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

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Earth2Mama
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 39 - 10/25/15

Post by Earth2Mama »

I would have rather it been a thru and thru bullet, but at least it's out now.

Lovely conversation between Val and Alex. I hope she answers that question cuz I'm curious as well.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 39 - 10/25/15

Post by Eva »

Auw, Alex! But you were great. With all the pain you had, you still made me smirk from time to time. The way you tried to forget your pain by talking non-stop was hilarious. Great job, Whitman!
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 39 - 10/25/15

Post by keepsmiling7 »

great part.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 39 - 10/25/15

Post by sarammlover »

This was a really great update!! I liked seeing Val in a role of the caretaker and slightly sweet....(ish). I really enjoy listening (reading) Alex talk her ear off. It's quite comical. See you next week!!!
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 39 - 10/25/15

Post by sarammlover »

RF IS BACK!!!! I am so excited and hoping you have been writing this story non stop so we have like 30 chapters in the queue!!!!! WOOHOO! Happy New Year Ladies!
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Part 40

Post by Double Trouble »

This part was posted before, but is missing after the movement, so it's a repost:



Part 40

“Your thigh looks good. Keep icing it on schedule for the next couple of days and take it easy. Not too much walking on it.” Tess put the equipment back into its bag and smiled at the other woman. “You’re gonna be fine and Michael’s wounds are healing nicely.”

“That means you’re gonna leave us again, huh?” Maria sat up in bed and pulled her sweatpants back up.

“Yeah, we’re going back for now,” the other woman smirked. “Sick of being stuck with him?”

“No,” she sighed, “not at all. He saved my life an’ all but I miss having normal conversations, ya know?”

“I know what ya mean. Y’know for us military people it’s kinda hard to find things to talk that don’t go right back to battles, war or weapons.”

“Good you an’ Kyle have that common ground, huh?”

Tess grinned. “Yeah.”

Maria nodded and glanced out the window. “Well, I guess my ‘relationship’ with Michael will only last until we’re either dead or out of this mess. We don’t really have a lot of things in common to talk about.”

“You have a pretty major event in common,” Tess disagreed.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t remember.”

“No, but that event is what set you both on this course.”

It still didn’t provide a lot of common ground. “Yeah, I guess.”

“And, he didn’t kill you.” She paused. “He could’ve, y’know.”

“Of course I know.”

“Even after he found out what you know about his past. It says something pretty major that you’re still breathing.”

“What’re you saying?”

“He’s not known for keepin’ people around once they’ve outlived their usefulness. He could’ve just killed you once he’d learned what he needed from you. Yeah, he would’ve been in for some major punishment from the people he works for, but he could’ve salvaged his career. Something stopped him from staying true to form, something even he doesn’t understand.”

“I’m happy that something made a difference. I wouldn’t be sitting here otherwise, right? But after all this is over he’ll leave.”

Tess nodded. Michael and Kyle were similar in a lot of ways, but there were also some pretty significant differences and the ability to commit to one woman, to settle down and make a life, that was one of them. Could Michael learn to want more out of his life? To allow himself that kind of freedom? She didn’t know and she didn’t believe in giving people false hope. “Yeah, but at least you’ll still be alive. And you’ll have one helluva story to tell your grandkids one day, right?”

Maria smiled sadly. Grandkids? That sounded like a goal so far out of reach that it appeared to be more of an illusion.

“It might sound unrealistic, but you couldn’t ask for anyone better qualified to keep you alive.”

“I know. I trust him with my life. That’s not a question.”

“Just not with anything else?”

“Isn’t that already a lot?”

She chuckled and nodded. “I suppose it is.” She finished packing her med kit up. “I left detailed instructions on the laptop about caring for his wound. It’s healing well, but until it’s completely healed I want you to keep an eye on it. He’ll be difficult – he wouldn’t be Michael if he wasn’t – so you’ll have to keep after him.”

“Yeah, tell me something new.” Maria rolled her eyes.

“They have the mentality that they’re invincible and that’s usually detrimental to their health.” She was silent for a few minutes. “I know Val’s working to find more information but you guys could be holed up here for a while.” She shrugged. “Or they could move you to a new location to be safe. Staying in one place too long can be dangerous. He can be an ass but he’s committed to keepin’ you alive so you can bet your last dollar he’ll die before he lets anything happen to you.” She lifted her head and her gaze locked on the other woman. “Listen to him, Maria. I don’t wanna find out he got himself killed for no reason.”

“I will,” she promised. “And I hope he’s still standing when this ends.”

“That makes two of us.” She lifted her bag up and headed for the door. “I’ll go find Kyle and we’ll get outta your hair, leave you two to yourselves.”

“Thanks for everything, Tess.” Maria went after her to hug her. “It’s good to have a few people on our side. I know you risked a lot for us and you didn’t have to.”

“No, but there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for that ass,” she said with an affectionate smile.

“He’s very lucky. I hope he’ll at least give you some sign he’s alive now and then when this’s all over.”

“Oh, he’ll let us know in his own way. Good luck.”

Maria waved. “Bye, Tess.”

She nodded and headed down the stairs, lips pursed to whistle, and just catching herself when she caught the sound of voices. She made it down the stairs and wandered into the living room, leaving the men to their conversation. Their voices rose on occasion, not yelling, not arguing, but disagreeing at times and talking over each other to get their point across. She smirked as she dropped down to sit on the couch, shaking her head as she listened to them.

“We can’t stay here for much longer,” Bane paced in front of the kitchen window, his gaze locked outside. “We’ve been here too long already.”

“Then get your ass out to Colorado. We don’t use the place in the winter. It’s secluded, we’ve got it listed under another name, and no one could connect you to that location.”

Michael released a visible breath through his nose. “Kyle!”

“What? Look, you said yourself you’ve been in this location too long, right? Well, our place out in Colorado would give you someplace safe to hole up for a while. State of the art security, weapons vault in the basement, vehicles garaged onsite, there’s a chopper in the old barn on the property... it’d give you time to heal and provide you with an escape and an arsenal if you needed it.”

“If they found us, don’t you think they’d make the connection to you?”

“We buried our connection to that location. We both know nothing’s guaranteed and there’s always someone better out there, so is there a chance they could make the connection? Yeah, but it’s remote.”

Michael stopped his pacing and rested both hands on the counter, head hanging between his shoulders. It would feel better to get outta here but where could they go in this weather if not a place like Kyle’s? Hotels, motels... it was all too dangerous. They couldn’t cross the border into Canada without being detected. And camping would just take too much out of Maria in her state.

“Look, I know you don’t wanna put us in danger and I appreciate that, but this’s your best shot. The snow puts you at an advantage and we have perimeter alarms set up. Anyone crosses those property lines you’re gonna know it in plenty of time to get the hell outta Dodge.”

“Plus, you don’t have to worry about the owner finding out.” Tess walked in after listening to their conversation for quite a while. “Who lives here? And what’s to say they won’t come back or send someone to check on the place?”

“It’s just another move to keep you off the grid,” Kyle said with a nod at his wife.

“The windows are bulletproof,” Tess smirked, seeing Bane’s resistance melting slowly.

“You’d have access to Internet and we have communications set up in one of the rooms. With a scrambler,” he added before Michael could speak.

“You guys are nuts,” he muttered and ran a hand through his hair.

“Probably.” He grinned. “But we make good sense.”

“How far is it from the next city or town?”

“Twenty-seven miles from the nearest town and about the only thing it’s good for is stocking up on supplies.” He shrugged. “It’s about the size of a postage stamp.”

“Sounds okay to me,” Maria leaned in the doorway. It would be nice to get out of here in the near future. The cabin was nice and all, but there was always the slight fear that someone could walk in on them. They were close to the place where they had gotten attacked and they didn’t know anything about its owners either.

He ran a hand over his face. “It’s a good twenty-two hour drive.” They’d have to get their hands on another vehicle.

“Do you think it’s worth the driving time?” she asked.

His thumb picked at a crack in the counter’s surface. What Kyle and Tess were dangling in front of him was too good to pass up. He knew them well enough to know they would’ve taken every precaution to cover their tracks so it couldn’t be traced back to them easily and he also knew their security would be top of the line. If anyone made it past their borders – and knowing how they were about their security, that was a big IF – there was an escape avenue open to them, not to mention a weapons arsenal.

“He thinks it’s worth it,” Kyle spoke up.

Tess grinned. “Yeah, he so does.”

“I can speak for myself,” Michael grated out.

“Then tell us what you think, Guerin,” Kyle urged.

“Where do you propose we get our hands on a vehicle that will handle that drive?” he bit out. He didn’t need anyone to answer that question for him but he hated feeling cornered. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“The train isn’t too far from here,” Tess said. “There isn’t a station; you’d have to get on while it’s passing. It crosses a path in the mountains where it’ll slow down enough though. If you get on it, it can get you into the next town an’ we all know that the rest is no problem for you Bane.”

“You think you’re so damn smart, don’t you?”

“Um...” Maria moved deeper into the room, “wait, now we’re gonna jump on a moving train?”

“With Michael’s help you can do it,” Tess said confidently.

“Weren’t you two leaving?”

Kyle exchanged a look with Tess before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring of keys. He selected one and pulled it off, tossing it across the room to Michael.

He caught it and opened his palm to look at it.

“It’s totally up to you, but we both know it’s your best option right now.” He shrugged when Michael just looked at him. “She’ll be safe there.” It was a dirty tactic, but one that was both true and couldn’t be argued with.

Michael’s eyes automatically shifted to the woman in question, who was staring right back at him. What had he gotten himself into? The hopeful look in her eyes reached something deep inside him and he wished he had a clue how to stop it.

“You two have to stay away,” he said tightly. “I don’t want you to compromise your safety.”

“We will,” Tess agreed.

He nodded. “Get outta here.”

“The place is fully stocked so you won’t starve. Power goes out there’s a generator that’ll kick in. Vehicle and chopper keys are in the kitchen cabinet by the door.” Kyle glanced at his wife, trying to remember any last minute instructions.

“Anyone makes it past our security there’s a door hidden behind the bookcase in the basement office,” she said. “It’ll get you about a hundred yards out and dump you off below the barn. Up the ladder, through the trapdoor, and you’re inside. Spare keys for the chopper hang on a nail right below that trapdoor in case you can’t get to the ones in the kitchen.”

Michael nodded sharply while Maria just frowned. “And you’ll remember all of that?”

He just tapped his temple for an answer before looking at the couple. “They come after you – “

“We’ll put ‘em down,” Kyle said without missing a beat. “I won’t be anyone’s prisoner.” Never again, he thought.

Michael nodded. “Contact me if you have the slightest hint they’re onto you, Valenti. I mean it.”

“We’ll make contact,” Tess spoke up. Kyle had that look in his eyes, the one that told her he hadn’t completely been able to block the memories of his time in that prison camp. If those people came after them they’d never again see the light of day. She’d probably never know all they’d done to him, but she knew without a doubt he’d never allow himself to be taken alive again. He’d survived it once and it had left its mark on him.

“Now get outta here and be careful.”

Maria inhaled deeply when the other couple got ready to leave. She knew they had to, but she had felt a little less lonely with them here.

“They’ll be safer puttin’ some distance between us,” he said as he stared outside.

“Yeah, I know.” She leaned her head against the doorframe. “Did you hear anything from Liz and Max?”

“They’re holed up in New York, safe for the moment.”

“Okay.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, debating whether he should tell her about her other friend or not and finally deciding she had a right to know what was going on. “I talked to Val. They infiltrated the compound where Janus is conducting his experiments and tagging the assassins.”

“Did they find anything useful?” She pushed herself from the doorframe and moved further into the kitchen, circling the counter and opening the refrigerator to glance inside just to have something to do.

“That has yet to be seen. They were able to access the system and copy the files, but Whitman’s been out for the past few hours so they haven’t had time to work on decrypting them.”

Her head jerked around. “What do you mean he’s been out?”

“He took a bullet when they were making their escape but he’s alright. She got it out, said it wasn’t in too deep. But it’s still a shock to the body and he’s never been exposed to that kinda trauma so his body’s shut down to give him time to recover.”

“Oh God,” she shook her head and went to the counter to sit down.

“He’s okay,” he repeated, shifting closer to her without even realizing it. “Not much more than a flesh wound.”

“My friends... they all get hurt because of me.”

He reached out to grasp her chin in his hand, forcing her gaze to his. “They’re not doin’ anything against their will and they’re holdin’ their own.”

“Is he really gonna be okay or are you just sayin’ that because you don’t want me to freak out?”

He leveled a look at her. “When have you known me to pull any punches?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe you’ve learned your lessons about female freak-outs by now.”

“Doubtful,” he muttered. “Look, she got the bullet out. It’ll take some time but he’ll heal.”

Taking in a calming breath, she nodded. “He’ll heal.”

“Yeah, and he’ll have Val fussin’ over him. Trust me, the guy will be fine.”

“Fuss?” She snorted and wiped a single tear away. “She’s not the fussing type.”

“Normally I’d agree with you, but she seems to have taken a liking to Whitman.”

“Alex is likeable, alright. But your friend is... special.”

He smirked. Yeah, that was one word for Valkyrie. Not necessarily the first one that came to mind, but it worked. “If the guy had to get shot she’s got experience with bullet wounds. She’s removed more than one bullet in her time.”

“Did she ever remove one of yours?”

He shifted and turned to open the pantry. “Yeah,” he shrugged.

“Where?”

“In some backwater country you’ve probably never even heard of,” he answered, deliberately misunderstanding.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

He turned around and rested his hands on the counter, lifting one eyebrow. “Maybe you want me to show you?”

Maria looked at him and then swallowed. “Why not?”

“Well,” he shrugged and reached for his belt, “why the hell not?”

Oh God, she thought, but she forced herself to stay cool.

He bit back a grin when she didn’t look away. He popped the snap on his jeans and inched his zipper down, watching the way her eyes widened with every downward movement.

“I’m still waiting,” she said, pretending to be cool although her heart was beating as crazy as a bouncing ball.

“Well,” he shrugged, “if you think you can handle it.” He shoved his jeans down to mid-thigh and took his time turning to present her with a view of his scarred ass. He wasn’t worried about modesty, he didn’t have anything to hide or be ashamed of.

“Uh,” Maria swallowed once. Twice. “She removed a bullet from your ass?” The words left her mouth but her mind was focused on a totally different part of his anatomy.

“Well, a shot to the dick might as well have been a shot to the head.” He chuckled at his choice of words. “They might as well have put me outta my misery right then and there.”

“That poor woman,” she said in a dry tone and turned away from him. “You can get dressed again.”

“What, can’t handle what you see?” he asked, facing her once again and taking his time with the reverse process.

“You mean your hairy ass?”

He smirked. “Okay, you can play it that way if you want. Virgin queen,” he muttered.

“Better than a slut.”

He snorted and shook his head. “There’s middle ground.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she pulled her shoulders as high as possible and then let them sink slowly. “Haven’t had that many options.”

“What were you waiting for? Some guy who was gonna stick around for a lifetime?”

“I know that’s beyond your imagination.”

“I have a very vivid imagination. I just don’t see how you wouldn’t get bored with that after a while.”

“Not everything is just about sex.”

“Maybe not, but say you find Mr. Perfect, you’re compatible from one end to the other, but then one day sex with him just loses the intensity, the heat, I mean, what’s the point of bein’ tied to just one person if that’s not there? There’s not that much conversation in the world to salvage a relationship without sex.”

She thought about what he had said for a moment. Could it be that he was kind of right? How would she know without ever having sex before? Would it be so important that it would be a reason to break up? “And you don’t think there could be two people who would have great sex all their lives and never lose the... heat?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really see it. I mean, how many people really stay together anymore? And plenty of the ones who do don’t seem to be that happy about it. They stay together because it’s for the kids or because it’s cheaper than getting a divorce, not because they necessarily wanna be together. It’s stupid. Sex becomes somethin’ they do once in a while to kill the boredom or because it’s expected.” He made a face. “If that’s the case the relationship’s already done.” Not that he was exactly an expert on what it took to make a relationship work, but if the sex was out the window, they’d already lost a major connect.

“Well, if you’re right then at least I don’t feel too bad about maybe never getting to experience it.” It would suck to be with someone just to find out years later that it wasn’t enough.

“I have a feelin’ the guy who gets you is probably not gonna have a problem keepin’ that fire for a while,” he said as his eyes moved over her. She was passionate and he couldn’t see her losing interest in sex.

“But not forever, huh?”

He shrugged. “Maybe the right guy could keep up with you. I’m just sayin’ life between the sheets would never be dull with you.” Oh, that well hadn’t been tapped yet, but he knew it was true.

“You don’t even know that.”

He moved in close to her, bracing his hands on the counter on either side of her. He grinned when she tensed but didn’t shrink back away from him. “I do know that.”

“How?” She had to tip her head back to look at him.

“Because you radiate sexuality.”

“I do?”

“Yeah, and you don’t even know it,” he rasped against her lips. In the back of his mind he knew he needed to back off, that she needed to get off of her feet and take the pressure off her leg. She was still healing and they didn’t want to risk further damaging it, but being close to her was intoxicating.

Maria shivered as his lips grazed against hers. “No, I guess I don’t.”

He shifted back slightly and dropped his hands to her hips, hauling her close and sliding his hands over her ass to knead the supple flesh there. “You will though,” he promised. He was trying to remember why he needed to put a stop to this now but his mind was clouded with a haze of need and want that was blocking everything else out.

“You’ll teach me?” she breathed, feeling heat everywhere in her body.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Stop now! his mind screamed at him. His hands roved over her body, watching her eyes change as arousal moved to the forefront. “And you wanna learn, don’t you?”

Her head moved in agreement without any further thought about it.

His hand brushed against her thigh and he saw her eyes change, register something other than arousal. “Not yet.” If she didn’t heal they were gonna be sitting ducks. They’d have to be able to make a run for that freight train soon and she had to be physically able to get on and off of a moving train. No matter how slow they were moving, it was easy enough to misjudge a jump and end up under the train. He nipped her bottom lip. “Hold out for Colorado, it’ll be worth the wait.”

“You’re very confident about that,” she realized with a weak smile. Michael was full of himself, but this came across as honest rather than simply bragging about his abilities.

He shrugged. “I’m right and when it happens you’ll know why.”

“You think we’ll make it to Colorado? I’ve never jumped on a moving train.”

“We have a decent chance. We’ll give it two more days. Weather report says there’s another storm front movin’ through and we don’t wanna risk getting caught out in that.”

“No, we really don’t.” She shuddered from just the thought of it.

He stepped back and turned her to face away from him. “Get off that leg and ice it for a while,” he said, slapping her ass to get her moving.

She sighed. “I think I’m starting to get freezer burn.”

“And when you can wrap those shapely legs around me without feeling any pain you’ll appreciate every second of it.”

“I’ll go ice it,” she grumbled and went to the freezer.

He chuckled and went to check the house. He’d been in worse shape and still had sex, but he had plenty of experience managing pain and knowing how far he could push himself. He wasn’t about to risk jeopardizing her or their move to the next safe house.
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Part 41

Post by Double Trouble »

Hello everyone!

Wow, it's been a looooong time, but our beloved RF is back and so are we! Unfortunately the latest feedback as well as the last posted part is missing, so we wanna say thank you for your patience to all of you in general. Postings will be every Sunday as you are used to it.

Happy New Year to all of you... and on with the story (finally!)...




Part 41

Max pulled his baseball cap lower and hunched his shoulders against the biting wind, his eyes darting back and forth as he crossed the street. He didn’t think he was being followed but this was so far out of his realm of expertise that he didn’t want to take any chances. After changing his route a couple more times he doubled back and quickly located the dive they were staying in. It wasn’t much to brag about, the type of place where no one asked questions, and it was in their budget since they had no idea how long they would be staying there.

Valkyrie had demanded they hand over all of their credit cards, drivers licenses, and anything else that would identify them as Max Evans and Liz Parker. They’d been given new identities and enough cash to keep them afloat while they were staying under the radar, but the available money would only stretch so far in a city like New York. The female assassin had spent hours going over everything they needed to know in the event things went in the worst possible direction, pounding the information into their heads until he’d been ready to scream. He could appreciate the need for it but he hated that she thought he and Liz needed to be treated like idiots.

He shifted his purchases to a more comfortable position and shouldered his way through the entry door. He was no longer surprised when the man behind the desk didn’t even look up when someone came into the building. The guy was unkempt, unshaven, and unless someone walked up to the counter and spoke to him he didn’t pay them any attention. Bars separated the man’s desk from the entry and his TV was turned up loud enough to block any of the questionable noises coming from the rooms.

He took the steps to the second floor and pulled the key out of his pocket, juggling the bags so he could unlock the door. On the other side he could hear the chair he’d told Liz to prop up under the doorknob being moved and a moment later the door opened.

“What took you so long?” she hissed, closing and locking the door once he’d slipped inside.

“Just wanted to be cautious.” He shot a look at the bed she’d stripped and he couldn’t stop the laughter that rose in response.

“It’s not funny, Max.” And it wasn’t. God only knew what they could catch if they slept on that bed as it was. “You do know this dump’s the kinda place that rents by the hour.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, and who would ever look for us here?” He unhooked the plastic carry handles of one of the sacks from around his wrist and tossed it to her. “Plastic drop cloth and sheets. Not high dollar or anything though. You know that plastic’s gonna make it hot to sleep on don’t you?”

“I don’t care. I’d rather be uncomfortable than catch something.”

“Here, it’s about as ugly as they come and about as thin as a piece of paper, but it’ll do the job.” He shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and unzipped it, pulling out the cheap quilt he’d bought at one of the stores that sold things for ten bucks or less. “Should I even ask how the bathroom is?” he asked as he unpacked the rest of his purchases and laid them out on the small wobbly table by the shaded window. He left dinner it its bag to keep it warm until she’d finished putting the sheets on the bed.

“Don’t even ask. Did you bring any kind of disinfectant?”

He rolled his eyes at her, but inside he was actually glad she was taking care of the situation. He was a guy but even he wasn’t looking forward to their stay in this dump. “I got everything you told me to get and that was on the list too.”

“Good,” she nodded and rummaged around in the stuff he had bought. “This’s a nightmare.”

“Well, you said a while back we could use some excitement in our lives.” He gestured to the room around them. “It’s definitely been an adventure recently.”

“Somehow it’s always more fun when ya read about it or imagine it.”

He dropped down into one of the chairs at the table, reaching out to steady himself against the wall when it tipped back to one side. He leaned over to look and shook his head when he realized one of the legs was missing. He didn’t even want to know how it’d gotten broken. “So, when this’s all over there’s a very real chance we won’t be able to go back to the way things were.”

“I know,” she stopped in her movements and looked at him. “But we can start over new, right? We still have us and that’s all that matters.”

“That’s the most important thing,” he nodded. “Where would you like to start over?” He didn’t really think it was so much a matter of IF they’d have to begin new lives, more a matter of when. It just didn’t seem feasible that the organization they were helping to try and take down would ever truly be eradicated.

“Someplace warm,” she answered without a single moment of hesitation.

He chuckled as he watched her. “Someplace with white sandy beaches and the ocean just a stone’s throw away?”

“That sounds like a very nice place to live,” she agreed with a soft smile and dropped down into his lap.

“We’re not limited in our options,” he murmured against her lips as he shifted one leg back to keep them from tipping over.

“Maybe a little limited when it comes to money though.”

He shook his head. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, we will,” she agreed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips to seal the deal. “It’s gonna be tough, but that’s not a problem for us.”

“Nope.” He was silent for a moment. “Our families think we’re dead and we may never be able to tell them that we’re not.”

“Good thing we don’t have much family.”

He nodded in agreement. What little family they had was kind of distant and they weren’t really close, but it still sucked that they’d believe they were dead when they weren’t. He’d been raised by an enlisted uncle after losing his parents when he was young and the man had been killed overseas during a training mission just after Max had started college. Her grandmother had raised her after a fire had taken her parents and the old woman had passed away a couple of years ago. Sometimes it was scary just how parallel events in their lives had been. They had other relatives of course, but they were scattered and had never been close. He was pulled out of his thoughts when his stomach rumbled. “Guess we should eat before the food gets cold.”

“Yeah okay, let me just wipe the table first.”

He smirked and reached for the bag and the cup holder with two cups tucked into the slots, watching her as she nearly scrubbed what was left of the veneer off the surface.

“Next time we really need a nicer place,” she shook her head. “In a cheaper town.”

Max laughed quietly. “Yeah, cheaper’s got my vote.” He glanced around the room. “So does nicer, come to think about it.”

“Next time,” she muttered and then pointed at the table. “Let’s eat. It’s not gonna get any better.”

He nodded and kept his mouth shut when she covered the table with napkins before taking the food out. They had no idea when they’d be hearing from Bane or Valkyrie and he didn’t know what they’d do if the assassins just left them hanging. No, that wouldn’t happen. Maria and Alex were with them and between them they’d make sure they were kept in the loop with what they needed to know. He accepted the double cheeseburger Liz held out to him and he tore the wrapper off, biting into it and trying not to focus on everything that could go wrong.

*****

“I’m not sure if I’m going be able to do this, Michael.” Maria felt her body trembling and for once it wasn’t from the cold. Her eyes were focused on the nearing freight train while she was crouched down next to him in the cold snow. The position was uncomfortable and her body was still a little sore, but mostly healed, yet she wasn’t sure she was able to jump on a passing train. “The thing’s still pretty fast.”

“You’ll make it,” he muttered and then focused on her, forcing her eyes to his. “You will make it. Never doubt yourself, that’s the first lesson to learn. If you doubt, you will fail.”

“But-”

“No!” He glanced back at the train. “It’s going into the curve and will slow down even more. You follow me when I start to run, Maria. You follow and you won’t stop! I will leave your ass right here if you give up.” It would be hard for her, he knew that, but she would make it if she just believed that she could.

They had left the cabin early that morning and although they had been prepared a lot better than the last time, they were both cold and ready to get back into the warmth. Part of him was grateful to be on the move again. The cabin was comfortable, but it had more felt like a prison than a safe place lately. They needed to get out of this area for their safety and for his sanity as well.

“I’ll run,” she nodded with determination. “We’ll make it.”

Michael smirked, but kept his eyes focused on the train. “Damn right.”

“You wouldn’t just leave me here, though.” Her voice showed confidence.

She was right. If she didn’t make it, he would go against all his former principles and stay with her instead of getting his ass outta there. His body tensed when the train approached at a slower pace now. “Get ready.” He stood and turned his body in the direction of the run they would make, bringing her directly behind him.

Maria stared at the train as it started to move past them and as he’d predicted, it did begin to slow as it went into the turn, but it still looked like it was going about ninety miles an hour to her. She could see his eyes scanning the cars as they neared and she nodded when he motioned at one that was seven or eight cars back. The side door was open and she felt her mouth go dry as it moved towards them.

“Run,” Michael shouted and started a sprint before the car made it next to them.

Her heart pounded and every indrawn breath felt like shards of ice being slammed into her lungs, but she didn’t stop. She watched him throw the backpacks he’d packed that morning into the car and she kept her eyes on him, heeding his warning to not look down or behind them.

Michael reached out and got a hold of the bar next to the door of the car, taking a few more steps before he jumped up, hauling himself onto the cold, plank floor. In a blink, he turned to get a look at Maria. She was still close, but he could see that she was struggling to keep up. “C’mon, Blondie. Give me your best.” Leaning out as much as possible, he held his hand out to her.

She stared at his hand, knowing she had to reach him. If she failed to make the jump she didn’t doubt he’d come back for her, but she knew they would lose this opportunity and she had no idea how long they’d have to wait for another freight train to come through. She reached for his hand, nearly throwing herself forward at the last second and she felt his strong grip lock around her hand and wrist.

He did his best to support her body so she wouldn’t get hurt while he lifted her up. As soon as her body was in the air, he used one foot on a nearby iron pipe to secure him so he had his second arm free to wrap it around her body.

Maria felt her feet land on solid ground but everything spun like crazy when she glanced outside at the ground that was passing by faster as they cleared the turn. “We made it!”

“Told you so.”

“We made it!” she shouted again, unable to stem the flow of euphoria that washed over her. She gave the passing scenery one more quick look before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

He allowed her to celebrate her little triumph for a moment before he freed himself from her grasp to collect the stuff he had thrown in before their jump.

“No one would ever believe I just did that.” Suddenly the cold wind blowing past her as she held onto the door and looked outside felt like freedom.

He chuckled. “Who’d have thought you’d enjoy something dangerous and illegal?”

Her eyes widened. “This’s illegal?” Well, she mused, it was dangerous so if it wasn’t illegal it should be.

“Of course it is,” he shrugged carelessly.

“Not that you’d ever worry about that,” she said dryly. “Will you steal another car when we get wherever we’re going?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If they have a car rental location, we could ‘rent’ one.”

“Like actually rent one or is that code for borrowing without asking?”

He threw a grin over his shoulder when he secured the backpack.

“Um-hmm, that’s what I thought.”

“C’mon over, Blondie. Get outta the wind.”

It wasn’t until he spoke that she noticed just how icy the wind was. “How long do you think we’ll be traveling by freezer?” she asked as she walked over to him.

“A couple hours maybe.”

“Too bad we can’t build a fire in here.”

He grunted and pulled a blanket out of the pack, spreading it on the ground.

“Kinda cold for a picnic,” she said and gave him a teasing smile.

“Feel free to stand up the whole time. I wouldn’t recommend it though.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and started to lower herself to the ground, throwing her hand out to catch herself when the car rocked and she lost her balance. “Ow!” She pulled her hand towards her as she landed on her ass.

Michael rolled his eyes and walked over to her to crouch down next to her bent legs. “Show me.”

She held her right hand out, fingers extended to reveal her palm. The wood she’d unknowingly reached out to was rough and now she had a splinter digging into the fleshy part of her palm.

“Perfectly done, Blondie,” he shook his head.

“Well, I didn’t do it on purpose,” she grumbled.

“Go over to the blanket. I’ll take care of it in a minute.”

“Y’know,” she said as she did as he’d directed and settled into a new spot, “if it was summertime this might not be so bad.”

“Yeah, the cold sucks,” he agreed.

“Does it ever get cold in the Maldives?” she asked as she pushed and prodded in an effort to get rid of the splinter.

“Dunno.” He looked up. “I’ve never been there.”

“I’ll bet it doesn’t. I’ve seen pictures of it before and it’s just so beautiful.”

“It’s a lot farther south,” he agreed with a nod and came over to sit behind her, a little medical kit in his hand. “Let me check your palm.”

She shifted and shuddered lightly when she felt the heat coming off of him. It seemed impossible as cold as it was but she wasted no time getting closer to him as she held her hand out.

Her body language was unmistakable. She was getting as close as possible to steal the little bit of warmth he had, but he couldn’t find it in himself to complain. Instead, he leaned his upper body against her while he grabbed her hand to have a better look at the small injury there.

“It’s not bad, just stings a little.” The feel of his rough hand cradling hers so gently pulled at something inside of her.

“I’m gonna get that splinter out,” he muttered and reached for the tweezers. “By the time I’m done with you, we’ll probably have more surgery experience than a doctor.” They’d already had so many wounds and taken care of them, it wasn’t even funny.

She snorted softly. “We haven’t heard anything else about Alex,” she said after a few moments. They couldn’t risk a hospital, which meant he was being cared for by Valkyrie while they were on the run.

“We would have if he wasn’t okay.”

“Yeah.” She was silent for a few minutes while she watched him work. “Is this ever going to end?”

“Not soon,” he answered honestly.

“Will we stay in Colorado long?” She shrugged when he glanced at her. “I mean, as long as we don’t get discovered there.”

“If we don’t get discovered then it’s a good place to hole up for a while,” he agreed.

“Michael, why do Kyle and Tess have so many security features in place at their vacation home? Their house in Lake Erie was secured by guard dogs and bullet proof glass, their plane was outfitted with guns... A tunnel under the cabin, a communications room, hidden keys… I understand you’re all ex-military, but even with that, those measures seem extreme.” She fell silent for a moment. “Kyle said he wouldn’t be anyone’s prisoner, but the way he said it made it sound like he’d experienced it.”

He stopped working on the splinter and looked at her long and intense before he nodded. “He did.”

“I’m sorry. Were he and Tess together when it happened?”

“Yeah.”

“That had to be so hard for both of them.” It explained their vigilance where security was concerned.

“They’ve been to hell and back,” he agreed roughly.

“They seem to be really solid.”

“They’re not just lovers. They’re also brothers.” He frowned at his words when it sounded ridiculous. “Well, like brothers in arms.”

She laughed. “That sounds funny, but I get what you’re saying. That bond’s very strong.”

He nodded in agreement and finally got a grip on the little splinter to pull it out.

She inhaled sharply. “Ouch!”

“You’ve been through worse.”

“Well, that’s true, but it’s still not one of my favorite things.”

He dropped the tweezers and used an antiseptic pad to clean the small wound. “I don’t think there’s any need to bandage it. It’s tiny.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” She leaned in closer to inspect the damage, finally deciding it looked okay. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem.”

She thought about the damage she’d seen to his body and heat rushed through her when she remembered him dropping his pants the other day to show off an old bullet wound that Valkyrie had cared for. “Were you and Valkyrie lovers?” she asked curiously. There was no evidence of a close bond like that between them, but they invaded each other’s space with ease while snapping at anyone else who did the same thing.

“Lovers?” he echoed.

“You don’t need me to define the word for you, do you?”

“We’ve had sex. That’s all.”

“Well, that’s what I meant.”

“So?” He leaned to the side to look at her face.

She shrugged and looked away. “I was just wondering if you had.”

“Disappointed?”

“No, it’s not like I had any misguided expectations about you being, y’know, celibate.”

He snorted. “Right.”

She shuffled to the side to look at him, her expression annoyed. “Are you calling me a liar?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you think I was calling you a liar?”

“Well, what’d you mean when you said ‘right’?”

“Nothing at all. I know what you think about sex without any strings.”

“I just don’t see what you get out of it.” She cleared her throat when she felt the heat in her face at his direct look. “Okay, I mean, I know what you,” she made a rolling motion with her right hand. “It just seems like it’d be more...” she struggled to find the words she wanted to express herself. “It just seems like it’d be MORE with someone you care about. Why do strings have to be a bad thing?”

“In my job they just are.”

She shrugged. Maybe she didn’t have the experience to back her beliefs up yet, but she really believed having a connection with the other person would make things so much... more.

“Maybe it is MORE with someone you care about,” he gave in.

Her gaze shot up to him in surprise and after a moment she reached out to place her palm against his forehead. “Are you feelin’ alright?”

He smacked it away. “No. I’m just admitting something. Doesn’t mean it would last though.”

“Maybe not,” she agreed with a shrug. “And maybe it would. Since I regained consciousness after the explosion I’ve known there was no such thing as a guarantee. Life, love, none of it comes with a guarantee, but I don’t think that means you should just limit your expectations.”

He thought about her words while the train maintained its constant slightly rattling motion. How could she still expect so much from a world that was so cruel and had given her nothing?
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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begonia9508
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 41 - 1/17/16

Post by begonia9508 »

Another great part! Maria jumping into a train when it was going? She has changed a lot, especially the way she talks to Michael.... But he talks to her like a friend now, and not likes if she was his dog! Eve

PS Nice to have our RF and your story back! :lol:
- Les jouissances de l'esprit sont faites pour calmer les orages du coeur!
- On reconnaît le bonheur au bruit qu'il fait quand il s'en va!
- L'amour vous rend aveugle et le mariage vous redonne la vue!
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Eva
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 41 - 1/17/16

Post by Eva »

After two hectic months and the loss of Rf and this story, everything seems to be heading in the right direction for once. Joehoe for that one! And all of our couples are going on that same vibe!
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Roswelllostcause
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 41 - 1/17/16

Post by Roswelllostcause »

It is sad that Max and Liz only seem to have each other. As for Maria jumping onto a train while it is moving that is something I would never have expected.
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