Going Home
by LZClotho
οΎ© 1999
Chapter 49
Melinda's nose twitched from the fumes of the train engine. The last train of the day was already grinding its wheels, the tracks humming from the vibrations as it left the station. The roar of the wheels echoed in the cavernous building as she and Janice hurried across the platform.
The conductor was just lifting himself to the last step when he turned and spotted the blonde and brunette moving quickly, waving their hastily purchased tickets. "Come on then," he gestured.
They came within a few feet of the moving train and in tandem despite their size difference, took a last leap for the stepladder on the back of the train. Two pairs of hands wrapped around the guide rails and the brunette snatched for a bouquet of flowers that fell away. The blonde grabbed her Flailing hand instead and hauled them both to safety on the tiny rear porch. Panting lightly they handed over their tickets.
He read, "Collier County?" Drawing his clipper he marked the two tickets and handed them back. "Sleeper car's two up. Follow me." He secured the chain link over the small opening and then led the way into the train.
Melinda started forward with Janice but then paused, groaned and grabbed her knee, preventing it from buckling. Janice wrapped her hand around her upper arm and waited for her to look up. "What happened?"
"Twisted my ankle I think," she admitted wryly. "Okay, hang on to me." She shook her head as they moved along more slowly together. "Guess something had to go wrong, huh?"
The dining car was empty as they quickly moved through. Melinda took a deep breath as she put her foot down gingerly. "Hopefully it's over," she sighed.
The conductor, already at the break between the next car, caught their attention. "Here's a cabin for you, ladies." The tinkle of keys preceded the door's dull click as the lock was released. He swung the narrow door inward when they approached. "You'll hear the call for the Collier station around eight."
"Thanks." Janice tipped him and then helped Mel inside. Letting the brunette go, she turned and closed the door. When she turned back she found Mel had lowered onto the narrow bench along one side. "Let me see that ankle," she suggested even as the linguist bent over working off the buckle of her heeled shoes. Pushing her own hands past Melinda's she finished the task and then prodded her arch and ankle. Melinda sharply drew her breath. "Swelling already," she confirmed.
Mel pulled her foot from Janice's grasp and slid back. "Thanks. Just get me a cold cloth, I'll be fine in a few minutes."
Janice eyed the injury dubiously but did as asked, standing and pulling down the bed before she ran cold water over a wash cloth and passed it over. Mel took it in silence, wrapping it around her ankle.
Watching the brunette in pain, Janice castigated herself for having made them late. She pulled off her leather jacket and set it over a hook next to the door. She bent forward and kissed Mel's cheek in a silent gesture of apology. "You want the bed?"
Reaching over, Mel held Janice's head close as she returned the kiss. "I know you had other ideas tonight," she said quietly.
"Oh. Hey, well... We'll have a chance for some private time once we get to Beaufort Oaks, right?" Reminded of her desire for the brunette, Janice felt her body senses heighten. Melinda's scent surrounded her. She felt a sensation not unlike an itch that needed scratching but was out of reach. She brushed her hand over Melinda's forehead and lingered, tracing the brunette's face. "Go to sleep."
"I'm not really tired," Mel replied, stroking her hand over Janice's cheek. She moved to the side and gestured. "Join me?"
Shaking her head, Janice pressed her lips into the palm. "Mel," she breathed. "I can't."
"Jan," came the reply. "It's just a sprained ankle."
The blonde felt her resolve failing. She looked into blue eyes warm with love. "It's not a good time." She rubbed Mel's thigh tenderly. "I feel a little guilty about all this."
"Why? I landed wrong."
"If I hadn't stopped to get you the flowers, we wouldn't have been late."
"I liked the flowers."
"Still," Janice argued softly.
"Janice." The brunette's voice suggested disappointment.
"Yes?" the blonde answered warily.
"Please don't blame yourself any more."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Green eyes searched blue wondering how in such a short time Mel could understand her so well.
The brunette shrugged. "I don't. But I know how I feel."
"How's that?"
"That I love you. You don't deserve blame for anything."
"You're pretty forgiving."
"An affliction I enjoy suffering, I'm sure."
Janice chuckled as she settled on the seat next to Melinda. The other woman's larger hand wrapped around hers and squeezed firmly. "Thanks."
"I had a good time, Janice. Please believe that."
"Did you?"
"Yes, I did. Thugs, spies, double-crosses and all." Janice laughed. "But it wouldn't have been anything without you."
Janice swallowed. "All right. Now you get some sleep. In the morning you have to introduce me to your family."
"Oh. Right." Melinda laid back on the small bunk, rolling onto her side in order to fit in the small space. "Almost forgot." She harrumphed and closed her eyes. "I wish," she mumbled.
Janice chuckled and patted the brunette's shoulder. Watching her breathing even out, the blonde waited until Mel was asleep before moving away and leaving the small cabin.
She was almost to the door leading to the next car when it crashed inward and two men rushed headlong into the narrow corridor.
The lead man, in a dark suit and tie fell over her in his haste. She recognized the American pilot Martins as he rolled and finally stumbled back to his feet.
"Hey!" she caught his attention for a split moment.
The second man she recognized as the blond from the plane. He charged them, crashing into both and tumbling them to the floor of the car in a heap.
She grabbed Martins's leg and the blond man's arm. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded. A gun waved in her face and she stopped thinking. Striking out with a powerful fist she nailed the blond in the chin.
His head snapped back and she grabbed the gun at the same time. Kicking herself free, she was off-balance when Martins's hands joined the struggle. For a terrifying split second she lost track of the weapon's orientation.
Crack! The explosive force of the weapon's discharge threw her free of the kicking and punching men. They all became very still for a long breathless moment.
Then Janice gasped as Martins flung himself onto his back, holding the barrel of the gun in his hand. The blond fell back against a cabin door with a loud thud.
Dazed, they all looked up as several doors along the corridor opened. A young man in red print pajama bottoms was closest.
The blond man on the floor leaped to his feet and stumbled off, pushing past several gawkers. Janice grabbed for him but missed, instead finding Martins collapsing. "Stop him!" Martins yelled. She and the other passenger caught him before he could fall completely over and lowered him more gently. "Damn!" he cursed. His labored breathing swallowed up the word as he finished. "Warn you," he muttered.
Janice then found the reason why Martins was so weak. Blood spread across his lower chest and its sticky warmth coated her hands quickly. His hands slid over hers, bringing her gaze up to his face.
"Take this," he breathed, pushing the gun into her hands. "You'll need it."
"Hey, lady. What's going on? Do you know this man?"
"Sort of," she answered, distracted, studying the gun in her palm and the pale drawn face of Martins on the floor. She demanded, "How'd he find us?"
"Bank," he answered. "I tried to stop him." He made a motion with his shoulders vaguely like a shrug and finished. "Trailed him to the train station."
"But he didn't know we were on it. It was a last minute decision."
"Was going to beat you-home," Martins breathed his last word-and his last breath, dying in Janice's grip.
"Oh my god." Janice looked toward the voice to see Melinda sagging against the window as she took in the sight of the dead man and obviously his words.
Janice only wondered if there were any more on board. She turned the weapon in her hand in a useful grip and looked around, getting to her feet. "I'm going to get the conductor," she announced. "Come on, Mel." She grabbed the woman's hand and reached into their cabin for her coat before running in the same direction the blond man had disappeared.
Chapter 50
"Where do you think he went?"
Even though Melinda had posed her question in a low whisper, Janice made a quick shushing motion with her hand.
They were peering into the window of the next sleeping car. The shadows were deep and the scene quiet. If he was in there, he had gone into one of the cabins.. possibly an occupied one. That thought: of others being endangered, prodded Melinda into action.
"Come on, Janice," she urged, reaching for the door-pull.
"What do you think-?"
"Janice, he's in there. Someone's going to get hurt if we don't get him out. Now, let's go." Blue eyes glittered with determination.
The blonde nodded in agreement. "All right. I'm first." She reached past Mel and grabbed the door handle herself, pushing inward slowly. Their steps were the only sound as they entered.
Melinda kept her palm on Janice's waist as she moved along with her eyes on the space where the cabin doors met the floor. Dark. Dark. Dark.She stopped. A dull light showed under the next door. She wrapped her fist into the fabric of Janice's dress, bringing the blonde to a quick, silent halt.
Meeting the woman's eyes Melinda jerked her gaze down toward the suspect cabin door. Janice glanced down. Swiftly she brought the gun up, gesturing for Melinda to get back.
Something moved on the other side of the door. Janice moved the handle and then kicked the door panel inward. It slammed and bounced off the inside wall and she leaped forward, gun leading.
The light from an electric lamp spilled through the room, illuminating a wide-eyed couple on the fold-out bed.
The man pushed an anxious hand through golden hair as he pulled the covers to the woman's shoulders. "What is this?" he demanded.
Janice felt her cheeks heat, and lowered the gun. Backing up she offered a curt, "Sorry," just before Melinda pulled the door shut. She glanced up at Mel to exchange a thought when they heard another door click.
Jumping around, Mel led the way and they resumed pursuit, following the sounds into the next car. She let Janice through the door first and for a moment they stood in the space between the cars. The rattle of the train wheels on the track drowned out the possibility of any conversation. Gesturing, Janice reached for the door handle.
She felt the shower of glass on her hand before she finished opening the door. A sharp pain traveled over her side from hip to mid-chest. Falling forward into the corridor, she relied on instinct to sight back along the bullet's path and fired her gun. "Mel!" she screamed for the brunette she could see falling in after her. Had she been hit as well?
Now in the quieter space of the car, they both clearly heard a shot ricochet over their heads. Janice followed the sound back and aimed before squeezing off another round.
A groan reached her and praying she had made the right judgement, she clambered to her feet. Weapon level, she moved down the corridor, feeling Melinda breathing on her left shoulder. "All right. Whoever you are, stand up. Now." She could just make out the shape of a man bent double in the shadows. She pointed the gun at it. "Don't do anything suddenly." She cocked the gun loudly. "Or you'll suddenly be doing nothing.
A pair of dark blue eyes came out of the darkness as he swiveled his head toward her.
A crackling announcement broke through the broadcast system. "Next stop, District of Columbia, North terminal. D.C. North next stop."
The train lurched as the engines were slowed and reversed. Janice went off-balance. He grabbed for the gun but she held onto it as Mel tumbled over them both. The thought that the brunette had not been that close behind her made her look up to check on Melinda.
The brunette's feet landed squarely in the blond man's chest. Janice fell back as the gun came free. She blinked and opened her eyes to see Melinda in silhouette pull back a fist and slam it into the man's face.
But he was physically stronger than the tall brunette and in quick succession, though Janice tried to grab his feet, he had thrown Mel off, flipped the brunette on her back and reared back to punch her in the face. A string of epithets fell from his lips.
The force of the shot Janice fired threw him back into the wall. Howling in pain, he leapt over Mel's prone body and grabbed for the door.
Falling through the opening as she reached it, the blond man tumbled onto the step between cars. Janice held the door against the rush of air, witnessing his tumble from the tracks leading up to the D.C. station platform.
Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back inside the train car. She rolled over Mel's body and sprawled against the wall.
"Janice?"
The blonde looked up from her crouch as she tried to catch her breath. She watched Mel waver and asked with concern. "Mel? Are you all right?" Trying to take a deep breath she felt a searing pain in her right side.
Mel's arms were around her as she collapsed; her brain finally overloaded in acknowledging the pain. Darkness fell to two points of concerned blue. "It's all right," came the softest assurance she had ever heard.
The sunrise appeared by the time Melinda felt assured enough by her first aid measures to step back from tending Janice. She had hauled the smaller woman into her arms and staggered back under what energy she was surprised to find. Melinda realized Janice's right side had been badly scored by the bullet only once she had removed the blonde's coat and dress. But thanks to the chakram pieces-Mel could see the scoring as the bullet skittered along the metal instead of digging into Janice's hip-the injury was considerably less severe than it could have been. She had just lost a lot of blood in the excitement.
Mel had just settled back, resting her head on her upraised knees and crossed arms when she heard the call for Collier station.
Time flies when you're having fun, she thought and sighed. She leaned over and jostled Janice's bare shoulder half hidden beneath the sheet.
Green eyes opened then a cautious hand cupped a no doubt throbbing temple. "Hi," Melinda offered when Janice looked toward her.
"Where are we?" Janice's gaze moved over the room.
"Just pulling into Collier station."
Janice got a good look at Mel in that moment. She checked a bloodstain. "Oh good, that's mine, not yours."
Mel looked down. "I didn't have anything else to wipe my hands."
"Well, let's get moving. Train won't stop forever." Janice groaned as she pushed up and slid, with Mel's help, from the bed.
"Neither will Mother," Melinda added.
"She's the one you called to pick us up?" Janice stiffly donned her dress again.
"She was the only one who answered the phone and I didn't have much time. So I just told her when we should be arriving and where we were at the time." Mel tucked an arm around Janice and guided the blonde down the corridor and off the train.
The platform was busy when they stepped down, but Janice still hoped to spot Mrs. Pappas before they were noticed. She was not lucky enough.
"Melinda Chelle Pappas, it's about time you showed up. Not a word for a month and then out of the blue! I raised you with better manners than that."
Turning around, Melinda guided Janice with a soft touch.
"And what in the good Lord's name happened to your clothes? Where did you find that horrid dress?"
Melinda sighed. She wasn't up for this right now. Not with Janice weakening in her grip every minute. But she waited, holding the blonde more firmly with each passing second.
Janice happened to think the dress, dirty or not, was quite attractive on Mel. "Sorry for the short notice, Mrs. Pappas, but getting back to the States proved a little troublesome."
Curled brown locks swished away from the face of a woman in her mid-fifties. Gray-blue eyes left her daughter to focus on her. "Who are you?" The question was simple but Janice sensed judgment in the tone.
"Covington," Janice replied, not extending her hand since Melinda had her arms firmly gripped about mid-bicep. "Your daughter came out to my dig in Macedonia."
If it was possible for a look to be physical like a smack to the jaw, then Mrs. Pappas used such an expression. Janice frowned as the woman looked back to her daughter. "Still chasing dreams, I see..." She shrugged, schooled her expression and turned her back. "Well then... let's get you back to the house and... into something more... clean."
Mel put a hand on Janice's shoulder and called her mother's attention back. "Mother, this is Janice and she'll be staying with us a while. I would appreciate a hot bath before I get dressed down in front of her."
Janice caught shock on Mel's mother's face just before the woman's chin dropped, the sharp look vanished and she asked more gently, "Do you have any bags?"
Mel answered, "No."
"All right. Let's go home then," Mrs. Pappas turned to Janice as she spoke. "I'll have a guest room prepared as soon as we get back."
"Thank you," Janice replied.
Blue and green eyes met then shied away from one another. Three women moved quietly toward the station doors. Once outside, Melinda, holding Janice up gingerly, leaned close and whispered, "Home at last."
"I can't wait to see it."
The morning sunlight caught them both in its glow as they walked to a well-apportioned Chevrolet sedan parked at the curb. The dark-skinned driver in cap and gloves held the rear door for them.
THE END
Well, they made it home in (mostly) one piece. Thank you for going home with Melinda, Janice... and me. Melinda and Janice's story continues in Home Front.