Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Assunta POV
Couldn't get the thought of Neal freaking Caffrey off her mind, she just couldn't do it no matter how hard she tried and it unnerved the hell out of Assunta Celebrezze. The Venice job had gone poorly, well far worse than poorly for her. She had been caught by the Italian Authorities and thrown into prison for a two year stint; it took another year for her to get back on her feet and now she was here lying in wait to get back at the man who had caused her to lose so much of her life.
In another time her and Neal had been close, not intimate but then again when you're friendly rivals intimacy isn't appropriate. She'd been interested, she wouldn't lie about that but Neal had never held his eye on her. She wasn't Kate, and she accepted that with what little respect she had for the girl. Kate left a bad taste in Assunta's mouth and that was really saying something. When Neal and Kate started going out Assunta had told him that he was making a mistake, she'd suggested he find another fish and let that one go but he just couldn't and it had unnerved her.
Perhaps that is why she was so angry about Venice. Kate coming into his life had completely ruined their working relationship, he was so head over heels with Kate that he couldn't see her dangerous qualities. He probably still couldn't see them now, but it was none of her concern. Not anymore. The day that he chose his lover over his business partner it was done, she was done. Now it was pure business, well that was a lie, she couldn't say it was pure business but she wanted it desperately to be about business.
When he opened that door she recognized the change in him, Kate's venomous touch had altered Neal in such a way that it just radiated off him. He looked hollowed out, like someone had taken a tomato corer and cored his heart out. That was the look that love left on someone when it was snatched away. He almost made her hesitate but then his tongue lashed out over his lip and that same old Neal Caffrey appeared. She couldn't let him make his smirk; if he smirked she'd be lost so she squeezed the trigger and watched him fall.
He'd think that this would be easy for her, shooting him like that. Doing what she was needing to do, it wasn't going to be easy. She didn't want to kill him after all, she just had to do what she had to do. It was a job, a job that did offer her revenge and would finally take care of this nasty little thorn in her side. Neal may never understand, but they all had their own part to play in the game.
"Ah, Neal I'm so sorry it came to this but remember the old saying. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times, and well it isn't your fault really. You couldn't know that I'd be so vengeful after Venice now could you? Pity to have to do this to you and that nice lady downstairs, you really were the right guy. Too bad you made an error in judgment."
"Assunta…I thought you'd rot in jail by now." She pulled back and punched him in the stomach causing him to double over and wheeze. Her stomach tightened at his wheeze, she couldn't say she didn't still care about his well being. She just didn't care quite as much and as hard as she used to.
"Oh I couldn't let you win now could I Neal? As it stands, I'm not going to kill you out right. That'd be too simple for you now wouldn't it? Besides, I love watching you squirm."
When he passed out she sighed and slid the gun in her coat pocket, "Neal if only you could understand what piece of the puzzle you are." With a shake of her head she leaned down and moved to wrap an arm around him, slipping one of his over her shoulders and taking the bulk of his weight onto her body.
She wasn't planning on killing the old lady anyway, just knocking her out with chloroform. She'd leave her on a couch or something and slip Neal out to the car. But first to get him downstairs, that would be the biggest hurdle for her. He was heavy, despite his thin form he still weighed a good ten or so pounds more than her.
The top of the staircase was a hazard, and one she wasn't quite prepared for. She had a hand on the rail and was working the two of the down when he stirred and grabbed at the banister. She lost her grip on him and he tumbled down the stairs to slam onto his side at the base of them. She had started to take the stairs two at a time when she paused seeing June's shadow cross the base of the stairs.
"Damn it." What was she supposed to do? She wasn't supposed to kill Neal, and she really didn't want to kill the old lady so she pulled the gun back out and moved in the slowest manner possible. Maybe she could scare the old woman? She couldn't tell where she was and as her foot hit the creaky step she mentally slapped herself. If the old woman knew the house like she thought she did she was in for it. She took another step and paused, nothing. Another one and still nothing, it wasn't until she stepped down once more that the cane swung upwards at her.
Pain radiated up her jaw before her head hit the stairs, now her head was throbbing and then she landed into Neal which didn't help. She couldn't focus and lights made her head hurt so she slammed her eyes closed, the voices around her were fuzzy at best but she could make out a few words.
"Neal?" So the old woman was still on her own feet that happened to be interesting to some part of her brain at least.
"Oh dear. Come on Neal, wake up." She blinked and started to shift, catching the fuzzy form of the old woman moving around Caffrey. She moved something to her head and though she couldn't make it out she figured it was a cell phone. Shifting slightly she slipped her fingers around the gun and in a daze pointed it in the general direction of the woman. Then Caffrey happened, just like he always did. He moved and knocked June down, her bullet going to the high right of the position the woman had previously been in.
She was trying to move and aim at the same time, but in her daze she really couldn't do much. Neal was struggling to his feet and then she felt his hands on her. She tried slapping him away but it wasn't working, she still had her gun for now and she threw the barrel of it at his head but it hit him squarely in his wounded shoulder. He made a croak, and in her defense she was still a bit confused from the fall. She shifted and finally found her feet, gun pointed back at June.
"Neal, I'm not going to kill her if you cooperate." She could taste blood as she spoke and her free hand reached up to slide across her lips. Eww. "I'm here for you, so if you want your friend to live you'll get up and go with me to the car. But, if you want her to have a round through her forehead I can and am more than willing to oblige after that blow." She narrowed her eyes slightly, it made her focus a bit more clear. If he challenged her now she'd lose terribly, one of them could at least see clearly and at that one of them was uninjured. June had the upper hand, and Assunta wasn't too pleased about that.
"Fine." He was shifting, getting to his feet. He was wobbly at best and so she leaned down and handed him the cane that had been used on her.
"Use that and grab the long coat off the rack, it'll cover the blood. Now, let's go." Finally, she had what she needed. Pawn in place, time to go get kinged. When he shuffled off to get the coat she turned towards the old woman and pistol whipped her, after all if she was unconscious she couldn't call the cops. She helped him into the passenger seat of her car and then moved around to the driver's seat, slipping in easily enough. She had watched him carefully, his face was twisted in pain and he'd paled. Perhaps she should check that wound? Biting her lip she looked at him and sighed.
"Open up the coat Neal, let me check the wound out."
"Oh, now you care how nice."
"Stop it. At one time Neal…"
"At one time you wouldn't carry a gun and shoot marks." His eyes narrowed at her and despite herself she felt ashamed of her actions. He always did that to her, no matter what he had this power over her and she hated it. Leaning forward she slipped her hands under the jacket, fingers immediately finding the warm blood trickling from the wound. He gasped and recoiled from her touch and she frowned.
"I didn't mean to get you so good Neal."
"You got me more than once Assunta, I should be used to it by now." His words stung and she cast her eyes downwards for a moment, too long because the next thing she knew his hands were wrapped around her throat. The eyes that locked with her's were not the eyes of the Neal Caffrey she knew in Venice, they were something different. Cold, distant, pained, they were the eyes of someone who had lost something.
She tried to slap at him, to get him off her but he'd pinned her arms under his chest and she couldn't get herself free. She was panicking and she felt the air slowly fading from her body, her head was still throbbing from earlier and now as she was struggling to get free she felt unconsciousness start to claw at her body. It didn't take long for her to pass out; surprisingly Neal was pretty efficient at choking someone. Before she completely faded she heard the car door open and close and she knew that it was the last time she'd see Neal Caffrey.