A/N: OMG! I am SO sorry for leaving this for so long! I've left everything forever right now. I've had so much school work, been ill, had birthdays, it's been a total nightmare! And I'm STILL ill, and writing this on my sis' birthday, but hey, you lot deserve a chappie!
Disclaimer: I don't own V.A. BUT; the plot of this is mine!
I paced the room.
"You'll find out at the same time as everyone else." I said quietly.
"I'm not waiting that long." He caught my arm and span me round to face him.
"Belikov, I can't. I just, can't."
"You can. All you have to do is tell me what happened."
"I don't have to do anything. I'm your commanding officer, you can't tell me what to do."
"No, but I can ask you, I can hurt you."
"That's a threat lieutenant." I said pulling out of his hold.
"Yes, it is." He took a step towards me. I kept perfectly still when he kissed me.
"I can't." I turned away and stared at the wall.
"Just tell me the basics, like you're reporting to the Captain." He took a hold of my arms but didn't turn me around. I thought for a while.
"It doesn't work like that. I can't just tell you what happened Belikov. Most of it's classified. And you don't have the authorisation until I'm allowed to show you it."
He laughed, "Hathaway, since when have you followed all the rules?" He murmured in my ear.
I sighed, "Six years ago, I went on a mission to Russia with my team, a different one to this one. It was my first, maybe second ever assignment. The team I was in wasn't the best we had, but it was good. I can't remember what the assignment was. Kierov killed my team, right in front of me and then kidnapped me. For five months I was tortured for information on the EDA. He killed all my friends and family and showed me how they died; I was forced to watch it on tape.
And then the scar, that was made by a pendant. He'd heat it, then use it to burn. He'd do it every day, which is why it's so deep. After another month I befriended one of the guys who was guarding me. But, he didn't help. At first. After one more month, he helped. He got me out of my bonds, a new set of clothes and a car. I ran, but, I found out he was shot afterwards. I then found out Kierov had not only taped the killing of everyone I knew, he had also taped everything that had happened to me. He sent it to the government, hoping to instil fear in them; all it did was annoy them. The tape was handed over to the Captain, he's seen it and so have I."
I knew I'd skipped out a lot. Things he'd see later. The little details that I couldn't bear to talk about. But also the things that...things that I honestly didn't want to tell him. Things that I just didn't want him knowing, because to be honest, it would make him think much less of me.
"Is that why?" He asked softly, gently turning me round to face him.
"Why what?" I asked confused.
"Why you won't let yourself get close to anyone."
"Yes." I whispered looking at the floor.
Belikov tilted my face up to his. "Why wouldn't you tell anyone?"
"Because I can't talk about it." I said quietly.
"You just did." He said resting his forehead on mine.
"But I can't do it again. I can't face the team once they know."
"Can't, or don't want to?" He asked almost silently. I glanced at the floor.
"Hathaway, don't do this to me, you know you can." He said sighing.
"Don't call me that." I said, before I knew what I was saying.
"What?"
"Let's try out first names and see how it goes."
"Are you sure?" He asked. I looked back up to his eyes.
"Yes, all I have to do is remember your first name."
"Which you have now forgotten."
"Yeah." I smiled.
"Dimitri." He said quietly.
I shuddered a little, "All right, I'll remember that. But I have to speak to the Captain, he'll want my report."
He nodded. I left the room. I walked down the stairs and into the main room.
"Agent Hathaway, how nice of you to join us." General Alto said scathingly. I ignored the quip.
"Sir," I turned to the Captain, "Did you know Lieutenant Ashford is dead?"
"No, I didn't." The Captain raised his eyebrows, "What happened?"
"Kierov and some of his thugs attacked. The others are fine, but Ashford was shot."
"I'm sorry. But you're going to have to keep going." The Captain said.
"I know; that's why I didn't burst into tears when I told you." I picked up another photo.
"Hmm, well, he didn't torture her first, those wounds were in her file already, but, I don't know if the burn was before or after he killed her. She may have given him info if the burn was before. How did she die?"
"Shot through the heart." Belikov said walking in, I still couldn't think of him as Dimitri, although I wasn't sure why.
"That's not...he wouldn't do that generally. He's got someone backing him up, funding maybe. They told him how to do it and what to do with her when they had her, if it was up to Kierov she'd be covered in big wounds, either a funder, or maybe a boss but I doubt the latter."
"Possibly." The Captain said, "We'll look into it. Anything else?"
"Well, maybe. Look at the design on the piece of paper in her pocket. It's of Russian decent...probably. What happened to it?"
"I don't know." The Captain said.
"I do," General Alto walked over to me, "Here." He handed me the piece of paper.
I traced the design, a faint recognition coming over me when I looked at it.
"The knife." I whispered.
"The what?" General Alto sounded annoyed.
"It was a family heirloom. He loved it. That was the design on the handle of the blade. He used it on me most of the time, over and over again. I think it might be his...signature thing."
"Symbol?" Belikov offered.
"Yeah, symbol."
"What do you mean used on you?" General Alto said. I turned to him.
"He tortured me for five months. If you hadn't been so busy trying to get me fired you may have realised there was a reason for my bad...everything." I said slowly.
I flipped over the piece of paper and looked at the writing on the other side. It was Russian, only, it was gibberish.
"This doesn't make any sense. It's a group of letters just jumbled up. He's running us in circles!" I punched the table. "He wants something in particular, but I don't know what."
"Hathaway, you need a break." The Captain said.
"No, I just need the rest of my team, I need to get this damn tape over with and then I'll be fine. It's just the waiting, I can't stand it." I said.
Belikov walked up to me and took the piece of paper out of my hand, he gently squeezed my hand. He studied the pattern.
"I've seen this before. There's a restaurant in London, my parents used to take me there, it's upmarket. But I don't know the name, or the exact place" Belikov said quietly, running his fingers over the paper.
"He might own the restaurant." The Captain said.
"No, Kierov would have a restaurant in Russia, he hates London. Could be his funders sign, not his. Kierov wouldn't leave his sign on things, he's not that stupid. Whoever he's working with wants us to know just who he is." I said.
"I'll get someone on it." In a second the Captain was on the phone with his back to us.
I sighed. Belikov squeezed my shoulder.
"It'll be all right." He said in my ear.
"I know. I'm just trying to remember that." I said quietly. I looked through the rest of the photos, "There isn't anything else." I said, "I'm sure we're missing something."
"Rose, calm down, seriously, you're working too hard, you'll definitely miss something." He whispered. I sighed. Then I nodded.
"I'm going to take a shower." I left the room and walked up the stairs. I took a quick shower, but, I found I couldn't stay in there very long. I was too jumpy. I dried and dressed quickly.
Then I walked down the stairs. Castile and the other boys were there.
"Hey guys." I said to them. "How're you doing?"
They shrugged their shoulders. I sighed.
"I've been there already." I said. I walked back into the main room. The Captain, Belikov Jesse and Harley were talking. They looked up at me.
"Has it come yet?" I asked the Captain.
"Yeah." He threw me it. I stared at the disc for a while.
"All right then, where?" I said after taking several deep breaths.
"Down the hall and to the left." The Captain said.
The team and I left the room. On the way we picked up Castile, Davis and Adrian. We entered the room, there was a row of chairs and a T.V. at the front. This place really had everything. I walked to the T.V. and put the disc in it. I started it. Then I walked to the back of the room and leant against the wall. I hoped the boys wouldn't take the piss out of me after this. But honestly, I knew them better than that.
A/N: Ok, so reviewers:
Do'B thank you for your consistently lovely reviews! I love logging on and seeing them.
Ellixie Yes, I think this is my better one as well, I enjoy writing it so much more!
And LexaBelinkov Here you go! Sorry for the wait!
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! Love you guys and please keep doing it! *hint hint*
Also, anyone wanna Beta read this? I think it's going all right, but I wouldn't mind the extra security!
Chocorose x
