We All Move in Circles
Clockwise, Chapter 7
Arthur woke up in the shower. Or, more accurately, he woke up dumped into the bottom of the bathtub at an odd angle, his arms held behind his back by what he guessed were handcuffs, the showerhead pouring cold water down on him, and Luther and the Foreigner leering down at him around the shower curtain.
"Well well, good of you to finally join us, Sleeping Beauty. We were beginning to wonder if you were lost down there," The Frenchman said sarcastically, reaching down to haul Arthur up onto his feet, Luther shutting the water off. The grogginess of the dream still hung about his head, making it difficult fully register what was actually happening, but he did know one thing. They had the upper-hand.
"Where's Valerie?" He asked, realizing he wasn't sure what had happened to her, and worried, considering the Forger, who was no doubt in the next room, didn't seem to like Valerie all that much. Assuming she was still the one calling the shots, Valerie's health was likely at risk. He fought to quell the panic at the thought of what they might be doing to her, or at least, tried to keep it from overwhelming him, panicking never got anything done. Luther gave him a mean-looking smirk, one that had Arthur's gut wrenching.
"I wouldn't worry about Bunny just yet. She's gettin' acquainted with your host."
Arthur resisted the urge to inform Luther that if anyone was a host, it was either he or Valerie, as this was their apartment, and they were the, albeit uninvited, guests. However, he didn't feel that it would be smart on his part to do so, especially considering his range of movement was limited at the moment, and he would have a hard time hitting back if either of them decided to get physical. He thus opted to remain silent. The Foreigner stared him down for a moment, then let out a huff of a laugh, crossing his arms.
"Damned if you aren't the slyest motherfucker I ever met though. You were hiding the information in her head, weren't you?" Luther looked at his companion with a confused expression. The latter gave his parody of a laugh a second time. "You must have told her something, and you were making sure she had everything hidden away, so if we tried to get it again we wouldn't find it. Smart move. Maybe Serena is right about how good you are after all."
"Serena?"
This was not how her day was supposed to go. Waking up with the woman who had been replacing Spencer in her bad dreams leaning over her had most definitely not been in the plan for the day. Neither had being put on the couch, handcuffed she might add, to stare at her across the coffee table, while she stared back at Valerie, looking pleased as punch, a sated grin on her shapely lips.
"We've never been introduced, have we?" She asked suddenly.
"Where's Arthur?"
"He was a little sleepier than you. Luther and Beau should be waking him up about now. You have a nice place," She observed nonchalantly, eyes now shifting around the room, "Looks expensive too. I must say, it was very noble of you to get a job, even knowing it was risky, to help out."
"How did you find out where we live?"
The grin turned ever-so-slightly nasty. "You should ask your new friend. Come here for a minute, will you?" She said this over her shoulder, in the direction of someone Valerie had failed to notice until now. They stepped forward at the words of the Forger.
"J-Jake?" For a moment, she wanted to ask why, and then she suddenly realized why her sixth-sense had been tingling the day she met him. She had only seen him from the corner of her eye, his hair in his face, but now, in context with the Forger, she recognized him as one of the team that had been in Seattle. Now that she really thought about it, she even remembered her mentioning his name in the Dream, while she had been on the second level. "It was a set-up. You were just figuring out where I lived."
"Yeah," Sadly, he didn't even look the least bit sorry about it, "I lost you the first night, but I just hung around the neighborhood, and followed you into the store."
That explained why she had never seen him before. She was fairly certain she at least knew the face of most of the employees in the little grocery store she always used.
"We were actually hoping that idiotically friendly attitude of yours would give him easy access, but it seems like you've wised up in the last two-months," The Forger added, crossing her legs primly, the sleek black skirt she was wearing hiking up just a bit. "I mean, after all, that's how you met Arthur, wasn't it? Inviting him in for no goddamned reason."
"How do you know that?"
"Valerie, I've been in your dreams. I know every teeny, tiny little secret about you. I know everything you know about him," she pointed towards the bathroom door, which Valerie assumed translated to the general vicinity of Arthur, "-which I must say, isn't much. Considering you're in love with him and what not," though it sounded like a casual remark, Valerie could instantly tell it had been said with the intent make her angry, possibly irrational enough to blurt things out. She made a conscious effort to stay calm, and not get defensive.
"You were right," she changed the subject, at the very least, she wasn't going to make it easy to get her riled up.
"What about?"
"We haven't been properly introduced. And since you know everything about me, I think you should tell me a little about you. Only seems fair."
"You know," The Forger gave her a wicked smirk, "-as much as I don't like you, I do have to give you credit, you are quite the spunky little thing. I can see why you'd appeal to him."
Valerie could only answer with a neutral face.
"Heh. And oh-so terribly stubborn as well. Here's all that you need to know about me, Valerie. My name is Serena Evanovich. Russian if you can't tell. And I've been chasing your little lover-boy around the world for six years now. I know I said his team originally, but really, we just wanted him."
"Why?"
"I have to admit," She continued, completely ignoring Valerie's question, "Even I didn't think that he was going back to Seattle whenever he dropped off the map. I was certain he had a safe-house somewhere he was hiding in, but to think, he was going halfway around the world just to spend a few days with you. Suppose no one would have thought to look for him in some unknown woman's apartment. What I can't figure, is whether he knew that, and that's why he kept going back, or it's true what old songs say, he was just blinded by love, and the fact that no one ever found him there was just a lucky break."
"You didn't answer my question. Why do you just want Arthur?"
"Let's see if he'll answer that, shall we?" Serena's false pleasantry all but fell from her face, her eyes and mouth hardening into a slight glare. "Jake, tell them to bring him here."
Jake gave her a swift nod and walked to the bathroom door, knocking and repeating what Serena had directed. The door opened the next second, and Luther appeared, hauling Arthur along by his arm, his hands behind him, presumably in handcuffs, the same as her. Valerie twisted to get a better look, to make sure he was alright; and though he was sopping wet, it looked like they had done no physical harm.
"Are you okay?" He demanded of her instantly.
"Yes, but-"
"Arthur. Have a seat," Serena directed the spot next to Valerie, and whether he wanted to or not, Arthur was plopped down on the couch. Or perhaps thrown was a better word. "Now then, I suppose you're wondering why we're all here?"
"We already know," was Arthur's stark reply.
"Ah, but I don't think you know the whole story," Serena raised a finger, as if she were asking them to wait a moment. "That's where things get important. You may even understand why I've gone through all the trouble," she reached into a leather portfolio at her hip, and with a flourish, removed a small glossy piece of paper, which Valerie soon saw to be a photo, Serena tossing it onto the table before them. "Recognize him?" She wasn't sure whom this was directed at, so Valerie looked a little more closely. It was a snapshot of a man, probably a little younger than Valerie's father, his graying hair in an eccentric halo. She shook her head at Serena, Art was silent and immobile, other than blinking to keep the water saturating his hair from dripping into his eyes, he didn't react. "He was one of the first to come forward to the police, claiming his dreams had been invaded. Surely you can guess he was called insane. Hmmm…How about this one?" She tossed another picture onto the table, a younger man this time, maybe the age of the Frenchman on the team, Beau if Valerie remembered correctly. This time she watched Art's face, the same as Serena, looking for some inkling as to why Serena was showing him these pictures, fairly certain at this point that she was just the audience to this. Still nothing. Serena got frustrated. She threw several more photos down on the table, Valerie losing count around thirty, each time, Arthur was asked if he knew the person, and each time, he remained stoically silent.
Serena seemed to have run out of the pictures, and was now leaning back in the armchair she occupied, her arms crossed, trying to stare Art down. She was not winning. Valerie had to admit, this whole situation was really wracking her nerves, her entire body tense and anxious. Not just because the apartment had been broken into the exact same way as it had been in Seattle, but because Art was honestly succeeding in intimidating her. He too radiated tension, but of a different variety than hers; his aura seemed to say that he was going to put a bullet in everyone in this room just as soon as he got loose. His intensity honestly quite unnerved her. She could say she had never seen him this way, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. Serena propped her chin in her hand elegantly.
"I think I know what should be done," she announced. "Guys, take Valerie into the bedroom. See if she recognizes anybody."
"Wha-" Valerie was up-heaved from her spot, a pair of a hands under her arms. "Hey!"
"They're all victims of Extraction." Art broke his silence without so much as a change in expression, except for in his eyes, which darted briefly in her direction, silently assuring her that he was going to get them out of this. Or at least, he was going to try. She was dropped back down on to the couch.
"Would you care to be more specific?"
"I don't know anything else."
"Do you think just lying about it is sufficient?" She practically laughed. "Very wrong. Very wrong indeed, Arthur. We know that you had a lot to do with all of these people. Now you just need to tell us the context."
"Why?"
"Because hearsay is no good, and just claiming that you said what we want isn't proof," She explained it as if it should have been common knowledge, now removing a small recorder from the portfolio, the light atop it telling them that it was on and memorizing everything that had been said.
"Who are you exactly?" Art asked, eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as though thinking that he'd be able to recognize her by simply focusing hard enough.
"Suffice it to say I was once part of an organization with a keen interest in you. I was the one assigned to catch you, and now you'll be my ticket back in. Just as soon as you tell me everything I need. Of course, I'm hoping that you'll also lead me to Dominic Cobb. He's another person of supreme interest," Serena made a show of looking more interested in her nails than anything else. "Now, I'll ask you again. Would you care to elaborate on how you know the people in the photos?"
"No. I don't think I do."
"What if I decided not to threaten you?"
"Touch Valerie and I swear I'll-"
"Save your threats. We all know she's useless as anything but a bargaining chip," Serena practically snorted, and Valerie's blood heated slightly. There was no need for her to such a bitch about it, was there? "After all, you did just finish forcing her mind to lock away anything you had told her regarding not only Inception, but most likely any details she could have about your previous endeavors, am I right?"
"What?" Valerie broke in, feeling rather left out. Serena smirked.
"I see, you didn't know. You want to know why he was really in your Dreams just now Valerie? He was setting off your mental defenses. You may not have noticed, but he was forcing your mind to bury the secrets he pretended to be after, so that they were hidden from other Extractors, ourselves included. He was training you. You didn't even realize it did you? Tch. Why else do you think he set this up? He knew we were here the second we arrived in San Diego. He's been hiding a lot more than you thought, hasn't he?" Serena leaned forward on her elbows imploringly, smiling as if she knew just how bad she was getting under Valerie's skin. It was perfectly acceptable for Art to have things he hid from her, maybe even lie to her under certain circumstances, after all, it was perfectly human desire to do so, but to have someone else point it out to her as though she knew nothing? That she was not so much a fan of, especially not when the secret or lie had everything to do with her. "Well, no matter. He hid the details from us in your Dreams, but you'll still remember them while you're awake. And I imagine you'll be much easier to crack than he would."
Valerie wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the threat. She was busy looking at Arthur, silently asking one thing: 'Was is true?' Had he only been so insistent on Dream-sharing so that he could hide what little he had told her?
"Art?"
"I didn't want to worry you." He said simply, one quick gaze the only indication that he was sensitive to her feelings about not only being lied to, but being manipulated by someone she trusted with so much. "I…I didn't want to do anymore harm than I had to."
"Sweet of you to say so, after you mind-fucked her. Don't worry though, we'll make her forgive you. What we're going to do will be much, much worse," Serena had a sick look of amusement etched on her face. "Now then, no time like the present. Let's see what we can yank out of that little brain of yours."
Serena rose to her feet, and advanced toward Valerie, who suddenly felt panic swirling in her stomach; she had no doubt the other woman was capable of mutilating her and losing no sleep. Beside her, Art was looking frantic, as though he hadn't believed until that very moment that Serena would make good on her threat. Valerie steeled her nerves and her body, as two sets of hands each held her by the shoulders, and Serena raised a hand, apparently planning to warm-up by slapping her around.
"I know the people in the photos." He blurted, just as Serena started her downward swing. She froze, Valerie opening her eyes, which had closed instinctively as she had recoiled from the blow she expected to be coming, peering up at Serena, who's evil smirk had grown significantly. "I know them all, because I was the Point Man on all the jobs where they were the Targets."
"Good. I'm glad we've reached an understanding," Serena said it in a mocking tone, and still gave Valerie a hard shove into the back of the couch, apparently just wanting to make a point. She returned to her chair, sitting primly. "Now, I want the good stuff. Locations, dates, inventory of what you stole, all the details. And I want a detailed account of what you did during the Inception Job. I need to know how you did it, as well as who paid you for it."
"I can't tell you that."
"Don't forget I don't plan to hurt you. I plan to hurt her," Serena nodded to Valerie, who was still gripped by two of the other team-members behind her. She wasn't sure which though, and she dared not glance, for fear of incurring the wrath of the ever-unstable Serena.
"There are fifty-seven pictures there. I can't tell you anything because I don't remember every single Extraction I've been on. Not as specifically as you'd like anyway. If you want the details, you'll have to get them from my memory."
"And why should we bother trying to Extract them from you?" Serena raised a delicate eyebrow at him, while her eyes remained stony. She didn't trust him, that much was clear.
"It's the only way you'll get what you want to know. You write it all down, and I'll sign it as a confession," Arthur said it passively, as if the whole situation rather bored him. "That will get you what you want."
"And why are you suddenly so compliant?"
"I want you to let Valerie go. You didn't need to involve her from the start, I want you to let her leave. Now."
"And here they told me chivalry was dead. Very valiant of you Arthur, if incredibly naïve. You know that letting her go isn't an option for me. Not yet. She's the only thing I have to hold over your head, seeing as she didn't give me any of your dirty little secrets last time. Tell you what, Luther will stay awake and watch over his little bunny, while we all go for a little romp in the Dreamworld. Once I have you where I want you, that is to say, locked away, she can go wherever she wants. Assuming, of course, that you tell the truth, and we manage to get a hold of the facts. Otherwise, you might as well look your last."
"Luther can't watch her."
"And why not?" Serena seemed to be getting steadily more irritated as the conversation went on. Valerie gave Arthur a warning glance. She didn't want to see her any angrier, especially considering she'd probably be the target of her impending outburst, not him.
"Because I don't trust him. And if I don't trust him not to hurt her, I can promise my head will be a living hell for you."
His voice was in just the right tone to send a chill up Valerie's spine.
"Fine. Jake, you watch her. If she so much as looks toward the door while we're under, shoot her."
"Sure."
Beau had retrieved the case Arthur and Valerie had been using not half an hour ago, setting it on the coffee table, in the center of those that would be going on this little mental excursion. She watched them hook Arthur up with a forlorn fog hanging in front of her eyes. She had the most convincing feeling that things were going to go terribly wrong gnawing in the back of her mind. Well, actually, 'worse' was the better word, seeing as things had already gone pretty damn wrong. Not only that, she couldn't shake the sudden mistrust she had of the stupid silver case. The last two times she had used it, she woke up with her world unraveling around her. And this time, Arthur had betrayed the utmost trust she had in him to ice the metaphorical cake. She had thought that at the very least, he would have told her something, perhaps warned her that he would be secretly messing with her head, whilst she went about in a happy little romantic get-away. Maybe it would have been less effective to 'train' her as Serena said, while she was aware of the fact, but at least having a hint of the event would have made her feel a little less like she'd essentially been stabbed in the back, directly in the spine as it were. He had promised never to do something like that again. To never go behind her back.
But his word had not held true.
Perhaps it was the stress of the situation, the thought that she may or may not die today, but Valerie found herself running over everything the last three years, wondering how many times Arthur had broken that same promise to her. It was like he had once said, it wasn't as if they'd ever catch each other being traitors. Though she did wish she could have little more faith in him during the dire circumstances.
"Put us under," Serena ordered, and Jake obediently hit the button.
Arthur slumped toward her, his weight against her instilled some form of comfort, despite her uncertainty. He turned his head to her ear, and in the last moment of consciousness, murmured:
"Run."
She pressed her lips into a thin line as the others dropped like flies after him, each slumping in their chairs or to the floor. Jake the only one left awake, perched on the arm of the couch on Arthur's other side, a nine-millimeter in hand, eyeing her levelly. How could she run? Arthur was sacrificing his own mind's safety for nothing but an impossible opportunity.
"So now we wait."
"That's right." Jake nodded.
"Just out of curiosity, do you try to score with all the girls that end up being your victims, or was it just me?"
Jake seemed suddenly sheepish, and scratched his ear. "Nah. Serena told me that was the way to go with you. She said if I acted like him," he paused to point at Art, snoozing in a deceivingly peaceful manner on her shoulder, "-then we'd be able to separate you two real easy, and we all knew that just as soon as we had you, he'd be easy-pickings."
"Well, you were way off, as far as acting anything like Art anyway."
"I didn't have a lot to go on, okay? Just what she told me." He snapped.
"Then she doesn't know him at all," Valerie replied, somewhat snidely, even to her own ears. It bugged her that Serena seemed to think she knew so much about both of them, but then didn't know a thing about Art's personality. "What's she got against Art anyway? Do you know?"
He fiddled with the gun for a moment, she figured he must have been debating whether it was okay to tell her. After a moment he seemed to decide it was.
"I'm not really sure. She said something about him ruining her career. I don't know how really. None of us do."
"How can you follow someone when you don't even know what her motives are?" Valerie asked, sincerely wondering why you would put your life in the hands of someone who didn't trust you enough to tell you why.
"Let's just say Vegas is not the place to try and make a living. I have a lot of debts I need to pay soon. Serena said she could help me with that if I helped her with this."
"So it's just for the money."
"What did you expect? Some romantic story about my kidnapped girlfriend? Or my poor hungry family? Sorry, no dice Val. I'm just a regular sucker with a gambling problem."
"Committing a crime to pay your debts seems a little counter-productive to me. That's all," Valerie shrugged, as best she could anyway.
"Yeah? And what makes him so different, huh?" He didn't point this time, but Valerie figured it was safe to assume that he referred to Arthur. "Why's he so special that he gets a free pass?"
"He doesn't. I mean, look at the situation we're in right now," Valerie pointed out. "We, well, more I, had to abandon everything that's been our lives for the last few years. He's hounded all the time, he can't do anything in the public eye that will draw any attention to him, and in all honesty, it was probably only a matter of time before someone caught him anyway, and he knows that. Nothing about his life is easy. You want to know how many times I've seen him in the last three years? Thirty-two times. The longest of which was only a week. You still think getting into this is a good idea?"
"And you think you know everything, do you? You don't know jack-shit Valerie, so stop acting so smart. You didn't even know he was fucking with you just then, did you?" Jake gestured to the case pointedly. "What the hell could you know about Extraction?"
"I know it makes people lonely." She finished simply, looking away from Jake, realizing that trying to talk him out of it now was pointless. He had his own ideals, and they didn't exactly coincide with her somewhat optimistic version. He saw Extraction, and the large pay-checks or other perks attached to it, as the only way to get what he wanted, in other words, he was the same way as Dom and Arthur. She did know it made people very lonely. Dom had lost his wife, and been taken away from his kids when they had needed each other the most. As for Art…sometimes it seemed as if she were his only loving, or even friendly, relationship. He had only ever mentioned Dom in the context of a friend, but even that had seemed like a very cut-and-dry affair. She wondered whether he had always been that way, distant, or if the long-term listing as a wanted criminal had made him such.
"Pfft. Who needs people around anyway? They don't ever help anyone but themselves," Jake scoffed. There were a few moments of quiet, the only sound the breathing of those in the Dream. "Whatever." Jake said suddenly. "Believe what you want, you just don't understand, because you've only ever been a target. I gotta take a leak. If you're not still on the couch when I get back, you're dead."
Valerie blinked in disbelief as Jake stood. Impossible opportunity? Or had Art suddenly become psychic? Either way, she wasn't going to complain.
The second the bathroom door clicked, she sprang into action, wiggling around a bit on the couch, and began to try and maneuver her rear through her own arms, ignoring the painful jabbing of the handcuffs. A few moments of frustrated struggling later, she had her hands in front of her, where she needed them, and slid her legs over the short chain linking them, getting to her feet. Now what?
Valerie cast around for the next part of her plan, as she realized she hadn't really thought of anything beyond this exact moment. She had been fairly certain that once she had gotten to this point, the rest would just fall into place. The problem was, it hadn't. Art had told her to run, but damned if she was going to just take off and leave him in this situation, even if she was a little upset with him.
First things first, she had a limited amount of time before Jake left the bathroom, and she was fairly certain his threat to kill her had been legitimate. She had to deal with him before anything else. She debated for a moment what the best way of going about this would be, and eventually opted for the tried-and-true, old-fashioned method of knocking him over the head with a heavy object. She scooped up the most solid looking thing in the living room, a two-day old wine bottle that they had been neglecting to take out into the recycling bin, and poised it awkwardly, gripped between her bound hands, standing at the ready beside the door. The knob turned, Jake appearing, not noticing her just behind him.
"Shit!" He had seen that she wasn't on the couch anymore, and Valerie swung, the bottle making solid contact with the base of his skull. He dropped in an instant, while she stared down at him in mild shock. It never worked that well in the movies. Hitting someone like that always bought a few seconds, but never literarily put the mystery killer on the floor. She leaned a little closer, sure that he was only faking it, that the second she turned her back, he would spring back to his feet and murder her, but the trickle of blood now leaking down his neck assured her that he wasn't moving anytime soon.
"S-sorry…" She muttered, worried that she may have just become a murderer herself. It looked as if he were breathing, but she wasn't going to hang around to play doctor. She had to go. Now.
She went to Serena's fallen form first, knowing that it would do neither she or Art any good to get out of here while they were cuffed, especially considering she didn't know how well Arthur could function with his hands behind his back that way. She searched the pockets of Serena's pricey-looking velvet jacket, finding a small silver key in one, and palm-sized leather folder in the other. A wallet? Curiosity got the better of her, and Valerie flipped it open, nearly dropping the small booklet as it sank in what this meant. Picture ID and a badge, declaring Serena a member of Interpol.
Fuck.
They were the police.
"Shit…shit shit shit…" The panic that had been numbed out by the adrenaline of her nearing escape came back with a white-hot, burning intensity. Had she just clubbed a motherfucking COP? "Oh hell…we are so screwed…"
On the other hand, this also brought many questions to the fore. Like: why were the cops Dream-sharing? It was supposed to be illegal to use it for anything but the military's purposes, and she had always assumed that this applied to those that were meant to uphold the law. And since when did the police have grounds to stalk people across three states and break into someone's house? Twice? She could almost understand it if they had shown them a warrant, or had done it to search the place, but both times it had been to commit a crime. Nothing about this made any sort of sense. But that didn't really matter, she wasn't exactly keen on letting Art go to prison either.
Bending her wrist as far as it would go, she managed to unlock herself from the handcuffs, not taking time to try and ease the soreness of the red abrasions left by the metal, and moved back to the couch, rolling Art to an angle where she could get at his hands, freeing him from the bracelets as well. Not sure it was safe, but hoping to high heaven it was, she plucked the needle from his arm, and sat back, waiting for a moment. Her breath hitched when he didn't wake.
"Art. Arthur!" She shook his shoulder. Nothing. "Arthur, wake up! Please wake up!" She shook him a little more violently. "Arthur! Come on!" Still nothing. He wasn't stirring. But the others were starting to, noticing that their target had left the scene. She had to hurry, and then remembered that Beau and Luther had brought him in soaking wet. If that was any indication to something that would wake him up…
Valerie lunged to her feet, and made a beeline to the kitchen, filling a glass she grabbed from the counter with lukewarm water from the faucet, in too much of a hurry to wait for it to get cold, and ran back, spilling it everywhere. As a result, she only returned with a little less than half a glass, but figured it would work regardless, and thus splashed it in Art's face. Finally, his expression scrunched up at the sudden impact of the water, and his eyes opened groggily.
"Valerie? Why'd-"
"No time," She shook her head at him, and pulled him up into a sitting position by his shoulders. "We have to go. Right now, okay? Like really, really right now."
"Jake, what the hell went wron-" Beau didn't finish his sentence, the first of the others to wake up. He pulled a gun from under his jacket, Valerie dove to the side, taking Art off the couch along with her as she fell to the ground, the bullet following the explosion left a singed hole in the back of their poor cushions. Suddenly wide awake, Arthur reacted by shoving the coffee table as hard as he could, slamming it into Beau's chest, who had been kneeling on the other side.
"Run! Now!" He commanded, and Valerie obediently scrambled to her feet, reaching down to drag the still sluggishly moving Arthur to his feet as well. His reaction-time may have been good, but his other motor skills still had a bit of catching up to do. Valerie slammed her feet into sandals and ran for the door, Arthur right behind her, having nothing but somewhat dressy shoes to grab. She just hoped he could run in them. Serena screamed wordlessly after them, but she was ignored and they took temporary refuge in the elevator of the building. It was only three flights up, so Valerie hoped they wouldn't find the stairs in the time it took the elevator to reach the ground floor. She leaned against the cold metal wall, her heart pounding as if it were three-times it's regular size, taking a deep breath in an effort to relax.
"You shouldn't have pulled the plug."
"What?"
"If you'd left me under I could have kept them there for awhile, long enough for you to get out."
"I wasn't just going to run," she said, in slight disbelief that that had been his plan. "I had to get you out."
"I had it under control."
"How was I supposed to know that?" She demanded, probably a little angrier than she needed to be. She couldn't help it, she was under just a little stress.
"I never wanted this to happen…" Art said, not bothering to answer her question, sounding depressed, far away. He swiped a hand over his face, staring at their blurry reflections in the elevator doors. "This is exactly what I never wanted to happen. I wanted you to live normally," He suddenly seemed angry, and jabbed the ground-floor button roughly, even though it was already lit-up, his gorgeous mouth pulling down into a frown, eyes fixing in a glare. "I didn't want you dragged into my life this way!"
"That's not really your choice to make Art. You can't say you love me but don't want me to be a part of your life. It doesn't make any sense."
"I didn't want you to be a part of this." He made a sweeping motion with his arm, evidently indicating the current circumstances. "I tried to keep you away from my job. You shouldn't have had to get mixed up in Dream Sharing."
"Then…why did you want me to?" Valerie asked, to which Arthur froze-up. She felt that now, she already knew the answer. Serena had been right. She'd thought she'd only been saying it to irk Valerie, but now…now she knew that what the other woman had said at least had some truth to it. Maybe it hadn't been purely for the purpose of manipulating her mind, but Art's deer-in-the-headlights reaction told her that he'd been hoping she'd forget that little detail. "Arthur…?"
"We're going to have to leave again." He changed the subject, and Valerie hadn't the heart to argue. He wouldn't give her anymore answers right now. Maybe later, when things had cooled down a little, but not now. He was under a little stress too, just the same as her.
"How can we leave?" Valerie asked, but didn't expect an answer, as the doors opened on the first floor. Art leaned out, checked in either direction, then stepped out, gesturing for her to follow.
"We need to find somewhere we can hide out for a bit first. Plan."
"We could-"
"You're not getting away this time!" Bellowed a female voice from the stairwell. Art grabbed her wrist and bolted, either not noticing or ignoring her wince at his firm grip on her already sore joint. He ran out into the street, just barely missing a taxi screaming down the road, Serena and her posse swarming after them, minus, for obvious reasons, Jake.
"This way," Valerie hung a left, grabbing Art's wrist with her free hand to bring him around the corner with her. They couldn't go to the police, that was a fairly safe bet. That left them, as far as Valerie could predict, with only one choice. The closest they were going to get to safe here, in this catastrophe, was Cooper and the shot-gun he kept under the counter, like every good bartender. Of course, she didn't know whether he would give them somewhere to hide. She still didn't even really know if he even liked her. She couldn't say she expected someone to go out of their way and stick their neck out for someone being chased by the police, but it was the single choice they could make. She was going to have to risk asking him.
They didn't slow down until the bright green neon of Dirty Harry's came into view, one or two people already there, even though it was barely three in the afternoon. It was a Saturday, so they were probably a few of Cooper's biker friends.
The door opened with an annoyingly loud creak, something Cooper had been claiming he would fix for the last week and a half, and everyone present glanced at them. As she'd expected, it was Dean and Jackson at the bar, clad in leather and denim, like they always were, smoking like chimneys. She was fairly certain the two of them lived in the back alley, as they hardly ever left. Cooper looked up from the whiskey he'd been pouring Dean, and gave her a long, appraising look, before turning the same glance to Arthur, who stood at her side, tense as could be. Cooper puffed his cigar thoughtfully.
"Val, you're off today, ain't you? 'Less you finally came in here to drink for a change."
"Cooper…we really need your help," Valerie said, not even wanting to bother trying to beat around the bush. Cooper was never one for subtleties. He rather disliked them in fact.
"Well, I'm not one to turn my back on a friend. Does it have something to do with the guy in here yesterday? He was asking all sorts of weird questions about you."
"The blondish one?"
"Yeah. I thought he just had a crush on you, askin' me if I knew anything about your boyfriend or something. I'm guessing that's this guy?" He tilted his head in Arthur's direction. Valerie nodded, and Cooper continued, "When he started asking me 'bout where you lived, I knew somethin' was up. Scared him off real quick. Not two seconds later though, some chick walked in wavin' a badge, told me to tell her everything I knew. I told her where she could stick it though, 'til she had a warrant anyway."
Valerie sighed a little in relief, Cooper was a man you could trust not to turn you in to someone, even if they were supposed to be the good guys. "They're after us," She explained, again deciding that there was no sense in trying to cover it up. Cooper would be more likely to help them if he felt that they were telling him the truth after all. It made more sense to just spill it all, while she was able. "They broke into the apartment, and they're trying to steal something important from us."
Cooper gave her the same evaluating look as earlier, and then stubbed out his cigar in a over-flowing ashtray. "You lot go hide in the back room. If anyone comes around asking for ya, I'll send 'em on their way," he decided, pulling another cigar from the pocket of his leather vest, lighting it in a single fluid motion. "Can't be for long though. Maybe a coupl'a hours. I do run a legitimate business after all. But I can give you a while to let the heat wear down."
"Cooper, you're the best." Valerie said gratefully, and sincerely meaning it.
"Don't be too grateful. Any damage they do is coming out of your paycheck," Cooper said it with a grin, both of them knowing he was too nice to actually cut her check. He was too nice to even kick his free-loading friends out, despite the fact they were both running a tab close to five-hundred dollars right now. "Go on now, 'fore someone sees you."
"Thank you Cooper. Really. You're saving our butts."
The back room of Dirty Harry's was at one point meant to be Cooper's office, but had become the staff lounge somewhere along the line; a comfy old couch and chair shoved against the opposite wall, a table and chairs next to a fridge, and a microwave sitting on the desk with Cooper's desktop. He hadn't really been generous on sharing his space to begin with, but had lost the fight with Jodi, the waitress who had worked here since the bar had opened. No one knew how, but she always seemed to have some dirty little secret to grab Cooper by the short hairs with. It was just a generally known fact that you didn't want to get on Jodi's bad-side.
Valerie took the opportunity to practically throw herself on the couch, taking a few minutes to breathe and settle herself. Art on the other hand stood awkwardly by the door, his hands in his pockets.
"Valerie…"
"Hm?"
"You're angry, aren't you?"
"Do you think I shouldn't be?" She asked, fixing eyes on him. He was looking at the floor. "What she said…she was right wasn't she? You tricked me."
"You know that's not true."
"No Art, see, that's the problem. I don't know that. You promised that something like that would never happen again. But it did, didn't it?"
"…Yes." He said so quietly, barely enough to qualify as a whisper.
"I see," She said simply, nodding at the floor, which she also seemed to find suddenly interesting. At least he had the decency not to lie to her face. "How much else of what Serena told me is true?"
"What else did she say?" She saw him look up at her from the corner of her eye.
"Did you really keep coming back to Seattle because of me, or was it because no one ever thought to look for you there?"
"I can't believe you'd ask me that," he ran a hand over his hair, fixing it into something close to it's usual style, as it had been a mess since he'd been unceremoniously woken up, suddenly very anxious. "That has to be the cruelest thing I've ever heard you say."
"Just answer me. Please," she practically begged, almost as hurt by the fact he hadn't instantly corrected her as she was by the fact she was actually starting to believe what that psycho woman had told her. She should trust Arthur, she knew she should, but something about his tone just wouldn't let her. She had to know. Had to hear it from him. No matter how bad the truth may hurt.
"Damnit Valerie, you know me better than that." Art's voiced kicked up a notch. He was starting to get angry. But she couldn't tell if it was at her or himself.
"But I want to be able to trust you again. And I can't. I can't until you just tell me the truth." Her voice was beginning to sound thin and petulant, like a lost child. What was she to do if she found out that the man she had practically devoted the last three years of her life to loving had just flat-out lied to her? Would it change how she felt? Or would her world end? Or would she simply carry on loving him, unable to change her ways now, no matter what he did?
"The truth? Okay, here's the truth. All of it," Arthur stuffed one hand back into his pocket, and combed the other trough his hair, returning it to a slightly unkempt nest. "You want to know why I didn't take your number the first time we met? Because right away I knew you were going to drive me crazy. I knew that I was going to keep coming back, but I also knew I couldn't drag you into the messed-up world I live in. I didn't want to be another schizo-guy for you. But then I just couldn't stop it. You were on my mind when I worked, you were on my mind when I slept, you were on my mind when I was trying to think of anything besides you. I couldn't stop myself from getting on that plane and standing on your doorstep, no matter how many times I tried to tell myself that I was only going to be trouble for you. But for so long, things went so well. I mean, there were a couple times that I had to cancel coming to Seattle, because a job went wrong, or the police were getting close…but I really thought it was going to work out. It killed me that we hardly got to see each other, but I couldn't think of anything else…Valerie, I love you. I wasn't lying when I said you were my universe. I don't think I've ever said anything with more honesty. Anything I did, I only meant it to keep you safe, to keep you away from the parts of my life that would hurt you. Even when I lied to you earlier, got into your head, I was only trying to prevent you from being a target again. Protecting you is how I love you." He took a step toward her, but stopped suddenly, as though thinking she might slap him if he got too close. "I would have done anything to stop this from happening." It sounded desperate, a last ditch attempt to win her over.
Valerie rose from the couch, closing the ten-foot gap that had been between them. Her hand set lightly on his shoulder. He glanced at her, looking curious. Her arms snaked around him in a tight embrace. Maybe he had been right. It had been incredibly cruel of her to question him, just because some woman bent on breaking into his brain had alluded to the fact that he had broken her trust. Sometimes she forgot that he suffered too, in their times apart. Pulling the wool over her eyes that way had just been a further expression of his feelings, he had protected her from the fear that he knew would be generated by knowing Serena had found them, while he watched and worried in silence. He'd only wanted her to continue being happy, even knowing that he would have to break a promise to her to do so, even knowing she might be angry with him.
"I'm sorry," She mumbled into his shoulder. "I should trust you. I'm sorry."
"You can't say I didn't give you a good reason to doubt me." To her surprise, he laughed as he said it. But it was a hollow sound. Filled with bitterness. He rested a hand on the back of her neck, keeping her close. "I didn't want to lie. But I hoped they wouldn't be able to pinpoint us. I thought we could just lay low, and they would move on."
"I know Art. But now…well, now we don't have a say in it anymore. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know," The words came out as a deep sigh. "I just need a few minutes to think…"
"Okay." She agreed with a nod, pulling loose of him, just a bit. "Here, sit down for a minute. Cooper's got a coffee pot in the kitchen, I'll make some." She pulled Arthur to the couch by his arm, and more or less forced him to settle on the cushions, he seemed more apt to start pacing, but she figured he should at least try to relax first, calm his nerves a little. She leaned in and kissed him lightly. "Listen, Art, I really am sorry about the things I said. I was just scared. I just…I love you too, a lot. I know you were only trying to watch out for me, so I'm sorry I got upset. We can still be friends, right?"
He cracked a little smile, the reaction she'd been hoping for. "Friends for life, Valerie."
"Good. I might have had to try something really desperate if you'd said no. I'll be right back," she petted his hair back, absently fixing it again, probably not as neat as he would have usually liked, but all things considered, it would do. "Just relax. We've got two hours we can hide back here, we'll be safe at least that long."
"What comes after that is what worries me."
"Yeah. I know, but you can put it off for a few seconds, right?" She persuaded gently.
"I'll try."
The familiar sound of the coffee maker bubbling and hissing at her was unusually soothing to Valerie. She watched the glass pot slowly fill, rubbing her temples with her index fingers. She still hadn't told Arthur that Serena was a member of Interpol. But, on the other hand, it had seemed like a really bad time to spring such a thing on him. He was already frustrated, worn out, and worried, he really didn't need to hear that it was the police that were about to catch them, not a crazed fan. She had no doubt that such information would only succeed in giving Art a class-A anxiety attack. Not something either of them needed. Cooper passed through the kitchen, nodding solemnly at her as he placed a Dean and Jackson's glasses in the sink. She nodded back, knowing the kind of risks Cooper was taking in order to help them couldn't be easy on him. They should try to leave as soon as possible, and spare him the trouble they were no doubt going to cause. The coffee pot beeped, informing her that it was done, and Valerie poured out two mugs worth.
How could they possibly run this time? They had literally been left with nothing. Valerie didn't even have her wallet or anything. She had the jeans and slightly worn-out t-shirt she was wearing, and that was all. She gave the sides of her head one last, strong massage and headed for the back room again, bearing coffee. It just wasn't fair anymore.
Arthur was up and moving around when she returned, going back and forth across the floor at a rapid pace.
"We're not going to get away." He said bluntly. "We're just… not going to get away."
"Come on, don't be like that. We can run, like last time. We'll just try again, somewhere further away."
"If we did…what? Another two-months? Maybe a year if we're lucky? That won't get us anywhere. We have to do…something."
"But what can we do?
"…You should go to the police. Just don't tell them about me, and go to the police."
"I can't."
"Why not? Just say they were after you rather than me, I don't think they'll look very hard for someone who they can't prove exists anymore."
"Art, I think they are the police," Valerie explained, setting the coffees down on the desk, by the computer. "I know Serena is. When I was looking for the key to the handcuffs in her pockets, I found her badge. She works for Interpol."
For a moment, he just stared at her, clearly not thinking she was serious. But when is sank in, he crumpled.
"Shit." Arthur turned sharply and gave the armchair a good swift kick. "Goddamnit all!"
"Sorry…I thought you should know."
"That…really limits us. We don't have many options now." Art rubbed his hand over his forehead. "Not that we had a whole lot to start with…" He was silent, looking thoughtful for a long moment. "Okay. Here's the deal. You're going to have to go someplace else, someplace safe," He strode over to the desk, grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper, scribbling on it somewhat frantically, "-this account number is for one of my aliases. You'll have to get the bank card out of my stuff back in the apartment-"
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"-go to this address. Tell him who you are, and explain what's going on-"
"Art, what are you going to do?" Her voice barely seemed to reach him.
"You'll be safe there until I-"
"Arthur! What are you going to do?" She finally broke into his manic planning, by way of nearly shouting at him.
"I'm going to let them chase me. In the opposite direction."
"No, that never works. You have to come with me, we can just run again, it'll be okay," She insisted. It had to be. Anything would be better than Arthur leaving like this and risking his life. Honestly, she wasn't sure she could handle running on her own either.
"If we run now, we'll never be able to stop. You have to at least let me try to fix this."
"You can't fix it Art. The only way it's going to stop is if you go to prison."
"It won't have to come to that."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not entirely convinced Serena is really with Interpol. She pulled too many illegal stunts to be a real cop. Not to mention her following is a less than upstanding crowd. Trust me. If I turn her in before they catch me, I may be able to get us both out of this."
"But what if you can't? And why can't we go together?"
"It'll work."
"But what if-"
"Valerie, you just said you would try to trust me. This is the only way we can ever hope to get our lives back to normal." He reached out to her, framing her face in his hands. "I want you to be safe. That's why I need you to leave, to go somewhere I know you'll be out of their reach. You know I'll come find you. I always will."
"But…how long will that take?" How long would she have to live without knowing if he was alright this time?
"I don't know. But whatever happens, just have a little faith in me alright?" He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. "I'll come back to you. I swear I will. I just need a little time."
Valerie circled him in her arms, clinging, wanting to convince him that he couldn't do it alone. The words stuck in her throat. "I don't want to go without you, but if you really think this is the only way...you better come back whole."
"I will," He promised with a kiss. "I'll see you again, no matter what I have to do to get back."
It had taken her two buses and a cab, but Valerie finally stood in front of the house with the address matching what Art had written down for her. It looked bright and welcoming, but it gave her an ominous feeling. Everything she owned was once again crammed into the backpack slung over her shoulder, only this time, packing up and moving to some unknown location, she was lonely. She and Art had separated just after they snuck back into their own apartment, Jake still unconscious on the floor, and taken the important things with them. She had called the hospital for him from the bus depot. Valerie ran a hand through her hair, and took a few hesitant steps to the door, knocking timidly.
She heard children's voices on the other side, yelling that there was someone at the door, a moment later, it opened, a tall, blondish man with blue eyes looking back at her, the kids peering around his legs at her in supreme interest.
"Uhm…Hi." She waved awkwardly.
"I'm guessing…you're Valerie."
"Yeah…I-"
"Let's talk inside."
Author's note: Whew. What a chapter. It was really long, about 2000 words more than what I usually write. Daaammn. Also, I was very loathe to do three 'Clockwise' chapters in a row, but it just didn't flow right interrupting it with a 'CounterClockwise', so I hope it's better this way. Anyway, consider this your Christmas present from me, my lovely readers, as today is the 25th. A few random observations I made while writing this are that A: Some parts really don't turn out as well as others. I'm sorry about that. I'm just not very consistent I suppose. B: I realized I generate a lot of Arthur's personality from other movies Mr. JGL has been in. For example, his obsessive sort of love comes from his character in 'Brick'. That's a good movie by the way. If you like Joseph, you'll likely enjoy it. It's very thoughtful and intriguing. Anyway, I bid you adieu. Enjoy, as I always hope you do.