Author: LoneGirl189

Title: The past always comes back

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: If I owned them there would have been a bigger fight to keep I- man on the air, but obviously I don't and I make no money from this.

Comments: I wrote this way back when during the first season. I only posted it at the SSES, and it was officially my first published fanfiction, I've fixed it slightly, but left it mostly as it originally was, and decided to share it.

"I've always wanted for you what you've wanted for yourself and yet I wanted to save us high water or hell and I kept on ignoring the ambivalence you felt and in the meantime I lost myself in the meantime I lost myself I'm sorry I lost myself"

-Alanis Morissette, That Paticular time.





Arnaud stared up at the building. He was waiting for Darien Fawkes to leave. He had been here all night, and it made Arnaud's blood boil to know who he was up there with. Darien may have found her first but he wouldn't let him have her.

He had spent the last three years after the quicksilver project looking for her. Unfortunately the agency had found her first. They had in fact found her six months before he did. He was surprised, she had kept herself well hidden from both sides. He understood why, she was always a very smart woman. She couldn't be sure of who she could trust, and had hidden herself.

He was broken out of his thoughts as Darien came out of the building and left. No doubt he just wanted her because of her knowledge about quicksilver, Kevin and Arnaud were the only one who knew she was in on the project. She was going to be a back up in case anything should happen to them. But that wasn't the only reason he wanted to find her, and he was worried that the same was now true of Darien.

At the lab she had been the only one who had been his real friend, in fact right before the attack they had become more than friends. He had intended to convince her to come with him after everything was over...But that worry was for later. He got out of the car and walked across the street to the building.

----------------

Karen was still half-asleep. Darien had spent the night on the couch in case Arnaud had shown up, he was convinced that he would come after her. She however did not share the same fear, he had already abandoned her. He had lied to her for over two years, why would he come back now. Darien had woken her up momentarily to tell her he was leaving, and would be back later that day to check on her.

She was amazed by the differences between Darien and his brother. She never got to actually talk to Darien while he was at the lab. She only got to see him while he was unconscious. The only two people at the compound who were even aware of her presence were Arnaud and Kevin, and two security guards. She wish she had known then what she had known now. She had trusted Arnaud with her darkest secrets...with everything and he had destroyed it all.

She heard the door creak open.

"What did you forget Darien?" She said as she rolled over. Arnaud was standing in the doorway. They both stared at each other for a moment. Neither knew what to say.

"Why are you here?" she asked quietly, even though she knew the answer.

"I told you I would never leave you alone," he replied, almost as quietly.

"You still have some nerve coming back here, " She told him, barley able to talk because of all the feeling seeing him standing there were bringing back.. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?" She asked angrily.

------------------------



Karen didn't know why the doors had suddenly locked behind her when she had entered her room. There wasn't even supposed to be a lock on the outside of the door. She pounded on the door and one of the guards came to open it.

"One sec Miss Jacobs, I have a call," he yelled through the door. She leaned against it and hit it in frustration, then jumped back as she heard the muffled explosion.

"What the hell...." she muttered to herself as she started to pound on the door again. She didn't want to do it, but she walked over to her bed and sat on her knees to reach under it and get the box she knew was there. She dragged it out, and opened it. She unwrapped the cloth from the gun that was inside.

She walked over to the door.

"Look out if anyone is out there," she yelled loudly before she aimed and fired. It took two shots to break the doorknob and lock off the door. It took one kicked to get it open, but the door stopped as it hit something. She pushed it open and looked out. She almost threw up when she saw that the object blocking the door was the body of the guard. His head was splattered all over the hallway. She closed her eyes and told herself to move. She obviously couldn't stay here.

She had made into the main part of the lab, and had to duck behind a wall as two men in black ran by. She didn't recognize either of them, but she saw the guns they were holding and she knew that they were probably not here on Agency business. She turned another corner, and she saw one of the nurses dead on the floor.

She started to run down the hall. She had to find Arnaud and Kevin, if she wasn't to late already. She didn't know what she would do if either of them were hurt. Kevin was her best friend and Arnaud....Arnaud meant more to her than anyone she knew.

She walked through the doors to the main hallway and stopped dead in her tracks. There was Kevin, lying in a pool of his own blood. Further down the hallway was a man lying dead on the ground, but it was who was standing over him that made her blood run cold.

Arnaud looked up and saw her, staring at him. His men did two, and one of them moved to shot her. She turned and ran, and Arnaud tackled the man, making the gun bullet hit the ceiling.

"You idiot, I gave explicit orders for Miss. Jacobs and both Fawkes brothers to be left alone, but obvious," he said motion to Kevin's till form. "You weren't paying attention."

----------------------

"You know I would never hurt you." He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

"I also thought you would never hurt Kevin." She added as she sat up and stared out the window.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. Those men paid with their lives. Please trust me" He told her.

"I don't know if I can." She replied.

"You can,"he said moving closer and he turned her head around with his hand on her chin, and after a moment kissed her. She hugged him and started to sob

"I want too." She said pushing him away," but I don't think I can."

"At the compound, when I said I loved you, I meant it," he told her.



-----------------------

"I'm tired, I don't want to have to go through anymore files, Darien getting punched by a security guard does not hold my attention," Karen said as she through the filed down and flopped down on her bed.

"Well, interesting on paper no, but if you had seen him..." Arnaud said with a small smirk as he recalled Darien trying to explain the bruise, and his brother later telling everyone the real reason so they could deal with the premature invisibility in certain calculations.

"You really don't get along with him do you?" she asked as she sat up on her elbows.

"Our...personalities conflict a little," he told her. "And if that's all for, the night, I'll be leaving."

He smiled at her nervously and got up to leave.

"Wait....there's something I need to talk to you about," she told him as she stood up, and walked over to stand in front of him.

"This part of the project is going to be over soon....and I've been told when it is I'll be transferred. Which probably means I won't be seeing you again soon..." she told him nervously.

"Yes...I heard about that today," he said looking down at his feet then back at her again.

"I...I think...well it would upset me if I couldn't see you again," she said, still not quite getting at what she really meant.

"I would miss your company as well," he told her, looking straight into her eyes. "Very much."

"I would like to continue...our relationship after the project," she told him.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong," he replied, noticing how slowly they had become standing almost touching. "But it seems to me your...'asking me out'. That is, if I'm reading the signs right."

In response she kissed him lightly, then pulled back to gauge his reaction. He reached up and took off his glasses, setting them on the table behind him, then leaned into to kiss her. This time the kiss was more instant. She was slightly surprised by his initiative. He usually seemed so...submissive around the compound.

She didn't know how they made it that far, but she felt the back of her legs hit the bed behind her.

Everything happened so fast, it was almost a blur or emotions and words. All she knew is this wasn't exactly what she had been planning when she had planned on tell him that she thought she was in love with him.

All she knew was the wonderful feeling she had when she woke up the next morning next to him. He was already awake and smiling at her.

"Good morning," she smiled back at him.

"I love you," he told her, still staring in her eyes. She smiled back and kissed him.

"I love you too," she replied.

------------------

"I'm leaving in three days meet me here" he said handing her a piece of paper. "Tomorrow if you want to come with me." He kissed her again and left.

"Crap." She said a she pulled her hair back with her hands. She had no idea what she wanted to do. She did still feel that familiar feeling of love when she looked at him, even after everything that happened. He was the only one that affected her this way, the only person who could make her abandon rational thought.



------------------------

"Something on you mind?" Claire asked. Karen had been going over the same read out for the last hour, something that was not normal for woman.

"Oh...uh...No," Karen said. They were in the lab working on a way to get the gland out, or anything that might bring them closer.

"Claire.." She started, looking somewhat thoughtful.

"Yes?"

"I don't think I'll be coming in tomorrow, I have an appointment to keep." She told her, having finally made her decision.

------------------------

"There he is." Hobbes stated as they watched the video tape

"I don't believe it." Darien said as he sat down dumbfounded in a chair..

"Look's like she got a thing for him alright." Hobbes said as Arnaud kissed Karen on the security tape. They were watching a video surveillance of Karen's apartment from the morning before.

Eberts got off the phone and walked over to talk to the men.

"The Keeper says that Miss Jacobs didn't come into work, she said she had an appointment." He reported.

"We have the address Fawkes lets go." Hobbes said opening the door.

"He won't get away this time," Darien said angrily as he grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

--------------

"Arnaud?" Karen asked tenativly. She was at a cabin in the woods, the address she had been given. It looked deserted, but she wouldn't have expected to meet in a public place.

"Here." He said coming into the clearing. She knew he had probably waited to see if she had brought anyone with her. "I was afraid you wouldn't come." He said as she ran up and hugged him, afraid to let go in case he might not be real.

"You knew I would come." She said as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Karen!" Darien yelled. She turned around to see Darien and Hobbes, she gripped Arnaud's hand tightly.

"Get away from him." Hobbes told her, pointing his gun at Arnaud.

"No," She said firmly as she turned around all the way and pulled a gun out of her back of her belt.

"Karen," Darien warned. He was also holding a gun, one she assumed he got from Hobbes.

It was quiet for a long time, nobody moved, nobody breathed. And then it happened.

No one knew who fired the first shot, all Darien knew was there was gun fire and the next thing he knew Hobbes was shot in the arm, Arnaud was gone and Karen was lying crumpled on the ground, blood starting to form in a puddle on the ground around her.

-----------------------

"She's in a coma." The doctor told Darien, Claire, and Hobbes. "She might wake up in a few minutes it might take years."

Darien looked extremely frustrated, but tried to keep it to himself, although he saw both Claire and Hobbes have similar reactions.

"Can we see her?" Darien asked.

"Yes," He said getting out of their way and going to his next patient. The made their ways down the hall toward her room.

"I can't believe I shot her." Darien sighed. He felt even worse at the fact that one of the first things he thought about was that he hoped that this in someway hurt Arnaud.

"You had to, she would have killed you, she wasn't in her right mind." Hobbes reassured him, he knew how his partner must be feeling, but he really had no idea. They shortly after reached the room. Darien opened the door and when Claire looked in she let out a gasp.

"She gone..." Claire trailed off.

"Dammit." Darien said.

"One guess who did it," Hobbes said bitterly.

------------------

Arnaud didn't know how long he was siting beside Karen's bed. He had brought her to his temporary home, he wasn't gong to let her go that easily. It hadn't been very difficult to get into the hospital and get her out. He the facilities to take care of her wherever he decided to bring her. His pager went off, and he cursed silently as he looked at it and stood up.

He had to leave so he kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Arnaud?" She whispered in a quiet voice.

"Your awake." He smiled.

"I also said I would never leave you alone." She said as she kissed him.



"My foundation was rocked my tried and true way to deal was to vanish my departures were old I stood in the room shaking in my boots at that particular time love had challenged me to stay at that particular moment I knew not run away again that particular month I was ready to investigate with you at that particular time."

-Alanis Morissette, That paticular time