Title: Love's Last Letter
Author: BethCarielle
Rating: PG-13 Mild violence and language.
Genre: Drama/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just like to write stories about them.
Spoilers: The New Stuff (sort of)
E-Mail: Bethcarielle@yahoo.com
Chapter One: Darien's Repose
"…and remember, I have and always will love you."
Darien sighed as he signed the letter. He looked at the clock, 2:43 am. He didn't know what prompted him to write his last will and testament. He had been working on it all week, with help from a lawyer friend. Damn, it was depressing work. Maybe now that he was more free of the gland he felt he had more control over his last wishes. Before Claire had cured him of Quicksilver madness, he figured if he died the Agency would harvest the gland and have his things sent to his next of kin. End of story. Now that QSM was a fading memory, he felt owed himself more.
Darien folded the letter and placed it in the envelope marked "Bobby Hobbes" and put it with the other papers that made up his will. He had never told Bobby how he felt. Darien loved Bobby, as much as you could love anyone. He didn't love him in a sexual way, more brotherly, except it went beyond that. Bobby was his equal, his soul mate, his partner. Darien wasn't sure he could face life without him.
Groaning as muscles that had cramped up from sitting in one place for so long stretched, Darien stood, turned off his desk lamp, walked to his bed and fell in. He was awake long enough to pull the blankets over him. He was supposed to be at the Agency by 8:00am.
*****
He was sleeping peacefully when the piercing beep of his alarm clock broke the silence. 7:15am. 45 minutes was usually enough time for Darien to shower, dress, and commute downtown without being too late. He could feel the fog of sleep refusing to lift from his mind. "Well," he thought, "that why four and a half hours of sleep a night isn't recommended."
He kicked off the blankets and stumbled towards the bathroom. Clicking on the light, pulling off his shirt, and turning on the water in one fluid movement, Darien wondered what the assignment d' jour was. Yesterday Hobbes had known as much as he had, nothing. Stripping off his pants, Darien stepped into the shower.
It was perfect. He let the warm water clear his mind and ready him for another day. He washed his hair, face and body, and enjoyed a final rinse in the wonderful water. Turning off the shower, Darien stepped out and grabbed his towel.
He dried his hair and the rest of his body. He stood in front of the mirror. His hair was already starting to do its thing. He picked up his mousse, sprayed some into his palm and ran it through his hair. "Looks good." He thought. Then he brushed his teeth and left the bathroom.
He walked to his dresser, opened the top drawer and pulled out underwear and socks, which he tossed to his bed. Next he found a shirt that wasn't too wrinkled and his favorite corduroy pants. With these in hand he sat down on his bed and began to dress. He looked at the clock, 7:38am. "Maybe I won't late today." he thought. He finished dressing and picked up one tennis shoe, and looked for its mate. He always kicked his shoes off in weird places.
He stood up and looked around his bed, nope not there. Underneath? Nope, not there either.
"Hmm," he wondered out loud, "not by the couch, or the desk, the kitchen?"
Sure enough, in the middle of the floor, was his other shoe. He quickly put them on since now he was probably going to be late. Still in the kitchen, he opened the fridge, grabbed a cup of yogurt, a spoon from the drawer, his coat from the back of a chair, his keys and left.
He made it about three steps down the hallway when he remembered he hadn't checked Darien the Rat's food and water. He turned around, and went back into his apartment.
Darien the Rat was still curled up in the corner of his cage, asleep.
"Well, at least one of us gets to sleep in.", Darien muttered.
The water bottle was still full, so all he needed was more food. Darien quietly opened the cage door and placed more food in the dish. Closing the door as quietly, Darien left again.
Looking at his watch as he walked down the hallway it was 7:54. He was going to be late, as usual.
****
Darien stood outside the Official's door, preparing himself for the eventual haranguing he was going to get for being late. He opened the door, Hobbes was already there, looking grim, as was the Official. "Well," he thought, "today ought to be fun. Everyone looks so up beat." He sat down next to Hobbes.
"What's up?" Darien asked.
The Official nodded towards Hobbes. Hobbes drew in a breath and began.
"We have a tip on another Chrysalis installation. It's not a baby-camp this time. It's more of a cult slash concentration camp. They're speeding up their world domination plans by destroying the population. There using cult like tactics to bring in teenagers and young adults. Once their victims trust them they poison them. 175 people have been reported missing. It looks like they're all Chrysalis victims. There haven't been any bodies found, we think they're burning them. It's not good, my friend."
"Damn." was all Darien could mumble. "Do we know where they are?"
"We certainly do." said Eberts, who Darien hadn't noticed before now.
"You two are going to infiltrate the camp and take out the leaders. Of course you'll have all the other agents at your disposal." said the Official.
Darien sighed. Hobbes looked at him.
"You alright Fawkes?"
"Yeah, never better." Darien said sarcastically.
"Ok, you two, go get ready. The rendezvous is at 10am." said the Official.
Darien and Hobbes stood up and left the office.
****
Together, Darien and Hobbes traveled to the Chrysalis installation. The back of the van contained more equipment then Darien knew the Agency even owned. Weapons, ammunition, surveillance equipment, this was a major operation.
Darien ran a mental check list of what they needed to do. Locate the main office, find Stark and his underlings, kill them, make it look professional. "Yeah, no problem." thought Darien sarcastically.
As they approached the rendezvous point the saw other agents suiting up. Kevlar vests, and helmets, riot gear all around.
Darien and Hobbes joined them. Hobbes was suiting up as the others had done.
"Come on Fawkes, grab a vest and helmet and let's go."
"You know I hate these, they're hard to move in. Besides I'll be invisible.," whined Darien.
"Maybe so, my friend, but I want you to come out of this alive." said Hobbes.
Unhappily, Darien suited up.
As Hobbes and the other agents took their places, Darien planned his own attack. When Hobbes gave him the signal he was to go in Saran-Wrap and scout out the main building, all the while reporting back to Hobbes.
When all the other agents were in position, Hobbes have him the signal. Darien gave Hobbes a thumbs-up as the quicksilver coated his body, rendering him invisible. Darien made his way across the field, towards the compound.
He reached a stack of boxes that gave him good cover and quickly stripped off the bulky vest and equipment. Hobbes would be pissed at him later, but he didn't care. Now able to move quicker, Darien located the office. He radioed Hobbes.
"Ok, it's building number three. I see three, no, make that four guards, all heavily armed. Looks like Stark isn't taking any chances. There are guards at the perimeter also." whispered Darien to Hobbes.
"Copy that partner. Why don't you make your way back now?" said Hobbes.
"Ok."
Of course Darien had no such intentions. He was going to help take Stark down. Stark had caused him enough pain and suffering, especially since Arnuad started working with him.
Darien watched the other agents stealthily make their way across the field, weapons at the ready. Suddenly one of the perimeter guards spotted an agent. He sounded an alarm and began to fire in the general direction of the other agents.
The other agents quickly took cover, a few getting to the boxes in which Darien stashed his vest. Of the agents who made it to the boxes, Hobbes was one of them.
This was one of those times Darien wished he carried a gun. Since he was still invisible he could easily take out the interior guards, but if wishes were horses beggars would ride. He watched as Hobbes carefully made his way to the building, and slipped inside, still invisible, Darien followed.
In the hallway the four guards had doubled to eight. Hobbes quickly dispatched the first two and made his way further down the hall, using doorways as cover. Darien, also using doorways was cover, stayed with Hobbes, he wasn't going to let Hobbes have all the fun of getting Stark.
As he continued down the hall, taking out guards as needed, Hobbes eventually ended up at the main office. Darien watched as he carefully looked through the door's window. As far as Darien could see it was empty. A desk, some chairs, another door in the back wall, probably a closet. Hobbes quietly tried the door, surprise shown on his face when it proved to be unlocked.
As he quickly entered the office, Darien came in right behind him. Looking around, there was nobody in the office. Hobbes crossed the room and tried the other door. Darien still thought it was a closet. He was wrong, it was a flight of stairs, leading down. Hobbes carefully began his decent with Darien on his heels.
At the bottom of the stairs were the hurried sounds of Stark's men trying to clear out the subterranean room. Darien heard Hobbes radio for backup, then continue down the stairs. Darien realized Hobbes intended to do this "Bobby Hobbes Hero" style. He wasn't going to wait for backup.
As Hobbes stepped down the last two stairs, the men in the room saw him. Vastly out numbered and trapped in a stair well Hobbes was a sitting duck, and he knew it. The first shots rang out across the concrete bunker, narrowly missing Hobbes. Darien managed to stay out of the way to allow Hobbes some cover in the stair well. Most of Stark's men were clearing out, but a few guards were determined to get the intruder.
They closed in, leaving Hobbes one choice. Hobbes sprung from the stairwell, spraying bullets everywhere. One guard was killed, another wounded, the third had escaped the spray. The third guard was coming up behind Hobbes, Darien saw him, Hobbes didn't.
The guard took aim, right at Hobbes, and fired. Darien acted before he thought. Still invisible, he ran to Hobbes, pushing him down right as the bullets would have hit. All the guard saw was Hobbes falling to the floor. Thinking he had got him, the guard ran out with the others.
Darien lay on top of Hobbes, he knew he had been shot instead of Hobbes. Not once, but three times. He felt Hobbes move underneath him, trying to get up. The quicksilver covering Darien shimmered away. Hobbes turned him over, looking at the crimson puddle forming beneath them.
Darien was awed that he didn't hurt. He could see Hobbes frantically radioing for help, calling in other agents, and medics. Hobbes grabbed his hand and told him to lie still, and not to worry, he was going to be fine. Darien looked at the man he had come to love so deeply, he saw the panic and concern in his eyes. He knew he was hurt bad, Hobbes was a bad liar.
There was a sudden rush of sound as agents and medics came crashing down the stairs. The medics tore Hobbes away from Darien.
"No, Bobby, stay!" croaked Darien.
"I'm right here partner, I'm right here." said Hobbes soothingly.
By then the medics had removed Darien's shirt and were assessing the gun shot wounds. They had started IV's and were trying to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding. They loaded him up on the stretcher and maneuvered him out of the building.
Hobbes stayed right beside Darien the whole time holding his hand. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Hobbes uttered soothing words to the mortally wounded man.
At the hospital there was a surgical team waiting, and they immediately took Darien, who had remained conscious, to the OR. Once in the OR Darien became aware of a crushing feeling in his chest.
"He's got a collapsed lung, doctor, he's inhaling his own blood!" shouted a nurse.
"We need to crack his chest now! Get him under, I can't believe he's still conscious." shouted the doctor.
As the OR team was getting ready to anesthetize him, Darien's world went black.
"Doctor!! His blood pressure dropped! Shit! Lost the rhythm." shouted the nurse, "Starting CPR."
The doctor came running back in from the scrub room and proceeded to order adrenaline and to intubate him, he also prepared the cardiac arrest paddles.
"Charge to 250!" shouted the doctor.
"Charged!"
"Clear!"
"Again, at 300!"
"Charged!"
"Clear!"
"Nothing doctor."
"Continue CPR!"
"Anything?" asked the doctor.
"No doctor."
"Continue CPR."
Darien could feel the last electricity of life leaving his body. He couldn't focus on a single thought. He tried desperately to focus his mind on the image of his partner's face, the man he loved, the one he was leaving behind. All he knew is that he loved Bobby and hoped that he knew it too.
****
Hobbes had contacted the Official, who informed Claire, and they were all waiting outside the OR. Hoping and praying for good news. Hobbes looked ready to break down.
The nurse appeared in the doorway. Everyone looked up, half fearful, half hopeful.
"Are you with Mr. Fawkes?" asked the nurse.
"Yes, us three." Claire said, gesturing to the others.
"Darien had massive injuries. We tried everything we could to stabilize him. He died before we could operate. He's gone." he said.
Claire collapsed to the ground, unable to contain her grief. Hobbes slumped down beside her, both in a uncontrollable sobbing heap. The Official made a quick phone call and left.
A few minutes passed. Claire had become a silent mask of grief, tears staining her cheeks with make-up. Hobbes was wracked with sobs. He couldn't help himself.
Darien's body lay motionless in the OR. The nurse asked Hobbes and Claire if they wanted to see him one last time. Hobbes nodded yes. He quietly walked into the OR, pausing as he approached. He walked over to Darien and gently picked up his hand.
"I love you, Darien, I hope you knew that, my friend."
With those final words Hobbes hugged his partner one last time