"Alex?"
"Hmm?" She chewed the end of her pen.
"What do you think your most difficult case has been?"
Alex looked up at the man sitting across the table from her. Round wire frames, serious expression. He looked annoyed as she mumbled an answer. They had broken up into groups to discuss treatment of various cases, but she was finding it hard to concentrate. Her mind kept drifting back to the night before. To Rupert Galvin.
It had certainly been an odd evening, but still, she found something about him compelling. She caught her mind drifting again as she wondered if perhaps they should give it another try...but that was ridiculous, wasn't it?
"I think that's all we have time for this session." Alex was brought back by the team leader's voice. They group mumbled goodbyes and Alex found herself walking the corridors, telling herself she wasn't looking for him, for Galvin. The conference had been set up on the hotel's fourth floor and there were large conference rooms and smaller meeting rooms in use up and down several spoked hallways. She'd never find him.
Resigned to getting on with the conference, she pushed through the door of a ladies room at the far end of one hall. After stopping at the sink to wash her hands she looked at herself in the mirror. She was still attractive, right? She was only in her thirties, she took care of herself. She looked at her suit, and her unstyled hair. Maybe she should try harder.
She only barely noticed the stall door opening behind her, and it took her two seconds to realize it was a man coming out. Too late to do anything but register his eyes, glowing orange in the mirror as she slid to the floor.
xx
He'd been up and down every hallway. But the sessions had just let out and there were too many people. He needed to find her. He hoped it wasn't already too late.
At the end of the third hall he found an empty ladies room. Turning to head back the other way he realized that the hallway made an abrupt left, leading to what looked like utility rooms. And a doorway marked 'Fire Escape.' Pushing through it he saw her. Half conscious and already outside, the half-life's arms wrapped around her, tugging her down the stairs. He hoped the rain would slow it down just a little.
He made it down one flight before the creature hit the ground, Alex along with it. They both slid in the untended muck of the alley and Alex rolled away, whether on purpose or from the force of landing he didn't know. But it didn't matter, he aimed and fired and the creature disappeared in a burst of purple flame, leaving nothing behind but a few floating ashes.
Rushing to the bottom, he jumped off the end of the ladder and pulled Alex to her feet.
"Are you OK?" He took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders, oblivious to the rain pouring over him.
She rubbed the back of her head. "I think so. I was in the ladies room. Someone hit me on the back of the head."
Pushing her hands away he looked at her head, no broken skin. "Probably just a bump. Come on. Let's get inside before we're both soaked through."
"Bit too late for that," but she followed, her hand curled into his as he tugged her along the alleyway to the street. "Wait? How did you…? How did you get here? And where is whoever did this?"
"I'll tell you inside."
The alley was deep and when they'd gotten halfway through Rupert stopped. Someone had entered from the street side. He didn't like this. "Alex, let's go the other way."
"What?" She stopped, still groggy from the knock on the head.
He started to pull her the other direction and stopped. Another one. Shit.
"Orange."
"What?" He really needed her to keep it together. At least for a few minutes.
"His eyes. Rupert they're orange. Why are they orange? In the bathroom. His eyes were orange." She was starting to panic.
"Orange? You're sure?"
"Yes! Yes I'm sure!"
Without hesitating further he pulled her tightly against him with his left arm as his right raised the pulse gun and fired toward the first figure, not bothering to watch as it exploded. Alex wriggled away as he turned and aimed at the second figure, pulling the trigger again.
"What did you do?" she shrieked. "Did you kill him?"
"It wasn't a him. And yes. Now let's get back in the hotel. We have to get you out of here."
"I'm not going anywhere with you. You just killed two men!"
"Alex! They were not men. And they were after you. So instead of accusing me without understanding what's happening you could say thank you and just fucking follow me!"
"What do you mean they weren't men?" Realization dawned on her face. "Oh my god, you are crazy."
He'd had enough. He was soaking wet now and there had been three of them. That meant there would be more. This was not good. Patience, Galvin.
"Alex. Come inside and I will explain everything. You are in a lot of danger. More than I thought."
She stared at him, horror, disbelief, anger all over her face. But she took his hand and she went with him.
xx
Alex kept silent as they worked their way to her room. She had a million questions, but only one would register. Who was this man?
Once they got to her room he told her to pack her things. They needed to leave and there was no time to change, and she shouldn't tell anyone. She was gathering her things from the bathroom when she heard him on the phone.
"No, there were three of them. What's going on? I was told there was only one. This was almost a complete fuck up….No, I have her here….Yes, I can do that….you'll call me with the flight? OK...she'll need a distorter…at least until it wears off…I don't know, I haven't told her anything yet…Yes, I'll fill her in…I don't know that, I'll find out." He appeared in the doorway to the bathroom.
"Alex, did you come straight to New York? Or did you stop somewhere else first?"
"Um, I was in Woodstock. I went to visit friends for a few days before coming into the city." She stared at his back.
"Woodstock…yeah, that explains it….a patient, I think, yeah…no, I think he's dead now…Ok...OK...OK...at the concierge desk…Sheraton JFK. It may take about an hour…well, it's pissing rain so getting a cab will be difficult…Fine, I'll check in when we get there."
Alex sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him to finish.
"Are you packed?" She wilted a little under his gaze.
"Yes. Yes I'm packed, but I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me what this is about. Who you are. None of this makes any sense." She was trying to stay calm but she wasn't sure she could hold on much longer. "You killed three people."
He took a deep breath. "Alex they were not people. I do not kill people Alex, I told you that last night."
She scoffed. "Last night. What the hell was that? Setting me up for something? Pretending you couldn't…"
"I wasn't pretending. Everything that happened, everything I said last night was true. I had no idea you were the target Alex. It was only a lucky coincidence."
"Lucky?" She stared at him. "How do you work that out?"
"I didn't know who the target was. If I hadn't seen that file in your room this morning I might never have been able to track it."
"File? What file? You read my files?"
"I snoop, sue me. Sam Tyler's file."
"What does Sam Tyler have to do with this?" It made less sense the more he said.
"According to your file, Sam Tyler went back in time. When you time travel you pick up energy particles that travel with you. You spent a lot of time with Sam, apparently. He was a patient?" She nodded. "Well you spent enough time with him that his energy particles gathered around you. Enough so that these creatures identified you as a potential meal."
"A potential meal? I see. So what are these, uh, creatures you are talking about."
He took a deep breath. "They're called Kronons. They're like walking wormholes. They identify a target by existing negative energy density – it's caused by the particles. You got them from Sam."
"From Sam…You do realize everything you are saying sounds completely insane. I'm not sure you need therapy as much as a good doctor and some anti-psychotic medication. You cannot possibly think that I can believe this, can you? Time travel? Sam Tyler was in a coma. He had dreams. He could not possibly have traveled back in time!"
"Whether you believe it or not is really up to you Alex. But it's true. If you don't believe it then they will find you, and they'll take you."
"Take me. Where will they take me?"
"I have no idea. I don't imagine they do either. Look, in order to do it, feed off your energy, they need to keep you alive in the present. So they don't kill you, but they will cause you grave bodily harm, send you into a coma probably, and feed off the energy necessary to keep you in the past."
Alex shook her head. "No. No I can't believe this." She looked at him. He didn't seem crazy. He didn't have any of the outward signs, he sat calmly, explained carefully.
"You saw their eyes Alex. How many people have eyes that glow orange?"
She looked away, walking to the window to stare at the rain. None. People didn't have eyes that glowed orange. Humans didn't. She shook her head. "So what am I supposed to do? Go with you somewhere? How do I know if I should trust you?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. But if it helps, the plan is for me to take you to Kennedy airport and get you on a flight to London. You seem to have walked through a nest of these things in Woodstock, which is why there were so many. And why there could be more. They followed you here. You go back to London and you may be able to avoid them long enough for the energy particles to float away. Then you don't have to worry about it anymore."
"So it won't stay with me forever?"
He shook his head. "It shouldn't."
"How do I protect myself? I have a daughter – what about her?"
"She should be fine. You were the one who had contact with Tyler. We don't think the particles travel a second time. They'll stick too you until they wither away, then nothing."
She nodded, hugging herself. She wished suddenly he would hug her. She really needed another human to touch her right now. If he was human.
"Rupert?" He was gathering her things and moving towards the door.
"Yeah?"
"Are you human?"
"Yes Alex. I am."
"Ok."
xx
He made her drag her own suitcase, wanting to be ready in case they met another Kronon, but they gathered his bag from his room and made it out of the hotel without incident. They'd managed a cab and were safely tucked into the back seat before Alex buried her face against him. He moved his arm around her, pulling her closer, kissing the top of her head before he could stop himself. He'd wanted to wrap his arms around her in her room, but was certain it wouldn't have been welcome.
"I'm sorry Alex. It can be a bit of a shock, finding out."
"Shocked doesn't begin to describe it. I'm still not certain I believe anything you've said."
"So why are you coming with me?"
Alex didn't answer right away. "Something attacked me. I want to go home." She tilted her head to look at him. He wanted to kiss her.
"It's a long ride. You can nap if you want. I'll wake you when we get to the hotel."
xx
Rupert was jolted from his own nap by the squeal of the cab's breaks. Shit, he shouldn't have fallen asleep.
"Alex, wake up." He shook her as he reached into his coat for his gun. This was not the exit for the airport hotel. He banged on the heavy plastic partition between the front and back seat of the cab. "This is the wrong exit!"
The driver waved at him as if not understanding, but, suddenly alert, Rupert saw him reach below his seat, and saw his eyes glowing in the rear view mirror.
"Alex! Get out now!" He pushed her away at the same moment the cabbie slid open the partition. But Galvin was faster and the cab driver disappeared in a flicker of purple as Alex tumbled out of the cab onto the wet street.
Rupert followed her out, pulling her quickly to her feet in case of oncoming traffic, but there was none.
"Are you OK?"
"Yes. Rupert, I don't understand this." She looked almost broken. Completely vulnerable. Again he resisted kissing her.
"Yeah, well, understanding doesn't always help. But you have to believe it to fight it." They gathered their bags from the trunk as he pulled out his phone to arrange another car. Then he called his contacts to arrange a new hotel. If the driver had passed information to anyone they'd know where she was, and he wouldn't let that happen.
xx
After waiting half an hour in the still pouring rain, a black limo picked them up and quickly deposited them at their new location.
Rupert unlocked the door to the hotel room, one arm still protectively around Alex's shoulders. He pulled her jacket off and guided her towards the bathroom. "Get out of your wet clothes and put this on." He handed her the complimentary bathrobe hanging off the back of the door. She didn't protest as he pulled the door shut behind him.
He looked around the room. TV, small desk, two queen sized beds. Well, at least they could avoid a repeat of last night. Deciding any unwanted intruder was more likely to come in through the door than the window he put Alex's suitcase next to the bed by the window and threw his on the floor next to the other bed. He set his pulse gun within easy reach on the bed and stripped off his own wet clothes, pulling on clean, dry jeans and a white t-shirt. May in New York was always pissing rain, yet somehow he always found himself here.
After waiting about twenty minute Rupert got up and knocked on the bathroom door. No answer.
He knocked again. "Alex?" Turning the handle he pushed the door open carefully. She was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, still in her wet clothes, looking stunned. Shit. "Come on Alex." Closing his fingers around her arm he pulled her to her feet and out of the bathroom. "This won't help. You should get cleaned up."
"Did you see his eyes?"
"Yes."
She nodded, putting up no resistance as he pulled her shirt over her head. "You've had a shock, Alex. You're safe for now." At least he thought so. "Get cleaned up. I'll get some food."
Sitting on her bed, she kicked off her shoes before she spoke again. "Last night. Did you want me?"
"Yes."
"It had nothing to do with this? With these things?"
He shook his head. "No. If I had known it was you I never would have – it wouldn't be appropriate under the circumstances." She smiled a little. He wanted her now, more than the night before. "Get cleaned up" he said again. You'll feel better. I can answer more questions if you have them after."
Alex got up and went back into the bathroom, but he didn't watch her. He was too preoccupied with thinking about her. Once he heard the shower start, he picked up the phone and called room service.
"I have something for you. It will help."
Alex sat cross legged on her bed, wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt and black yoga pants. Her eyes were red rimmed – he assumed she'd been crying in the shower, but she seemed to have pulled herself together and was listening to him explain.
"It looks like a pager. Where did it come from?"
"It was delivered while you were in the shower. And it was a pager. No one uses them any more, so we repurpose them when necessary. It will emit a low level positive energy density field for about 30 yards around you. Any Kronon that gets near you won't be able to activate their wormhole, most of the time they won't even be able to sense you. I only say most of the time because it's always possible there's something we don't know about them. But it should keep you safe until the particles that have attached themselves to you fade away."
She nodded. "Ok. How long do you think that will be?"
"Probably about four months. And make sure you check the batteries. If they run out you'll be without protection."
"Batteries. Check."
He was still going over specifics when room service arrived. He'd ordered an assortment of food, having no idea what she'd want and being unable to stop himself from trying to make her comfortable. He'd also had them deliver a much larger bottle of scotch than what was in the mini-bar.
"So I, uh, ordered fruit, a couple of sandwiches. Some soup. If you don't like it we can get something else." He lifted the silver colored lids from each plate and set them on the floor. Alex got up from where she was sitting and came around the cart to sit next to him on his bed. He poured them each a large glass and handed hers over.
"Thank you" she looked into her glass. "I have no idea if I can eat anything, but I could use this." She sipped it gingerly.
He couldn't help smiling. "You don't drink a lot of whiskey?"
"No. Sometimes. But I don't drink much in general. Single mum, you know. I don't get out much."
He nodded. "How old is your daughter?"
Alex brightened at the question. "Almost twelve. Her birthday is in a few months. July, actually." She seemed happy to talk about her daughter, and Rupert watched her relax as she talked. She really was beautiful. "Maybe you can meet her some day."
He swallowed. "Maybe." He tried not to look uncomfortable. He'd love to meet her daughter.
"Oh. Um, unless you don't want to, of course."
"That's not it. I'd love to. It's just, I feel I have some making up to do to her mother first. And these are probably not the right circumstances."
"No. You're probably right." She looked up at him and he could feel his jeans getting tighter as he stared into her brown eyes. She was close enough that he could smell her. It would be a long night.
"Alex, under other circumstances, I'd love to, um, make it up to you. It's just, I don't like to – I don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage."
"No. Of course." She turned away, looking at the food tray for the first time. "So let's eat, shall we?"
Alex talked more about her daughter as they ate their way through the tray, finishing everything on it along with half the bottle of scotch. Although Rupert had to admit he drank most of that. After a couple of hours, Alex crawled into her bed and quickly fell asleep.
He turned on SportsCenter and let the images flicker across the screen. Leaving the volume low so as not to wake her, he tried to doze off. They were safe enough, the positive energy pager was turned on and he felt like he could sleep. Her flight was the next afternoon and he needed to get her to the airport by eleven am. He really should sleep.
The only problem with that was that he didn't sleep much. Not in years anyway. Instead he imagined the many ways he'd like to make up to Alex for his performance the night before, hard-on digging into his jeans. He really should just take them off. Shit, he probably wasn't going to sleep without jerking off anyway so he might as well get up and take care of it.
He was swinging his legs off the bed when Alex stirred, crying out softly as she sat up in bed. In one step he was at her side, one arm around her.
"Are you OK?"
She nodded, placing one hand against his chest. "Yeah. Nightmare." She leaned her head against his chest. He was warm and solid. She didn't want him to move. "Please stay with me." She finally whispered.
Oh God. "OK."
He swung his legs onto the bed so she could get more comfortable, leaning against him as he sat up against the headboard. His hand slid down to her waist, over her hip. She nuzzled her face against his chest, and he could feel her mouth against him through the thin t-shirt. Rupert put his head back against the wall and groaned softly.
"Rupert?" She sat up, looking at him as he turned his head towards her. Her hand rested at the top of his jeans. He wanted her to unbutton them, to feel her hand slide down his flesh. He hadn't let her touch him last night, and now he didn't want her to stop. "Make it up to me now. Please."
"You're sure?" His mouth swallowed her answer as he kissed her, drawing her tongue into his mouth as he slipped his hands under her sweatshirt. He pulled it easily over her head as he trailed kisses over her shoulder, over her bare breasts. Her nipples peaked under his tongue as he sucked them gently into his mouth. He'd missed kissing. He wanted to cover every part of her body with his tongue and kissed, licked, moaned against her flesh until he reached the elastic at her waist. Alex wriggled as he pulled off the lycra pants, giggled as he slid her leg over his shoulder and kissed behind her knee, down her thigh, gasped as he gently parted her folds with his tongue, slipping it wetly inside her. It had been a long time, and he was in no hurry, letting his tongue dip inside over and over until she arched her hips against his mouth, her hands clinging to his hair, pressing him against her. He felt her shudder against him as he covered her clit with his mouth and teased her gently. "More" she whispered, and he slid a finger inside, then over her clit as she shook, so near peaking.
Without finishing he kissed up her belly, wanting to be inside her when she finally came. He captured her mouth again, kissing as long as she'd allow before breaking away.
"Rupert, let me." Giving him a gentle push she rolled him to his back, carefully unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them off, followed swiftly by his plain white boxer shorts. He hadn't let her touch him the night before, and now she didn't want to stop. Alex ran her hand along his full length as he groaned, his hips twitching toward her. Dipping her head she licked along his shaft, enjoying his reaction as he gasped and tangled his hands into her hair. But she didn't linger, wanting him deep inside her when he finally came. "Rupert" she whispered after nibbling his neck, his ear. He didn't wait, guiding her hips over him as he plunged inside with a grunt, panting as he thrust, his thighs parting her legs wider as he drove still deeper into her. Alex gripped the bed, shaking from the force, from her own rushing climax as he went on and on. Finally, unable to take any more he rolled them both over, raising himself off the bed with a groan as he moved faster, more erratic, exploding as the flash of white light behind his eyes emptied the last twenty years of pain from his mind, if only for a moment.
Pulling her tighter against him he fell on his side, unwilling, or unable, he wasn't sure yet, to untangle himself from her. She was sobbing, from fear, he was certain, and he did his best to kiss away the wet tears. He couldn't let go, not yet. They lay still, without speaking, until Alex cried herself to sleep, Rupert's arms wrapped tightly around her.