A/N: I had no other prompt to use that would fit and make sense. Oh well. At least I have this one out of the way.


Prompt 37 : Wind

Adelaide cleaned up the remaining contents and stuck whatever was good in the fridge. No sense in wasting food. She left the dishes in the sink. At first Adelaide considered washing them as well but then realized she wasn't that nice. Instead, she decided to plop down on the couch and watch the rain. It was an attractive thing, but the wind had frightened her as a child. Always banging against glass and making her jump.

Waving her hand, the curtains pulled back to reveal tear-stained windows. Adelaide could see the thick outlines of fellow buildings. Some people were up. She wondered what they were doing. But humans never held her interest for long. She turned on the TV. The sight of the news playing made her groan. Give me old movies any day, she thought.

But Adelaide let the news play, the volume low. Her eyelids drooped as every second lugged by. She shook her head and shut off the TV. No use of that device. Maybe she'd look around. After all, if she was protecting the Prime Merlinian she should be allowed to see his place. Get a couple of insights. She silently snorted to herself. Insights. Yeah right.

His living room was small but comfortable. She liked it. There wasn't a ton of stuff that spoke to her. It was mostly books (the college kind) among other things. Adelaide quietly walked through the hall to check out the bathroom.

She stopped at his bedroom. The door was open and he was in his bed, already asleep. Hmm. She entered and stopped a few inches away from his bed. He was asleep all right, but it was in an awkward way. He was curled up and some tissues littered the blanket. Adelaide grinned but moved on.

"Dave! Open up!"

Balthazar Blake, she noted. Adelaide made her way to the living room, opened the door, and welcomed the sorcerer with wide arms. He looked at her with a neutral gaze.

"Where's Dave?" A glare came along with the comment.

Adelaide wasn't taking that standing up. "He's been moved to a secret hideout," she explained fluidly, her words too even for a lie. "For his own good, of course. But not to worry, my associates are excellent caretakers."

Before the sorcerer could retort, a female voice called out, "Balthazar?" Then there were sounds of footsteps.

"Balthazar, love," Veronica breathed. "Please slow down."

"Sorry."

"Becky's on her way with the trackers," Veronica said. She went inside. "Everyone's taking a break from watching."

When the blonde came up, the first thing out of her mouth was, "Where's Dave?" Her eyes grew considerably when she saw Adelaide.

"Being held prisoner," was her reply. She suddenly felt exhausted, even though she'd been with the Prime for less than three hours.

"Is he now?" The blonde's tone was now normal and controlled. Adelaide resisted the urge to burst into laughter.

"Yes," Adelaide muttered as the trackers appeared.

She disappeared into Dave's room. Still sleeping. How ill was he? Adelaide nudged him. He didn't wake up. She pushed him more harshly now. He did stir but that wasn't much. Adelaide finally went for the rude approach. He was now being shook awake.

His eyes flew open. "Beck—" Dave stopped talking when he saw Adelaide.

"She's here. Get up." Dave hopped out of bed much more cheerfully than a sick person was capable of.

"Hi," Becky said. A smile spread across her face.

"Hey. Did I miss anything while I was out?" He pecked her on the cheek.

She shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Just slept a little," Dave replied. "All right." He faced all the trackers, who were currently seating themselves.

"We have a plan," Balthazar said. "And it might work."

.

.

.

"Are you nervous?"

Dave gave a quick dip of his head. "No." But his words weren't convincing enough.

"Liar," Becky said, a soft smile spreading across her face. "You know, I'm actually looking forward to catching them."

His eyebrows rose. "You think we can?" he inquired.

"Of course," she said softly. But her fingers around the coffee mug tightened. "We have Merlinians on our side. As well as Adelaide. I'm pretty sure she's got some tricks up her sleeve."

"She's going to be a big help; no one but Lilith trusts her," Dave said. He drank from his own cup. It didn't have coffee in it. Just some cocoa. He was heading to bed soon and that didn't require caffeine.

Becky unexpectedly kissed him on the forehead. "Please try and be safe," she said. "I don't care if anything happens to me. I just need you to be okay."

Dave frowned. He hated it when she said that. She should care about her own safety. It was worth more than his. "I'll do my best," he responded weakly. He tried to put on a grin. "I hope Balthazar and Veronica have the spell ready."

"No worries, Dave. And remember to email Derrick—he'll want to know about the Arcana Cabana break-in."

His smile was faint.

.

.

.

Dave was in his pajamas and prepared to go to sleep. He would greet it with open arms, yet he knew he didn't have it in him. He'd surely spend the night turning in bed, thinking about the plan Balthazar had come up with. Wondering what would go right and what would go wrong. If Lilith would get away.

He was surprised to see Adelaide at the door to his room. She was leaning against it, hands clasped together in front of her. Odd. Balthazar had split up the times with everyone; it was her turn to make sure he was protected, along with Ezra. But here she was. Dave cleared his throat as he continued walking. Her eyes didn't travel to him, despite his loud footsteps.

"What are you doing here?" The words came out all wrong. They sounded hostile and sharp.

Adelaide didn't spare him a glance. "I'm standing about. Is that all right with you?" Now that was something. Her tone was even more angrier than his.

This brought own a wave of fury. "No, it isn't," he snapped. "This is my apartment and you're supposed to be outside, not in. The least you could do is look at me."

Her head turned ever so slowly. The action was incredibly sluggish. Dave was annoyed but he felt awkward as well. He always did. He couldn't help it.

"You're not allowed in here," he mumbled, staring down. He suddenly didn't want Adelaide to look at him. "Outside. With Ezra. That's where you're allowed."

"I know. I'll leave in a few seconds." Adelaide loosened her hands and slipped one into her pocket. She brought an object out while Dave watched with curiosity.

"Hold on," Dave said before she could show him the thing. "You were here, near my room? While I was in the bathroom?"

"Ezra thought I was crazy," Adelaide said. A smirk laced her lips. It was gone. "But he didn't make much of a fuss when I went in."

"What are you giving me?"

She presented a black box to him. Dave blinked. What was it? His hand reached out to accept it, but then he paused.

"Hey. This isn't rigged with a deadly gas or something, right?"

"If it was I don't believe I'd tell you." She opened the cover of the box. "It's a cell phone. I owe you one after…"

"…smashing mine," he finished. "Yeah. Thanks." He took the cell phone out of the box and studied it for a little while. He wasn't sure about the brand. Dave wasn't an expert on cell phones.

"It's that EVO kind," Adelaide explained. She slowly being walking down the hall.

"Wait!" She stopped. "Are you really giving this to me? Or did you steal it from an innocent civilian?"

"Nope. It was acquired legally."

"So you paid for a replacement?" Dave questioned skeptically.

"Not even close. I gave you mine. Goodnight, Dave."