”

“Be creative. Trust me,” she winked, “he won’t complain. And as long as you two don’t get up to anything that damages my work and puts him back under the knife, I won’t complain either.”

The blush got a little deeper. “Okay.”

Tess would be willing to bet an entire year’s pay that a certain bad ass assassin got off on the fact that Maria blushed at the drop of a hat. “I promise we won’t go overboard on the Christmas stuff.”

“Good.” She looked at the dining room. “Shall we go back?”

“Probably. They’ll know we were talking about them so be prepared.”

Maria wasn’t sure how to prepare for that, but she followed when Tess led the way.

“See?” Kyle said with a smug look at his buddy. “Told you they were in there talkin’ about us. That’s what women do.”

Val rolled her eyes. “Why does the gnome put up with you again?”

“Sometimes women need to talk an’ it’s not always you we talk about,” Tess shrugged when she placed the plate on the table.

He frowned for a moment as he studied her features but before long his grin was back in place. “Whatever.”

Michael took a few more sausages and then glanced at the man who had mostly been silent so far. “Did you get any response from the emails you sent through the assassin network?”

Oh, now they wanted to come back to the discussion he’d tried to get into earlier. Alex nodded. “Yeah, we’ve gotten a pretty big reaction actually.”

“We should go over them after breakfast.”

He lifted a hand in a mock salute. “Some of them are bound to have information about some of the people in higher positions.”

“We need to track that motherfucker down!”

“Chances are good we won’t have to.” He shrugged. “I mean, they’re comin’ outta the woodwork and they probably wanna be part of taking the Circle down.”

“So?”

“He means they’re gonna wanna meet,” Val said, shooting an annoyed look at Bane.

“I know what he means, I’m just not sure what that has to do with finding Janus.”

She rolled her eyes. So what, Alex was supposed to be a mind reader now? “Someone will be familiar enough with him to provide the necessary information to track him.” Her eyes gleamed with anticipation at the thought of taking Janus down.

“There better be. Janus won’t be walking away from this.”

“No, he won’t.” And she wanted to be the one who pulled the trigger.

“Good,” he looked at Tess. “And don’t gimme that moral shit now, Harding. As long as I breathe, I’m gonna hunt that guy. Prison is not option for him.”

She shot a covert look at her husband. “What’s right and what’s moral occasionally dance along a very fine line. I wouldn’t try to stop you from going after Janus even if I thought I had a chance in hell of succeeding.”

Michael snorted and pointed at his leg. “You had your chance to prevent me from doin’ any more harm.”

She shrugged and reached for her orange juice. “Maybe I just think that bastard needs to be sent to his reserved spot in Hell sooner rather than later.”

“Amen,” Val mumbled into her coffee mug.

“Okay, before any of you take my head off my shoulders,” Alex said, raising his hands in a protective gesture, “why isn’t prison an option for Janus?”

Michael turned to frown at him. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. What gives us the right to determine who lives and goes to prison and who just dies outright?”

“If we let Janus live, how long are you gonna be able to sleep at night?”

“There’s no way he’d be set free. We have ample proof of what he’s done.”

“People like him have their ways.”

“We’re making the decision about who lives and dies. How does that make us any better than the organization we’re trying to take down?”

“We don’t go around doin’ what Janus does,” Michael snapped. “I won’t let that bastard live just to know he’d do his best to kill everyone in this room.”

Alex looked at Maria. “What about you? Are you okay with this?”

She bit her lip. “Um...” Damn, what should she say now?

“This isn’t a democracy, Whitman,” Michael barked. “Janus is already dead. The only question is when.”

Alex looked around the table. “You all think that way?”

“As a rule, I’d agree with you,” Tess spoke up after a moment. “But the truth is Baxter wouldn’t be the last person to employ the abilities of someone like Janus. He’s discovered how to alter the human brain, how to control human behavior, and there are people out there who will want him working for them. Prison won’t stop an animal like Janus, Alex. Do we have the right to make that decision? Maybe we don’t, but in the time it would take for him to go to trial, he’d slip away. He’d never see the inside of a prison. It’d only be a matter of time before he’s on the loose and experimenting on people again.” She fell silent for a moment. “If we caught him and turned him over to stand trial and he got loose and went right back to torturing and experimenting on people, could you live with the knowledge that you’re part of the group that could’ve stopped it?”

“You’re already too deep in this to show morals now, Whitman,” Michael grunted.

“Just because I’m involved in this doesn’t mean I’ve just abandoned my moral compass,” he snapped in annoyance.

“You killed a man, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did! I killed someone and I have to live with that for the rest of my life!” He shoved back in his chair and stood up so fast his head started to swim and he made a quick grab for the edge of the table to remain standing. “It wasn’t like I stood back and weighed my options and decided I was gonna kill him. It was a do-or-die moment, not a methodical, calculated, cold-blooded decision to take a life.”

“Janus is a do-or-die situation too.”

He shook his head. “It’s like talkin’ to a fuckin’ brick wall,” he muttered. “You’ve only got one setting, don’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Alex looked at Maria and bit his lip, trying to hold his words in check. Rationally, he knew containing someone like Janus would be next to impossible. Morally, he was having a hard time just blithely agreeing to the cold-blooded murder of another human being, no matter how psychotic that person was. Finally, it boiled over and his gaze shifted to the man he’d been going back and forth with. “She deserves better than you.”

Michael’s teeth ground together visibly. “That we agree on, Whitman.”

“Okay, that’s it,” Maria snapped as she threw her napkin on the table. “Stop it, both of you! Alex, I understand what you’re saying and I do agree with you, but I have to agree with them too. That monster’s only gonna find a new hole to crawl into and wait until he can start over again. You saw what he did to Max and Liz. You know what he did to them,” she pointed at Michael and Val. “What happens when he gets loose again? It happened once before. He won’t just ignore the fact that we’ve screwed up all of his work. He’ll come after all of us. What happens when he comes after Val? If he gets his hands on her and hurts her? What if he tries to reprogram her?”

Everyone stared at Maria in shock after her outburst and the room fell silent when she left the room with the door slamming loudly behind her.

Alex winced at the sound.

“You happy now?” Michael barked.

“Don’t lay this at my feet, asshole!”

“Let’s all calm down, alright?” Kyle muttered. Jeez, so much drama and it was only breakfast time.

Val watched Alex, both surprised and not surprised by his outburst. She supposed it was to be expected at some point. She knew he enjoyed the action and he’d taken everything that had been thrown at him, but no matter how well he’d handled it so far, he wasn’t like them. She shot a glance at Bane, honestly surprised he hadn’t gone across the table, injured or not. She got to her feet, deciding she needed to put a little distance between the two of them. Because if Bane tried to lay so much as a finger on him he wouldn’t be any match for the assassin and she knew she’d retaliate. “Alex, let’s take a break.”

“A break?” he asked, confused.

“Let’s step outside for a few minutes.” The cold would help clear his head and maybe calm him down.

“Yeah, sure. I’m not really that hungry anyway.”

“Take it easy, the both of you,” Tess said.

“He’ll be fine.”

“Better get your baby a bottle,” Michael snarled.

“Fuck off, Bane,” Val snapped with a warning glare in his direction.

Kyle reached over and speared a couple more pancakes since no one else was eating them, busying himself with coating them with butter and syrup. “Y’know,” he said once the couple had left the room to go outside, “I’m picturing holidays together and it’s not a pretty picture.”

“You think?” Bane snorted.

“You could give the guy a break,” he said with a meaningful look. “He’s not like us.”

“He started it.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “Very mature response.”

“I don’t give a fuck, Harding.”

She knew a lot of his attitude could be attributed to his injury but she wasn’t a doormat for him to walk all over. “You wanna turn your bad mood on me you can just take your sorry ass back to your room.” There was no anger in her tone, but there was no denying she was serious.

“No worries, I will soon enough.”

“You could just listen to someone else’s thoughts for once without jumping down their throat.”

“I wasn’t, but we all know that we can’t let that bastard live.”

There was no point pushing him on the issue. “No, I know that.”

Michael grunted and got up slowly. “I’m gonna go have a look at that stubborn woman.”

Kyle looked at his wife when they were left alone. “Peace at last,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, isn’t it nice?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, now I can really enjoy my food.” He shook his head. “I think we’ve seen two of the mightiest in their field fall.”

“Huh?”

“Bane and Val. Would you have ever thought you’d see the day where they were more concerned with someone else than they were with making their point?”

“Sometimes it only takes one person,” she winked at him.

He reached over to take her hand, silently agreeing with her.

*****

The sounds of muted conversation and laughter combined with the scent of food teased his senses until he slowly came awake. They seemed foreign after his recent experience and it took several minutes before he could be certain they were real rather than a wishful fantasy. He waited, letting the feelings of warmth and comfort seep into his sensory-overloaded brain before he opened his eyes to look around. His bleary gaze landed on the woman next to him and the slow, even rise and fall of her chest indicated she was only sleeping.

When he reached out to her, the pain in his shoulders was a rude reminder of their captivity, but it didn’t deter him from moving. He needed to touch her, needed to know she was real and not a figment of his imagination. Warm skin under his fingertips, the reassuring heat of her breath against his skin, the steady beat of her heart all gave proof that what he was seeing and feeling was indeed real and he closed his eyes as relief washed through him.

They had been rescued. Why? Bane and Val had both been vocal in their warnings when they’d explained that if caught by the Circle their lives were forfeit. He couldn’t imagine either of the assassins making an exception in their case. He and Liz had fought to hold on, done their best not to give in to the things that had been done to them as Janus ordered his people to extract every bit of information they harbored regarding the assassins. They’d never expected to be rescued. They’d only hoped to buy enough time for the others to get what they needed to bring the organization to its knees and keep Maria alive.

He felt the change in his girlfriend’s breathing mere moments before she called his name. Her voice was raspy, not so much from sleep, but from screaming for their tormentors to stop hurting him. She’d fought so hard to control her fear and contain the pain they had put her through, but in spite of her best efforts, there were times what they had done to her had been too much and she couldn’t keep from crying out. Her cries echoed in his mind and he wondered if he’d ever be able to shut that sound off. He had his doubts. He knew for sure he’d never be able to erase the images of what had been done to her from his mind.

“Real?”

He nodded carefully. “We’re free.”

Her body trembled as his words of confirmation washed over her. Free. It was a word that meant so much more than it had just a few days ago.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He saw the pain in her features when she reached out to him, knowing the movement was agony on her abused body, but so grateful when her touch soothed him as nothing else could.

The sound of his hoarse voice caused her to shiver. She’d seen the man she loved reduced to begging, not for his self no matter how much they had hurt him, but for her. He’d yelled and screamed, cursed and threatened, and when their captors had ignored him he’d resorted to pleading for them to stop hurting her. He was a well-adjusted man but even he wouldn’t have wanted her to see that. “Not your fault, Max.” She shook her head, the small movement stiff and requiring an effort that normally wouldn’t even register. “We survived.”

“Are we gonna be able to live with what happened there?” He didn’t know. He wished he did. He should’ve been able to stop what they were doing to her. He should’ve been able to get her out of there. But no, all he’d been able to do was beg.

She knew where his thoughts were and she wanted so badly to alleviate his fears. “Max, we’re alive. We’re together. Isn’t that all that matters?”

“Is it?” he bit out angrily.

She could hear the anger in his voice and she recoiled, a response triggered by the events of the past few days and not by him. Thankfully he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice. The anger was self-directed and she knew he blamed himself for not being able to keep her safe.

“It’s what matters most.”

That silenced his thoughts for a moment. “I should’ve been able to stop them.” His fingers brushed against her bandaged wrists, his touch feather-light.

“There was just no way, Max. You know it as well as I do.”

“If I’d been able to get my hands on that bastard I’d have killed him.”

“I have no doubt about that,” she said softly.

He wished there was a way to erase the memories of the past few days. “I think someplace far away’s soundin’ better an’ better.”

“Agreed.”

“Someplace with a lot of sun where it never gets cold.” He shivered involuntarily as his mind drifted back to the cold they’d been subjected to as part of their captor’s interrogation techniques.

“And a nice beach.”

“Definitely have to have the beach.”

“When ya wanna go?” She smirked weakly.

“As soon as we’re able to move around. There hasn’t been time for anyone to do anything to our accounts and I’m sure after this experience they’re gonna want us to testify along with Maria. We need to have our list of demands ready because we’re not doin’ it for nothin’. I don’t trust the government to provide us with new identities or a safe location, but we know people who can help with that now. What I do want is for the district attorney, government, attorney general, whoever’s gonna be heading this thing up, to find a way to release our trust funds early so as soon as our testimony’s been given we can leave and never come back.” Before, he’d just assumed that they’d have to forfeit their trust funds because it wasn’t like they could access them if they were ‘dead’. The trusts weren’t going to make them rich, but they would allow them to settle somewhere with a little more ease.

“Sounds like a good plan.” Liz tried to stretch, her whole body felt stiff and the move hurt.

He grunted and gritted his teeth against the pain as he shifted over, putting as little pressure on his shoulders as possible. He glanced down when he felt something pulling and he frowned at the IV lines running into the back of his hand. “Forgot about that,” he muttered, wondering if he could just pull them out.

“Leave them where they are.”

He scowled. “I hate this.”

“I’m sure it’s there for a reason though.”

“Tess seemed to think there was. Damned if I can remember why though.”

“Maybe it’ll come back.”

“Maybe. Shit, I hope my shoulders aren’t gonna hurt like this for the rest of my life.”

Liz stayed quiet and looked around. “Where are we?”

“Wherever everyone else is. Other than that, no clue what our location is.”

“The others are all here?”

“I’m pretty sure they are.”

Liz fell silent again and listened. There were some voices so she nodded to herself.

“Got loud a few minutes ago so I know for sure Maria and her assassin are out there.” He snorted softly. “Yelling, slamming doors... the two of them make an interesting pair.”

“For sure,” she snorted, the sound hurting her throat.

[Roswelllostcause]

Michael will always be Michael. While I don't agree with killing in cold blood, but some people don't deserve to live with the crimes they have done. It's nice to see Max and Liz returning to the land of the living. But now they have to deal with what was done to them.