Hey guys!
I'm not proud of the fact that I haven't updated in a while, but I assure you I have a reason, which is I'm in high school now! So yes, I apologize, but I can promise you I have not forgotten about my stories.
Long Time No See, is a story I've written to reacquaint myself with the writing world. It's finished and the next chapter will be posted sometime this week. I hope you enjoy!
The blackness of night fell in a graceful arc of blues and blacks to cover the sky. Stars twinkled overhead, their gentle glow fighting for space among the harsh lights of the city. For the hundredth time, she checked her phone for a text or email. Anything to reassure herself of his existence. She released a sigh of uneasiness when the only message she'd received was the newest deal on fashionable clothing.
"Refill, miss?" A young girl stared up at her, a pitcher in hand. Glancing at her half filled glass Nancy simply nodded, unwilling to hear her own worry laden tone. With a polite smile the waitress obliged, before moving to the next table of people whom she seemed to recognize and receive a warm welcome from. Nancy watched her go, suddenly envying the girl's carefree attitude. It was an unwelcome emotion, for she'd always been perfectly happy with her life before.
A friend's near death experience could change things like that though, she reflected.
She balled up her napkin in unexpected frustration. He'd been stabbed to near death, and when he'd woken up in a hospital from a drug induced coma, all he'd had to say for himself was: 'what have I done now?'
The startling awareness of a human presence interrupted her troubled thoughts. An older woman, seemingly in her mid 70's had stopped beside her. She placed a weathered hand on Nancy's arm, while knowledgeable eyes stared imploringly over wire rimmed glasses. "There's a time dear, when you just have to admit that they're not coming."
Nancy stared slightly taken aback as the woman left, leaving a slightly flustered man behind to murmur a hasty apology before following suit. After blinking a couple times, Nancy let loose a small laugh at the woman's misconception.
It was a fair mistake though, she realized as she looked around the reasonably busy restaurant. Most of the customers seemed to be comprised of couples. She shook her head. The object of her previous thoughts, Douglas Weston was hardly her boyfriend. As her partner in the FBI, Doug was a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.
The unanticipated interruption did little to alleviate her anxiety, however. She had been waiting a long time. Where is he? He was a free spirit, but also an FBI agent. Promptness was one of the unspoken rules the bureau had for them, which they in turn held for each other.
She sipped on her water allowing it to slide down her throat in an icy trail. Making a sudden and rather selfish decision she reached for her phone. Sliding her fingers across the screen, she typed in numbers she remembered by heart.
Holding the phone to her ear, Nancy waited desperately for his deep soothing voice to answer. To reassure her. Heck, he could call her an overprotective mother hen for all she cared. At least he was alive...breathing.
Seconds ticked by. The rings grew loud in her ear, each one making her heart sink even further. At last she hung up, defeat causing her eyes to sting. She rubbed them, feeling the dampness that had gathered at their corners.
Self disgust grated at the edges of her mind. Since when had she been such a pitiful mess of emotions? Since he nearly died, her mind unhelpfully supplied. Nancy winced openly, hating the fact that it was right.
The agonizingly long night she'd waited for him to wakeup, she'd realized one thing. She couldn't live without him. They'd been partners for less than a year, but yet she still couldn't picture a different person going over case files late at night with.
She smiled despite herself.
In another impulsive decision she stood up, called the waitress over to pay her bill, and left a healthy tip to make up for her own less than kind attitude throughout the evening.
Slipping on her coat Nancy left the restaurant, her only plan to head back to her hotel and wait for Doug there.
It must've been the loud traffic noises that muffled the noise. Or maybe it was her own thoughts she later reflected. Either way, she didn't hear his footsteps until his warm breath brushed the back of her neck.
A hand found its way to her mouth, covering it fully. She struggled in vain, realizing early on that surprise had out bested her. She was tugged off the streets and into the suffocating darkness of an alleyway. Fear bubbled up in her chest, its icy tendrils threatening to overthrow the forced calm that her work in the FBI had left her. The cool metal of a knife pressed dangerously against the front of her neck.
A single set of footsteps pounded behind her and Nancy felt the blade press even closer. She was whipped around so fast it made her head spin slightly. Light from a streetlamp flooded her vision, momentarily blinding her. Her eyes adjusted quickly and the tall figure of a man filled her view. His features were hidden in shadow, but the one thing that she easily recognized made her fear grow.
The glint of a gun.
Her mouth went dry in alarm. She blinked in a fleeting bout of panic as the other man cocked his gun. "Let her go, Trent. It's not worth it." He stepped forward slightly. Nancy frowned when the rich baritone brought back distant memories. In the split second she contemplated where she'd heard the voice before, he took another step forward, this time out of the shadows.
Nancy's breath left her in an instant. Standing before her was the one person she hadn't seen in over three years. She stared into his dark eyes in disbelief. Frank Hardy?