Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
Author's Notes: This one just felt right.
A Night In His Bed
It was cold…..colder than normal for the state of California. It was the type of cold that seeped into a person's body and down to their bones, so that the only way to escape it was to seek refuge inside. It was cold enough for all the mothers to stay inside and not attempt their daily walk with their children in tow…or for that matter even let them out of the house at all. It was cold enough that the businessmen of the city didn't take the time to chat after work on the curbside. The kind of cold that made them pull the lapels of their jackets over their ears to spare what warmed flesh they had left. It was cold enough for taxi drivers to turn up their heat to spare the hustled passengers some much needed relief. When that occurred, the cold had taken over. Damn…it was cold.
The woman walking down the street had been devoured by that same cold. She had walked for several blocks into the misty air that had frozen so many around her. She must not have realized the daily forecast, or completely disregarded it because her body was becoming part of the air around her. The dejection on her face was readable to anyone that passed her. She looked like she had fallen in between a state of shock, anger and fear. Of course no one realized it was loneliness and hurt.
She lifted her leather-clad palms to the top of her jacket and pulled it tighter around her chest. Her subconscious had fooled her into thinking that her core temperature was rising, when in reality she was only getting colder. Nothing covered her head. Her face had begun to turn a light crimson considering it was exposed. There was no way to save the final state it would have become by the time she reached her destination. She didn't care. She felt like she needed to punish herself for letting him go…for letting him vanish.
When she finally reached the red façade of her new business, she stopped and gazed to the rooftop. She stepped closer to the cold menacing building before her and reached out. She ran her gloved hands over the freezing brick. Resting as if she had been caught, she pulled her hand back. What was she doing there? Even she didn't know.
When the elevator doors finally closed, she leaned against the rail and exhaled in relief. Her heart was racing, knowing she shouldn't have been there in the first place, but it was the only place she could find comfort. The only place she knew would be a refuge. The only place….she could remember…him.
1 WEEK PRIOR
"Chance….why? Tell me why?" Her thick British accent lingered in the air as he continued packing his gray duffel bag. She crossed her arms as if it would have made a difference. "You have yet to give me a legitimate reason why you have to just take off and….." He cut her off in a stern voice. "Look Ilsa, I've told you a thousand times. I'm not getting you involved in something I know damn well will put you in danger, or possibly get you killed. I don't have time for this." He had simply put her in her place and she wasn't happy about it in the very least. She stood her ground. "You know, you're always so self righteous in your quest. You always claim to be worried about me when you know damn well you don't have to be a part of this." He moved to the foot of the bed and sat down, watching her intently.
She started at him again. The anger and emotion began to brim up inside of her and her eyes began to water as she spoke. "This is a pathetic excuse for you to find some answer that doesn't exist. You're chasing after a man that you once trusted, and now you think because he isn't dead, it's your job to kill him." The tears began to flow freely as she spoke through a choked voice. "I'm supposed to sit here and wait for God only knows how long, hoping and praying you don't come home in a body bag." He stood up to confront her, realizing she was slowly losing control over her emotions. She pointed her finger at him. "You….you're just…you're just…."
And then it happened. Her emotions began to release themselves. He knew exactly what he was up against as he stepped towards her. She tried to stand her ground. "…all you're going to do is leave…and I…I…" He reached out to her as the tears fell harder. She couldn't keep her composure as he embraced her. Her body immediately found solace in his arms. She hurt. She hurt bad and he knew it. It hurt him just as much seeing her cry and even more knowing that he had to leave her. The entire team had gotten threats from Baptiste. Threats enough so that he needed to find him…and kill him...no matter what. But he couldn't tell Ilsa where he was going. He knew she would try to follow. This was his quest, and it was a quest to protect her.
He rubbed her back as she continued to cry in his arms. It cut his heart open, knowing how bad she hated to see him leave. When she finally began to calm herself, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He spoke softly in a low, deep voice. "Ilsa…you know the most important thing in my life now is to protect you. Ever since I told you I'd never let you go…I meant it. I'd fight a million men to make sure you're safe, and if I have to cross the world to kill one, then so be it. You mean too much to me." He squeezed her tighter with the last of his words.
"Chance I can't do this. I can't draw breath knowing you might not come back." He leaned back and forced her to meet his gaze. It hurt him again seeing her upset. Raising a hand to her face, he spoke again. "I promise…I WILL be back." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. With the last of her tears, he led her to his bed. He lay down, slowly pulling her beside him. She settled into his embrace and met his quiet blue eyes. "Do you promise Chance? Do you promise to come back to me?" He smiled at her. "Who else is going to put up with you Ilsa?" She managed a tear filled smile as he tightened his hold.
"Whenever you feel sad or afraid, I want you to come right here..in this very spot, and remember how we spent it. I'll always be right here with you." She leaned in and met his lips. With every part of her soul, she kissed him. She kissed him with the reassurance that she would never forget this last moment. In turn he kissed her back, reassuring her that he would be back no matter what. Back into her arms…in this very place. Her eyes had grown heavy and sleep was beginning to overtake her. She placed a hand on his cheek. " I lov..love you…Chan…ch…" Then she slept. He smiled at her attempt to complete her thoughts and closed his eyes. "I love you too Ilsa."
The next morning, she woke up with a start. She struggled to get a handle on her surroundings then pulled the blankets from her hips. Without looking, her hand felt the empty spot beside her and she closed her eyes. The events of the night flooded her memory. She jumped out of the bed and covered her self with the duvet. Hurrying down from the loft she scanned vigorously for him. She all but went into a full panic when she spotted Winston and stopped cold. Not because she was naked under her new lover's duvet, but because she knew the words that were about to flow from her co-worker's lips. She looked at him but could only manage one word. "Winton?"
He could see the hurt in her eyes and could only shake his head. She couldn't handle it and fell to the floor in a heap of emotion. Winston hurried up to her and knelt down. She was shaking and trying to catch her breath when she reached out and held him. He knew exactly what she was thinking but also knew that Chance had to do what was necessary. He just held her tighter. "I know Ilsa…I know."
When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out into the barren wasteland that was her new business venture. The team had set off onto their own adventures, knowing that Chance might have been gone for more time than expected. Even with the heat regulating the empty warehouse, she still felt cold. Her high heels clicked on the metallic floor as she made her way past the conference room. She recalled how they had made love on that table with reckless abandon. She had never seen herself as the wild type, but Christopher Chance changed all that. As she moved past her own office, she stared at her couch and remembered the countless times Chance interrupted her workflow. He always felt like she was becoming a workaholic and he made sure to bother her when he thought the work was too overwhelming.
When she got to the bottom of the stairs leading up to his loft she stopped. She remembered the first time he had invited her to his bed. He stopped at the first step, reassuring her that he would never break her heart, and that she had to take the next step. She remembered vividly how she trusted him beyond reason and that walking up those stairs would change her heart for the better.
When she got to the top of the stairs, she shed her coat. Somehow, she wasn't as cold as she had been. It must have been the heat rising, or it was simply the fact that she was in the presence of the man that captured her heart. As she walked past his sofa, she shed her sweater and pants, leaving nothing but the skimpy ensemble she called lingerie. As she entered his room, she took a deep breath. It was saturated with his scent, and it permeated her core. She wanted to take in as much as she could, but she was getting tired from her walk.
She made her way over to his bed and stared down at the duvet. It hadn't been moved since she cried out Chance's departure. Winston stayed with her that morning until she fell asleep and then let her be. She slowly removed her bra and panties and pulled the duvet back then melting into his pillow. She pulled it closer to her and buried her face deeper. She thought for a moment that she wanted to cry when she realized her body temperature had risen considerably, and her hands and feet were no longer in stage one hypothermia. She knew that if she cried for him, she would forget why he had left in the first place. She realized that he had to go on this mission to protect her. Her stubbornness prevented him from revealing his destination, because he knew she would follow.
As her eyes grew heavier, she remembered him telling her that this was the one place she could go when she was afraid. He would always be there with her, even was she was most afraid. At first, she didn't think she could face going back there once he was gone, but then she felt crushed enough to find solace. She pulled the duvet over her exposed neck and drifted off to sleep….hoping...and praying…that he would be there when she woke up.