They have me hooked! Also I know they probably don't but I love the idea of them crashing together in the lair, she probably has her own place somewhere, but it suits my needs for them to co-habitat; hopefully that words for you. Let me know what you think? I own nothing and mean no harm.
None of the answers she was seeking today were coming easily to her. Pushing away from the keyboard she indulged in a moment's relaxation as the chair rolled across the floor. Away from the distraction of her computer her thoughts circled around directly to the source of her problems. Work wasn't going well because she couldn't focus and she couldn't focus because of him.
Put logically, the thoughts stretching out in linear progression before, she felt she finally had a firm grasp of the situation. Having identified the problem the next step would be to fix it except every time she tried to move on to the actual fixing the validity of the problem slipped through her fingers.
A problem trapped in a loop. Rising, her work abandoned, she went for her coat and keys and purse. Speed and space would help, so she would drive for the answers.
There was a hitch in her chest as she locked the door; she had deliberately left no note. Vince would be upset, pissed, she smirked. How very like him to disappear with no warning, she would let him have a taste of what his routine did to her. The smirk faded as she realized that what came on strongest when he wandered off was worry. Every time he darted out into the night, head tucked under that grey hood, her heart clenched and her stomach seized.
Their missions, his hours prowling as The Cape gave her only a passing edge. Vince was who she worried about on the streets. The Cape could take care of himself. Having worked herself into such a state she stomped to the stash of cars she kept at the garage a block over. Never mind blending in, she was annoyed and aggravated and she needed some distance.
The half dozen options before her were not as varied as she had once been accustomed to. The hours she had spent in the vast garage on the estate were a warm spot in her otherwise cold childhood. She settled on the raw muscle of her Road Runner, the paint was a deep shiny black, the lime green racing stripes made her smile. She loved this car, two blocks away she remembered how he had coo'd over the sleek lines and high gloss shine. Of course this would be his favorite of her cars. Her palm smacked the steering wheel; hard.
Vince was everywhere these days. Working together, living together, they were so in tuned to each other it was driving her nuts. Alone she had accomplished so much. Alone she had escaped the abuse, the hell that had been 'home'. Alone she had started amassing the wealth, laying the foundation she would need to roll out her plan. And it was alone that she had planned to take down Peter Fleming.
Only now she wasn't alone. She had taken one look at the man fighting back and impetuously decided maybe alone wasn't enough? What she been thinking? Now he was everywhere, into everything, and she didn't know where she even fit in anymore.
The phone on the seat next to her rang to life. No picture appeared on the screen, nothing even as personal as a name or initials, but she knew it was him. Who else would it be?
Ignoring the ringing she pressed harder on the gas pedal and turned the music up louder. The specially modified radar detector gave live updates every fifteen seconds of police in range. Getting caught would be a problem she did not need.
The engine roared as she pushed harder, the vibration in the wheel forcing a white knuckle grip. Her hands would be sore tomorrow, like her jaw used to be after a bad night had set her teeth grinding. Still the pain was a small price to pain for the relief these miles were giving her.
Ten more miles and her thoughts were finally evening out. Maybe she could do it, separate, compartmentalize what had come in to her life that she was unsure of. A dodgy plan, as far as her plans went; ignore what she couldn't fix. Leaving it alone fought against every bone in her body, but it might be worth, she could feel the weight slipping off her shoulders even as she considered it.
Again the phone rang, startling her, the now familiar numbers as clear as his name would have been lit up the screen. Vince, again; the guilt was creeping back up on her. Picturing the scene she realized she had left her computer on; the monitor too. And she might not have properly set the alarm, or at all.
Vince would have come home, in, in, in, not home, to find her gone and he would have panicked. She would have done the same thing, had done the same thing. Swallowing thickly she pushed back what she knew he would have shown on his face. The man did not have a poker face.
"Crap," Her voice startled her. Never one to talk unnecessarily, Vince was the one who talked out loud, going over ideas and theories to no one in particular. There was usually nothing orderly to the ramblings of people who talked out loud. Practice had always seemed like tremendous waste of energy. One too many times she had caught herself staring at him as he stood staring at his damn boards. Hours would pass, his back stiff with tension, knots forming in his neck. She knew when he was really on to something when the mumblings got clearer, and whole actual streams of consciousness tumbled out.
More facts she had no business knowing. Vince likes to talk through his problems, just like he liked to fight through his emotions and argue through his loneliness. Those personal details were none of her business; she had no right to that information. Except hadn't he said that he cared about her, "Stupid man."
She rolled her eyes, details of that afternoon slipping past the walls she had put up blocking out the entire exchange. Well maybe she hadn't blocked it off as well as she could have. Details kept slipping in unexpectedly at the most inconvenient of times. The smell of his skin right before she fell asleep, the tight grip of his arms around her as she was rinsing her hair or the rough emotion in his voice as he spoke those words right before she turns on her computer.
Without asking he had told her how much he cared for her, and that they were friends. Friends, she tried to remember the last time she had had a real friend. No names came to mind, it was an embarrassing thought. She wiggled in the seat; her nerves were getting to her.
There had never been a need for friends, she had been doing fine on her own, but normal people had friends, girlfriends to gossip with, and boyfriends to kiss. Neither had been present in her life. She had survived and she had overcome and now she was fighting back; and it was enough.
'Had been enough', the little voice was back and reminding her about Vince. He was her friend, he was the reason she couldn't work, he cared and was the reason she couldn't focus. Abruptly she slowed the car, pulling over onto the shoulder. Vince had become part of her life, part of her, she couldn't ignore that anymore. He cared about her and would protect her and good God damn she cared about him, had stretched her abilities beyond what was possible to protect him.
"Double crap," She cared about him, too much. The ringing started up just as the revelation hit; him again.
She sighed, her hand moving to the phone and she picked it up carefully, still unsure whether or not she would answer. The third ring made her jump; she had forgotten that the vibration was also on.
Distracted she hit the green button. Vince was suddenly there with her filling up the car with his anger and frustrations all rolled into questions and yelling. The smile was on her lips only because she knew he couldn't see.
"I'm sorry," She didn't know if he had heard her over his ranting, or if it would have even helped, he was that mad.
"Vince-"he cut her off, she wasn't sure she had ever heard him so angry. There was no disputing that he was worried about her, he could barely contain himself. A question crept up on her, could his temper handle something even more dangerous than fear?
He had stopped long enough for her to squeeze in a word, "I know, I do, and I'm coming home."
Home, she had said. She cringed, the place they shared was more home than any place she had ever been. That was not good. What was worse was how much she cared for him, more than anyone she ever known before.
The car handled the u-turn with ease; she gave an abrupt good-bye and tossed the phone into the empty seat. There would be one hell of a reprimand waiting for her when she got back. He would be pacing now, watching the door. He would be too agitated for his punching bag, too good of a man to go for a drink.
So she would face what he dished out; it was only fair.
The thought that settled her most, the one that held her as he raved and ranted, the thought that what upset him tonight was in no way compared to what he would dish out when he found out the truth. And he would figure it out; he was good like that.
After she had taken her lecture with a stiff chin, he stalked off, to the bag no doubt; she pushed her chair over to her desk. Thoughts clear and focused on her work because she had decided that he wouldn't have to figure it out, the confidence made her smile, he wouldn't figure it out because she was going to tell him.