Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything from The Interpreter!
Dedicated: For ellina Hope, pmochizuki, possumgurl, and TheGreenFairy4789, my fellow Interpreter writers.
Somebody
"I don't want to lose two somebodys," Tobin Keller confessed tiredly, the last of the fight going out of him as he gazed at his partner.
Dot Woods studied him for a short moment before relenting, "One circle and I'm taking you home."
Dot drove the car slowly around the block. There was no sign of Silvia, as Tobin had secretly guessed there wouldn't be; she had vanished seemingly into thin air. He gazed blankly ahead with a thoughtful frown as Dot drove towards his home. He knew she was right: he had to separate himself from the job. Silvia wasn't family or a friend, something he had reminded himself of many times these last few days. But it was becoming a losing battle.
Tobin had never been so scared before in his life as he had been tonight. His heart had seemed to stop for a moment when he had spied Gamba creeping through Silvia's apartment. He had feared he had been too late when he heard the gunshots before he barged into the apartment and only silence met him when he shouted her name.
He had been shocked when he discovered she was not in the bathroom. His shock quickly gave way to relief and worry as he found the window ajar and a bag with some of her things on the floor. He had peered out into the stormy night, wondering if she had escaped uninjured and if she was somewhere safe.
Tobin ran his hand through his hair in a rare sign of frustration at everything which seemed to be going crazily out of his control. Had Silvia known someone would try to kill her tonight? Is that why she had slipped away? Or did her disappearance have to do with her hearing of Philippe's and Simon's deaths? Did she suddenly think she had no reason…?
Tobin cut off his train of thought by pounding his fist on his leg and muttered under his breath, his face darkening more. He sensed, but did not acknowledge, the concerned, almost knowing glance Dot gave him before returning her attention to the wet road.
I don't want to lose two somebodys… Tobin sighed heavily. The words had come out without thought, but as he recalled them now, he could not say he had been lying. He had already lost one somebody…Laurie. And despite his own efforts and Dot's gentle reminders, Silvia had become somebody to him. She was no longer just an interpreter with a dark past whom he had investigated and protected as part of his assignment. She had become something else.
Maybe his defenses had started giving way when he had walked in on her and Nils Lud; Tobin had instantly sensed Silvia's unease toward Zuwanie's head of security. Perhaps it had been when, for the first time since Laurie's death, he let his mask slip and revealed his pain and grief to Silvia. Maybe it was during those long, grueling minutes as he waited for Silvia to be found when she went off to meet Philippe at the park, and he had felt an overwhelming wave of protectiveness among the suspicion that day. Or maybe it had begun when he wiped the blood from her face, and she had brought her hand up to meet his. Maybe it was when he had to be the bearer of bad news and told her about Philippe. Perhaps the turning point had happened just a few hours ago, when he had feared he was too late to save Silvia. Whenever it had begun, Tobin could literally see his defenses crumbling before his eyes.
She had become somebody to him. He didn't want to suffer another loss so soon.
Silvia… his mind wished she heard his silent request. Don't leave me now…
THE END