Glad everyone like the first chapter! I have a general idea of this story but getting there may take a while. I'm pretty sure my idea for Thunderblink is AU but of course some canon will be in it too. Also special thanks to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed: rainbow haired auror, yeahcoooox, Lili (guest), FeministWitch, Sehrezad, ShikaaaXx, marjaky16, iDragonSpyro (guest), ethereal skies, NaomiBlue, Trowa'sDancer, devanlanier, latinaangel38, roseliehale1, bookfreak25, veeRonniekins, rebel.17, WispyNauticalPhoenix, joanapage922, radagast-brown, BeautifulLotus, allison'2020, CrazyCaz, and Sparksy97. So when I started this chapter, episode seven, eXtreme circumstances hadn't aired yet so the beginning of this chapter was my imagination and some of the brief flashes we saw in the promo. At one point you'll see the moment that I had watched the new episode. Some stuff for the next chapter or two are what I imagined the promo was about but also mixed with what actually happened in the episode. Let me know what you think!
He'd left the car hidden roughly half a mile away, close enough to get to but not close enough to be heard. There wasn't anyone around to hear his approach but he still made sure his footfalls were completely silent. John treated the whole thing like one of his missions from his marine days. One wrong move and everything could go wrong, blow up in his face and crash around him. And in a way, it could. After all, he'd found Clarice.
"I just wanna know…when we were working together in the warehouse, and we were alone, the way you looked at me…was that real?"
"Then get your head out of your ass, get your feels straight, and man up."
Both of their voices were bouncing in his head. Back and forth. There was a third voice that whispered in the background, one that he was trying to avoid.
"You have to keep moving forward."
"That just means all we have is here and now."
That was another issue that needed to be dealt with when he got back. He shouldn't have kissed Sonia. Shouldn't have leaned into her comfort but the strain, the needs of the refugees under his care, it had been too much. She was familiar and gave him an outlet for his stress but he shouldn't have done it. Not when he was here, following after Clarice.
John stopped, eyeing the large building looming in front of him. It had taken him the first night he left and nearly the entire day afterward to get to this point. He'd made a quick stop to the hallway in front of the safe, where Clarice had disappeared, to try and pick up her trail. He'd found her exit site, a three tier underground parking garage more than seven miles away. He'd loaded up in an older Jeep Cherokee, having to pull off the road a few times, but he'd made it to the structure in one piece. When he did arrive however, he found out how difficult it would be.
Clarice had backtracked more than twenty times, arriving at different spots within the parking structure. He'd be sure he found the most recent portal trail only to discover three more around the corner. He'd spent all night and the early morning analyzing each of her portal 'scars,' until he'd found the right one, hidden in a small alcove underneath the staircase that led topside. She'd gotten far, outside of Georgia, in a town along North Carolina's Southern state border. The small flash he'd seen had given him a vision of a dark building and the name on the side of said building. West Henderson High School.
It had irked him that he couldn't drive as fast as he wanted, worried Clarice would disappear completely or for her to go back and use the parking lot to portal jump somewhere else. He'd also lost a couple of hours when he'd had to wait out a few patrolling police cars but alas he'd made it. This was Clarice's most recent jump and he was hoping that because of the late hour, she was settling down to rest or even better, to sleep.
He walked around the school, finding Clarice's arriving portal scar under the stands in the football field. With a touch he followed her footsteps to the loose metal crate window cover, easing it open as quietly as he could before dropping his duffle bag in then slipping inside himself.
He took a moment to get accustomed to the darkness of the gymnasium he'd stepped into but once he did, he grabbed his bag and walked toward the back of the large room, the words WOMEN above the double doors on the far left.
Taking the stairs down one at a time, John reached the dark locker room, four sections filled with lockers and benches on his left, four shower chambers on his right. Further out was a hallway, the dark rectangular spaces that were sunken into the wall no doubt doorways, leading to other rooms. It was the second closed door on the left side of the hallway that interested him. He could see the faint glow of a light source bleeding from underneath.
With measured steps he walked forward, being sure to dodge the still wet footprints leading from the last shower chamber to the occupied room. It took longer than he would have liked but finally he reached his destination. From within he could hear movement, things shifting around and he knew this would be his chance. Taking a deep breath John grabbed the knob and carefully turned, easing the door open.
It was larger and longer than the classrooms he remembered from his schooling days, no chalk board but it had small assorted workout equipment in the left corner while to the right, furthest away from him was Clarice.
She'd gotten a hold of several tumbling mats and raided the lost and found. In the light given off by the small electric lantern, she was in the process of making a nest, the mats piled a few high and jackets layered over each other. With her back to him, Clarice had no idea she had an audience as she shook out a red blanket, one that he recognized from her area back at headquarters, obviously getting ready for bed.
John could feel his hands shake slightly, licking his suddenly dry lips. Now or never. He just hoped she gave him a chance to speak. "Clarice?"
Her reaction was instantaneous. Dropping the blanket, she whipped her head around, jade eyes widening before she dove to the side, hand grabbing one of her backpack straps.
He stayed where he was, not wanting to spook her more than she was but he did hold out his hands. "Wait, wait. Clarice, wait. Please, don't leave. Give me thirty seconds to explain. Please."
By now she had her bag strapped behind her, her hands held in front of her ready to make her getaway, but she kept looking from him to the door.
"There's no one else. Just me. It's just me Clarice." He assured, taking a few small steps into the room.
She scoffed at him. "Yeah, like that's any better." Sparks in dancing tanzanite hues formed between her hands, a warning aimed at him. "You got thirty seconds. What are you doing here?"
He took another few slow steps forward, hands still held out. "You're in danger, Clarice. We got information from that Baton Rouge job. Information about the program that took Pulse. You're in their files. They want you for that program." He could see how the words swayed her. She wasn't as tense, her spark dying away, and her hands slowly loosing the formation she used to create her portals. She was listening to him.
Clarice studied him with narrow eyes, tilting her head. Her lips quirked slightly, a certain defiance as she spoke. "So you here to take me back?"
"No." John lowered his hands. "I'm here to convince you to come back. That the underground needs you."
She interrupted him, her chuckle dark and slightly bitter. ""The underground." I'm sure. That's your fight, not mine."
He continued, trying to seem like her words didn't affect him. "But in the time that I got to know you, I know there's no way I can convince you of anything you don't want to do. You have to make that choice. You can't push a car sideways." He paused, hopeful as he said his next bit. "Well, literally I can, but you know what I mean."
Jade eyes narrowed at him but John could see the quick but definite small quirking of her lips. He'd take the win.
"So if you're not here to take me back and you know you can't convince me, then why are you here?"
He clenched his hands a few times. "To keep you safe? To help you out with whatever you need? I noticed a trend with some of your jumps. You're looking for something?"
Clarice had finally settled down enough to perch on the tumbling mats, her bag off her shoulders but placed next to her. She blew out a breath, studied her hands for a second before looking up at him. "Do you remember when I got sick? How I kept opening a portal to that same road?"
John nodded, taking a few more steps until he was a mere five feet away. He remembered the chaos, but he also remembering the unexpected panic that had risen in him. He'd had to push it down, to be calm and in control but he'd been anything but. He nodded at her words. "Yeah, somewhere in the countryside, trees everywhere."
Clarice stared at her hands as she spoke, "I'm trying to find it. You guys taught me that there's a purpose to everything, a reason for our powers. I kept opening a portal to that same road while I was unconscious but I can't remember a particular road having such significance to me. It has to mean something. I know it does." She looked up at him at this point, eyes wide and determined. "And I wanna know what and why that is?"
"Let me help you." The words were out of his mouth before he was even aware he'd actually spoken what he'd been thinking. Too late now.
The small vulnerability she'd displayed when talking about the mysterious road was gone, shields back up as she scowled at him. "What? No, I don't want your help."
The words hurt but he plowed through the flash of pain. Taking a couple more steps, John crouched down, placing himself at her feet. "Please Clarice. Let me do this for you. It won't make things even or anywhere close to right but I owe you this, at the very least. Anything else you need or want from me, you only have to ask."
He hadn't meant to add the last bit, but it had come to him from somewhere within, something primal. He knew what it sounded like but he wanted her to know he was serious. Clarice was quiet, her unblinking stare locking him in place. Even if she rejected his offer, John knew he'd follow after her anyway.
She turned away first. "Fine. Once morning hits, you're on the clock."
John let the smile curl his lips, standing up and pulling his duffle bag from his back. Clarice rolled her eyes at him and lifted the red blanket to throw over herself as she laid down on her mats.
He could feel her eyes on him as he walked about, grabbing the last two tumbling mats. There weren't any more jackets but he refused to ask for some of hers. Five minutes later and he was settled down, spare jacket as a blanket and duffle bag as his pillow. It was better than some places he'd had to sleep in. He was actually hoping Clarice hadn't noticed that he'd placed his mats between her and the door.
He chanced a look at Clarice, only to find green eyes staring back, eyebrow raised. She didn't say anything except for rolling her eyes and lifting an arm to snap the lantern off. Engulfed in darkness, John was acutely aware of the sound of Clarice's breathing, her heartbeat and he found that he had to say one more thing. He just wasn't sure if it would backfire.
"I'm sorry Clarice." He whispered to the room, not wanting to speak too loudly, afraid he'd cause the purplette woman to reverse her tentative acceptance. "What happened with Sonia…what she did and what I did to you was wrong. I'll try with all my power to make it up to you, even if I never do."
He held his breath, listening for the other occupant in the room. From her breathing pattern and heart rate he knew she was still awake. He heard movement and glanced across his mat to hers, only to see her move onto her left side, looking at the wall and giving him her back.
"Get to sleep Proudstar, you having a busy day tomorrow."
She hadn't kicked him out. Still a win.
If anyone notices bad grammar, let me know. I'm a bit of a Nazi about stuff like that. John seems really different in this chapter, especially toward Clarice but I swear there's a reason. Besides, the whole story is AU so suck it, I do what I want. But for real there is a reason. Especially some of the dialogue. Let me know what you guys think about this! Also, if you happen to be a Supernatural fan, I got a couple fics of that too! See you guys later. Peace out. -Mez
