"Katya?" he murmured.
Her heart jumped into her throat. "Yes, Alexei. I'm here. Wake up and talk to me. Please, wake up and talk to Katya."
He didn't respond, but she knew he was listening, that he could hear her. She sang until her throat was sore, waiting for him to say something, anything, once again. After an hour, she was on the verge of giving up. She put her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. "Come on, Alexei, I know you're in there somewhere," she sighed.
"That's a girl's song, you know," he whispered.
She smiled so wide she thought her face might split, but she didn't move from the pillow right away. "Too bad, it's the only Russian I know. You're lucky I remember that! Why can't you sleep talk in English like the rest of us," she teased, rising up on her elbow to look at him. His eyes were still closed, but he was grinning sleepily. A stray strand of hair fell across his forehead.
"Katya? You told me your name was Katie."
"My grandmother called me Katya. It seemed like the right name to use." She reached over and brushed the hair out of his face. "How about opening your eyes and looking at me so I know you're really in there?" she asked.
It wasn't easy, but he managed to open his eyes. "Is this better?"
"Much," she smiled. "I've been waiting to see those beautiful green eyes again. Feel up to answering a few questions? They're easy ones, I promise."
"Sure, what do you want to know, Katya."
"Everything, but I'll settle for the answers to Matthew's medical questions, for now. Can you focus?"
He nodded.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three."
"Very good. You've been studying."
He chuckled. "I've always been good at pop quizzes."
"Any dizziness, nausea?"
"No and no. How am I doing so far?"
"I think you're going to be just fine. I never doubted it, but Matthew wasn't so sure."
"Matthew? Your doctor friend, right?"
"Right. You really were paying attention."
"Always. My mother used to say 'God is in the details'."
The elevator door opened and they could hear the sound of plastic bags rustling. Katie jumped up and rushed toward the door.
Alex made a pained sound as the bed bounced and pressed his hand to his ribcage. "Oh no. I'm sorry, Alex, I wasn't thinking. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm OK. You just caught me by surprise."
"OK. I'll be right back. There's someone else who's been waiting to meet you. Don't go anywhere."
He snickered and closed his eyes.
She ran out of the room, almost crashing into Tyler.
"Careful, hot soup," he said, swinging the parcel out of harm's way. "I take it Sleeping Beauty's awake?"
"Yes, he just woke up a little while ago. Come on, you have to meet him."
"Hang on, let me put lunch in the kitchen and get the bags out of the elevator. I'll be right there."
She ran over to the elevator, grabbed the bags and slid them across the floor. Then she closed the door. "OK, they're off the elevator. We'll pick them up later. Come on, Tyler."
She took his hand and dragged him into the bedroom. Alex had his eyes closed, but he smiled when he heard them enter.
"Alex, this is Tyler. Tyler, Alex."
Alex opened his eyes. "Hi."
"Hi, yourself. You've had us all worried, it's about time you woke up." Tyler turned to Katie. "Has he tried sitting up yet? We really should get him up and about, get his lungs expanding."
"Another doctor, Katie?" Alex asked.
Tyler laughed. "Oh no, darling. I'm not a doctor, I just play with one at home."
Katie giggled at Alex's confusion. Tyler's was an old joke, but it cracked her up every time. "Matthew and Tyler are married, Alex. You'll have to excuse him, Ty uses that line whenever he can get away with it."
Alex snickered, then whimpered in pain. "Oh, don't make me laugh, it hurts."
"Sorry, we'll try to tone down the jocularity," Tyler replied. "But, we still have to get you up for a bit. If you think laughing hurts, wait'll you try sitting up."
Alex groaned. "Do I have to?"
"'Fraid so. Doctor's orders," Katie said. "Besides, you have chicken noodle soup waiting for you, fresh from the deli. Don't think you want to attempt that lying down. Gee, I didn't even ask. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, actually. I am." He tried to push himself up, but the pain in his side was too much for him to deal with. "Guys, I don't think I can do this," he gasped.
Katie sat down beside him. "Just relax for minute. When it stops hurting, let us help you up." She stroked his cheek gently. "You don't have to do this all by yourself."
Tyler watched for second, then sensing a private moment, he made an excuse to leave the room. "Tell you what. Why don't I go gather up those bags you tossed all over the place and put them on the couch? Call me when you're ready for some help."
"Thanks, Ty," Katie said.
He nodded and left the room.
"You all right?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied. "I just need a couple more minutes."
"I know it hurts, but once you get up, you'll start to feel a lot better. Getting up's the hardest part." She paused and considered her words. "Well, getting up and laying back down again. It's the in-between motions that are the worst."
"The voice of experience?" he inquired.
She grinned and looked down at her feet. "Let's just say I've had my share of broken bones."
"Oh really? A woman of mystery," he joked. "Do tell."
"I'll tell you anything you want to know," she said, poking him in the arm. "As soon as you get up out of this bed."
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"You could be biting off more than you can chew, Katya," he leered.
"I'll take my chances, Alexei," she leered back. "Now, since you've obviously caught your breath, I'm going to get Tyler back in here to help get you up."
"No," he said, quickly. "Don't call him."
"Why not?"
"We can do it by ourselves, just like last time."
She stared at him, knowing there was more to the story. "And..."
He sighed and turned his head away from her. "And, I'm not used to having people see me in pain, OK? Bad enough I have a beautiful woman watching me fuss like a baby..."
Katie blushed. 'Beautiful?' she wondered. She put her hand on his cheek and turned him back toward her. "I'm going to slide your legs over to the edge of the bed. When you feel them touch the floor, we'll lift you up." He nodded. She moved his legs over the side and helped ease his knees off the side of the bed. He made hurting noises, but she ignored them. When his feet were touching the floor, she looked back at him. "Do you want to try it by yourself first, or do you want me to help you?"
"Help."
"I think I've figured out a better way to do this. Put your arm around my shoulders. I'll put my arms under yours and pull you up. You'll have to help a little, but I think this will work. Just don't pull back, even if it hurts, or I might end up crashing down on top of you."
Alex snickered at her last comment. She chuckled, too, when she realized what was implied in that statement.
"I'll bet you're Hell-on-wheels when you're well, Alexei," she said, as she put one hand on either side of his body.
"You have no idea, Katya," he said, turning serious. "Why are you doing this for me? What's in it for you?"
She didn't move, just looked down at him. "Do you believe in Fate, Alex?"
"Sure. Why do you ask?"
"Ask me later. Right now, we've got to get you up before Tyler decides we've forgotten about him and comes looking for us.
Ready?"
Alex took as deep a breath as his aching ribs would allow and closed his eyes. "Yeah."
Katie slid her arms under him and waited until she felt his arm go around her neck. "Here we go."
She pulled gently, but firmly. He tensed his arm around her neck, almost choking her, but she kept going, until he was completely upright. His arm relaxed its grip and his head dropped to her shoulder. She held on to him. "All right, that was the worst part," she whispered, soothingly. "When you're ready, we'll stand up all the way." Alex nodded against her shoulder.
"Just give me a second."
"No problem."
Tyler appeared in the doorway. Katie held up one finger behind Alex's back, signaling him to wait.
"I think Tyler's getting impatient, Alex.
We'd better get moving."
"Let's do it."
"On three. One...two...three." They moved together, bringing him to his feet. His knee throbbed, but it was able to support his weight. With Katie acting as his crutch, Alex was able to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen table, where Tyler had lunch waiting for all of them. It hurt to lower himself down to the seat, but standing up wasn't comfortable either, so it didn't matter much. What was really starting to bother him, was his missing prosthesis. Not that he was fond of the thing, but not having it on threw his balance off slightly. He surveyed the loft from his chair, but didn't see it. Assuming it had been taken by the jerks who'd beaten him, he resigned himself to being without it.
Katie noticed him looking around, then glancing at his left shoulder. 'Stupid!' she thought. She got up from the table and walked over to the laundry area, where she'd left his arm hanging from a clothes rack, so the shoulder harness could dry. Picking it up, she carried it to the table. "Is this what you're looking for?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I put it over there to let it dry and just forgot about it."
Alex was relieved to see the arm in her hand. "I thought I'd lost it this time. It's not much, but it's better than this," he said, poking his chin toward his missing limb.
"Do you want it on now," she asked. "Or can it wait until after you eat?"
Not wanting to get up and deal with it right now, Alex said, "It can wait."
Tyler and Katie carried on an animated conversation about Tyler's shopping excursion, while Alex worked on his soup.
"So anyway, Alex, I hope you like what I picked up for you. If there's anything else you need, just let me know," Tyler offered.
"Oh, I'm sure whatever you brought me will be fine," Alex said. He hadn't been listening to most of conversation, but he did get that he was the reason for the shopping trip and that most of the bags contained items for his use.
When he finished his lunch, Alex sat back and watched Katie and Tyler, trying to figure out who these people were and why they were bothering to help him. He couldn't believe that either of them was working for the Consortium, or what was left of it, anyway, and they certainly weren't FBI or Company material. Besides, after all these years, he could virtually smell a G-man in his midst; they always had a certain government-issued bouquet about them. These two were something he hadn't seen in years, something he'd almost forgotten existed, Good Samaritans.
"Are you OK, Alex?" Katie asked, looking concerned.
"Hmmm? Oh, I'm fine," he answered, trying to bring himself back to the present. "I was daydreaming, sorry."
"You know what," Tyler said, getting up from the table. "I think I'm going to get out of here and let you both get some rest. You look like you could use a little quiet, Alex and Katie's been fighting to keep her eyes open for about the last fifteen minutes."
Katie smiled and shook her head. "I thought I was doing such a good job of hiding it, too."
"You thought wrong," he said, as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. Tyler gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink. "OK, I'm going now. Matthew will be stopping by on his way home from the hospital." He walked over to the couch and picked up one of the bags." Alex, it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other. And you," he said, pointing to Katie. "Get some rest."
"I will, Ty. Thanks again for everything."
With a wink and wave, Tyler got on the elevator and closed the door.
"He's right, you look exhausted," Alex observed. "Guess that's my fault. Why don't you go take a nap." He yawned. "Maybe I'll do the same."
Katie got up from her chair and stood by him. "I agree." She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you in back in bed, then I'll catch a little shut-eye, myself."
Alex pushed himself out of the chair slowly, wincing as he rose. His knee buckled slightly he took his first step, but Katie was there to catch him. She put her arm around his waist and helped support him as they made their way back to the bedroom. Once there, she started to steer him over to the bed, but he stopped her.
"Would you mind if I tried sleeping in your chair instead? I don't think I'm ready to face getting in and out of that bed."
She thought about it briefly, then guided him to the recliner. He lowered himself to the seat and gingerly settled in. He raised the footrest and eased the chair back. Every breath brought a new wave of discomfort, but it was much better than trying to lie down completely. While he tried to find a comfortable position, Katie grabbed the blanket from the floor and put it over him.
"How's that?" she asked.
"Better."
"OK, if you're set for a while, I'm going to go crawl into bed and get some sleep. If you need anything, just holler. Do not, I repeat, do not get up and try to get around by yourself."
"I promise. You know, if you slept in here, I wouldn't have to holler," he suggested. " I have a feeling that if you leave, you'll be too busy listening out for me, to get any sleep yourself."
Katie lowered her head, trying to hide her smile. He was right and there was no sense denying it. She sighed and got into bed. As she pulled the blanket up around her and snuggled in against his pillow, she heard him say, "sleep well, Katya."
"You too, Alexei."
Alex didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but shortly after Katie drifted off, his eyes closed, as well.
Matthew showed up, medical bag in hand, just after 6. Tyler had left word for him that Alex was awake and that they'd managed to get some soup into him. Matthew was anxious to meet the mystery man for himself.
He entered the bedroom and switched on the lamp by the bed. It surprised him to find Katie in the bed, while Alex slept in the recliner. He supposed that this was an improvement over the last time he'd found them, but it still made him uncomfortable. He put his bag on the nightstand, walked over to the bed and drew the blanket up around Katie's shoulders.
"You must be Matthew," a voice from behind him said.
Matthew turned around to face the voice. "Yeah, Matthew Curry and you are?"
"Alex Krycek. I hear I have you to thank for sewing me up and getting me in out of the rain."
"Save it for Katie, she's the one responsible for all this. I'm just here to cater to her insanity," Matthew stated, with a frown. "She seems to think you're something special; that's the only reason I agreed to this."
"I get the impression that you don't like me very much, Matthew."
Matthew opened his bag and pulled out his stethoscope, before walking over to Alex. "I don't know even know you, Mr. Krycek, so
I have no opinion in that regard. I'm keeping an open mind, for Katie's sake." He put the stethoscope to Alex's chest. "Breathe in as deeply as you can, but don't hurt yourself." Alex complied. Matthew moved the instrument around Alex's chest and back, listening for any sign of congestion, but found none. He took the stethoscope out of his ears and let hang around his neck. "Everything sounds fine. How's the knee feeling?"
"It's pretty sore and it tends to buckle under me when I try to go too far, but I've had worse," Alex answered. "It'll be fine in a day or two."
"I'd say more like a week, myself." Matthew crossed his arms against his chest and gave Alex the once over. "So, who are you, Alex Krycek? Why is it that we found you beaten, in an alley, with a gun by your side?"
Alex hesitated before answering. "A couple of locals in the bar watched me shoot pool for a while, then invited me to join them in a 'friendly' game of 9-Ball; I took their money, they beat me up. End of story. The gun, or what's left of it, is mine. I dropped it in the scuffle and it went off. Good thing, too. I think that's what made them run away. The next real thing I remember, is waking up here." He shrugged his shoulders and gave Matthew a little smile.
"Uh huh," Matthew responded. "OK, I guess I can buy that. Where are you from? Why are you here?"
Alex shifted in the chair. He didn't like being the subject of interrogation. "I'm from Virginia. Why am I here? Well, I didn't intend to be here. I'm between jobs at the moment, so I decided to get in my car and see where the road took me. Here was just a stop on the way to an elusive where."
Matthew rubbed his eye and sighed. "So basically, you're an unemployed drifter. Great!"
"Stop it, Kid. You've got no right to badger him," Katie hissed. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring at him.
He turned to look at her. "Damn it, Hanna! Someone's got to look out for you. I'm just trying to protect you."
"We've been through this already. I can take care of myself."
'Hanna? This woman has more aliases than I do,' Alex thought. ' Kid? What the Hell is that about?' He listened while Katie and Matthew argued over worrying rights. In spite of Matthew's apparent rude behavior, Alex found himself liking the man. He realized that the rudeness was a result of a deep kinship and would have been directed against anyone that Matthew perceived as a threat against Katie, so he didn't take it personally. Must be nice to have someone care about you that much.
"Katie," Alex called. "Back off. This isn't worth fighting over. I'm not worth fighting over."
Katie came to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. "This isn't just about you, Alex; it's a continuation of a very old discussion."
"Yes it is," Matthew replied. "I'm not going to fight with you, Hanna. If this is what you want, I'll shut up, but you can't expect me to stop worrying about you." He turned his attention to Alex. "I'm guessing that you're in a lot of pain from those ribs. Are you allergic to any medications?"
Alex shook his head.
"All right." Matthew reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. "I was hoping you'd say that. I brought you some Tylenol 3; try this and see if it helps. There are stronger meds I can prescribe, but I'd rather not put you any of those, if we can avoid it. Also, I'd like you to soak that knee. Katie's got a great whirlpool in the bathroom; you should take advantage of it, while you're here. It'll hurt like Hell getting in and out of thing, but you'll feel great while you're in there." He turned to Katie. "You'll have to help him in and out. Can you do that?"
Katie nodded.
Matthew looked from Katie to Alex. "All right, I'm going home. Call me if you need anything." He picked up his bag and made a quick exit from the bedroom.
"You're not going to let him go like that, are you?" Alex asked. "He's pretty upset, Katya. You should say something. Don't let him go home angry."
"You're right. He's just trying to save me from myself," she said, as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Be right back."
He touched his the spot on his forehead where she had just kissed him. From anyone else, he would have thought it condescending, from her, it felt...nice. He smiled and wondered if this was the first time she'd kissed him.
Katie returned a short time later. "OK, I made nice with Matthew. Happy now?"
"Very." He pushed the leg rest down and moved the blanket aside. "I need a shower," he announced. "I'm offending myself; I don't know how you can stand to be around me."
Katie chuckled and helped him up from the chair. "I wasn't going to say anything, but since you brought it up..." she teased. "Come on, let's get you into the bathroom. We should look through Tyler's purchases first, to find you something to change into when you're done."
They made their way slowly to the couch, where Tyler had left the bags. Alex noticed his wallet and its contents lying on the table. He touched the picture lovingly.
"Sorry about that," Katie said. "I wasn't being nosy, it's just that your wallet was drenched and I wanted to get everything out to dry. That's all I found inside. Is anything missing?"
"No," he said, quietly. "This is all I had with me."
"Is that your mother?"
He nodded. "Yeah, it's one of the few pictures I have left. I was five when this was taken." He picked up the wallet and felt inside. It felt dry, so he put the money, papers and picture back inside. Realizing that he had no pockets, he tossed it back on the table. It wasn't going anywhere. "So, what's in all these bags?"
Katie grabbed one and opened it. "Let's find out." In the first one, she found a package of underwear, socks, pajama bottoms and matching long sleeved, tee shirts.
Alex picked up the green tee shirt. "Interesting color choice."
"That must be for my benefit," Katie explained. "I told him your eyes were green; my favorite color, by the way."
Alex picked up the matching pajama bottoms and threw both items over his shoulder. "I've always been a basic black and blue kind of guy, maybe it's time I added a little color to my wardrobe."
She laughed. "You may not have much of a choice. Let's see what else Tyler has in store for you."
A thorough search of the bags netted them two pairs of jeans, one black, one blue, three flannel shirts, one black, one green, and one burgundy, a pair of slippers, a bathing suit and assorted toiletry items.
"Let me guess," Alex said, holding up the burgundy shirt. "Your second favorite color?"
Katie snickered. "No, Tyler's. Matthew refuses to wear anything burgundy." She held it up to him. "I like it, the color suits you."
"You think so?"
"Yes I do."
Alex ran his fingers over the shirt. "Well then, it looks like I'm adding two new colors today." He let go of the shirt. "You didn't have to do this."
"I know, I wanted to. You didn't exactly come equipped with clothing," she teased.
"Hey, I have clothes. Assuming my room still belongs to me," he said. "I wasn't expecting to be assaulted, left in an alley, then carried home by a beautiful lady."
'There's that word again,' she thought. "Well, you know what they say, Alex," Katie said.
"No. What do 'they' say, Katie?"
"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition," she replied, with a giggle.
Alex laughed and immediately regretted it. "Oh no, not a Python. I'm never going to heal."
"I promise to keep my well-worn copy of Holy Grail hidden away, until you feel better," she said. "Come on, let's get you in the shower." She stood beside him as they walked to the bathroom, waiting to offer a hand, if he needed it. Once there, she put a towel on the rack for him. "One of the many interesting features of this bathroom, is that it's fully equipped for every eventuality." She reached into the closet and pulled out a shower stool. Alex raised his eyebrows at her. "Don't look at me like that. I had mono one year and couldn't stand long enough to enjoy the shower. Matthew bought it for me." She put it in the shower and checked to be sure it wouldn't slip. "OK, you should be set. I'm going to go start some dinner. Yell if you need anything."
"There is one thing I would like."
"What?"
"Would you bring me my arm?"
She snickered as her favorite Monty Python line went through her head; 'we want a shrubbery.' "Sure, I'll be right back." She returned moments later and put the arm down on the vanity. "Anything else?"
"A shrubbery?"
Katie's eyes widened at the comment. He looked so smug standing there, waiting for her reaction. It took all of her self-restraint not to laugh or accuse him of being psychic. Instead, she settled for crossing her arms and smiling. "What do you say?"
He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, Alex. If you're going to fulfill your destiny as a knight, you have to ask properly," she teased. "I'm not bringing you the shrubbery until you do."
He grinned and covered his face with his hand. "I couldn't keep my mouth shut, could I?" Dropping his hand, he looked at Katie. She was watching him, expectantly, tapping her feet. He shook his and chuckled. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought. "We are the Knights who say 'Ni!'"
She looked at him in mock horror. "Not the Knights who say 'Ni'?"
"The same."
That broke her reserve and she let the giggles fly. Katie left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stayed just outside of the room, waiting until the water came on, before going into the kitchen to see what Tyler had bought in the way of dinner food. Opening the refrigerator, she found two chicken breasts marinating in some kind of sauce. Attached to the bowl was a note from Tyler with cooking instructions and side dish suggestions. "Thank you, Tyler," she said aloud.
She started dinner, according to his instructions, making occasional trips to the bathroom door to listen in on Alex. Thirty minutes later, the water went off and she heard him get out of the shower. She leaned against the door, listening to him moving around inside. After a few minutes, it got quiet; too quiet. She was about to call out to him, when the door opened suddenly, almost causing her to fall over.
"You'd make a lousy spy," Alex teased.
"How did you know I was out here?"
"The door made a noise when you leaned against it. That and the fact that your toes show under the door," he said, pointing to the gap between the door and floor.
Katie snapped her fingers. "Damn. I never thought of that," she said with a grin. "Anyway, I wasn't spying on you, I was just making sure that you were OK." She paused. "So, are you OK?"
He nodded. "I'm fine and I have two arms again," he exclaimed, showing off his newly attached prosthesis. "I'm hungry. What smells so good?" he asked, as he limped out of the bathroom.
"Chicken in white wine sauce, rice and baby peas. Tyler's suggestion," she added.
"At least he likes me," Alex mused.
"Give Matthew a chance. He'll come around," she said. "Go sit down, dinner's just about ready."
Alex limped over to the table and sat down. Katie could tell it hurt him to do so, but he didn't say anything. She went out to the kitchen, dished out the food and brought the plates to the table. "Are you going to be taking the Tylenol 3 tonight?" she asked him.
"No, I think I'll try to go without it. Why?"
"Want a glass of wine then?"
He nodded and she poured a glass for each of them, before sitting down to eat.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Sure."
"Why does Matthew call you Hanna?"
"Hmmm. That's something of a personal story," she said, before taking a drink. "Tell you what, I'll match you one personal childhood story for every one you tell me."
Alex considered the deal while he took a drink. He could always make something up, if it got too hard. "Deal, but you have to start."
Katie nodded and began the story. When she had finished, she asked him about his parents. Maybe it was the wine or the events of the last few hours, but he found himself telling her the truth.
"My parents were respected professors, teaching at the University in Moscow. The government had no reason to believe that they were unhappy with their positions, so when they were asked to speak at an international conference in New York, the powers-that-be consented. The visas were issued without question and since neither had any living relatives to leave me with; they were permitted to take me along. During the conference, they applied for asylum. One of the professors at NYU heard of their request. He offered them positions and found another staff member to sponsor their petition. With that in hand, they were allowed to stay." Alex paused to take another sip of wine. He put his glass on the table and traced the bottom of it with his finger as he continued. "From that time, until I was ten, I was raised by a variety of graduate students. My time with my parents was limited to the odd weekend and a few weeks in the summer, when they weren't teaching summer classes. When I was ten, they went on vacation, alone; the first time they'd had the opportunity go away by themselves, since defecting. It was October and they were driving up to Vermont to visit the professor who had given them their jobs; he'd retired a few years earlier. Anyway, they were caught in a hailstorm. The car skidded over an embankment, killing them both instantly. At least that's what the official report said."
He stopped talking, but continued to trace the bottom of the glass. Not a living soul knew this about him and he couldn't believe he'd just shared this with her. He just knew that telling her felt right. Maybe this is what trust felt like. Trust was something he had in short supply, a trait he shared with another person he knew.
Katie reached out and stilled his hand. He looked up and saw the caring in her eyes; the look of someone who'd lived the experience and recognized the pain. He smiled and squeezed her fingers. "Well, I sure know how to bring down a party, don't I?"
"What happened after that? Who took care of you, Alex?"
He sat back in the chair, feeling the catch in his ribs as he did. "No fair, it's your turn."
She moved her chair closer to his and rested both elbows on the table. "I'll give you two later. Come on, tell me what happened? Please?"
His head dipped slightly. Things got a little hairy from this point. He wanted to tell her everything, but he wasn't ready to completely let go of his secrets. There were still a few members of the Consortium floating around; people who represented a threat to the new life he wanted to carve out for himself, far away from evils he'd left behind. Besides, she wouldn't believe him. Hell, if he hadn't seen those things with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe him either. Just the highlights, he decided; that would be enough. Looking up, he continued his story.
"I got lucky. One of the professors took me in, temporarily, while the state tried to locate a suitable home. Months later, a gentleman showed up, claiming to be a friend of my father's. He had paperwork showing that my parents had asked him to take care of me, should it become necessary. When asked why he hadn't come forward earlier, he explained that he'd been out of the country and had only just been informed of my parent's death. I didn't like him, but the state accepted his papers and gave him custody. He wasn't a bad person, just cold. He's the one who made me change my name to Alex, saying that no good prep school would want a Russian immigrant in its midst. I never forgave him for that, but I never changed my name back, either. My physical needs were taken care of. I had the best education money could buy, I traveled and learned to adapt to any social situation. Everything I could possibly want was mine for the asking, except love and affection. I was the quintessential lonely, rich boy." He chuckled, sadly and lowered his eyes. " I envy your friendship with Matthew and Tyler. Making friends was something I never learned how to do. No one ever tried to get to know me; I was always too scared to put myself on the line and take a chance on getting hurt again. To this day, there's no one I can call 'friend' with any real meaning of the word."
Katie got up and stood in front of him. She bent down and kissed his forehead, holding her lips there for a long time, before pulling away. "I would be honored to number you among my friends, Alexei," she said quietly. Sitting back down, she asked, "what happened to your benefactor?"
"He died last year." Alex answered. Looking up at her, he smiled. "Think Matthew will rest easier when he finds out that this unemployed drifter is really a wealthy eccentric?"
"Probably not," she replied. "But it will be fun to see the look on his face when he finds out."
Alex laughed, then held his ribs as the pain washed over him. All the good done by the warm shower had worn off, leaving his body to deal with the aftermath. Suddenly, all of his energy vanished, leaving him drained. Katie watched as the color left his face. She got up, pulled his chair away from the table and held out her hand. "That's it for you. Time for bed." He took her hand and, with great difficulty, lifted himself out of the chair. Draping his good arm around her shoulders, he allowed her to help him into the bedroom. He asked for the recliner again, so she guided him over to it. Once he was down, she covered him with the blanket. "Do you want a pill? You only had the one glass of wine, I don't think it'll cause a problem."
"No, I just need to sit here and rest awhile. Will you stay with me tonight, Katya?" he asked.
"Of course I will," she replied. "Give me a few minutes to take care of the food and put the dishes in the sink, then I'll be back. Do you need me to bring you anything?"
He shook his head. "No, just come back and talk to me when you're through. You still owe me a couple of stories."
She bent down and quickly kissed the top of his head. "And you'll get them as soon as I get back."
'That's three times she's kissed me,' he thought. 'I wonder what she'd do if I kissed her back?' The idea made him smile. 'Later, when I'm feeling better, I'll have to do just that,' he decided, before drifting off to sleep.
Ten minutes later, her chores completed, Katie came back into the bedroom. "See, that didn't take too long. What do you want..." She stopped short, realizing that Alex was asleep. He looked relaxed and his color was returning. Not feeling the least bit tired, she decided to go find something to do. She went into the living room and picked out a book to read. After a few chapters, she lost interest, so she turned on the television and tried to find anything worth watching. HBO was showing A Fish Called Wanda, one of her favorites, but even that failed to keep her attention. She turned it off and paced around the room. Alex's clothes needed to be put away, so she gathered them up and took them into the bedroom. He never moved as she put his things in the dresser.
Walking back out to the living room, she decided that a good, long soak in the tub might be just the thing she needed. As she passed the couch, she noticed Alex's new bathing suit still there. "Hmmm, must have missed that when I picked up the rest of his things," she said, to no one in particular. She picked it up and started to take it into the bedroom, then stopped and carried it into the bathroom instead. Opening the closet door, she put it on the shelf where she kept her suit. Pulling hers out, she changed into it before starting the bath water. It occurred to her that she hadn't closed the bathroom door, but she decided against going over and closing it. If Alex needed her, she wanted to be able to hear him. And she was wearing her bathing suit, so it wasn't like she would be exposing herself, if he came in. She turned off the tap, kicked on the heater and the jets, then sunk down into the water.
Alex woke and looked over at the bed; Katie wasn't there. He glanced over to see the time and realized that he must have dozed off. A low, whirring sound got his attention and his curiosity forced him off the recliner to find out where it was coming from. He followed the sound to the bathroom door and peered inside. Katie was there, in the whirlpool tub. Her eyes were closed, her head lying back against the tile. He stood there, torn between going in and going back to bed.
Katie knew he was standing in the doorway, watching her. With his injured knee and busted ribs, he wasn't moving as stealthily as he liked to think. She let him stay there awhile, waiting to see if he would come in or go back to bed. When she heard him move again, she opened her eyes to see which direction he'd chosen.
"Why don't you come on in?" she asked. "Matthew said to soak that knee." She turned over in the water and smiled at him. "The water's perfect."
Alex looked down at his feet when she turned over. He was trying to be a gentleman and she was making it difficult. "No, that's OK. I didn't mean to disturb you."
It dawned on her, at that moment, that he didn't realize she was wearing a bathing suit. If he had been well, she would have taken advantage of the situation; it would have been fun. "Alex, look at me," she said. He lifted his head. Katie stood up quickly to reveal her state of dress. "I'm decent, if that's what's worrying you. Come on, your bathing suit is over there; put it on and join me."
Alex smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. The idea of Katie, undressed, was appealing, but more than he could handle, given his present state. "Do you always wear your bathing suit in the whirlpool?"
"Only when I have company," she replied. "It's not polite to scare your house guests, you know."
"Oh, feel free to 'scare' me," he leered. "I haven't been 'scared' in quite a while." He limped over to the side of the whirlpool and stuck his hand in the water. It felt warm and looked inviting. "Maybe I will join you."
"Good. I'll be the polite hostess and avert my eyes while you change." 'Maybe,' she thought.
"See that you do," he teased, as he made his way to the closet for his bathing suit. He turned around to see if she was looking, before stripping off the pajama pants. The shirt was long enough to keep just about everything covered, until he bent down. Alex looked behind him again, just before bending over to put on the bathing suit and picking the pajama bottoms up off the floor. He hoped to catch her looking, just so he could tease her a little more, but true to her word, she was averting her eyes. The agony of bending over made him see stars and he almost fell; he gritted his teeth, trying to hold back any noise. He braced himself against the wall, until his head cleared, then tried to straighten up. When he felt able, he started back to the tub.
"Aren't you going to take off your shirt?"
Alex pulled at the hem of the nightshirt, trying to decide what to do. He was going to have to remove the prosthesis, but he'd been without it for most of his time here; he had, however, always had a shirt covering his body.
"I've already seen it, you know?" she said softly. He bit his lip, then let out a breath. Katie waded to his side, climbed out of the water and sat on the edge of the tub. "Take off the shirt, Alexei. It'll be all right; I promise." He didn't move, so she reached out and pulled him over. She took the hem of the shirt in her hands. "I promise," she repeated, before lifting the shirt over his head. Katie folded the shirt and tossed it away from the splash zone of the tub. She reached for the harness of the prosthesis. "This too; it takes forever to dry." He put his hand on hers, shook his head and pulled away. Katie dropped her head, afraid that she'd pushed too hard, too fast. When she looked up, she saw Alex laying the arm on the vanity. She stepped back into the tub and waited for him to join her.
He stepped into the water and lowered himself to the seat, grimacing as he did. Alex slid down on the seat, until his stump was partially submerged. The water was swirled around his chest and soon, the muscles began to relax.
Katie watched him sink into the water, then close his eyes and rest his head on the tiles. She gave him a few minutes to relax, before tempting fate. "What happened?"
Alex opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to talk about it" He paused. "Maybe sometime, but not tonight." Lowering his gaze, he smiled at her. "Besides, we agreed to share childhood stories and at last count, you owe me two."
"You've got me there," she replied. "What do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your grandmother."
Katie nodded and began the long tale of her grandmother's last months. Alex listened carefully as she told about her grandmother's ordeal with cancer, the horror of chemotherapy and the decision to put her in the hospital, against her wishes. Her voice got softer as she approached the end of the story. When she was done, she closed her eyes.
He watched briefly, then slid over beside her and took her hand in his. Bringing it up out of the water, he kissed her fingers and interlaced them with his, before submerging their hands once again. Katie rested her head on Alex's shoulder; he leaned his head against hers. They enjoyed the shared silence for quite a while.
"Alexei?"
"Hmmm??"
"This is nice."
He lifted his head up and turned toward her. "I sense a 'but'."
"But, my butt's going numb and if I don't move it soon, we're going to have a problem getting out of this tub."
Alex laughed. "Oh, ow! Don't do that," he moaned.
Katie stood up, not letting go of Alex's hand. She put her other hand low on her back and tried to stretch out a little. Circulation returned to her backside with a vengeance. "Oh geez, I'm not sure which is worse, no circulation or that horrible few minutes when the circulation returns." She stretched until the prickling sensation stopped. "OK, I think I can walk now. You ready to get out of this thing?"
"I don't know. I was enjoying the view," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
Katie chuckled. 'Masher."
Alex grinned and pulled himself up off the seat. Katie let go of his hand and got out of the tub. "Do you need help?" she asked, as she reached for the towels.
"No, I'm OK." He climbed out of the tub and reached for the towel in Katie's outstretched hand. "Thanks."
Katie watched as Alex dried himself. He was quite good at maneuvering the towel to reach all the wet spots. She didn't realize that she'd been staring until he caught her looking.
"It's a skill born of necessity," he said. "You either figure it out, or wait until you air-dry."
"Oh," she said, trying to appear nonchalant. "I wasn't paying any attention to that, I was just enjoying the view."
He grinned and walked over to his pajamas. "Well, you'd better avert your eyes again, or you're going to get a variation on a theme."
"Well then, I'll leave you to get dressed." Katie moved to the bathroom door, then turned and grinned at Alex. "Besides," she added. "That shirt covers everything up anyway."
"KATYA!! You were peeking? How unladylike," Alex responded, in mock surprise.
"I never claimed to be a 'lady'," she tossed back, as she closed the bathroom door.
Katie went to her bedroom and changed into her pajamas, before taking her bathing suit over by the washer/dryer to hang dry. Alex emerged from the bathroom, just as she finished. He started to say something, but was cut short by the phone ringing. Katie ran to answer it.
"Hello? Hi Kid. Not much, we just got out of the whirlpool. No, no problems getting in or out."
Alex wandered over to the window and looked outside. He could still hear the conversation, but this way, he could listen without appearing to be eavesdropping.
"What's up? Tomorrow night? What's tomorrow night? Oh, how could I have forgotten?" Alex heard her coming up behind him. "I don't know. Yes, I know it's a tradition. Hang on; let me check with Alex." She brought the phone down from her face and covered the receiver. "Are you up to having company tomorrow night?"
Alex smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so. What's the occasion?"
"Halloween. We always get together on Halloween and have a big movie marathon; all the blood and gore we can stomach. It's something Matthew and I have been doing since high school. Are you up to it?"
"Far be it for me to mess with a tradition. Sure, sounds like fun."
Katie grinned and returned to the call. "Bring it on. Alex says he's game. Oh, and tell Tyler he'd better get I Dismember Mama this year. He promised it to me last year and didn't deliver. He did? Cool! OK, see you tomorrow night. Love you, too. Bye."
Alex gave her a perplexed look. "I Dismember Mama? You are kidding?"
"Nope, one of the few really bad horror movies I've never seen. Have you seen it?" she asked.
"No, I've managed to miss that particular piece of celluloid. When you said horror movies with blood and gore, I was thinking more mainstream. You know, Freddy Krueger, Halloween, Friday the 13th, those movies."
"Nah, those too well done. We like the really crummy ones, with their blatantly fake blood and cheesy dialogue," she said, exuding enthusiasm. "Haven't you ever watched any of the old Roger Corman or Hammer House of Horror movies?"
Alex shook his head. "That would have been totally unacceptable in my house. I didn't get to see most of the others until I was in college and away from home."
Katie's eye widened in disbelief. "You've never seen a B horror movie? Oh, my dear, you are in for a treat. I have the perfect one for you, too. Hang on, I've got to call Matthew back." Katie turned the phone over and hit Matthew's number. "Tyler? Hi. Guess who's never seen a B movie. No shit! Look, you've got to bring Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers tomorrow night. Oh, stop it, I love that movie. Come on, it won't kill you to watch it again. I'll let you heckle...great. Thanks, sweetie. Bye."
"Oh, now I know you're playing head games with me," Alex smirked. "There is no way someone made a movie called Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers."
Katie giggled and shook her head. "Yes there is. It's the touching story of a group of ancient Egyptian chainsaw worshippers coping with life in today's society."
Alex's mouth dropped. "You're serious?"
"As a heart attack," she replied. "I can prove it to you, if you want."
"No, that's OK, I believe you. How is it that you know so much about obscure horror movies, anyway? What is it, one of your hobbies or something?"
She smiled and crooked her finger. "Follow me. I think it's time you see how I earn my way in the world." He followed her as she walked to the computer area of the loft. "Do you read, Alexei?"
"What? Do I read? Sure, I read all the time. Why?" he asked, somewhat confused by this turn in the conversation.
Katie reached up into the wall of books and pulled one down. "Have you read this one?" she asked, handing it to him.
He took it from her and read the title. "A Yardstick for Lunatics? Yeah, I read this last year. It's a good story."
Katie stared at him and smiled. "I'm glad you liked it."
Alex waited for some further explanation. Katie leaned back against the bookcase, crossed her arms and continued to smile at him. "Am I missing something?" he asked. Katie snickered and looked down at the book. He looked down at the cover again, not getting it, until he glanced down at the bottom and saw the name of the author, Katie Heyes. "You?"
"Pretty cool, huh? I also wrote these three up here, but Yardstick's the one that sold the most copies."
"Five weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list. I guess so," he said. "I'm impressed. Who knew I was being cared for by a famous author."
"Actually, it was six weeks, but who's counting?" she amended.
Alex looked up at her other titles. His eyes lit up when he recognized the name of one of his favorites. He snatched it off the shelf and checked the back, just to be sure. "You wrote The Frozen Man? Do you know how many times I've read this one, Katya?"
"Really? You've read that one, too?"
"Sure! After I read the dedication, I had to go out and get the CD, just to hear the song you credit as being your inspiration. You're responsible for turning me into a James Taylor fan, by the way." He put the book back on shelf. "It's still one of the most frightening novels I've ever read. Yardstick was good, but this one blew my mind."
Katie bit her lip and looked down at the floor. "Thank you, Alexei," she said softly. "That means a lot to me. That one didn't do as well as the others and I could never understand why; it's the one I'm most proud of."
He moved closer and lifted her chin. "You should be proud of it; it's an amazing story." 'Kiss her,' his head was screaming; 'kiss her now.' The moment was made for such an action, but he shut out the voice in his head. Alex wasn't sure what was holding him back; it's a kiss, not a commitment, he thought. Something deep inside him recognized the lie he was trying to tell himself. She made him happy; for the first time in...well...for the first time. The time would come soon enough, and when it did, he would know it.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, as he let go of her chin.
"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" she teased.
Alex grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah, I suppose I do. This is a strange question, but did you sing anything other than that lullaby to me when I was unconscious?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I keep hearing James Taylor in my head and I've been trying to figure out why."
"Well, you did just pick up The Frozen Man," she suggested.
"No, this has been going on all day. Never mind, it was just a thought," he said, turning away.
Katie hesitated, then began to sing. "Well the sun is surely sinking down. But the moon is slowly rising. So this old world must still be spinning 'round. And I still love you..."
Alex turned back to face her. "So close your eyes. You can close your eyes; it's all right...That's the one! You did sing that to me, didn't you?"
She paused and studied his face. "Yep. I switched off between that and the lullaby, depending on what language you were using." She smiled. "Good thing you like JT; I'd hate you to have something you didn't like stuck in your head." He nodded then raised his hand to his head. "Are you all right, Alexei? You look a little pale." She reached out to touch his forehead.
"I don't feel so well, Katya. I think I need to sit down or something."
Katie put her arm around Alex and helped him to the computer chair. "Stay here, I'm going to get you something to drink." She ran out to the kitchen, filled a glass with ice water, and brought it back to him. "Here, drink this. We were in that whirlpool a long time. I should have thought to get you something to drink when we first got out." He drained the glass quickly, then dropped his head in pain.
"Oh...ow...brain freeze," he moaned.
Katie took the glass from his hand and put it on the desk. She placed both hands on his head and rubbed his temples until the pain subsided, before going back to refill his glass. "Take it a little slower this time," she said, ruffling his hair. He took the drink and sipped at it until it was gone. "Feel better now?"
"Yeah, a little," he said, making an effort to smile.
"Maybe having our Halloween get-together tomorrow night, isn't a good idea. You're pushing too hard to get back to normal."
Alex pulled her close and kissed her hand. "I'm fine, Katya. If I promise to rest up and behave myself, can we still watch the movies?" He gazed up at her. "Can we, please? Can we?"
Katie kissed the top of his head. "OK, but if the next word out of your mouth is 'mommy', I will hurt you," she warned.
He grinned. "No worries there. Calling you 'mommy' never crossed my mind."
"Good. Now, having said that, let's get you to bed."
Alex groaned. "No, not yet. I've spent so much time in that recliner, it's beginning to feel like a second appendage. Can't we stay out here for a little while longer? We could listen to some music and talk."
Those eyes cut her resolve to the quick. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt anything? "All right, one CD, then back to bed." He nodded. "What do you want to hear? I have a little bit of everything in here." He got up and walked over to the stereo. She wasn't kidding; pretty much everything but country and rap was to be found in her collection. "I'm almost overwhelmed by the choices here, Katya. Why don't you pick something this time?"
Katie joined him at the stereo. "Well, it should be something relaxing, so that cuts out a few choices." She flipped through the cases, pulling out a few here and there, then putting them back, until she found what she was searching for. "How about this? Ever heard of her?"
Alex took the CD from her hand. "Tracy Chapman? Don't think so."
"That's too bad; she's amazing. Want to give her a try?"
"Sure."
Katie pulled out the rest of the collection, trying to decide which one to play. Alex pulled one out of the collection and handed it to her. "This one," he said.
"Why this one?"
"I like the title of the CD; Crossroads. Fits where I am in my life."
"That makes two of us." Katie put the others back on the shelf and popped his choice into the player. "Where do you want to be? On the couch or back in the desk chair?"
He pointed to the couch and strolled over. "You coming?" She nodded and pushed play, before joining him. They sat on the couch, listening to the music, offering short comments between songs, but little else. Katie closed her eyes when her favorite song played. There were times when it made her cry; she didn't want this to one of those times. A lone tear escaped and trickled down her face. She reached to wipe it away before he noticed, but he beat her to it.
"Thanks," she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Any time."
The CD ended, but neither made a move to get up. Katie let out a sigh and shifted against him. Alex brushed the hair off of her face and wished that she was sitting on his right, so that he could put his good arm around her. So trusting. What did she see in him that made her feel this way? Whatever it was, he hoped that she could make him see it, too.
He sat there for about an hour, watching her sleep, enjoying the feeling of having someone close, of having her close. She woke up after a while and stretched her back. "I'm sorry, I guess I fell asleep on you. And I was trying to put you to bed," she laughed quietly.
"Don't worry about it. It's been a weird few days for both of us." He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, it's my turn to put you to bed."
She took his hand and stood up, turning herself toward her bed. He shook his head and led her into his room. "I want you where I can see you," he explained, as he turned on the bedroom light. "If that's all right with you."
"It's more than all right."
He guided her to the bed and pulled the blanket up across her shoulders, then turned off the light and climbed into the recliner. "Katya?"
"What?"
"Why do you trust me? How do you know that I'm worth saving?"
"You told me that you believed in Fate, Alexei. Was that the truth?"
"Yes."
"Then believe this. You're supposed to be here with me. I'm supposed to be with you. I've been waiting for you for a long time, I just didn't know who you were until the other night."
"That must be what Matthew meant the other night when he said he was here to cater to your insanity. I'm no one's destiny, Katya."
"That's where you're wrong. I feel it all the way down to my soul. The last person I felt this strongly about was Matthew; I knew he was going to be my friend the second I met him. I knew you were going to be part of my life, the minute I laid eyes on you. You feel it, too. I can see it in your eyes. Don't discount Fate, Alexei."
"I'll try not to, Katya."
"Do or do not, there is no try."
He smiled into the darkness. "Yes Master Yoda." He heard her giggle in reply. "Good night, Katya."
"'Night Alexei."
Katie was asleep almost before the words left her mouth. Alex followed soon after.
Alex woke up the next morning to the sound of the keyboard clattering. He wandered out to find Katie typing away, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Not wanting to disturb her, he went into the kitchen to get a drink. There were no dishes in the sink, so he determined that she hadn't bothered to get anything to eat since she'd been up. He decided that he'd make them some breakfast. Nothing big, just some scrambled eggs and toast. He could do that without causing himself too much pain and it would be a way for him to start holding up his end of the household chores. If he was going to stay here for a while, he wanted to do something to contribute. Opening the refrigerator, he found eggs and English muffins waiting for him. Deciding that English muffins were much better than plain old toast, he removed two from the package and placed them on the counter. He dug around until he found the butter, then closed the refrigerator door. Within minutes, he'd whipped up a two of plates of scrambled eggs with English muffins and poured a couple of glasses of milk. He put them on the table, then went over to the computer to get Katie. "Come eat some breakfast," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Just a minute," she replied, never taking her eyes off the monitor. "I need to finish this..." She typed in a few more sentences, then sat back in her chair and nodded her head. "There, done." She got up from the chair and took a deep breath, as he slid his hand down her arm. "You made breakfast for me?"
He tugged at her hand. "Yes I did. Come eat, before it gets cold."
When she saw breakfast out on the table, she smiled. "Thank you, Alexei. This was sweet of you. You didn't have to..."
"Yes I did. I can't do much around here just yet, but I can do breakfast." He sat down beside her and began eating. "How long have you been up?"
She took a bite of her eggs and a sip of milk before answering. "A few hours. Inspiration hit and I had to get everything down on paper while the idea was still there. I may be at it for most of the day. Hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to be much company for most of the day. When I get like this, everyone knows to stay out of my way." Katie looked over at Alex. "Will you be all right?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "I think I can manage on my own for a few hours. Give me the ground rules, though, so I don't get in your way."
"Ground rules? Oh...well...I don't want to have the TV on right now. Sometimes I turn it on, other times, I don't. This is a don't day. I get to pick the music, if I want to hear any at all. Pretty much, stay out of my way, unless I ask you a question. That's about it. Oh, no reading over my shoulder; I hate that! If I want you to read what I've written, I'll ask you."
Alex was terribly amused by her recitation of the rules, but he tried not to show it. "Well, I like a woman who knows what she wants. Can I bring you a drink from time to time, so you don't dehydrate?"
Katie chuckled. "I would appreciate that."
He nodded and finished his breakfast. "Is it all right if I read your other books?"
"My books are your books," she replied, as she finished the last bite of her English muffin. "That was delicious. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said, standing up. "Now, go back to work while I take care of the dishes. You have a lot to do before our big marathon tonight."
"Don't overdo it, Alexei."
"I won't. I'll take care of these few dishes, grab a shower, get dressed, then sit down and read for most of the day. I'll be fine, Katya."
Katie got up from the table and put her arms around him gently. "What's this for?" he asked.
"For calling me Katya. I like the way it sounds when you say it."
He smiled brightly and kissed the top of her head. "I like hearing you call me Alexei, too." She pulled back and smiled up at him. "Now get to work before we waste the day grinning at each other like idiots," he admonished.
She let go. "Yes, Alexei. Whatever you say, Alexei. I'll be right over there, Alexei," she teased, as she walked over to her computer. "Call me if you need anything, Alexei."
"Stop it, Katya," he laughed and moaned at the same time. "It hurts when I laugh."
Katie giggled as she called back. "I'm sorry, I forgot...Alexei."
"I'm keeping track, Katya. When I'm feeling better, you're going to be in big trouble," he threatened.
"I'm not afraid of you, Alexei."
"You will be, Katya. You will be." He walked over, opened the freezer door and removed an ice cube.
"Now who's channeling Yoda?" she teased. "For crying out loud, will you shut up and quit bothering me...Alexei?"
Katie was laughing so hard that she didn't hear Alex sneaking up behind her. When he slipped the ice cube down the back of her shirt, she screamed and jumped out of the chair. "OH SHIT! That's cold!" she yelled, as she danced around in an attempt to get the ice to fall out of her shirt.
"I told you I was keeping track, Katya. Just imagine what would have happened if I was well," he said, as he crowded into her personal space. "Now quit dancing around and get back to work. I'm going to finish the dishes and go take a shower. I'll be locking the door, so don't get any ideas."
She patted his shoulder and sat back down at the computer, giving him an evil grin. "Who me? Perish the thought. Have a nice shower, Alexei."
"Oh boy," he muttered, as he walked away. "I am in such trouble."
"You have no idea, Alexei. No idea at all," she whispered to herself. Then she turned to her keyboard and returned to work.
The rest of the day was quiet. Katie worked on her story. Alex read one of her other books. Every so often, he would get up from the couch and pour them each a drink. His he would put on the end table; hers would go on the desk beside her. Sometimes she would stop and thank him, other times; she didn't even acknowledge his presence. When he wasn't reading, he watched her work, fascinated by the way her fingers would fly across the keys, only to watch her delete large sections and start all over again. Around 5:30, she pushed back from the keyboard and stared at the text, arms crossed in front of her. She tapped her knuckles on the desk as she reviewed her progress. When she'd finished, she whirled around in the chair to face him. "Do me a favor, Alexei?"
"Of course, Katya, anything you want."
She couldn't believe what she was about to ask; she never did this. "Would you come read this and tell me what you think."
Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "You want me to read a work in progress? Isn't that Matthew's job?"
Katie shook her head. "No, I never let him read my stuff until it's ready for publication. I usually don't let anyone read it until it goes to my editor."
"Then why are you asking me to read it now?"
"I don't know," she replied. Katie got up and paced in front of the coffee table. "It just feels like the right thing to do. Will you read it? Please?"
"Sure," he answered, with a smile. "I've been dying to know what you've been writing all day."
"OK. I'm going to go take shower before Matthew and Tyler get here. If you see any typos, or anything, let me know later and I'll fix them."
Katie left the room, grabbed some clean clothes and went into the bathroom. She didn't want to be there to see his first reaction to the story. For the life of her, she couldn't remember being this nervous about having anyone read her work.
He waited until she'd closed the bathroom door before sitting down at the computer. The first sentence drew him in and he didn't move, except to scroll down the page. The story unfolding before him was twisted and frightening. It was hard for him to believe that all of this was floating around in her head. When he finished, he sat back and stared at the screen. He was still staring when she came out of the bathroom.
Katie saw Alex looking intently at the monitor, the tip of his thumb wedged into his mouth. She didn't know how to read that look and it made her nervous. Was it that bad or that good? She wasn't sure she was ready for the answer, but it wasn't going to go away. "So, what do you think? Is it worth pursuing?"
Alex turned and faced her. "Is it worth pursuing? Are you kidding?" he asked, not sure if she was serious. When he saw that she was, he continued. "Katya, it's brilliant. It's sick and twisted and absolutely brilliant."
Her face lit up and she closed the gap between them. "Really? You like it? I thought it might be too much, but it felt so right." Words came out in a rush as she tried to explain what she was thinking and where she wanted the story to go. He couldn't follow everything she was telling him, but he didn't care; seeing her so animated was enough for him. He found himself nodding his head and saying supportive things like 'I see' and 'hmmm.' After a time, Katie realized that he was no longer following along. "When did I lose you?" she asked, grinning.
"About ten minutes ago," he admitted.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"I couldn't. You were so excited and I didn't want you to stop talking." He was grinning and trying hard to hold back a laugh. "You're cute when you're all worked up like that."
"Enjoy it now. Eventually, the flow dries up and I start stomping and pacing. I'm absolutely adorable when that happens," she said with a snort.
The elevator door opened, with Matthew and Tyler on board, surprising both of them. Katie reached over, hit save and closed the file, but not before Tyler spotted her. "Katie! You've started another story?" He ran over to the computer. "Can I see it?"
Katie frowned. "Tyler, you know the answer to that question."
"I know, but if I keep asking, one day you might say yes." He looked over at Alex, sitting in the desk chair. "She let you read it, Alex?"
Alex looked at Katie, not knowing if he should respond or not. She nodded. "Yes she did. And it's incredible," he added.
Matthew came closer. "Wait a minute. Did I hear you say that she let you read a work in progress?" he asked Alex. Then he turned to Katie. "You let him read something that wasn't finished?" Katie shrugged and smiled at Matthew. "Oh my God! I'm stunned. You should feel privileged, Alex. In all the years we've known each other, she's never let me touch a work in progress; not once. I've had to put up with the stomping and pacing and the manic behavior that goes along with the process, without benefit of being able to see the cause. I think I'm jealous."
"OK, no more book talk tonight. It's officially time to begin dinner and final preparations for the Twenty-second Annual Gore-fest. Tonight, we have a B-movie virgin in our midst, gentlemen. Be kind, for he knows not what to expect. Tyler, go forth and prepare the evening meal. Kid, help me bring in the comfy chair," Katie announced.
Matthew gasped. "Not the 'comfy chair'?"
"I'm afraid so," she responded.
Alex couldn't stop laughing, in spite of the agonizing pain in his ribs. "Stop! You're killing me," he cried. "Katya, you promised to keep the Monty Python routines under wraps until I healed," he moaned, wiping the tears from his eyes.
She hurried to his side and put her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Alexei. Are you all right," she snickered. "I couldn't resist."
"Still keeping score, Katya. Just remember that," he warned.
"I'm sure you are."
"Alex, why don't you come back here with me," Matthew called. "I'd like to take a look at your knee, before the silliness begins."
Alex got up and walked back to the bedroom. Katie started to follow, but was waved off by Matthew. "I can handle this. Go help Tyler get things ready." Katie eyed him, warily. "I'm just going to make sure everything's healing the way it should," he said. She frowned and held her ground. "I promise, Hanna." Katie looked over at Alex standing in the doorway, then back at Matthew.
"All right. I'll go help Tyler." She looked at Alex again and smiled. "Don't let him bully you."
"I won't."
"And you," she said, facing Matthew. "Remember your promise."
"I will," he answered, as he closed the bedroom door.
She watched them disappear into the bedroom, then went out to give Tyler a hand with dinner; not that dinner was any big ordeal to prepare. They generally went with deli, so that everyone could put together their sandwich of choice, followed by large amounts of junk food, all washed down with sangria. As she helped Tyler carry everything out to the living room, she couldn't help but look at the closed bedroom door and wonder what Matthew was saying to Alex.