A few random notes:
I didn't proofread this. Even a little bit. Sorry in advance - don't point it out
It's long. Of course it is - it's one of my stories.
This is for MoonCat - a hurt/comfort based off UTK2
There's a part in the game that Stephen and Derek are talking about the kidnapping, and Stephen says "I imagine it was very painful for you." and Derek replies with "I have my own thoughts on the subject..."
So, being weird, I decided to take this WAY out of context. Also, tried to explain the weird pause during the kidnapping scene in the game.
Don't rag on me - I know this story sucks.
It's like, half quoted from the game, half made up.
Oh, and, the xx part starts and ends the flashback.
Eh, you'll see - enjoy.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see this place again..."
A deep sigh forced its way from Derek Stiles' lips as he stood outside of Caduceus one sunny Tuesday morning, admiring the giant building as he slung his dark brown messenger bag over his shoulder and closed the door to his Jeep.
It was good to be back.
As his thumb gently pressed on the button to lock the car, the resulting 'beep' from the vehicle failed to register in Derek's conscious mind, though he was still standing right next to it. He paid no mind to anything around him – the people, the passing cars and other noises of the city – instead lost in the strong emotions that enveloped him in his own little world.
Ready to get back inside the building and continue doing what he loved most, Derek suddenly realized it didn't matter how much he was mentally ready to return. He had come to learn time and time again that it never mattered if his brain was on his side…
...because whenever his mind wanted something, his body retaliated.
And as a result, Derek Stiles was now five minutes late for work.
"Come on, it's not a big deal... it was just a few days, I'm fine."
With another big breath, he slowly lifted his foot off the ground and began walking, noticing that his legs weren't cooperating in the least – instead, suddenly taking on the density of concrete.
Cooperating or not – he was getting inside one way or another. That, he was sure of.
It had been a hard weekend for Derek. Losing sleep after being kidnapped by the resurrected form of Delphi plagued the surgeon with perpetual nightmares, the biggest concern on his mind that of how it had come to happen in the first place. Sure, he and Angie were used to putting themselves in danger for the greater good… but in the past, the only danger that existed was the very disease they had been fighting since the beginning – and because of that, nothing else had ever been an issue in Derek's mind. Not physical harm, not watching someone he cared about be violated in the worst way possible, not losing a battle he had almost won…
And most certainly not death.
Derek shuddered, the thoughts playing over in his mind again.
It was going to be a long day.
They had come out on top that time… but how could he ever feel safe again? How could he keep his assistant from harm like he promised her if he couldn't even protect himself? He was a walking target to the GUILT-obsessed monsters – and though luck had been on their side that horrible night, Derek wasn't so sure that fate would strike him twice.
What if next time the lock couldn't be undone? What if they decided to waste no time in implanting their GUILT into either him or Angie, leaving them to succumb slowly in front of each other's eyes? What if next time, there was no method of escape – no means by which to slip through the cracks?
Better yet:
…what if there was a 'next time'?
In his train of thought, Derek had slowed his pace to a shuffle, still outside the building as he trudged towards it. A quick glimpse of his watch reminded him that he was almost ten minutes late, to which he was sure Angie was going to chew him out for…
"Angie..."
Derek's face considerably lightened as the thought of his assistant crossed his mind, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders when he remembered how they had stayed together nearly the whole weekend – using each other as a source of support in getting over such a harrowing experience.
"If it starts to bother you again, Derek, you know where to find me... Nobody understands what you're going through better than I do."
Thinking over the words she had uttered right before falling asleep on his couch with him the first night after returning home, Derek suddenly picked up his pace and walked inside the building, now anxious to find her so they could talk.
Those plans however, were immediately put to a halt as an outpouring of staff had gathered in the lobby just for him, and bombarded him with their thoughts of love and well-wishes. Of course, for Derek, they aided in healing the memory a great deal for the simple fact that people truly cared about him… however, a hole still remained in his heart.
No matter how many people showed their support, it could only help so much. Nobody had been there – seen the things he had seen, had their life in danger, felt the sickening feeling of knowing they might not live to see the next day...
Nobody that is, except for Angie.
Gently excusing himself from the crowd after making his rounds and thanking them all profusely for their kind thoughts and words, Derek bounded up three flights of stairs to the floor where his and Angie's office resided, falling in the door at somewhere around forty-five minutes past when he was due to start his shift.
"I'm so sorry, Ang… I just…"
Chocolate eyes gazed the room as his expression softened, and then turned disappointed.
She wasn't there.
For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Derek sighed heavily and dropped his shoulders, trudging over to his desk where he slipped his messenger bag over his head and plopped it down on his chair, shortly after removing his coat and throwing his keys on his desk. Reaching in the closet behind him, Derek slid on his lab coat and paused with the hope that she would walk in the door that instant, hopes dashed when he caught a note with her perfect cursive on his desk.
"You can stop freaking out – I'm not going to yell at you for being late."
Derek chuckled. Angie had a habit of reading his mind before he even knew what he was thinking.
"I went to start rounds. They're short today, so no assistance is needed. I'll be back real soon.
- Angie"
Tossing the note back onto his desk, Derek walked out of the office and in search of something to keep himself occupied.
Though with what he was about to encounter, the past was only going to relive itself – instead of fading away as he had hoped.
--
"Derek…!"
No sooner did Derek Stiles step one foot in Caduceus's break room than Leslie Sears had her arms latched around his neck, hugging him so tight she nearly took his breath away. From her death grip, Derek just stared wide-eyed at Tyler who was chuckling with a soft shake of his head at his nurse, who was seemingly always overexcited for everything.
"Thanks, L-Leslie…" Derek said, a blush on his cheeks as they pulled away and Tyler moved towards his best friend.
"It's real good to see you back, man…" Tyler said, slapping his friend high five before pulling him into a rough, quick hug. "You scared the hell out of us – I hope you know that."
Derek reached behind him and scratched his head gently. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"
Leslie reached over and slapped Tyler in the arm, the blonde yelping at her fierce hit with a questioning glare.
"Don't make him apologize…!" she shrieked, arms waving wildly. "…he was kidnapped, for heaven's sake! Cut him some slack!"
"I was just kidding Leslie!" Tyler retaliated, backing down from his yell as she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze. When he mocked her stance she simply retreated from the room without another word, Tyler hot on her heels and knowing he was already in the doghouse before they had even left the room.
Derek chuckled again once more and reached for the TV remote, just as Dr. Stephen Clarks entered the room with a bright smile on his face.
"Derek!" he exclaimed, walking briskly over to give his colleague a firm shake of the hand. "I'm so relieved you both made it out okay… how are you doing?"
Derek nodded and returned the smile, but before he could speak the news broadcast caught both the men's attention.
"While the operations of the medical terrorist group Delphi are being dismantled, it's been confirmed that Heinrich von Raitenau, the leader, will be tried under international law. This news comes as a result of several nations' insistence that his crimes were utterly inhumane. In a related story, the Hands of Asclepius is being lauded for the suppression of GUILT terrorism. The investigations being conducted on these attacks are reaching their final stages as..."
As the look on Derek's face went blank, a strong tell that he was no longer paying attention to the newscast, Stephen glanced at him briefly, wondering how he was feeling about the news he had just heard. The elder doctor frowned as he watched Derek's expression, somewhere between lost and defeated, with a small bit of relief laced in it.
Since he had joined Caduceus, Derek had given his whole life to his job, and nobody knew that better than Stephen Clarks, who watched his dedication and heart every single day Derek stepped foot into an OR. And to see someone else… another organization that took away the praise that Derek and the other members of Caduceus rightfully deserved, Stephen grew increasingly sad every instance it happened.
Opting to break the silence instead of letting it fester and possibly get worse, Stephen cleared his throat gently.
"…Listening to news like that gives you mixed feelings, doesn't it, Dr. Stiles? I imagine the entire situation was painful for you…"
Derek tried his best to keep the flinch that resulted from Stephen's words hidden, apparently successful as no change was detected on the elder doctor's face.
Watching Angie dragged out of the van with a gun to her head had to be one of the most sickening feelings that he had ever experienced in his entire life. He recounted perfectly the sensation of feeling like he was going to instantly vomit as her green eyes locked with his horrified brown ones, never straying from one another until the moment they were thrown in the car together. Seeing those imbeciles wrap their hand around her mouth as they shoved the barrel of the black gun into the side of her head produced an anger in Derek like he had never felt before, supplemented by a feeling that made him want to cry until he went numb. The feeling of being completely helpless to protect someone so important to him from harm dominated him… the feeling of holding his breath, not knowing if the woman who was always at his side was still going to be alive the next time he blinked his eyes…
It was utterly the worst experience of his entire life.
And yet, when he continued the sequence of events in his mind, Derek felt all the anger and frustration about the situation slowly dissipate, remembering a small, rare moment that he and Angie had to bond during their captivity.
How they had gotten there, however, was anything but pleasant to recall.
-xx-
"Move it!"
Derek scoffed as he was forcefully shoved through the doors of the mansion he and Angie had been abducted to, his eyes trying to adjust as best as they could to the bright lights after a car ride that he had been blindfolded for the majority of the way. He turned around just in time to see Angie pulled to his side by her ponytail as she winced in pain, one of their attackers with a firm grip around her blonde locks. Brown eyes grew fierce and turned towards the man who would dare treat her that way, before he gave up and simply sent a sympathetic stare towards her.
He wished he could do something more – stand in front of her and take any brutality that came her way, reassure her that everything was going to be alright, get her out of there entirely… anything to rid her eyes of the terror that clouded them.
But gazes were all he had in that moment to show her that he wouldn't let anything more happen to her, that is… if he was even able to. He was ready and willing, formulating plans of attack in his mind as they stood waiting for whoever "His Excellency" was. But as his eyes caught glimpses of the many people suddenly flooding the room and looked downward at their hands, he noticed that they were all carrying some sort of weapon – and his heart immediately dropped straight into his stomach.
He was powerless. All that remained now, was hope.
The only words he had even uttered to Angie since they had been blindfolded were simply to ask her if she was okay, kicking himself now for not saying something more meaningful… more, real. The only form of solace in which he could revel in that moment was the feel of her fingers gently intertwining with his after whispering those words in the car, followed by a simple "Yes…" before they were promptly shouted at. His thumb had traced gently over the back of her hand from that moment until their captors exited the car, letting go of her to prevent unwanted attention.
His mind, however, was still holding on.
"Welcome to my manor, Dr. Stiles…"
In his deep train of thought, Derek never noticed an antiquely-dressed man walk into the giant dining room, surrounded by a plethora of his identical looking minions. He took a big breath in and spoke, as the dark, long haired man was now staring at him for a response.
"You must be Delphi's new boss…" he finally uttered, completely disinterested in making formal acquaintances whatsoever.
"Exactly. I am Heinrich von Raitenau." the man replied, apparently unfazed by Derek's apathy. "I am overjoyed to meet the ones who blasphemed against Adam, my venerable grandfather."
As he continued to speak, Derek clenched and unclenched his fists at his side, his mind entertaining the thought of latching his hands around the bastard's neck and squeezing until he could feel his trachea collapse under his fingertips…
"…the vengeance I've waited so long to exact is now at hand."
With that statement Derek snapped back into real time, realizing quickly that the deliverance of GUILT over the city of Angeles Bay now had a very real face attached to it.
"So, you're the one behind all the outbreaks we've been fighting!" Derek exclaimed, now more frustrated than ever, especially as Heinrich admitted to the crimes and then went on to spew more nonsense, only bringing Derek back to listen to him with another statement that the surgeon simply could not ignore.
"…And yet, you adamantly deny the clear truth… if you would just leave things in our hands, humanity would return to its natural state."
Derek scoffed with a small chuckle. "Don't you get it?" he started, his eyes narrowing. "Your acts of terrorism have all failed -- GUILT is no longer a threat to mankind! I – no, anyone who values life could never understand what you're trying to do, and we don't care to. You're nothing more than murderers, hiding behind ideas that aren't even rational!"
Becoming quite carried away in the moment, Derek quickly quieted down, as he had half expected Angie to step in and calm him down like she usually did any time he got even remotely irrational, calling his behavior "unprofessional". Though when he glanced back at her, she nodded her head gently, giving him more strength as he now knew that no matter what happened, she was behind him completely.
"…this little sparring match of ideologies isn't worth my time." Heinrich finally conceded, his expression laced with irritation. "People like you could never understand the intricacies of GUILT like we do. It's unfortunate."
Derek chuckled again. "You're right, it is unfortunate. I wish I could talk some sense into you."
Heinrich smiled this time, a chilling grin that sent a shudder through both Derek and Angie in succession. "I find it humorous that you believe GUILT is no longer a threat." he simply stated, leaving Derek to reel back slightly as his mind tried to wrap around the idea of figuring out methods of treating more strains of the super-disease.
"A new strain!?" he exclaimed, at a loss for anything more.
"Wait." Angie interjected, making her first appearance in the conversation. "…then the GUILT we couldn't identify that was inside Emilio was…?"
"We posess those who will give birth to the new GUILT – descendants of Adam himself." Heinrich started, completely cutting Angie off without even paying any mind to her statement, though right after his interjection he turned towards her, stepping closer to where he was standing.
"Now, onto you, Ms. Thompson." he began, that sickening smile on his face once more. Angie took a small step back, her eyes wide with fear as Derek became ready to snap, knowing that he had to hold his cool unless he wanted to end up dead – something that was even less of a help to Angie than he was in that moment.
"Lay a hand on her and I swear..."
"I must extend a special welcome to you, just as we did when you were brought to us as a newborn… you too have the genes of a Sinner. It must be fate that you were brought back to us…" he mused, now within a few feet of Angie.
Derek suddenly realized that she didn't need as much protecting as he thought she did, especially when her eyes flashed fire and she shot her foot out to kick Heinrich for his statement – missing him by mere inches.
"Fate?! Don't give me that! You people ruined my father's life!" she shouted, now in a rage.
Heinrich just laughed at her attempt, now ready to make her regret her outburst. "It is such a blessing that we have found the lost maiden – the mother for a new generation of GUILT…" he began, smiling devilishly once again – he had most definitely caught her attention with those words.
Nothing like what he was about to say, however.
"Your body shall nurture the new strain…" he finished, watching as her eyes turned from angry to horrified.
Now it was Derek's turn to grow enraged, the promise he made to himself to make sure they kept their hands off of her something that fueled him to nearly start on a murderous rampage.
"Y-You're going to use Angie as a host?!" he exclaimed, drawing all attention to him as his fists clenched again. "You monsters! I won't let you do that to her!"
Body acting on its rage, Derek lunged forward and towards Heinrich, swinging his fist at him and missing him by a closer margin than Angie just had, before he was pulled back by two of the man's minions on either side.
"Don't move!" one of them yelled as they aimed the gun at his head, freezing him in his tracks. All he could do was watch as the other man wound up and punched him directly in his stomach – folding him in half as he strained from the brutal hit.
"Derek!" Angie screamed, ready to cry as she struggled to break free from the captors that held both of her arms tightly. She watched with sadness from afar as Derek struggled to catch his breath, sporadically holding big breaths and letting them go as he strained against the throbbing in his gut… the pain he had absorbed for her, knowing that he would rather do that than see a speck of fear in her eyes.
"Ngh…!" he groaned, struggling to stand straight again, though he was eventually able to regain his composure. His eyes fell on Angie for a fleeting moment and he grew upset, tears in her eyes as she looked back at him.
"Resistance is futile, Dr. Stiles. Consider the situation you are in." Heinrich sneered, still laughing from watching the doctor nearly laid out. "Besides – you will make a fine test subject for the GUILT we cultivate out of her body."
Derek said nothing to this, tired of progressing in a fight that was completely one-sided. What he needed, instead of working himself up, was to preserve his strength, especially after the previous assault. He was undoubtedly stronger in surgical skill than he was physically, and although he had a fair amount of strength behind him, more hits like the one he just absorbed would do him absolutely no good to rescue the two of them.
Suddenly feeling a silence again, Derek went to speak, but was cut off once more with a hand held up in the air.
"Save your breath." Heinrich muttered. "I've wasted enough time talking to you. Take them to their cell."
"Heinrich, you can't do this!" he exclaimed as he and Angie began to be pushed away from the room, from the psychopath, to a location both were scared to see. All Derek could hear as he screamed the villain's name was laughing from the murderer himself, further fueling Derek's frustration as their cell came into view.
"Get in there!" one of the men yelled as Derek was all but thrown into the dungeon, lucky to catch his footing before he fell. Angie was not so lucky, however, and toppled to the ground, skidding against the concrete as Derek ran to the door and tried to stop it from closing. He was too slow, however, as the door clicked shut and the automated lock beeped just as he reached it.
"Dang it!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the door in hopes that it would give way.
A few bangs later Derek gave up, realizing it was no use, and instead just sighed. "…as if it's gonna open…" he muttered to himself, giving the door a once-over. "Still, we have to escape… Somehow…"
As he talked softly to himself, hands resting on his hips, Derek slowly turned around and noticed that Angie was sprawled out on the concrete from being thrown inside, her shaking arms working to try to pull herself up off the ground.
"Angie…!" Derek yelped, rushing to her side and helping her slowly to her feet. "Are you OK?" he asked, checking her over and becoming enraged once more as he noticed the scrapes and slight bloodiness on her legs.
Silent, she just nodded to him, her hands still grasping onto his arms long after they had helped her up for support. He looked at her sadly, noticing that her eyes failed to meet his, instead looking over in the distance at the door and the ominous green lights that provided light in their cell.
Taking a small breath, Derek felt Angie move to stand under her own power, though her hands were still holding onto him. He mentally smiled at this before catching her attention with a soft "hey", her worried green eyes turning up towards him as he spoke.
"You must be terrified after what Heinrich said, but –"
He stopped when she suddenly pulled her hands into her chest, tears flowing from her eyes as she stepped away from him gently.
"Dr. Stiles…" she started softly. "It scares me to think about being implanted with GUILT."
Derek just looked at her longingly from the distance that she had unknowingly put between them, arms hanging lifelessly to his sides instead of protectively holding her as he wanted to.
"But… what's really getting to me," she continued, "is that my body will be used to help create it… I became a nurse to treat people suffering from diseases like GUILT, not harm them."
Her voice cracked at the last part and she suddenly brought her explanation to a halt, body shaking as she tried to recover her strength before crying in front of him. Back hitting one of the walls, Angie slowly slid down it until she gracelessly dropped onto the floor. She seemingly gave up the notion of keeping up appearances as she began to generously cry, completely undone and hopeless in a way that Derek had never seen before… and never wanted to see again.
Although seeing her sad made him miserable, Derek did feel a small amount of positive feelings about her state, realizing that he was probably one of very few people to see her in such distress – a state she even had qualms about expressing to those closest to her. It showed him that they had finally gotten to a place that she could feel comfortable showing the feelings she always adamantly denied, and as she continued, he decided to even the score.
Walking forward to where she had seated herself against the wall, Derek slowly lowered next to her. With a slight tremble in his hands, he hesitantly glanced at her for a moment before extending his right arm up and over shakily, and lowering it until it came to rest gently around her shoulders. He let a few moments lapse after the action to survey Angie's feelings about it, feeling more empowered when she did nothing to refuse the motion in the slightest. Shortly thereafter, Derek slowly and calmly pulled her into his chest and held her there tightly, his cheek softly resting against the top of her head as his other arm enveloped her in a protective embrace.
While they had become more comfortable with hugs and such things in the past, Derek knew that this was one of possibly three times he had ever held Angie in this way, as she was not one to subject herself to her emotions so easily. Guessing that she would move away from him at any moment, he grew surprised when instead of pushing away, she made herself more comfortable in his grasp, slowly swinging her legs across his and further curling into his arms as she cried. Her hands gripped onto his shirt and her face turned to rest in the crook of his shoulder, forehead gently rested against the soft skin of his neck.
After the trauma leading up to the moment where they could finally be alone again, Derek knew as he held Angie in his arms that he was going to be able to keep her safe.
With someone as important to him as she was, there was no other side to it. He was going to do whatever he had to, and that was the end of it.
In that moment their trust hit a level like never before, the pair relying on one another to cope with one of the most difficult times they had ever experienced: a time of fear and uncertainty unparalleled in their already eventful lives.
"Angie… come on, we can't give up hope yet." Derek whispered, wrapping his arms even further around her as he lowered his head to whisper directly into her ear. "That's exactly what they want us to do…"
She just sniffled in response, releasing the grip on his shirt in favor of sliding her arm around his waist to pull him more tightly to her. He reveled momentarily in the feel of her being so close to him - holding each other like they were - and noticed that she seemingly belonged there – she simply fit perfectly in his arms.
"If they do infect you, I'll remove it. I promise." he said gingerly, trying to make her feel better by using a slight hint of professionalism. "A-And I won't let anyone else fall victim to GUILT either - for as long as I live."
Angie stayed perfectly still for a moment before pulling her head back, cheek now resting against Derek's arm as she looked up at him with a teary but hopeful gaze.
"… you're right." she said in a shaky whisper, trying to pull herself together. "I shouldn't panic." she admitted, raising her free hand up to wipe the tears from her face. "The world's greatest surgeon is right here beside me."
Derek smiled softly at the comment, now realizing with a gentle blush just how close they were – Angie's arm still wrapped around his chest, their noses almost touching as they shared a hopeful stare.
Lingering a little too long in her gaze, Angie finally snapped herself out of her vulnerable state and nodded gently, a blush now on her face as well. "I'm sorry… I'm okay now." she said with a timid smile, though her arms still held onto him.
Derek smiled at her sudden shift, knowing that no matter what, her professionalism always dominated her in any situation. "Yeah, don't worry Angie!" he replied with a gentle squeeze to her shoulders. "I'll…"
He stopped, nervously fumbling in his mind with the idea of whether or not he wanted to say it. She was so close to him, there was no way to joke it off or move away if things got awkward…
But when he looked into her eyes as they implored his for some sort of reassurance, he took a breath and did his best, smiling as he realized they both could feel him shaking in that moment.
This was a time for honesty.
"…I'll protect you." he finally finished with a smile, the smirk mirroring itself softly on Angie's lips as well, especially as he slightly tightened his hold on her once more.
She held her smile for a moment before letting it fade into a more sincere expression. "I know you will, Doctor…" she replied softly, becoming more serious as she leaned back into him, her cheek resting comfortably on his shoulder as he held her close.
But only for another moment, as when she realized how far her moment of weakness had taken her, Angie simply began to giggle uncomfortably, pulling out of Derek's grasp completely and folding her hands in her lap as she sat back against the wall, still next to him but avoiding eye contact completely.
"And, there it is." Derek smiled to himself, knowing full-well that it had to come sooner or later.
Silence loomed between the two as they looked around their cell, a slightly awkward stagnation created between them after their small exchange, which was undoubtedly one of the closest moments they had ever shared.
Before more words were even uttered, Angie slowly leaned to her side and rested her head against Derek's upper arm with a soft sigh – professionalism had no place in their current predicament… especially considering how terrified she truly was.
"Derek…?" she finally asked, eliciting a soft "hmm?" from the surgeon as his cheek gently came to rest against the top of her head again. "…I know we're supposed to be optimistic right now…" she started. "…but what if we don't get out?"
Derek's mouth opened with a ready response but shut before he could say anything, knowing that to simply tell her not to worry was going to do neither of them any good.
Especially because he wondered the same thing.
"I… wish I had an answer to that, Ang…" he simply replied. "But I honestly don't think we should worry about that just yet – I'm going to do everything I can to get us out of here…we will get out somehow, I know it."
Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Angie nodded her head gently and allowed another silence to creep between them. Unbeknownst to Derek, during that lull, tears began to accumulate in her eyes, eventually spilling down her cheeks as she broke the air once more.
"I-I'm sorry, Derek…"
A chill laced through Derek's spine from her words, thick with some sort of sadness, though he wasn't sure what. More rare than the moment they had previously shared was an instance where Angie called him 'Derek', knowing that whatever she was talking about, it was most likely very important.
"For what…?" he asked, leaning forward to see her crying. "Hey… Ang, what's going on?" he asked sympathetically, moving to wipe her face though she moved her head away before he could.
"For everything…" she replied, moving to sit back up against the wall. "For being so hard on you…" she began. "For E-Emilio… for barking at you all the time, f-for getting on your case about that s-slut…"
Derek chuckled at the last part, knowing that Angie had to hate someone in order to use that type of language.
"I'm just sorry that I always come down so hard on you. I'm sorry I'm not more of a friend, and I'm s-sorry for the things I said that have hurt you before… I really am."
"Angie." Derek replied, a firmness to his voice as he reached his hand out to turn her chin towards him. "You have nothing to apologize for. Everything you are and everything you do is the reason why I got to be where I am today. You made me into who I am, and you should never be sorry for pushing me to be my best."
Angie smiled and looked down with a sniffle. "Yeah, I guess I did whip you into shape…" she joked, both of them sharing a small laugh before she turned sad again and looked up at him, eyes diverting after a second.
"What?" he asked, scooting closer to her. "What is it?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Hey." he said, drawing her attention again as he smiled. "We're being held in a cell by 65 guys who look exactly the same and are threatening to kill us. This isn't the time to hold back." he joked, expression becoming more sympathetic as he realized she hadn't taken his joke like he had intended.
"Ang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No, you're right." she replied, wiping another tear from her cheek. "It's not the time to hold back, I just… there was one more thing I had to apologize for."
Derek blinked, his mind curious. He watched as she turned towards him, her eyes only flicking up to his a few times due to her nervousness, though he had no idea what it was about.
"I think about this all the time…" she started hesitantly, fingers absentmindedly fidgeting with the hemline of her skirt. "…but, do you remember that day… the day that Cybil and Greg came to visit?"
Derek's heart began hammering away in his chest at her words – that day never left his mind, either. It was the day she had shot him down completely, a friendly joke that turned into a full-on character assault and abandonment of the hopes he had in some day becoming more than just a doctor-assistant team.
"Yeah." he replied.
Angie paused, still hesitant. "Do you remember afterwards, with Tyler…"
"Yeah." he replied again, not even bothering to let her finish as hearing it again seemed to figuratively throw salt in the wound the situation had created.
"So I see you haven't forgotten about it either." she joked with a small smile.
"Tried…" he said, looking down at the ground in front of him. "Can't."
Angie's expression turned sad at his quiet words, knowing that even though he had played it off in front of her, she really had hurt him.
"I didn't mean it, Derek." she finally said, voice wavering as he looked up at her in surprise, his eyes silently beckoning her to explain. "I didn't mean it at all… I guess I was just…"
She paused with a deep sigh.
"…jealous."
Derek reared back at the word that she had let softly slip from her mouth, realizing that he had to play this right or he was going to probably seriously offend her.
He paused momentarily. "…what? Jealous of who?"
Her eyes strayed down and away from him. "Of a lot of people…" she admitted. "I-I felt like when you were getting all hyped up with the media, that it was taking your focus away from me and your patients, first of all." she started, giggling shortly after. "The day I walked in to see you checking your hair I realized that not once in three years of working together have you ever really bothered to check your hair for work. That's when I knew it was getting out of hand."
Derek scowled for a moment and then smiled. "Alright, I'll give that one to you…"
"…then there was Heather." she admitted again, her voice growing more soft as her eyes flashed brief sadness. "And even though I hate admitting this… Reina, too."
"Angie… listen to me" Derek laughed, prompting a scowl from the blonde that immediately forced him to become more serious. "You honestly have nothing to be jealous of."
Angie raised her head and shortly after, her right eyebrow as her arms crossed. "Oh?" she questioned.
Derek smiled and shook his head. "First of all, Reina puts the fear of God in me." he admitted, shuddering when he remembered the time she had severely invaded his personal space just after the operation she had him perform. "I know you caught us in a bit of a weird predicament that day, but it's most likely thanks to you that I didn't get outright molested right there in the hallway."
Angie laughed out loud. "No kidding! I couldn't believe how close she was to you."
"She was saying she wanted me and stuff!" Derek chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "It was so weird… but really, Angie. She's disgusting and quite frankly, very scary."
A short pause came to rest between them.
"And Heather…" he continued, thoughts of the perky, cute brunette swimming through his head. "Heather is…"
Derek looked over at Angie, who was patiently and nervously awaiting an explanation.
"I won't lie to you." he admitted. "She's a pretty girl."
At the mention Derek watched Angie's eyes drop to the floor again, working quickly to explain himself.
"But, I don't see her like that, really…" he continued, stopping to figure out how to word it correctly. "I don't know, I guess… if I had a sister, I would expect her to be exactly like Heather. I just… she's very admirable for what she puts up with, and I guess I've been going out of my way a little bit because I know that it's not easy to be just thrown into our situation. Remember how we felt when we first started out?" he asked, earning a knowing nod and smile from Angie. "I just… we need people with passion in what we do. And I'd hate to see her give up, that's all. I just wanted to make things as easy as I possibly could for her, but also show her what our job is all about."
Angie nodded again at his explanation, saying nothing at first but eventually breaking the silence. "Thank you, Derek… and I'm sorry, again."
He smiled. "And I'll tell you again, you have nothing to be sorry for. Well, except for ever thinking that anyone would come between the two of us – you're the reason I honestly wasn't attracted to either of them… or really, anyone else."
Angie's eyes opened wide at his statement, her face instantly flaring as he began to fumble nervously, not expecting that he would set off such a loaded comment with such ease. Unbelieving that he had let it slip, Derek momentarily closed his eyes in frustration, never feeling like a bigger idiot than in that moment.
"What do you mean?" Angie finally asked nervously, prompting his heart to beat harder in his chest.
Derek paused and chuckled, nervousness invading him as his cheeks also turned a bright pink. Usually better at handling himself in these types of situations, he suddenly realized that there was nothing he could do – it wasn't as if there was another room with which he could regain his composure… but more importantly, he wasn't lying about what he had said, either.
He sighed and looked down at his hands, which were still fumbling with one another in his lap, trying to buy himself some time as he thought about what he should say, suddenly coming up with the perfect answer.
The truth.
"I guess you can blame my intelligent, funny, beautiful and amazing assistant for setting the bar for all women ridiculously high." he joked, dying to see her expression though he still couldn't bring himself to look up at her.
Angie paused for a moment in shock and then allowed a bright smile to take over, her body scooting slightly closer to him. "Derek…" she softly said, disbelief in her voice. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." she admitted, suddenly realizing how completely devoid her life was of romance.
"But… why didn't you tell me sooner? And… why did things change so much after the day I kind of lost it on you? If anything, it should've pushed you further away…"
Derek sighed, choosing not to respond right away, as he could feel Angie softly gazing at him from his right, and it was making him more nervous than he already was.
"I guess I just didn't realize how I felt about you until you told me it was never going to happen." he said as matter-of-factly as possible, causing her to shrink away from him sadly. "And after that… I realized that there was no point in going after someone like Heather, or anyone else, because… well, they weren't you."
Angie couldn't help it as another warm smile slowly crept across her lips, letting it go when she realized how badly she had hurt him.
"I would've never said what I did had I not felt that you didn't even know I existed…" she replied, earning a sad look from him.
"Angie, don't ever feel that way, please." he said gently. "It's not that I was ignoring you, I know I just never have to worry about you leaving my side." he explained with a smirk. "And that day with Tyler and them… I guess it just put things between us into perspective for me – I would never want anyone else but you to be with me all the time. I was miserable at Hope with Mary and even the days I used Heather as my assistant. They're just not you."
She smiled again and looked down at her hands. "I feel the same way about you. I really didn't mean what I said that day, either. Things really took shape for me when I started to see you around other women, and I got really surprised at how jealous I got, and then I got upset because I don't ever get jealous and it's all your fault."
Derek laughed. "I'll take the blame for that, that's alright."
A lull came to rest between the pair again as they talked through their issues, realizing that the main problem between them had been their inability to be completely honest with one another. As the silence loomed, Derek slowly scooted closer to Angie and she rested her head back on his shoulder, smiling when he, with a noticeable tremble, placed his hand on top of hers gently. Both of them watched as Angie slowly flipped her hand over and curled her fingers around Derek's hand, clasping it gently with a content sigh.
Suddenly nervousness struck Angie again, as this kind of closeness with someone was a territory she rarely visited, one that was rare enough to make her extremely uncomfortable. There was something about Derek, however, that made her completely at ease – like it was the most natural thing in the world – and knowing this, she began to relax until remembering where they were, and that their fate was very uncertain in that moment.
"…Derek?" she said softly, head still rested on his shoulder.
"Hm?" he replied lazily, obviously content with his surroundings.
"Assuming we get out of here…" she began, the pit of anxiety festering in her stomach as she recalled her surroundings. "…what does this mean for our professional relationship?"
Derek paused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean about our partnership." she replied. "Obviously things are different now… can we have a relationship and work together or should we just forget about it? What if something goes wrong between us, what if…"
"Angie." Derek interjected with a small chuckle, squeezing her hand. "Don't worry – you don't need to over-think things all the time."
She scowled. "Excuse me for actually thinking this was somewhat important." she bit back, going to pull her hand from his though he tightened his grasp and refused to let it happen.
"Hey." he replied. "I didn't mean it like that… what I meant was, we don't have to work on finalizing things right now, or make anything official yet. We have plenty of time."
"What do you mean we have 'plenty of time'?" she retaliated. "Seems to me like we're a hot second away from a whole mess of trouble, if you don't remember where we are right now."
"I know, Ang." he replied with a soft laugh, trying his best to settle her down. "What I mean by 'plenty of time' is that I know that it'll happen when it's supposed to happen – when things settle down for us and we can focus better on each other instead of being distracted."
A pang of disappointment hit Angie at his words, her shoulders dropping as she slumped a small bit. "Oh. Okay." was her reply, sadness evident in her voice.
Derek smiled and pulled her closer to him. "Don't worry, Ang – it'll happen. As long as you know someone loves you as much as you love them, that's all that matters. Things will come together for us, you'll see."
Angie smiled softly at his words, more specifically at the indirect confession of love.
"You're right – as long as I know you're not leaving my side, that's all that matters."
Derek laughed. "Yeah, sorry to say you're stuck with me now – I hope you know."
Angie giggled and curled into him more, to which he responded by letting go of her hand in favor of putting his arm back around her.
"My first priority is keeping you safe." he admitted after another small silence between them. "We need to get out of here, and we need to fight these idiots until they're taken down for good. There's a lot of things we don't have the answers to, and the reason I think we should wait until all of this is solved is because I don't want my focus to be divided between this and you – if we're going to give things a shot I want to give it my undivided attention."
"I understand." she replied. "No offense, but I'd put my priority on our work instead of us, as well."
"For right now, I agree." he replied. "I know you're not going anywhere, so I don't have a problem waiting just a little longer."
Angie smiled. "A little longer won't kill us."
Derek paused, suddenly growing upset again.
"I just… there's so many things about this whole situation that we don't have the answers to. Not to mention I kind of lost it back there…"
Angie was completely understanding. "Don't worry, Doctor… anyone would have. I nearly did myself"
Discussing some more of the oddities about Heinrich and his crew, Angie grew sad when she stole a glance at Derek from his side, his expression border-lining on completely defeated – something she rarely saw, yet undoubtedly hated.
Staring off into their cell, Derek suddenly relaxed when a hand came to rest softly against his cheek and rubbed it lovingly, instantly feeling a wealth of calm that spread across his face and through his body at her touch.
Derek closed his eyes slowly and became quiet as her fingers traced up and into his hair, nails softly running through his locks and surreptitiously turning his head towards her. Just hearing her voice could usually calm him down, though he had to admit, it was nothing compared to her touch. The problems and weight of the world were seemingly melting away by the minute as she caressed him gently and lovingly, allowing him to relax and show the vulnerability he rarely ever let her see.
Angie, focused on his peaceful expression as his forehead came to rest against hers, took a big breath as her hand traced back down to his cheek and began pulling him closer to her, earning no response from him as his eyes were still shut. A tremble shooting through every inch of her, her eyelids fluttered once before they closed, and not a moment too soon, as she brought Derek's lips against hers slowly, stunning the spaced-out surgeon at the completely unexpected move.
He stayed motionless at first, but by the second time Angie's lips met his, Derek gave into the gesture and passionately kissed her back, his hand moving up to gently brush her cheek and hold her face, just as her hand dropped from his face and moved to slowly trace the arm holding her instead. The pair shared soft, long, lingering kisses, falling deeper into their secluded moment as both spoke volumes about their feelings through a simple yet exhilarating gesture.
Just a few moments in, Derek pulled Angie closer to him for one last kiss and gently pulled back, slowly opening his eyes to meet hers, their noses still gently touching as they blinked at one another, trading a dazed smile shortly after.
Slowly falling back into Derek's arms, Angie sighed contently, feeling ready to take on the rest of the world after that moment. He held her tightly with a small, content smile on his face as he began to think of ways to get them out of there.
The quicker they got out, the quicker they could bring Delphi down, and the quicker he could hold her like that anytime he wished – kiss her, hug her, hold her hand...
Derek's jaw set in a deadlock as he thought of these things, urgency filling him like never before as he realized he had something very real to fight for.
They had to get out as soon as humanly possible.
Eyes scanning the room, Derek quickly noticed that there was no windows to escape from, the only light coming from small green light boxes that were built into the concrete walls. Looking further, he caught a glimpse of the lock on the heavy steel door, passing it over before doing a double take, brown eyes now fixed on the silver disc.
It's just like the bomb...
Just getting comfortable in his arms, Angie protested with a small whine when he rose from his position on the floor and paced over towards the lock on the door, examining it to the best of his ability in the dim light.
"Hey, this electronic lock… doesn't look so bad. If I had the right tools, I could probably make it open from here." he voiced with a sigh, realizing that it was useless in saying as they simply did not have the resources to do so.
His feelings changed, however, when Angie rose to her feet and began pacing his way, a hopeful gleam in her eyes as she smiled.
"Really? …I have some operation tools with me. Is there any chance they would work…!?"
Eyes locked with hers, Derek felt a smile gradually spread over his face, his heart beating faster in his hope-induced excitement. She was simply amazing.
"What!?" he finally said. "They didn't confiscate them?!"
Angie grinned back. "I hid a few of them while we were performing the operation in the car… Just in case."
Derek chuckled, still astonished by the little details she always managed to pick up. "Quick thinking, Angie!"
"Thank you." she replied warmly. "So, think you can use them?"
"This just might work…" he replied. "But, uh…"
Derek looked her over momentarily, his cheeks flaring as he began to chuckle uncomfortably.
"Um… where, are they?" he finally stammered out, seeing her grow nervous and giggly as well.
"Well…" she started. "I removed my handkerchief while you were suturing, knowing that if I was going to hide them, I was going to need something to keep them in place…"
Angie's eyes scanned the room and came to rest on a concrete bench just to the right of where Derek was standing. He watched as she walked calmly over just a few feet away from him and kicked her right leg up onto the bench, planting her foot flat on the top of it.
Eyes nearly bugging out of his head, Derek couldn't help but stare incredulously as her fingers gently worked to slowly pull up the bottom of her skirt to nearly inappropriate limits, eventually revealing that her white handkerchief was indeed, tied around the very top of her smooth, toned thigh and was firmly holding several tools in place.
"Told you." she said, flashing him a smile as she worked to undo the knot she had tightly fastened.
Derek took a deep breath in, unable to take his eyes off of her as she slowly removed the contraption she had made, noticing for the first time that night just how far down the top of her uniform cut. Without the handkerchief in place and with two of the top-most buttons undone, Derek could see just how her figure manifested itself under her uniform, the rest of her curves being shown on the opposite end as she pulled the remaining tools from their hiding place. Brushing her long, blonde hair back over her shoulder, returning her skirt to it's normal position and moving to stand upright, Angie smiled at Derek and placed the tools on the concrete bench, giggling when she saw his expression, completely dumbfounded with perhaps the slightest hint of lust.
"Derek…?" she questioned after a few seconds, snapping his attention back to her face. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head again, looking away from her completely as he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.
Finally, he smiled at her and paced towards the bench, picking up the scalpel.
"Alright, I'm going to give it a try!"
With her right by his side as she always was, Derek was successfully able to break the lock after a grueling amount of time and force used to bust it open, his whole body drained from the process to a point in which he was unsure if he even had enough energy to escape.
But when Angie smiled at him warmly and held out her hand for him to grab, Derek felt a surge of adrenaline again as he took it gently and swung the door open, the two of them walking out together.
Hours later when they were rescued for good, Derek and Angie fell asleep together in the back of the police van, curled up with one another and in a giant blanket to keep them warm. Checking to make sure nobody was looking, Derek planted a soft kiss on the top of Angie's head and smiled to himself as he watched her sleep, getting comfortable with her and drifting off shortly after himself.
In Derek Stiles' life, even the most tragic of events had a way of turning themselves into his greatest blessings.
This was certainly no exception.
-xx-
Stephen's words rang in Derek's mind again as he snapped back from his flashback, remembering that while incredibly frightening, some good had come out of being kidnapped after all.
Just as he opened his mouth to answer, Derek caught a flash of blue in the hallway, turning to his left to see Angie standing just outside the doorway, his heart lifting in that moment, as he had been dying to see her all morning. She smiled softly at him with a loving undertone that only the two could recognize before giving a gentle wave and walking away towards their office.
After giving her a small wave back, Derek slowly turned around towards Stephen and smiled.
I imagine the entire situation was painful for you...
"Well…" Derek finally began, a smirk on his face as he slowly backed away.
"I have my own thoughts on the subject…"
Confused by the smile with which Derek sent off the unusually general statement, Stephen just nodded and smiled back, unsure of what could've possibly made the doctor anything but upset when recalling the whole situation. He quickly digressed, expression that of understanding but his internal feelings clouded with confusion, wondering just what happened that would've caused Derek to be smiling at that moment in time.
"…but for now," Derek continued as he grew closer to the door, smile now bigger than ever. "I'm just going to concentrate on the thyroid operation I'm performing today. See you around, Dr. Clarks – and thanks for the concern."
"Not a problem Derek, glad to see you're doing well…" the elder doctor replied, letting Derek go with a gentle wave.
Bounding around the corner and down the hallway, Derek nearly skidded into his and Angie's office with a bright smile on his face when he saw her waiting for him, seated at her desk. She gently rose from her chair as he closed the door behind him, and in a very quick moment, was in his arms, holding him in a way that he had recently come to find, nobody else had ever or would ever be able to. She simply understood him like nobody else, as told by the gentle kiss she gave him right after, knowing that it was exactly what he had wanted and needed to chase away the bad feelings inside him.
They were so much in sync, that when asked about the unfortunate situation, the same smile graced her face as the one Derek fronted while talking to Dr. Clarks – one that confused everyone in its path, leaving them all to wonder how the pair could possibly be so optimistic after such a harrowing experience.
They would chalk it up to their indomitable spirits, and unrelenting optimism in even the more dire of situations, praising them both as the strongest people ever to walk through the doors of Caduceus.
The real reason for their strength, however, lied in each other – a hidden love they both shared for the other.
And the best part –
It was their little secret.