A/N: This is a one shot continuation of 'Dance in the Dark' that I had written earlier. Less raunchy, more action. Of course, all names are the property of their respective owners. Enjoy.
I watched Hawk with horror, seeing the man that I love looking back at me with pure hatred. His russet hair was damp with perspiration. The sleek tendrils shone faintly underneath the dim florescent lights of the garage. The indistinct glow accentuated the strangeness of his eyes. The once vibrant luster of those azure orbs had faded. In it's place, there was only a tenebrous, languid glassy look emanating from them. It lacked life, it was devoid of the affection that I was so familiar with.
"Hawk?" I tentatively uttered, my voice just above a whisper. The silence magnified it so that his name resounded loudly around the enclosed place. He was unresponsive, his stony glare continued to gape at me watching my every move. I shifted, putting the cobalt blue Bugatti Veyron between us. He moved with me, his intimidating stare never leaving my face.
"Hawk? What happened to you?" I said, worriedly. "What did Loki do to you?" I breathed, my chest constricting at the thought of him hurt. He slowly retracted his black bow and reached for one of his deadly arrows. In defense, I reached for the two guns holstered to my hips. Swiftly, with practiced ease, I pulled them out and pointed the barrels toward him. In the time it took me to ready my weapons, it had taken him the same time to nock his arrow.
A whistling flew by the side of my head as a rush of wind cooled my face. I felt my hair lift from the breeze and realized that he had just shot his arrow. He had missed.
He never misses.
Reluctantly, my fingers squeezed off a few shots. The bullets pounded into the concrete wall behind Hawk, leaving blasted debris flying everywhere. Ducking to the side of the Bugatti, Hawk disappeared from my line of sight as I, too, took cover. I looked frantically around, searching for an escape. The exit to the garage was a few yards away, past several more expensive cars. Columns of stone led to a gate that was closed. Elevators at certain intervals lined the left wall, but the nearest one was too far away for me to run to and they were out in the open. Even if I had ran, I would not reach the doors before his arrows cut a burning hole in my back.
My only option was to maneuver through the cars and make my way to the gate. I was quick, but Hawk was fast, maybe even faster. I weighed my chances, calculating the odds. Hawk was tall and muscular and he carried a heavy quiver, which gave me a significant bonus. All I had were my two guns. If I moved quietly and rapidly, I may be able to sneak past him.
Edging toward the right side taillight of the Bugatti, I scanned left and right and rolled toward the nearest concrete column. Hawk's reaction was instantaneous. I heard the singing of his projectiles as I reached the pillar. A second after I stopped, the concrete exploded by my head, ejecting a spray of rocks and dust into the fray. Hawk had used a mini bomb attached to the tip of his arrow. It detonated when it contacted with the cement.
"Shit!" I swore as I brushed off the remnants of the column from my leather jacket. Not waiting, I pelted toward a red Ferrari, knowing that I was a sitting duck. As I sprinted forward, I turned and aimed. I spotted Hawk crouching beside a midnight black Porsche Carrera. Firing the guns, I watched as Hawk prostrated to the ground. My shots flew over him and dented the side of the Porsche.
Landing roughly on my knees next to the passenger side of the Ferrari, I stopped to catch my breath. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as my chest heaved from the strain of air through my lungs. A thought suddenly entered my mind, unbidden. I knew I would never have missed those shots I fired. There was nothing obstructing my way and it was an easy target, but I had hesitated.
Did I miss on purpose?
Pushing the nagging idea from my mind, I tried concentrating on my current dilemma. Slowly, stooping, I bounded around the Ferrari and heard a soft scuffle. Leaning back in instinct, I spotted Hawk's foot swinging toward the side of my face. Lowering myself flat onto the ground, my back rested on the cement floor as his boot smashed into the side of the Ferrari's bumper. Rolling to the left away from him, I maneuvered my legs into a wide whirlwind windmill that propelled me onto my feet effortlessly. With weapons still in hand, I raised them to fire, but Hawk was quick. With one fast kick, he knocked the guns from my hands. They clattered to the ground a few feet away, but I had no time to figure out where they were. Bringing my arms up to protect my face, I took the brunt of his next kick. The pain of his shoes on my arms stung, but ignoring it, I leaned back and did a backwards flip. The upward movement of my feet caught him under his chin and he staggered. Landing, I took this moment of distraction to crouch low and sweep his legs from under him.
With a grunt, Hawk crashed to the ground. Kicking his bow from his hand, I took aim at his side and kicked him just under his rib cage. He cried out in pain and his discomfort were like daggers to my heart. Agony thundered through my body as concern swelled in my chest.
"Hawk?" I called, warily. "Can you hear me?"
He moaned and shifted, rolling toward me. His handsome face was contorted in anguish, but his eyes still looked vacant and dazed. Worried, I knelt next to him and realized my mistake as soon as I did so. Anger filled his reddened features as he grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me down onto the ground. My head thudded against the concrete as I landed hard. The pressure of his hands on my shoulders was heavy and my vision was momentarily blurred.
"Hawk! Stop!" I screamed as he moved his hands from my shoulders to my neck. With effort, I kicked upwards with my legs, but he pinned my thighs down with his knees. Peering into his eyes, all I saw was nothing. No recollection of who I am, no memory of what I mean to him. Hope failed me as his fingers began to squeeze my flesh. Terror snaked through my mind like a serpent searching for prey.
"Hawk! It's me! Baby, it's me!" I choked and tried in vain to pry his fingers off. It was beginning to be difficult to breathe and I struggled to gasp air. My mind began to swim in disjointed thoughts. Images of spectral memories faded in and out. I saw Hawk's face, full of passion, full of love beaming back at me, smiling attractively. I heard him whisper my name and it echoed audibly through the flashing visions and I relished his touch on my hungry skin.
"Come back to me...come back," I sputtered and with excruciating strained exertion, I raised my arms and with both of my elbows I jabbed both sides of his neck. Hawk's grip loosened briefly and I took the opportunity to fling him off me. Rolling to my feet, I choked back the onset of rushed air into my windpipe. My eyes spotted one of my guns about a foot away laying near the rear of a Lamborghini Gallardo. The gate was not too far away, separated by a narrow hallway. Shifting my gaze back to Hawk, I pelted toward the gun. He had faltered to his own feet, but his translucent glare had never left my face. Snatching the 9mm handgun from the pavement, I hastened toward the hallway. Booted feet echoed behind me as I reached the corridor. I knew he was close behind me, inches in fact, because as I turned and aimed the gun, Hawk grabbed my wrist and slammed my hand against the adjoining wall of the passage. The impact slackened my hold on the gun and the weapon once again fell from my grasp. With my other hand, I threw a punch at him, but he blocked my assault with his free arm. Knocking my hand away, he pushed me against the opposite wall. I realized the hallway was a lot narrower than I had thought. There was barely room for two people to move freely. It was going to be difficult to maneuver in such an enclosed space, but not impossible.
Without pause, Hawk reached out to grab me, but sidestepping him, I shifted under his outstretched arm and smashed him hard toward the wall with my right foot. The force of his back colliding with the stone coupled with the momentum of my leg lashing out sent me crashing toward the opposite concrete. There were no seconds to spare, because with determined ease and measured speed, Hawk took hold of my shoe with his fingers and began to twist. He was going to break my ankle. With skillful intuition and agility born from practiced training and bred into the fibers of muscle ingrained within me, I swung my left leg up, completely airborne, and kicked him on the side of his head. The motion was circular and fast, but did the trick.
Since the space was so small, I did not entirely fall, only slid a bit to the right and further into the hallway. A muffled sound spewed forth from Hawk's parted lips as he slightly shook his head. He had fallen to one knee, gasping for breath. My heart lurched uncomfortably at the sight of blood slowly oozing out from the wound on his head.
Did I kick him that hard?
The crimson liquid glistened in the dim light as Hawk shook his head again as if clearing nasty thoughts from his mind. Cautiously, I leaned forward a fraction of an inch. He slowly turned to gaze up at me and I saw within his handsome face, familiarity that reached out to me. His eyes no longer had that dazed, vague look, instead there was confusion, pain, and recognition. Emotion twisted his features as he stretched his fingers toward me.
"What the hell happened?"
"Hawk? Is it you?" I whispered, my voice papery and thin like cracked papyrus. Even though he was so close, I refused to touch him. I will not be the fool twice. Certainty was absolute, I could not bear it if I lost him again.
"Of course it's me," he answered with obvious intent. He blinked, concern growing in his stare as he looked at me and noticed the way I watched him, carefully and guardedly.
"It didn't seem that way two seconds ago," I replied, defiantly, ready to move if his pretenses were false. Hawk's blue eyes strayed to the gun laying not too far away and back to my tense stance. Horror filled his stunning face, in blunt realization. Gradually, he stood up, his gaze still locked on mine.
"Are you-did I hurt you?" he asked, timidly, worry in his voice. I searched his face, seeking for a remnant of the man I cherished, and yet unsure that this is him and not the indoctrinated killing machine that tried to eliminate me earlier.
"A sprinkle of red dust on blankets of white, amidst pillars of unyielding viridian," I recited, observing him for any sign of obscurity. Hawk fixed his beautiful eyes on me, examining the distress on my face and without delay uttered in a soft tone.
"In this chalice of unfathomable beauty is where doves take flight."
Relief washed over me and I leaned heavily back on the wall, my tight muscles relaxing, my rigidity coming undone. I closed my eyes and let my breath come easily.
Hawk, it's you.
His warm fingers grazed my cheeks, his touch the life that I craved. My eyes opened and I peered into his bottomless gaze.
"Are you hurt?" he wondered once again, disquiet in his voice and in his striking face.
"Not anymore," I revealed. As soon as the words left my mouth, Hawk crushed his lips onto mine in a devouring kiss that sent tingling tremors to enticing parts of my body. His lips were ravenous, rapacious and covetous with need and desire. Eagerness nipped between my legs, keen on exacting pleasure. The avid and fervent rapture spiraling hot and volatile within me screamed for more, clawing at my insides, burning me into submission. Hawk's mouth was delectable, gloriously sweet like heavenly ambrosia.