- No Air -
Bright blue eyes twinkled with unadulterated glee as she looked up with admiration at the father whom she adored and who adored her right back. Her blonde curls were raised in a bouncy ponytail, strands of which fell to her small face as she sat comfortably on her dad's lap, clutching their newly-created little book in her small hands.
With his five-year-old girl in his arms and the enticing waft of the Chinese food that his wife had just prepared filling the air, Johnathan couldn't have asked for anything more. He was with the two girls he loved the most. He never thought it possible that he could love a Mai, but with Chloe comfortably leaning against his chest, her voice sparkling with delight as she read what he wrote, he knew it. He loved her. He loved his little girl.
"Daddy, are you leaving again tonight?" a distinct sadness crossed Chloe's little face as she turned her sight from the book to her father.
Johnathan frowned at the reminder of what he had to do that night. As far as Meredith and Chloe were concerned, he was on his way to another reporter's onshore assignment for the news publication he was working with and that was true. What they didn't know was that the news publication was owned by Jakob and was only one of the Order's many covers. What he was really going to do in Europe was fight alongside the Selki against the Mai, who, after so many years of dormancy, already had enough of the massacres and were now determined to fight back. Looking at his little one, the familiar protective urge he had over his wife and daughter resurfaced. He pulled Chloe in a warm embrace, kissing the top of the little girl's head. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart."
"I don't want you to go..."
"Daddy has to go," Johnathan reiterated. He'd said it to her so many times before and the more he said it, the more he hated saying it, but it was no less true. He had to go. If only to protect his family, if only to keep the Order from raising any suspicions about his personal life, he had to keep doing what he'd been doing all his life. He wanted out so badly, but he didn't know how to get out. He was trapped into this lifestyle, this double life and he intended to keep it up for as long as he could if only to feel the satisfaction he felt then, holding Chloe in his arms and watching his wife approach them with that loving expression on her hazelnut brown eyes.
Leaning the side of her head on the doorpost, Meredith kept a steady gaze on her husband and daughter, remaining silent for a few minutes, drinking in the sight before speaking up, "We're eating soon." A sheepish smile formed on her face – the same one she always had whenever she intended to ask Johnathan for something. "Do you mind taking the trash out before we have dinner?"
Johnathan grinned. He lifted Chloe, who was groaning about them not finishing the story yet. He gently silenced her with a soft admonition. "Your mom needs something, Chloe. We'll finish the story later, alright?"
Though disappointed, Chloe nodded with understanding as she clutched the book in her little hands. She lifted it up for Meredith to see. "Look! Dad and I made it! It's Hannah Hannity!"
"That's awesome, honey. Will you tell me the story while I finish up preparing dinner?" Meredith cooed, casting another loving glance at Johnathan.
He walked to her, held her waist and kissed her softly.
"I love you so much," she told him.
He never got tired of hearing her say it. It still made his stomach flutter with excitement. "Implied. Seriously implied."
She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek before holding Chloe's hand and walking off to the kitchen.
He stood watching them walk away, swearing to himself that he would do everything possible to make sure that they were protected and safe, before heading off to take the trash out. Minutes later, Johnathan was rubbing his palms together as he hiked up the steps that led to their front door when he heard a voice that sent chills down his spine.
"What is going on, Jon?"
He spun around and felt his face pale when he saw Whitley standing at the end of the stone steps, looking up at him. His fists clenched as he demanded through gritted teeth, "What are you doing here, Whitley?"
Whitley met his challenging stance with an equally challenging one. "No, Johnathan. What are you doing? Who are these people you're living with?"
"They're nobody, okay? Just..." Johnathan's breath hitched as he took a step back. "She's a single mother and the child is her adopted daughter. I'm helping them out. That's all."
Whitley's jaw tightened. "Do you take me for a fool, Jon? I've been having you followed... I've seen you with this woman..."
Rage filled Johnathan at Whitley's blatant admittance at having put him under surveillance. He laid both hands on the Selki's chest and pushed Whitley back. "Who gave you the right to -" he stopped short of what he was about to say, knowing full well that had he been in Whitley's situation, he would've done exactly the same thing. He quickly realized that it would do him more harm to fight his best friend over this instead of trying to explain himself. He sealed his lips as he tried to control his breaths. "I love her," he eventually admitted.
"You love her?" There was almost a hint of mockery on the way Whitley said it. A couple of bitter chuckles escaped his lips. "Have you gone mad, Johnathan? Who is this woman? Does she know about who you are? What you do? Does your father know about..."
"No, he doesn't," Johnathan interrupted, glaring at his best friend to be silent. There was a firmness and a fiery determination in the way he was saying his words. "And he can't know."
Not quite knowing what to make of what was going on, Whitley simply resorted to asking further questions. "How long has this been going on?"
"Longer than you think."
"And you kept it secret all this time? Even from me?"
"It was the only way I knew to protect her... She knows nothing about me. Telling her would only ruin her. And she's perfect. What I have with her, with our daughter... I don't want to ruin it."
"This is madness, Johnathan. If your father finds out..."
"He can't find out," Johnathan said sternly. "You of all people should understand. You have Evelyn and Brian..."
"...but Evelyn knows, and eventually, Brian will too."
"That's just the point!" He broke out. "Brian will find out about what he is, about what you and Evelyn do, and then what, Whitley? Is this the life you want for your son? Would you have his innocence tainted with blood on his hands? This sure as hell isn't the life I want for my daughter." Johnathan shook his head. "This is not the life I want for Chloe."
The words struck Whitley so hard, it almost blew the wind out of him. He stood for a couple of seconds, stunned. He had seen the looks of concern Evelyn would throw Brian's way whenever they returned from a mission. She had often tried to speak to him about whether or not they should reveal to Brian what he was. Unlike other races, the skills of Selkis are honed. Unless acknowledged and used, they did not arise at certain periods of a Selki's life the same way a Mai's powers would when the Mai turns sixteen. Evelyn often said that they could keep Brian human. Until then, he only scoffed at the suggestion, but now, he was faced with the reality of what kind of life he was leading his son to. Whitley breathed a sigh. "In any case, you have to realize that you can't hide this forever. Your father is already suspecting your actions. It won't be long until he finds out about all this, and when he does, what do you think Jakob will do?"
Johnathan's jaw tightened. It was an inevitable reality he knew he would eventually have to face, but not that night. "I don't know. For now, my dad... Jakob... can't find out. I'll see you tonight, Whitley." He turned around and stopped a few paces after. "I trust no one will find out about this from you."
The only sound that followed was a few deep breaths from Whitley, before he responded, "No harm will come to your wife. Not from me at least... You have my word."
Many years later, it was that promise that kept Whitley from harming Meredith even after having been given strict instructions to kill her. It was the same reason he lied about planting that chip on her. She was still Johnathan's beloved and though Whitley would stop at nothing to destroy the Uniter, he would never harm Meredith.
-oiOio-
The silence was unbearable and yet neither of them dared break it. As she sliced carrots over the kitchen counter top, Meredith kept stealing glances at Johnathan, sometimes to ascertain if he was indeed standing there right in front of her, sometimes to glare at him accusingly for what his sudden disappearance had put her through.
Johnathan stood stiffly leaning over the counter top, his hands clutching the marble edges so tightly, his knuckles were growing white. "Meredith..." he began to say.
Just the sound of his voice made her freeze. She clung to the knife as if she were battling with herself whether or not she should hurl it at him. Her breaths were controlled as a million conflicting thoughts and emotions surged from within her. How dare he... how dare he show up after all these years,was the thought that consumed her at one moment followed quickly by I love him so much.Before she could hold it back, the swirl of emotions warring inside her unleashed the dam of tears that she'd been holding back for longer than she could remember. Wet beads of sorrowful tears began damping her cheeks even as she profusely tried to wipe them away. "Johnathan, don't..." she managed to say in between sobs, her voice breaking. After a moment's pause, she was able to softly admonish him, "I can't even bear listening to your voice right now."
To her relief, the phone rang, saving her from the inevitable conversation she was bound to have with her long lost husband. She lifted the receiver and said a hoarse "Hello?" through the line.
"Mom?" Chloe's voice, tinged with anxiety, echoed from the other side of the line. There was a momentary silence. "Is he there?"
Meredith looked Johnathan's way and quickly averted her gaze when she realized that he was watching her. She nodded, before remembering that there was no way Chloe could possibly know that she nodded. "Yes," she replied curtly, not wanting her voice to break into sobs again. Calming herself down, her motherly self came to the forefront of the situation. "Chloe, where are you? Is everything okay?"
"Mom, don't freak out, okay?"
Meredith swallowed hard. That sentence was never a good sign for any parent. She waited for her teenage daughter to explain.
"Jasmine and I are headed for the airport. We're going to London."
"The airport?" she gasped. "London? Chloe, what is going on?" Meredith couldn't even begin to think of a logical reaction to this impulsive whim. In her mind, serious complaints about the safety of Jasmine and Alek having such free access to a considerably large amount of money (left to them by Valentina) began resurfacing. What on earth would they be doing in London?
"Alek left," was all Chloe had to say to silence the slew of questions Meredith was gearing herself up to throw her daughter's way.
Meredith's heart sank. For some reason, hearing about Alek "leaving" - whatever that even meant - made her feel like she'd just lost a child. "What do you mean he left?" He's the Guardian. Isn't he duty bound to always be with Chloe?
"He left for London and I'm going to follow him."
"Follow him? Chloe, this is insane... You can't just fly off to London..."
"Jasmine's going with me... I'll be safe."
Johnathan watched his wife's face twist from one agitated form to the next as Meredith listened to their daughter over the phone. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what was going on based on Meredith's reactions to what Chloe was saying.
"Chloe, no," Meredith said firmly, stomping one foot on the floor to emphasize her point. "You're not going to London after some guy..."
"This isn't just some guy.This is Alek we're talking about!"
"Alek left... He has to learn to come back." As Meredith said it, she glared at Johnathan, who winced at the words.
"I'm sorry, Mom... I have to do this."
"Chloe..." Meredith said in a low, warning tone. To her surprise, Chloe hung up. Meredith, though normally a cool, uncontrolling parent, wasn't cool enough to let her sixteen-year-old daughter go all the way to London to run after a nineteen-year-old guy... even if it was Alek Petrov (whom she'd learned to adore over the past few weeks). She huffed before grabbing her purse and car keys, fully intending to drive off to the airport.
Johnathan grabbed her arm as she was about to brisk past him and go straight to the door.
She glared at him, her spine tingling at his touch. "Let go," she admonished him through gritted teeth.
"I think it would be best for Chloe to be where Alek is."
"You don't get to tell me what to let and not let my daughter do, Johnathan. You waived off that right the moment you walked out of this door and never even thought of coming back."
"I thought of coming back every single day I was away, Meredith."
Though moved by his admission, Meredith pushed his hand away. "Chloe's not going to London."
"The safest place the Uniter can be is with the Guardian. He can protect her like no one else can."
The thought of him knowing about Chloe and Alek's identities as Mai rubbed Meredith the wrong way and before she could stop herself, she slapped her husband right in the face. "How dare you... how dare you show up here, obviously knowing more than I could even imagine... how dare you..." As she hissed the words at him, she struggled to control her uneven breathing, incensed by his mere presence, by his audacity.
"Let her go, Meredith," Johnathan said calmly, soothingly, almost pleadingly. "There's a lot we have to talk about."
Meredith couldn't quite understand it. She couldn't bear being around him, and yet the thought of losing him after just having gotten him back was an even more unbearable thought. Despite her misgivings, she found herself relenting, but not before giving him a warning. "If anything happens to Chloe, I'll never be able to forgive you." Or myself.
-oiOio-
Out in a quiet, off-the-beaten-track corner, and way from the bustling streets of London, a young man, casually leaned back on the cushioned seat of a street coffee shop. He ran his hand through his blonde hair and checked his watch for the hundredth time. He heaved a deep sigh as he momentarily glanced toward the street corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, only to find that there wasn't a soul in sight. He began impatiently tapping his foot on the paved sidewalk. Where is she? he frowned. He lifted the porcelain cup from the black, round, steel table and took a sip of the strong tea. The coffee shop was actually an old-time favourite of theirs, and just being there once again brought back so many memories. It's been so long since I last saw her. She must've changed so much by now.
Overcome by the wave of fond nostalgia and unable to settle down, he brought out his phone to check his email. He frowned when he saw a message from Chloe. He didn't bother to read it. I'm not ready to hear from her yet. Without a moment's thought, he sent the message to the trash bin, pushing down the guilt that he felt over his nonchalance when it came to the girl he supposedly loved and swore to protect. The lingering sense of shame was still plaguing him when he opened an email from Quentin, who sent him a link to a website. Alek almost choked on the tea that he just drank from the cup. Unbelievable.
That new Mai girl he just recently met actually started some sort of blog dedicated to him. What the hell is she thinking doing this?His reaction was a cross between amusement and annoyance at the girl's insane fan girl tendencies - the amusement was mostly derived from what a boost to his ego all this was, while the annoyance was mostly coming from all the security issues that this girl's naiveté could cause him and the Mai. He replied to Quentin giving strict instructions that the site be removed immediately and that someone talk to the girl to get her head on straight. She's going to be in so much trouble when I get back to London, he thought, only to find himself scowling over the idea of having to face her.
Despite his disdain over the whole thing, Alek's thoughts once again drifted to Chloe, remembering the way she looked during their dinner with Meredith and Jasmine. Even though he was the object of their mockery, the memory always made him smile, just because of how adorable the Uniter looked as she mimicked the fan girl, squealing, "We're meant for each other!" A fond smile threatened to appear on Alek's lips, but he quickly straightened up on his seat and fought the urge to lose himself in lovelorn thoughts over Chloe. He soon found that it wasn't so easy, because as he blankly stared into nothingness, all he could think of was, I'm so in love with her.
Catching himself and attempting to divert his thoughts,he terminated his phone's browser and saw another message from Chloe. Just like the rest of her messages, he didn't even read what was on it. He just deleted it, not wanting to hear anything from her that would sway him from taking this time off from being the Uniter's famed Guardian. To silence his nagging conscience, he reasoned to himself that if something was going wrong with her, the Mai would've informed him already. He was tempted to check his voice mail, but was distracted by someone calling his name.
"Alek!" the familiar feminine voice exclaimed.
He looked up and a smile broke into his face at the sight of the lovely raven-haired, emerald-eyed girl striding his way. She was more beautiful than he remembered and the sight of her made his heart ache with all the memories he'd left behind when he left London. He missed her so much, he couldn't even begin to explain it. He stood from his seat and scooped her up in his strong arms. "Since when did you get to look so gorgeous?" he exclaimed as he held her close, reveling in her delighted chuckles, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, breathing in the scent of her perfume.
"Well, someone had to take over your role of beautifying the drabness of this city after you left." She looked up at him with adoration, brushing a finger against his hair as he finally let go of her.
"I missed you so much, Cecil," he found himself admitting.
"I missed you more, Alek." The familiar wide smile broke on her face as he took her by the elbow and pulled out a seat for her.
The moment he took his seat, he grinned at her. "Let me order for you, love. Let me see if I remember what your favorites are." With her around, Alek found it much easier to push away the thoughts he had about a certain blonde Mai he left back in San Francisco. Right then, his eyes were all on Cecil, her striking green eyes, and her beautiful smile.
From a distance away, Brian watched, with disdain, the scene unfolding before him. When he saw the young woman walk up to Alek, he could not believe his eyes. This wasn't what he expected. He used Rezza Capital's private jet just to follow Alek here to London, hoping to find something - anything - against the young man who became the reason behind his losing Chloe. I guess I found it. It made his stomach turn to watch Alek holding another woman in his arms, whispering sweet-nothings into the girl's ears as they eventually stood up from their light-hearted conversation and began walking along the quiet sidewalk. How could he do this to Chloe?
Memories of Chloe walking away from him to chase after Alek still haunted his thoughts and Brian couldn't stomach seeing Alek betray Chloe this way. Brian had been mostly resistant when Simone suggested that he go to London to capture Alek, but now that he was watching Alek spit at Chloe's love for him by flirting with this other girl, Brian was glad that he had done as Simone instructed him. Hands fisted and ready to attack, it didn't take long for him to do what he set out to do. The Selki's greatest strength against the Mai had always been the element of surprise and Alek couldn't have possibly seen it coming. Before he knew it, Brian was behind him, injecting a substance into his neck in order to incapacitate him.
And just like that, Brian disappeared with Alek, leaving Cecil stunned and trembling at what just occurred.Where's Alek? Where's my brother?
Brian, on the other hand, appeared within minutes thousands of miles away, back in San Francisco. He knew that he over-exerted himself with what he just did and he could feel himself weakening. He looked at the unconscious - and rather heavy - lad on his arms and grimaced at the sight of Alek. Now what? His eyes roamed his surroundings and realized where he was. Panicking and about to pass out, he trapped Alek in the one place in that cemetery that was familiar to him.
-oiOio-
As the cab pulled over in front of the large pearl white gates that led to the massive cobblestone driveway of the Victorian mansion, Chloe's mouth dropped open as she peered out the taxi's window and looked with awe at the home where Alek apparently grew up in.
Jasmine noticed the awe in her eyes and began nodding as she fished for bills on her purse to pay the cab driver with. "I know," she smiled. "Whenever I remember the kind of upbringing he had, it amazes me. I think he came out of it pretty well, considering… this."
Chloe looked Jasmine's way for a moment, before motioning to get off the cab. As they stood in front of the mansion, for some reason, she suddenly felt three feet tall in comparison to all this luxury. All of a sudden, it felt like Alek was so much larger than life. The thought of him made her heart stir with both dread and excitement. Please be here, Alek.
Both girls breathed sighs in unison before Jasmine walked toward the intercom system to speak with whomever it was that would let them in.
An old man's voice eventually played through the intercom. "Miss Jasmine, is that you?"
A smile broke into Jasmine's face as she waved at the surveillance camera pointed at them. "I can't believe you still remember me, William. It's been years."
"How could I forget?" the old butler responded. "Is Master Alek with you? I'm sure Miss Cecil will be delighted to see him."
Chloe's face fell at the implication. She leaned on the stone post holding up the white gates for support. He's not here. Alek, where are you?
"No..." Jasmine said, disappointment evident in her voice. "He isn't with me. I thought he was..."
"Oh, where are my manners?" William cut her off, apparently too excited to even hear what she just said. "Please come in."
The white gates swung open and Jasmine and Chloe exchanged worried glances as they walked toward the driveway leading to the mansion. It didn't take long before they were ushered inside and were instructed to wait for Cecil at a rather cozy looking parlor. Jasmine and Chloe had barely even sat on the velvet couch when the lovely brunette whom Chloe surmised was Cecil frantically walked into the room, her green eyes wide with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. "Have you found him?"
Her eyes roamed the room. She didn't bother to hide her disappointment when she didn't who she was looking for.
Chloe and Jasmine exchanged confused glances.
"You mean Alek?" Jasmine verified, taking a step forward.
"Jasmine... I've been going crazy these past hours! You have no idea!" Cecil threw her arms around Jasmine's neck, ready to break into a sob. "Alek and I met up for lunch and we were walking along the street and this guy shows up and sticks a needle on Alek's neck and before I knew it, both him and my brother were gone. You know what to do, right? Please... we have to find my brother."
Jasmine pulled away from Cecil and tried to calm the beautiful young girl down.
Chloe's thoughts began spinning at the information coming her way as she stood a step behind Jasmine, trying to process everything that was going on. She was finding it hard to breathe. One thought consumed her mind: Brian has Alek.
"Chloe, if he takes Alek to the Order…" Jasmine began to say and a huge knot formed on Chloe's stomach at what that implied.
Trembling, Chloe took out her phone and began dialing Brian's number. It took several rings before Brian responded. "Chloe…" he exclaimed with almost a sense of relief.
"Where is he, Brian? What are you doing? Where are you taking Alek?" Chloe asked, ignoring Cecil's questioning and confused stares.
"He's fine, Chloe. He's just unconscious."
"I can't believe you would drug him…" Chloe never felt more panicked than she did at that moment.
"You don't know what kind of guy he is. He was cheating on you."
That silenced her momentarily, her heart breaking at the thought of Alek being with anyone else. She saw Jasmine, who was listening in on the conversation, shake her head unbelievingly. Chloe shifted her gaze to Cecil and it then dawned on her what happened. "The girl he was with this afternoon is his sister, Brian. He's not cheating on me. Where is he? I can't believe you would put him in this sort of danger just because…"
"Danger? We're just holding him for a while," Brian said defensively through the phone. "No one plans to put him in any kind of danger."
"We? Who's we, Brian?"
"Simone…"
Chloe watched Jasmine's face pale upon overhearing the name. "How naïve can this Brian be?" Jasmine softly mumbled, loud enough for only Chloe to hear. "What does he think they're planning to do to Alek?"
"Brian, you have to tell me where Alek is," Chloe asked pleadingly.
At Brian's response, Chloe's knees weakened and she fell back on the couch behind her, because without even knowing it, Brian did one of the worst things he could've possibly done to Alek. He apparently decided to trap Alek inside Evelyn Rezza's tomb.