Disclaimer: Standard – JE's stuff belongs to her, I'm just playing with it.
A/N: Like always, many thanks to my lovelies, M&M, for their greatness. J
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Stephanie's POV
I was lying on the bed, facing away from the door when I heard it open. There were two footsteps and then the door clicked shut. I could feel Carlos behind me, his gaze burning into the back of my head. Time for the olive branch.
I stood up, pushed my hair behind my ears, and turned to face him. The pain in his eyes slammed into me and took my breath away. I wanted to throw my arms around him, bury my face in his neck, and feel his strong arms around me. I wanted to kiss him and tell him that I loved him. What stopped me were Joe's words of warning. Had I gone too far? And if I had, how could I fix it?
We stared at each other for a minute and then he took a small step toward me and reached out a hand to me. "Babe?"
Closing the space between us, I took his hand in mine and let myself be pulled into his warm embrace. He held me close, just breathing and stroking my back. The heat of his body seeped into me. I allowed myself a selfish moment in which I drew on his strength before I selected my words and spoke. "I have it on good authority that I'm a baby and a real piece of work sometimes."
He tugged on my hair to make me tip my head back and look at him. "Not to mention a little frustrating."
I glared at him and pulled back slightly. "If you're going to make this hard on me, it's not going to work out well for either of us."
"Peace, Babe. I know I'm not the easiest man to live with. I have it on good authority that I can be an arrogant asshole sometimes." I struggled to keep my face straight at his comment. I had told him that once during an argument we'd had shortly after we were married. He'd stormed out of the room, but later admitted it was true. We'd ended up having fantastic makeup sex that night. It was also the night Jaci was conceived.
That memory got me thinking about possibilities for how this conversation could end. "I know that you were doing what you felt was best for our family. I just think that maybe you went about it the wrong way." I looked into his eyes and practically melted at the love I found in them.
"Babe, let's not discuss this right now," he said. I would have gotten angry if I hadn't noticed a strange look on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him in question. "I'd rather discuss this note Morelli gave me."
Before I had a chance to react, he pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to me. I looked at the photo and gulped down a huge lump of fear. Alain Mériot. Flipping over the photo, I saw Joe's handwriting and read the information. My eyes shot up to meet Carlos' eyes. "Oh. I can see why you'd want to discuss this…when did he give it to you?"
"Just before I came in here."
My eyes did a nervous dance around the room. He shook his head to signify he didn't think Mériot was in the room. "Right." I collapsed onto the edge of the bed. "I suppose we should discuss this with Batiste."
"We'll have to wait our turn. Right now Morelli's got his complete attention."
I opened my mouth to reply when a scuffle on the other side of the door jerked me away from the conversation. We both bolted to the door and Carlos shoved me behind him as he put his ear against it to listen. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to snap at him until I remembered my conversation with Joe. Carlos had always been my protector. The fact that I was now an unmentionable didn't change the fact that he wanted me to be safe. He'd rescued me from the worst hell and he had stuck by me through the whole ordeal, proving how much he truly loved me.
"What's going on?"
"Fighting."
"Let's go help."
"No. You're not going anywhere near Alain. His father did enough to you and I don't think it would be wise to get your souls near each other." That knowledge gave me pause. Truro Mériot had drained my soul from my body after he had beaten, raped and tortured me. I really wasn't feeling like getting anywhere near his son, who most likely had the same skills. "Please, stay here."
I nodded and kissed his cheek. He squeezed me tight against him and opened the door to the scene in the hallway.
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Joe's POV
I followed Batiste up the stairs and sent a question to his mind. Care to tell me what sort of stuff this guy can do?
His reply reminded me that I was no ordinary person anymore. It doesn't matter. There's nothing he can do that will affect you. Only an immortal can harm an immortal. My steps faltered when I realized that the word 'anymore' wasn't accurate. In all reality, I had never been a normal person, but I'd always thought I was.
I didn't realize that. So, seriously, no mortal can hurt us? Even unmentionable mortals? I sent my questions to his mind as we reached the top of the stairs.
It would be best if we saved this discussion for later, when our immediate danger has been dealt with.
I'd never considered that superhuman abilities wouldn't affect me. Then again, why would I have considered it? I felt Batiste's sigh float through my head.
No. They can't read your mind, hear your thoughts, or harm you physically. You're not subjected to their abilities, either. You would learn this if you had a chance to be properly trained. For now, we have to 'wing' it. Our feet hit the landing and we walked toward the Manosos bedroom door. We need to subdue this man. He is very dangerous to mortals.
Okay. I was confused as hell, but I sensed that this situation would be used to train me. Batiste didn't disappoint.
Make him visible.
What? I asked as I stuck my hands in my pockets and leaned against the wall next to the door, feigning boredom.
Just do it. You know how. Batiste turned to look at me. "Now would be a good time to get everything started."
I acquiesced and willed the man in front of us to visibility. The harder I concentrated on him, the faster his shape appeared. I felt Batiste stiffen beside me and knew that he, too, was able to see Mériot. I decided to mess with our uninvited guest a bit. I grinned at him and said, "Hey, man. Mind telling us what you're doing here?"
I almost laughed at the shock on his face. I knew he was going to try to pop himself out of here, so I blocked his ability and watched his anger distort his features.
"Batiste, leave me alone! You know they have to be stopped. You should be helping us," he spat.
Batiste showed him a smile, but offered no answer. Alain turned to look at me and charged me, slamming his hand to my forehead. I had no clue what he was trying to do, but I willed his powers to reflect back onto himself. His hand glowed and then another look of shock passed over his features.
As his abilities slammed back into him, his mouth opened and his eyes went hollow and he fell to the floor.
I looked at Batiste. "That was kind of boring."
Alain sat up and twisted his head up to look at me. "You'll regret that!" He hooked a foot behind my leg and brought me crashing down to the floor. He pounced on me, punching me in the face. It hurt, a lot. I wasted no time in returning the pain. Then I remembered that I didn't have to roll around on the floor fighting this guy. I froze him in place and knocked him over onto his side like a statue.
"Shit, I thought you said that he couldn't hurt me!" I rubbed my aching jaw and stood up.
Batiste smiled at me with amusement in his eyes. "Mr. Morelli, no mortal can do anything to you that you decide they can't do to you. How do you think that anyone ever hurt you before? Stephanie running over you with the car, the other injuries you've received, Stiva running over you with his car, and Wulf?"
"So, I have to decide how all-powerful I want to be?"
"For lack of a better phrase, that will do nicely. It's up to you how normal you act and feel. You can be 'just a regular guy' or you can be 'out of this world', the choice is yours." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "You can also decide how long you want to be in pain, too."
The door to Ranger and Steph's room opened and Ranger stood in the doorway looking at us.
"Who is this guy?" I asked the room at large.
"Alain Meriot," Ranger answered. "Truro's son."
I felt the anger build inside me, quickly remembering what that bastard had done to Stephanie. "Motherfucker."
Ranger gave a curt nod to me and turned to Batiste, asking, "What are we going to do about Mériot?"
Batiste's placid face belied the danger lurking beneath. "Since his sole mission in hunting you has been to harm your child, fueled mostly by the fact that you had to kill his father, I'm of the expert opinion that he will always be a threat to you. What is your feeling on the subject?"
Ranger looked down at the son of a bitch for a brief second. "Take care of it. I have enough of his family's blood on my hands."
Batiste turned to me and quirked up an eyebrow in question. Here I had a dilemma. I was a cop. I was trained to uphold justice and now I found myself thrust into a world of people that were governed by their own rules. These people handled their own problems and took justice into their own hands. I had a choice on whether or not I was going to be a murderer. I had to wonder if I could consider it murder under these circumstances? And did I have it in me to do it?
I looked at Ranger and Batiste and then at Alain, who I'm sure could hear everything, but didn't have the ability to defend himself or speak on his own behalf. Even with the memory of what his father had done, this man hadn't done anything to me. Even if he was hunting my friends' child, I wasn't sure I could be the one to take him out.
I sighed and gave my answer. "Is this a training thing because I'm not sure that I'm up to killing someone in cold blood? Not sure how I feel about it. What are the rules here? You know I'm a cop and, even if I never return to the force, my training says he gets justice." I saw Ranger stiffen and held my hands up, "Hey, I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I'm just saying I have a personal conflict here. Can you explain this to me?"
Ranger looked at me, "No worries, Morelli. We respect your hesitation and, to be honest, I probably would have a harder time if you'd jumped at the chance. I always said you were a good cop."
"Killing is a choice, Mr. Morelli. However, sometimes it's better to make the choice for the greater good." Batiste pointed his finger toward Mériot while he spoke, "He is a murderer; a paid assassin. We don't tolerate his kind. Period. Because of the abilities of those involved, we have a strict code of ethics that must be followed."
"First, cut out the 'Mr. Morelli' shit, Batiste. I'm Joe or Morelli. Hearing you call me that reminds me of my grandfather. I'm not interested in his memory. Second, you didn't answer my question about whether or not killing him outright is legal in your system." I crossed my arms as I made my statement.
"This is war, Morelli." Ranger fixed his gaze on me, unblinking. "Anything is acceptable in order to complete the mission successfully. You and I aren't that different. We're both about the job. Your job says you have to bring the bad guys in so they can go before a jury of their peers to receive justice that will hopefully keep the public safe. My job says I have to eliminate the threats before they can cause any damage. Same circumstances, different philosophies."
I didn't like it, but I had to admit he was right. Hadn't I known all along that both of us were men with difficult jobs, each with a different set of instructions on how to complete them?
"There's also the fact that we're talking about my wife and son here," Ranger said in a deadly voice. "Nothing will stop me from keeping them safe. No guilt. No price." He tossed a nod in Batiste's direction and then turned around and walked back into the bedroom to join Stephanie, shutting the door behind him.
Batiste studied me for a moment. "You have noble intentions, Morelli. You are probably a bit too idealistic for the things you are about to face and learn." He started to turn toward Mériot and then halted, looking at me with a serious expression. "I am one hundred percent on board with Carlos' opinion. I'll take care of this situation. Please inform everyone we need to move again. I have no idea who he has been in contact with. Staying here isn't safe."
He grabbed a hold of Alain's shirt collar and they both disappeared from view. I stood watching the spot for a moment, beginning the process of breaking down tonight's events. I felt her behind me before she spoke, "He's right, Superman. This isn't the Trenton Police Department, it's reality and this reality is far different from anything you've ever known."
"Where did you run off to?" I still hadn't turned around. In some ways, it was easier to face her if I didn't get sucked into those eyes.
"I just needed some time to detox."
Detox? What the… "Excuse me?" I turned around to face Jensen, my anger rising quickly to the surface. "Oh, don't bother answering. I guess you need to decide exactly what it is you want from me." I stared at her for a full minute and she didn't say anything or respond. Women. I walked past her and started down the stairs before calling out, "Let me know when you make up your mind, will ya?"
Down in the main room, Diesel was seated beside Katrine where she lay on the couch covered with a quilt. She was still and pale. The only sign of life was the steady rise and fall of her chest. I plunked down on the armchair across from them and he looked up at me, his formerly laughing eyes now full of worry and fatigue. While the constant laughter from him had bugged me during our lockdown together, his current demeanor bothered me more.
I sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "We have to go again."
He shook his head wearily. "I heard a scuffle. Who was here?"
"Alain Mériot."
I saw his eyes harden. "I assume Ranger is taking care of it?"
"Batiste."
He seemed to consider that for a moment. "Are we ready to go?"
"I just need to tell Ranger and Steph."
"Already done," Jensen said from the bottom of the stairs. "They left."
Diesel didn't acknowledge her statement. He simply gathered his wife into his arms and disappeared. I looked at Jensen and she slid her eyes away from me before disappearing. Morelli, you sure know how to pick 'em. I realized no one had given me coordinates for the new location and thought that it was a good thing I was immortal or I wouldn't have had a clue how to find them.
I focused on Diesel and appeared standing next to him in a long, wide hallway ornately decorated in deep blue, mahogany and brass. On either side of the hallway were four mahogany doors with brass door handles. I turned around and noted that the stairs were directly behind me.
Diesel turned to look at me and said, "Nice landing."
I smirked and indicated to the hallway. "Bedrooms?"
"Yeah. Yours is the last on the right. Steph and Ranger went to bed. You know Jensen, no one's sure where she went." He looked exhausted.
"Go get some sleep. I'll stand guard tonight. I'm not tired if I don't want to be and I'm sure Batiste will be back soon."
He looked relieved and walked to the third door on the left. "Bathroom is the first door on your left," he said just before disappearing inside.
I looked down the hall and saw a chair next to a writing desk. I walked over and sat down, propping my left ankle up on my right knee. I checked my watch and was startled to discover that it was only eight o'clock. It had been the longest day I'd had in a long, long time. Days tended to get that way when you were on the run. This I knew from experience.
I checked around for invisible persons now as a precaution. I saw Jensen down the hall from me sitting on the floor with her head against the wall, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. "You can run, but you can't hide."
She rolled her eyes and sent me an angry glare. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Hey, if I hadn't been aware last time, we never would have known about Mériot."
"You mean if you hadn't been looking for me?"
"Yeah, lucky you make it a habit to run away so often, huh?" I knew I was being an ass, but we just seemed to be doing this dance so often. I wasn't in the mood for this load of crapola.
"Run away? In case you didn't know, we're supposed to be protecting people who are being hunted as we speak. I have duties and I sometimes have to disappear to perform them. Sorry that it doesn't seem to fit with your schedule!" She stood and raised her voice as she spoke until she was at a near yell.
"Nice try. If that's so, why were you invisible just now?"
"Because, tonight I wasn't ready to deal with crazy questions from you that I can't answer right now!"
"If my questions are crazy, it's only because you make me crazy!" My voice was rising in pitch and I advanced toward her. I was on a roll. "You kiss me and then you run away. We get in the same room together and you're on pins and needles. You can't stop insulting me and I'm the crazy one?"
"You would be on pins and needles, too, if you had the most incredibly sexy…person constantly pressing your buttons!" She seethed, giving me a shove to the chest. "You're continually giving me those soft, melty looks and staring into my eyes. I'm not sure if I want to throw you on the floor and have my wicked way with you or stomp that pompous smile off your hot…skillfull…"
I lost track of the conversation at 'have my wicked way with you' and pressed my body against hers. I hadn't realized I was going to kiss her until she trailed off and my lips were mere millimeters from hers. Our eyes were locked, we were both breathing heavily and I felt the strangest, breathtaking adrenaline pumping through my veins. She had one chance to say no and if she didn't take it, I was going in and I wasn't coming back out. "Jensen…"
"What are you waiting for, Superman?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper and her hand slid down my back to rest at the top of one cheek.
My breath hitched in my throat and I fought to control my breathing. I slid my hands into her hair and held her head steady. My heart was banging in my chest. Yeah, what was I waiting for?
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A/N: Should Joe plunge in or go slow? Let me know. I going to try my HARDEST to get 10 done to post for Friday or Saturday. It all depends on how the rest of the week goes. The latest it will be up is Sunday, but I'm hoping for earlier than that. Thanks for your support and reviews, everyone. They really drive me on the days when it's hard to get in and write!
