The bells in the doorway tinkled, signalling the arrival of a stranger. Edward Townsend was sitting on his favourite table in the corner of the dimly-lit cafe, reading a newspaper, when a swish of oh- so-familiar brown hair just in front of the door caught his attention. He folded his newspaper and placed it nonchalantly on the table as she walked over to him, and looked up, only to be met with the steely gaze of one very hacked off Cameron sister.
"Abigail darling, what can I do for you?" he said as she sat down, her eyes a storm.
"Don't you darling me Townsend. You know perfectly well why I'm here."
"Ah yes, I did think you'd pay me a visit once you'd heard. You always did like to cause a scene," he said, smirking at the scowl on her face.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at? Why has my sister been detained at Langley?" Her eyes were that intense green, piercing through his walls.
"Now now Abigail, you know how this works. Besides, I didn't think you'd miss her much, considering how much you used to badmouth her- "
"Is this all just some big joke to you?" she almost shouted, drawing the eyes of a young couple on a nearby table. "In case you haven't noticed Townsend, I'm in no mood for games."
"Neither am I," he said, his voice sharp. "You know how seriously I take my work. Rachel will be fine; she's just being questioned that's all. Standard procedure." He watched her relax ever so slightly and stood up, gesturing towards the door. "Perhaps we should finish the conversation elsewhere."
She followed him reluctantly, and they walked in silence for a while, the cold winter's air slowly eating through their clothes. Abby pulled her thin cardigan tighter, and Edward glanced at her, exasperation evident on his face. "Typical. You come to England during the winter and don't even bother packing a decent sweater."
"Excuse me if my mind was on other things," she bit back, kicking a loose stone into the murky river. She paused, her expression becoming more distance. "I've been…it's just all been such a mess," she said, her voice cracking ever so slightly.
He stopped and turned to face her, studying her properly for the first time since she'd walked through the cafe door. He could immediately tell something was different - she'd changed so much and he kicked himself mentally for not even noticing it. She looked thinner, less youthful than he remembered and her eyes, although still that brilliant green, had an edge of weariness in them. Grabbing her shoulders, he forced her gaze upwards and and spoke softly. "Don't worry about it Abby. I'll find Joe Solomon before he hurts your niece and I'll make sure he pays for what he's done."
She broke his grip and dropped her gaze to the ground again. "You don't get it do you," she said, her voice scarily quiet. "It's not just Joe. They're after Cammie and they won't stop until they've got her."
He knew instantly she was referencing the Circle, and he sighed, running his hands through his wavy, dark hair. "Abby…" he began, but trailed off when he realised he didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen this side of her before, the scared, vulnerable side and he missed the loud, obstinate Abby, the one that bickered with him constantly and made him want to pull out his own hair with frustration. How to comfort her, he was none the wiser and so he touched her hand, drawing her attention back to him. There were unshed tears in her eyes, and suddenly they were spilling out of her at an alarming rate, so he pulled her into a hug, basking in her warmth as her fingers clutched tightly onto the back of his jacket. "It'll be okay," he murmured a bit pathetically, cringing as he said it.
She pulled back and looked at him and although her eyes were red from crying and her hair tousled from the wind, he was reminded of how beautiful she was. She wiped the tears off her face using her sleeve and took a step back, suddenly aware of how close they were to one another.
"Well I better go," she said, her voice slightly stronger. "I have to go get Cammie and take her back to school." He nodded, reality drawing him back as he remembered the huge pile of work he had sitting his office and that it, chasing down Solomon and the Circle, had only really started. "I'll see you soon, I guess," she said, beginning to walk away.
"Abigail," he found himself saying. She turned round, her expression curious. "Be safe," he said, a shadow of warning in his tone.
"Careful Townsend," she smirked slightly. "People will start to think you care."
And with that, she disappeared.
