AN: Sorry about the wait, but I've been pretty busy. Went to a Take That/ Robbie Williams concert in Copenhagen a few days ago so...
Anyway here is chapter four, but hope you like it :)
Erica sat on the kitchen floor with her back against the countertop and stared at the cabinet door in front of her. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. It felt like a long time. Everything feels slow when you are suffering. The room was dark except for some streetlights that were shining through the kitchen window and the house was cold. The heating system was probably broken or turned off. But she didn't care about the cold. She didn't care about the dark or that the door was unlocked. She didn't care if Anna did something to the world. She didn't care about the Fifth Column or her friends anymore. She didn't care about him. Her son was dead. Just like Joe. Now she had nothing left. Her family was completely gone.
She felt the goose bumps begin to form on her pale skin. Her jacket wasn't really providing any protection from the cold. But it wasn't really designed to make you feel warm, just some minor defense from the wind and light rain. She slowly pulled the front of her jacket tighter against her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her small frame was shivering slightly as she stayed on the floor. It was getting colder but she had no intention of getting up anytime soon. She couldn't. Wherever she looked, she was reminded about Tyler. The table where they used to share breakfast every morning until the Vs arrived, the couch where they'd watched TV at night and the kitchen she had tried to learn him to cook a simple dinner. It had ended in complete disaster and the food tasted horrible, but they had enjoyed it. Her lips formed a tiny smile as she back to that night.
"And now add some black pepper and a piece of garlic." Erica said from where she was sitting at the kitchen table. She smiled as she watched her sixteen year old son cook their dinner.
"Add it where?" Tyler asked as he looked at the different pans on the stove. He had told her that he didn't want any help and that he was going to do this all by himself. She knew he just didn't want to admit that he couldn't, so she went with it.
"In the stew Tyler." She answered as she watched him take the spices from the cabinet. He looked a bit confused at first but then he found the right one and sprinkled some into the stew.
"I think it's done." He said a while later as he put the beef stew onto three plates and sat them on the table.
"I'm home" A voice said as they heard the front door open and then shut.
"Hi dad!" Tyler said with a smile as he sat down next to his mom at the dinner table. "I cooked." He continued with a grin as his father walked into the kitchen.
"Sixteen years old and finally you've made your own food. I'm impressed." Joe teased as he gave Erica a quick kiss on the lips before he sat down.
"He didn't let me help at all." Erica said with a smile.
"Yeah well..." Tyler said as a small blush spread across his cheeks. "Let's just eat."
They all took a few bites from their plates and brought the brown beef stew to their mouths. None of them said anything; they just chewed in silence until Erica opened her mouth.
"This is horrible." She said with a laugh as she looked at them.
"You're right mom, this is really bad."Tyler said lightly as he grabbed his glass of water to get the taste out of his mouth.
"I think it's pretty good." Joe said honestly as he took another bite. They just looked at him like he was crazy and then they laughed. They were real family.
Tears flooded her eyes at the memory of that night and she cried for the first time since Paul Kendrick had told her what happened. He'd tried to comfort her but she didn't want him there, she didn't want anyone there. So she had just told him to get out and he did. She knew he desperately wanted to be there for her, since he actually was her friend and not just her boss, but she just couldn't. She just wanted to be alone. So he left. And here she was, all alone when her emotional barrier broke and her heart was being squeezed so hard inside her chest that she thought she'd die. The warm, salty tears ran down her cheeks in abundance and made her eyes burn, which only increased her sobbing. Her head was starting to hurt from dehydration. But she couldn't stop. It just wasn't possible.
Just as she was about to cough before her throat was completely blocked, she heard the door open. It squeaked as the person slowly closed it again and she heard the lock on the door being turned. The door was locked. Why would someone break into a house and then lock it? Her breathing caught in her throat as she heard the footsteps of her intruder slowly starting to walk towards the living room. The footsteps were quite heavy, indicating that it was a man. She heard him turn and walk past the dinner table and a few steps towards the countertop before he stopped. Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest. The man was standing on the other side of the countertop, which she was currently sitting with her back pressed tightly against. She could hear his breathing. There was something familiar with it but she couldn't figure out what. But when the man let out a small sigh, she knew. Kyle was here.
Erica slowly and quietly let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes. Her heart rate went down a bit and her body relaxed slightly. A part of her wanted nothing more than to tell him to leave but the other part of her wanted him to stay. Apparently he had heard her when she started to breathe again, because he slowly walked around the countertop. She kept her eyes closed as she felt him crouch beside her and let out a sigh.
He was not good at this. He had no idea how to comfort a mother who had lost her only child. He knew that there was nothing that helped, no way to comfort her. But he did the only thing he could. He sat down beside her and pulled her cold, shaking body tight against his. And he held her there. She wasn't crying now, but the redness around her eyes indicated that she had been crying a lot. Not that he had expected something else. Kyle knew how she felt. She had just lost the last family she had and he knew exactly how that felt. He wished that he could just take away all of her pain. But he couldn't.
So instead, he sat on the floor with his back pressed against the countertop and his arm around Erica's shoulders as she leaned her head against his chest. He didn't say anything as he grabbed her small, cold hand in his and slowly rubbed it with his thumb. Her pale skin was soft even though it was cold and still had a few small scars from when she had been out in the field. He slowly traced the outline of every scar before he took her hand in his again and squeezed it. Just to let her know that he was there for her. And to his surprise she gave his hand a weak squeeze. Then she slowly shifted her body so that she was lying on her side, with her head in his lap. He shifted slightly to a more comfortable position and then brought his hand to her head and stared stroking her hair softly. "I'm here Erica."
And at that the emotional walls she had put up around her broke and she started crying heavily, which soon turned into sobbing. Her whole body started to shake as she tried to breathe at the same time. He quickly pulled her up to a sitting position and wrapped both of his arms around her trembling body. Her fingers clutched the front of his thick jacket as if it was a life vest and she was sinking. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as he slowly ran his strong hands up and down her back. Even though she still had her leather jacket on, he could feel how cold she was. The skin of her face that was pressed against his neck, felt like ice. He hugged her closer to his chest in a way to provide heat from his body. The thick jacket he was wearing kept him warm and dry even during the worst weather conditions, which was important when he lived as a fugitive out on the streets. And currently it was providing warmth to the woman he was falling in love with more and more for every day that went by.
Kyle didn't know how long they had been sitting there, him stroking her back and holding her in his lap until her cries subsided and she fell into a deep sleep. Her small fists were still gripping his jacket tightly. Her breathing had turned shallow and her body was a bit more relaxed than before. Even though her eyes were closed he could see that they were red and swollen and so were her cheeks. The salty tears had formed glowing streaks on her face. They were barely visible but the dim light shining from the street, made them noticeable. He brought his thumb to her cheek and gently wiped away the last remnants of tears under her eyes. She shifted her head slightly but didn't wake up. But she couldn't sleep like this. He brought one of his arms under her knees and the other one under her neck, and then he slowly stood up. It wasn't hard. She was a featherweight in his strong arms as he walked towards her bedroom.
Kyle gently laid her down on the soft bed and switched the bedside lamp on. He removed her shoes and jacket before he pulled the covers over her body. She looked peaceful as she slept. If you didn't notice the redness around her eyes and the tear stains on her face, she looked just as she usually did. Like she was okay, but she wasn't. Not anywhere near okay. He felt hopeless. He didn't know what to do. Should he stay and comfort her when she woke up or should he leave so that she would get some privacy? He quickly pushed that thought out of his head. There was no way he would leave her in this moment. She was emotionally broken and needed help. There were a lot of people that could be here instead, and probably do a better job of comforting, but he was the only one that understood the amount of pain she was in.
He sat on the bed next to her sleeping body for a little while and just watched her sleep. One of his hands was stroking her face whilst the other one was holding hers. Her skin was still cold. She would get sick if she didn't get warm soon. Not really sick, but at least a bit of a cold. And right now, that was something she definitely did not need. He reluctantly stood up and walked to the washroom to try and fix the heating system, if he could find out what was wrong with it of course. And he did.
When he came back to the bedroom Erica had turned around and was lying on her side with her back against him. Kyle hesitated for few seconds before he slowly stripped down to his boxers and his shirt. He turned the bedside lamp off before he lay down on the other side of the bed. The sheets felt cool against his warm body as he closed his eyes and just breathed. This day had been like hell. Nothing had been good. He wondered what Paul Kendrick would do next. He had hit him. He had hit one of the leaders of the Project Aires. The leader of the FBI in New York. The man who let him walk around on the streets even though he should be in jail. Nothing good could come out of that. He was brought back from his thoughts as the cover moved. He opened his eyes and looked over at Erica, who was now burying her head deep into the pillow he was using. He couldn't resist staying away anymore so he put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer to his body. He was careful not to wake her as he pulled the cover over their bodies and wrapped his arms around her small frame. Even in her sleep her head instantly went to the crook of his neck and a small grin spread on his face. Everything would be alright. And then he slept.
V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V - V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V
You feel of peace.
Sense only peace.
Only my bliss can comfort you.
Only my bliss can save you.
Feel my bliss.
You sense only peace.
Feel only comfort.
Jack awoke with a sharp intake of air as his eyes flew open and he blinked in confusion before recognizing the surroundings of the small room in the back of the church. He wasn't outside in the dark. There weren't any soft voices in the air. There wasn't a light shining down on him. He slowly relaxed his body that had become rigid as he woke up from his nightmare and let out the breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding.
It was not a regular nightmare. What he had been dreaming of, was the memory of the night when he got blissed. It all came back to him at once. He remembered walking through a crowd of people on his way towards the church. It was dark and the air was chilly. He remembered hearing the soft voice from the sky. He remembered people shouting and that he stopped and turned around to see what was happening. And he remembered seeing the bright light shining down from the bottom of the ship forcing him to squint. You sense only peace. Feel only comfort. Those were the last words he heard. And the next morning he woke up in the church. Everything in between was gone. No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't.
As he lay on the bed he wondered what was really going to happen next. During the time that the Visitors had been here, all kinds of horrible events had happened. And he had been there from the beginning along with Erica. They two of them were the only two alive from that warehouse meeting when they first met Georgie and found out that the Vs weren't who they said they were. At first he actually doubted the Canadian man who cut people's skin open, looking for skull bone. But the more Georgie told them about the Visitors that night, the more he started to actually believe in what he said. And when Dale and the others came, Georgie's words were confirmed.
"I want you to confirm that you see skull bone." The man told them as he looked at them. A few people gathered around the man on the chair to look at the small, formed as a V, behind his left ear. Jack was one of them.
"Take a good look at it." The man, named Georgie, told them. "It's important." He continued as he looked around. His gaze fixed on a blond woman with blue eyes. "You're next." He said firmly as he pointed at her.
Jack looked at the woman from where he stood. He could see traces of fear in her expression, but she seemed calm compared to some of the people in the crowd. She looked like she was about to say something, but she just took a breath and looked Georgie in the eye.
He winced at the memory of watching them make a small incision in her skin and looked for skull bone. She had looked pretty calm during the injection of anesthesia, which even he thought was a bit painful. They did not find any traces of something unusual on either of them, or anyone else. Then the intruders had begun to appear from every direction and began killing the people from the meeting. Wherever he looked he saw someone fall to the ground but before he had time to run away and out of there, he spotted something in the corner of the room. The blond woman, named Erica, was sitting on top of one of the men that had tried to kill them. She was clutching an iron rod and was about to drive it into his chest but before she could, Jack ran over to her and half dragged her out of there and onto the roof.
"I don't know who to trust anymore." Erica had told him as they sat out on the roof, looking at the city. They could see the huge ship hovering above the city. "I can't get the image of Dale lying there out of my head." She continued as her voice cracked. He had grabbed her hand in a way to comfort her, even though he barely knew her.
"What do we do now?" He asked as he looked up.
"We help build a resistance." Erica said slowly. "We recruit. Bring more into the fold." She continued and then paused. He nodded slowly. "We have to be careful."
"We'll be careful." He said firmly as he looked at the ship in the distance. "And we have to fight."
"We'll fight. They have a big head start." Erica said determinately. "They're arming themselves with the most powerful weapon out there."
"Yeah, and what's that?" Jack asked as he looked at her. She didn't answer him. "Erica what weapon?" He asked again, a little more urgently than before.
"Devotion." She said as she looked at him.
Jack remembered that night as if was yesterday. That was the night he became a member in the Fifth Column, even though he did not know that during that time. It was not until he met Ryan that he found out about the resistance group.
Even though Jack wanted to get rid of Anna and wished that the Visitors had never arrived, he knew that if they had not arrived he would probably never have met Erica. Their paths would never cross. She was a FBI agent and he was a priest. They did not have a lot in common except for the face that they were both member in the Fifth Column. Erica was even the leader now. Every member around the world listened to her. She was doing a good job, but Anna was strong. All of their plans failed.
Two days had passed since their attempt to eliminate Anna at the warehouse. Erica had ordered the Fifth Column to lay low until they knew more about Anna's next move so that they could make their own. Jack had not heard from Sid or Chad since the meeting in the basement. He had seen Chad on the news a few times but that was it. He had called Erica yesterday afternoon to ask her if she was okay after their meeting with Chris earlier. They had found out about Hobbes betrayal and Jack knew that unlike him, Erica had trusted Hobbes. She was the one who recruited him and forced him to stay saying that they needed him, and she had been right. Without Hobbes they would not have accomplished the things they had. Erica had also been the only one to trust him from the beginning. Jack never imagined the day that he would trust a fugitive; he was a priest after all. But the Visitors arrival had brought the soldier inside him back to the surface. And Hobbes had become one of the people he trusted the most during this time. But now he didn't know what to do. And that was why he talked to Erica too. He knew how she felt for Hobbes. He had seen the way she was acting around him and it was different from how it was before. And the night when Hobbes had been shot, Jack had seen the way he looked at her.
Jack was not jealous. Erica was a friend. She was the person he trusted the most. He didn't have anyone else to turn to if something happened or if he needed to talk to someone. Father Travis let him sleep in the church, but that was it. Sure, he could turn to God, but it was not the same anymore. The sky was filled with hundreds of giant ships.
Jack opened his eyes again and slowly got out of the bed and towards the small kitchen area. He had installed a stove and a tiny refrigerator when he lived here. There was still some bread and a few pieces of ham that he ate as breakfast before he took a shower and got ready to go out. He did not have any plans for today but he wanted to visit Sid at his lab to see if he had something new to tell him. Sid did not really do anything but sit in that lab all day, so he could use a visitor. A human visitor. Maybe he would go and see Chad later too, since he might have heard something from Anna. Jack knew he was a bit of an information collector, but he wanted to know what was going on at all times so that they did not miss a single thing that happened involving the Visitors. He picked up his phone and dialed Sid's number.
"Hello." Sid said as he answered after a few seconds.
"Hey Sid, its Jack." He said as he pressed the phone between his ear and shoulder as he tried to put his jacket on. "Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah everything is fine here. A bit busy with a few tests but other than that, it's pretty slow on this end."
"What kind of tests?" Jack asked as he walked out through the church and out the door.
"Come here and I'll show you. It's easier than explaining over the phone."
"I am already on my way actually." Jack said as he walked towards the bus station.
"Good. I'll see you soon then."
"Yeah, I will be there in about fifteen minutes." Jack said and shut his phone.
V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V - V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V
Anna stood at the massive windows of her ship, staring at the big city below her. The sky was filled with grey clouds and it would probably rain today. Yesterday the weather had been bad. It had rained and the wind had been strong. And it looked like it would not be much better today. Anna would have made her announcement to the people yesterday, but the rain forced her to wait. But she was done waiting. Today she was going to inform the humans that her bliss was a way of helping them. It strengthened their immune system. That was what she had planned to tell them. They would believe it. The humans had believed everything she had said so far, so they would almost certainly believe this. Everything she had done during the time her people had been here, the medical centers, red rain, blue energy and the live aboard program had earned her the human's trust. They trusted her. They had faith in her. They would believe her when she told them about the bliss.
But she knew that it was a big risk to take. There were people out there that knew what her purpose for humanity and Earth really was. The Fifth Column. That global organization was her biggest threat. There were not just humans involved, but also people of her own kind that had betrayed her. And there was no way for her to truly stop them. Anna could not locate every single member since they were scattered in different cities all over the planet. When it came to the Fifth Column her priority was to locate the people involved in New York. They were the ones who had caused the most damage. The frozen soldier eggs, Concordia, the attempted murder on Marcus and all of the other things the Fifth Column had done had happened here in New York. If she could find the group of members here, she would be able to stop the Fifth Column once and for all.
"My queen." A familiar voice said and she was brought back from her thoughts. Anna turned around and was not surprised at all to find Marcus standing there in his usual black suit. "Thomas needs to know if he should prepare the signal and the screen for your announcement." Marcus said slowly.
"Tell him to have everything ready in two hours. I need to be on screen before the weather gets worse." Anna said with a small nod.
"How are the humans handling the fact that they have not heard from you?" Marcus asked.
"The humans are very…upset." Anna said as she looked at him.
"What are you going to tell them about the bliss?" Marcus asked her curiously.
"I will tell them that receiving my bliss is a way to strengthen their immune system." Anna answered calmly. "The humans have been very impressed by our medical knowledge and technology, not to mention the medical centers we opened around the cities."
"Are you sure that they will believe you?" He asked a bit suspiciously. "From what I heard this morning when Chad Decker talked about the event, it seemed like people had been affected in different ways afterwards."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked firmly.
"Apparently everyone that got blissed suffered from memory loss. They do not remember receiving the bliss, only the light from our ship and Amy's voice." Marcus told her with a small frown.
"Were there any other symptoms?" Anna asked him quickly.
"A few people are still unconscious and some have been admitted to the hospital for testing but the rest is mostly shocked from the experience." Marcus answered.
"Good. Their hospitals will not find anything wrong with them." Anna said as she turned around and stared out the giant windows.
This was going exactly as she had planned. The humans did not remember what had happened to them; neither did they know what had happened. There was no way for them to find any traces from her bliss. It just affected the persons mind. Not the body. It did not matter if it were a human or one of her own kind.
"Did you speak to Joshua earlier?" Anna asked as she continued to watch the city. She knew Marcus always walked through the ship to see if everything was going as it was supposed to.
"Yes." Marcus answered calmly. "He wanted me to inform you that Lisa's clone is doing fine. There have not been any problems so far." He continued with a nod.
"And how is Amy doing?" She asked as she turned around to look at him again.
"She is still sleeping." Marcus answered. "She is strong, but the bliss took a lot out of her."
"But she is doing okay?" Anna asked with a frown. There was a tiny glimpse of concern evident in her eyes.
"She is fine." Marcus answered calmly.
"Good. I need to get ready. Go and make sure Thomas has everything ready for me." Anna said as she turned around towards the windows again.
"Of course."
V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V - V – V – V – V – V – V – V – V
Kyle slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the dim light in Erica's bedroom. The light from the full moon outside was pouring in through the half closed curtains on the window. Erica was still spooned against him, with her arm draped across his torso and her legs tangled with his. They were still wearing clothes, but when Erica shifted her body slightly he could feel her knee pressing into his groin, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. He wondered how that had not got his attention, even if he was asleep. Especially now that is was morning. He usually had quite good self control and he was more than confident when it came to his sexual prowess, but with Erica it was different. He did not know what it was, but there was something about her that made him lose his cocky, confident shield. She made him feel different. He was different around her.
She was different when they were alone too. When they were all together, she was the tough agent that did not let anything affect her. She never let her guards down in front of them if she did not have to. It was just how she was. But at home, when it was only the two of them there, Erica was herself. She was not as tough. Just trying to stay tough, she had told him. That was the first time he had seen the real Erica. The first time he saw her when she was not working. He had gone to her house to see how she was doing. I just wanted to tell you, face to face, that you did bloody good today, he had told her when she asked why he was there. She had smiled and tried her best to look happy, but her eyes told him a different story. Her eyes were sad and distant. She looked almost vulnerable.
He remembered the bitter taste of the whiskey he had brought her when he went to her house. Consider this tactical support. She had accepted the small bottle and looked at him while he continued. He did not remember exactly what he had said, but then she had invited him with a smile. She had looked so unsure and tried to avoid looking at him, but her eyes met his.
He loved her eyes. They were like a sea filled with clear, blue water. A sea of blue. Anyone who looked deep into into her eyes could see that they were filled to the brink with emotion. He knew that they turned indigo. He had noticed that the first night they spent together, and he loved it.
When he had looked around in her kitchen he had spotted the picture of Tyler and Joe. They were sitting at the table with a chocolate cake covered in small candles, which he presumed was since Tyler's birthday, and they were smiling. Kyle could feel the guilt creeping back up as he thought back to that day. He was the one who detonated those explosives. He was the reason that Joe was dead. And the worst part was that Erica did not even know about it. He was going to tell her eventually, but she had enough going on right now. And as she said that first night, she was just trying to stay tough. I know the feeling. His mind went back to that night, and the moment when he tried to tell her about Sarah. He had tried to tell her, but she had already looked so lost and vulnerable, he just could not bring himself to tell her more. I had someone that…that I cared about once. Erica had watched him sympathetically as he opened up to her, revealing another side of him. A softer side. But she died. Her expression changed into a mix of sadness and pain, for him. She looked like she was about to say something but nothing came out. Her eyes moved from him and to the ground, then halfway back up again. But she could not look into his eyes.
She had taken his hand in her small one and he could not resist leaning forward, until his forehead touched hers. He waited for a second, wanting her to make the next move. And she did. Her soft lips met his in a soft kiss, if you could even call it a kiss. She pulled her head away almost as soon as their lips met, her eyes looking everywhere except at him. Although her hand was still holding onto his wrist, she looked unsure and tense. He thought that maybe he should leave at that moment, but before he had a chance to do anything, her left hand grabbed his wrist gently whilst the other one stroked the inside of it. He stared at her, trying to meet her eyes, but she would not look at him. Her breathing had changed, and he knew she was at least a bit turned on. He started breathing heavily as he pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He had to at least try to have some control over the situation. But her hands let go of his wrist and clutched the hem of his shirt at the same time as his hands wrapped around her waist, waiting for her approval. Erica grabbed his shirt roughly and tugged. Erica, he'd said breathless, before her hands found the back of his head and pulled him in for a fierce kiss. His strong hands went under her blue, thin blouse to the soft skin on her back. He pulled her small body against his strong one and deepened the kiss. Everything after that was pure pleasure.
Kyle gently ran his hand up and down her back as he heard her breathing change, indicating that she was slowly waking up. He watched as her eyes opened and closed a few times before she yawned softly and pulled her head of his chest to look at him. He gave her a faint smile as he reached up to stroke a few strands of hair from her face.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her softly as she tightened her grip around his torso.
"It hurts." She whispered as looked into his eyes.
"I'm sorry Erica." He said slowly. "I know there is nothing that I can do to make the pain go away, but I'm here. I will be here for you." He continued as he took her small hand in his.
"I love you." Erica said before she could stop herself.
AN: Little cliffhanger there...
So… I'm a bit stuck and don't really know what to write anymore. I have a plan for the Erica/Hobbes parts in this story but since I am writing about like 10 people, it's a bit hard to come up with the ideas for everyone… I am not going to stop writing, I promise.
But if you have any ideas please let me know and I'll see if I can come up with anything for the rest of the people ;)
Please review
