Seasons
Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)
Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com
Status:Part 1
Catagory:Angst
Spoilers: none
Season: after Beholder
Rating: PG for violence.
Summary:A time to cry
Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.
Quinn said goodbye to Daniel and walked home. His uncle Hobbes had been gone when they got up. He'd heard the phone ringing really early, but he didn't catch what was said. He figured Darien had asked Hobbes to come help they check out airports.
Daniel and Quinn had given Darien the information they had found on Arnaud late last night. The two of them had fallen asleep and had maybe gotten 4 hours of sleep before the phone rang.
Quinn decided to go home and see if he could catch Huiclos and Darien before they left. See if they needed his help at all.
He was confused as he saw Hobbes' van and a few Agency cars going down the street. 'I wonder what's going on,' he thought. 'Oh, well.' He continued down the street and went the last two blocks.
He smiled when he saw the two cars still in the driveway fully pack. 'Good. I didn't miss them.' he opened the door and walked inside. His mouth dropped open as he saw Claire curled in a ball, unconscious, and trembling on the couch and Huiclos sitting next to her and holding her as the tears streamed down his face.
"What happened?" he asked running over to his uncle.
Huiclos just stared at him blankly. His voice had left him after the news hit him. He just looked over to the TV set which was still showing news footage.
Quinn grabbed the remote and turned the sound on. "...and to recap the story. There are no survivors from this tragedy. Delta flight 768 bound non-stop for Paris France, crashed at 8 AM this morning. The airport is asking that family members of the passengers please contact the airline to confirm..." he switched the TV off.
Huiclos just looked up at Quinn his eyes looking hollow.
"They could have been on one of the other flights. That was only an opti-"
"Claire called the airport," he interrupted his voice shaky. "they were seen and accounted-" he couldn't even finished before the sorrow overtook him. His face turned white as he fled from the room.
Quinn could hear his uncle vomiting in the bathroom he rushed down the hall after putting a pillow under Claire's head and covering her with a blanket. Huiclos need him right now.
Huiclos leaned his head against the cool porcelain of the toilet. He just couldn't believe this was happening.
Life without Catherine. He'd finally found someone. Someone he loved who loved him back. They'd gotten away from Arnaud and gotten married. He looked at the gold band on his finger.
'Oh Catherine...' he just couldn't handle this. He contemplated several different things.
Quinn saw Huiclos sitting on the floor. "Uncle Huiclos?" He walked in a put a hand on his shoulder.
Huiclos looked up at his nephew, the only family he had left.
Quinn gave him a hand and helped him up. He put his arms around Huiclos tightly. He hadn't known Catherine that long, but he really liked her. She had been very kind to him. He thought for a moment, 'Oh no! Alexander and their baby as well!' He realized now the weight of everything and the tears started to fall.
They leaned on each other and went back into the living room.
Quinn looked around for a moment. "Where's Darien?" he asked a tone of anger in his voice.
****
"Daniel. Yeah, it's Quinn. Look we need to get on this." Quinn held the phone close to his mouth as he moved his head around the corner, checking to see that Huiclos was still asleep.
"Find out if this airport thing is for real. Yeah I'm serious. I'm not giving up this easy. He's not gonna get away that easily."
The knot in Quinn's stomach had loosened a bit after he was able to calm his uncle down and got Claire into a bed to sleep it off.
He had sat and watched the news for an hour, his mind reeling at the possibility that his father was dead and had taken so many hopes and dreams with him. He twirled the remote in his hands, wringing it in his
palms.
"God, Mom. I wish you were here..." his voice trailed off as he choked back the tears. He wouldn't let himself cry.
And then it hit him.
"No. No you didn't!" He jumped from the couch and ran to the phone.
"Yeah, I'm here. Daniel, just call the airport. Hack into the system. Do what you have to do. Find us a list. Okay thanks."
Quinn hung up the phone and ran to his room, throwing together a bag of clothes, trying to keep his shaking hands busy.
He knew it could be done. His own mother had done it. She had been dead for years and no one had been the wiser. They had never spoken about the details, but Quinn knew it had happened easily. And nobody
came looking.
The phone rang. Quinn ran from his room and grabbed the receiver.
"Uh huh. Ok. Yeah, I'm on my way." He flew out of the house, leaving his bag behind. Running to Daniel's place, the thought that there was still hope ran through his mind over and over. This was not the end. He wasn't going to lose like this.
"Sorry, buddy." Hobbes slid the door to the cell closed behind Darien as his partner made his way across the cell and sat down on the cot.
Darien ran his hands through his hair.
"Just stay with her, Hobbes. Please."
"You know I'm not gonna let anything happen to her," Hobbes answered, twisting the cuffs he had taken from Darien's wrists in his hands. "You have my word."
Nodding, Darien leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.
"You need some sleep, Fawkes."
Darien shook his head as his eyelids got heavy. "I can't. Hobbes, we gotta do something."
"Nothing you're doing tonight," he told Darien as he leaned against the bars. "I'm gonna get on the phone. Processing you took longer than anyone expected. Something's not right."
Looking at his watch, Hobbes shook his head. It had taken over six hours to book Darien. They got the runaround, all the usual excuses...he was a government employee, former delinquent...all the norm.
"Let me know, Hobbes. You know where to find me." Darien chuckled as he pointed around the cell.
Hobbes nodded silently as he stood up and walked down the hall.
****
Quinn hung the phone back up. He really did not want to accept the fact that they were dead.
Daniel had hacked into the airport systems and it was confirmed that they WERE on the plane. Daniel had felt awful about telling Quinn that. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.
Quinn almost jumped when the phone rang. He picked it up quickly so Huiclos and Claire wouldn't be disturbed. "Hello?"
"Hi, Quinn," Hobbes greeted him. "Are Claire and Huiclos still there or did they leave to track down Arnaud?"
Quinn took in a deep breath and shook his head.
"Hey, kid, you still there?"
"Yes. Huiclos and Claire are still here..." he started dreading having to inform Hobbes of the awful news.
****
Darien looked up as Hobbes came back to his cell. "Hobbes, what's wrong?" he asked noticing that Hobbes' face was very pale.
"I don't know how to tell-" he broke off leaning against the bars heavily.
"Are you alright?" Darien jumped up lending a hand to steady his partner. "It's ok, Hobbes. Whatever it is I can handle it."
"You saw the news report right before we left, right?"
"Yeah, what about...wait..." Darien slumped to the floor as realization struck him. His eyes filled with tears. "Oh God Hobbes...how is Claire?"
"Not good, my friend. She collapsed at Huiclos' place and she's sleeping over there right now. And he was in just about as bad of shape. Quinn answered the phone when I called."
Darien nodded. He loved Alexander like he was his own child. His eyes widened thinking of Huiclos. He and Catherine had been through so much together, and now he's lost both her and their child. "Bobby, please go over there and..." his voice choked off as a fresh waves of tears started.
"On my way," Bobby regarded sadly. "Darien, I'm really sorry."
"Thanks, Bobby," he got up and grabbed Bobby's hand through the bars. "Damn you, Arnaud! If you weren't already dead I WOULD kill you right now."
"Don't worry about anything Darien. I will find a way to get you out of this," and he squeezed Darien's hand before walking down the hall.
Hobbes drove up to Catherine's house. He sighed as he got out of his van. 'Arnaud! You bastard! You keep taking, and taking. Now you're dead, but did you have do bring them with you?'
Quinn answered the door after a minute. "Hello, Mr. Hobbes," he said letting Hobbes enter and shutting the door.
"How are they?" Hobbes asked.
"They're both still asleep. It's been a really bad day for everyone," Quinn added slumping onto the couch.
"Amen to that," Hobbes agreed sitting down on a chair. He ran his hands over his head and groaned.
"What about Mr. Fawkes? What happened with that?"
"He's being held, pending trial. I know he didn't kill her. Especially not with the counteragent. I got injected with it once, it wasn't a pleasant experience but it also isn't lethal," he sat rubbing his hands together.
"Well, if it was counteragent that killed her, and Arnaud developed the stuff, it was probably him," Quinn hissed thinking about Arnaud.
"I know that, but proving it is not going to be easy," Hobbes got up and headed for the door. "Tell them they can call me if they need anything. I got Darien's keys so I'm gonna go over to Claire's place and feed her dog."
Quinn nodded and closed the door behind him.
****
It was raining the day they buried Casey. Several of her co-workers attended. Her mother stood and stared as they put her only child into the ground.
Claire attended the funeral woth Hobbes and Lori. She hadn't liked Casey very much, but no one deserved to die like that. And at the hands of Arnaud.
Darien was still in prison while Hobbes and Lori tried to come up with a way to prove his innocence.
Mrs O'Claire scowled at Claire as they started to walk away after the service. She came up behind them and tapped Claire on the shoulder. "This is your fault," she spat the anger rising in her voice.
Claire turned. She had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened but-"
"You took him away from her," she punctuated her words by poking her in the shoulder.
"She broke up with him before I even met him. I did NOT steal him away," Claire countered still feeling very weak.
"Yes, but when she tried to patch things up you were there. He married you even though it wasn't his child. You turned him against her and then he killed her," she shouted causing several people to notice.
"He didn't kill her!" Claire screamed with a fury.
"Claire, calm down," Hobbes held her back.
Claire sighed and nodded. She turned to walk away. Lori stood on one side of her to keep her balanced.
"I'm not done with you yet! I'm surprised you didn't bring your baby with you. She helped deliver him and saved both of you," she threw off the hands of someone trying to restrain her.
Claire collapsed on the ground and Hobbes ran to her side. Lori checked her vitals.
"We need to get her home. All of the stress has been too much for her," Lori told Hobbes.
He nodded and picked her up and carried her to the van.
Lori turned to face Casey's mother. "I am sorry for your loss, but you had no right to say that to her," she stared at the woman.
Casey's mother looked back at her.
"Darien did NOT kill her. No matter how angry he was with her he'd never do that. We're pretty sure we know who did kill her."
"Who was it then," she asked not really believing Lori.
"It doesn't matter now. He died too. But before he did he kidnapped Claire's child and a good friend of her's who was also pregnant. He, and his captives all died in a plane crash. So, that's why Claire didn't bring her child. You have no idea how badly you just hurt her, and if I was a vengeful person I'd hit you." Lori turned and walked away leaving the woman staring in her wake.
****
The judge let Darien out on bail on his own recognacance. Being a government employee had its perks.
Weak and tired, Darien rode home with Hobbes at the wheel. He still shook slightly from his lack of sleep. But his blood was also pulsing and craving for a shot of counteragent after his brief stunt with invisibility trying to pick the lock of his cell.
Hobbes had intervened,however, before he could do anything drastic.
They pulled up in front of Claire's house as the rain started to fade. Casey's funeral had ended an hour ago. Darien kicked himself for not being able to be there. Casey had been a big part of his life, and had died because of him. It killed him.
Hobbes opened the door for his partner and ushered him into the house.
"Where's Claire?" he asked a weary Quinn who lay sprawled out on the couch.
"She's upstairs. Sleeping." The boy sat up as Darien planted himself next to him on the couch.
"Good."
Quinn looked up at Hobbes who stood behind Darien.
The agent nodded at the boy.
"Tell him, kid." Hobbes' voice was serious but calm.
"Mr. Fawkes?" Quinn wasn't sure how to start.
"What?" Darien had his head buried in his hands, trying to to fall asleep.
"Mr. Fawkes...I think I may know where my fath....I mean...Arnaud. I think I may know where he is." He cringed as he almost said the words.
Darien's head shot up. "What?"
"Look. Daniel and I have done some research. But we can't go much farther without your help."
"What are you talking about? They're dead."
Quinn shook his head. "No. We don't believe they are. Daniel and I spent hours last night going over the security tapes from the airport. Neither of us saw anyone resembling Arnaud, Catherine, or a baby."
He watched as Darien's eyes teared over. The agent fought them back.
"We have it pinned down to two other locations. Same locations you and Uncle Huiclos were going to check out before...well before all this happened."
"Where is Huiclos?" Darien was suddenly alert. He shot up off the couch and began pacing.
"He's packing right now, partner. You and I can be at the airport in twenty minutes."
"Good. Let me grab some stuff."
Darien shot up the stairs as Hobbes and Quinn looked at eachother.
"We're leaving her in your hands, kid. You sure you can handle it?"
"Positive." Quinn nodded to Hobbes who looked dead through him. It made him shiver. The man meant business.
"I won't let anyone near her. I swear my life on it."
"Good." Hobbes walked out the door to the car and got on the phone.
Quinn stood in the middle of the living room, hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath.
"Good god, Quinn. What are you doing?" he said to himself.
"Yeah, they're gone."Quinn was on the phone the second Darien, Hobbes, and Huiclos pulled out of the driveway on their way to the
airport.
"On my way," Daniel answered, hanging up his phone and rushing from the house, bags in hand.
***
"This is nuts you know?" Daniel stood in Quinn's doorway as his friend packed a small bag and grabbed his passport from the desk against the wall.
"Yeah, I know," Quinn answered, pushing past Daniel on his way to the kitchen.
He threw open the cupboards and grabbed a box of crackers, shoving a handful in his mouth before cramming the box into his bag.
"You're not even going to tell me are you?"
"Noff.." Quinn said, speaking with a mouth full of crumbs.
"This is nuts."
"You already said that."
"Well..."
"Listen. We've been over this. And over...and over. It's going to work. It has to."
"But you don't even know..."
"We know they're not dead, Daniel. You and I spent forever looking at those tapes. They were NOT on that plane!" Quinn's eyes grew dark, making Daniel turn his head, trying to avoid the rage.
"Yeah, then go."
"I'll call you when I get there. Check on Claire."
"She'll be fine. I don't know what I'm going to tell her when she wakes up, but I'll think of something."
"Thanks."
Quinn walked quickly to the door, opening it just as the taxi pulled up to the curb.
"Well...good luck." Daniel shook Quinn's hand as the other boy sighed heavily.
"Luck has nothing to do with it." Quinn chuckled as he shut the door behind him.
He jumped into the back seat of the taxi cab and slammed the door.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"LAX. I gotta catch a flight for Italy."
****
Hobbes and Darien drove to the San Diego Airport and went to the security office.
"Let me handle this, partner," Hobbes said trying to calm Darien down.
Darien nodded as they entered the office. He'd been very edgy about everything that had happened and he also hadn't slept much. He'd also neglected to check his tattoo. He only had two green segments left.
"Can I help you?" the security guard asked as they entered.
"Yes. We need to see the passenger list for Delta Flight 105 bound for Germany that departed 3PM two days ago," Hobbes answered.
"I'm sorry I can't give that information out," he replied.
"Look, this is important," Darien interjected.
Hobbes turned to face Darien. "Calm down," and he turned back to the guard. "We're federal agents and the gentleman we are looking for would be traveling with a baby and a pregnant woman. He kidnapped both of them and was trying to flee the country," he explained showing the man his badge.
The guard looked at the badge and nodded. He went to the computer and it printed out a list. He handed the list the Hobbes. "I hope this helps."
Darien and Bobby scanned the list. Arnaud had registered as Arnaud DeThiel for all of the flights he had booked. It was probably easier for him seeing as Catherine's last name is also DeThiel and no one would question a man traveling with his wife.
They check the list over several times, but he was not on it as a confirmed passenger.
Darien ran his fingers through his hair as Hobbes thanked the guard and left. "What if Quinn is wrong and we're on this hunt for nothing?" Darien fumed.
"Easy there, my friend, we don't have the information from Huiclos yet." Hobbes looked down at Darien's arm. "I think you need to go back to the lab," he added pointing to the tattoo.
"Aw Crap!" Darien groaned.
"No problem," Hobbes took out his cell phone and called Lori and asked her to meet them at the lab.
Huiclos met the agents in the lab an hour later. "Nothing. I found nothing." He slumped down in a chair against the wall.
"Well that's just two airports guys. We got a ways to go." Darien tried to keep the atmosphere positive as he cringed, feeling Lori's needle puncture his vein.
"Sorry, Darien. I gotta get used to this needle."
"No prob."
"Well actually it's three airports," Huiclos interjected. "LAX and San Francisco have a common database for cases like this. They're both
international airports and so share information from time to time. Neither airport checked out."
"Well then we get on a plane for Oakland." Hobbes grabbed his cell phone and dialed the airport. He walked into the hall as he made reservations.
"If we don't find anything in Oakland or San Jose, we head for....wait...." Darien jumped out of the chair, rolling down his sleeve as he strolled over to Huiclos.
"What?"
"The Livermore airport. Jesus, why didn't I think of that?!"
"Livermore? Where is that?" Huiclos was confused as he stood up and watched Darien pace.
"Just outside of Oakland. It's for private jets. I did a stint there years ago when I was trying out the bay area. It's right next to Sandia Labs!"
"What is that?"
"It's a nuclear laboratory. They got all that spy technology, nasa equipment....and it's about a two minute drive to your own private jet."
The two men stood watching eachother as Hobbes reentered the lab.
"What?" he asked bewildered.
"You got us into Oakland?" Darien asked hastily.
"Yeah, we leave in an hour. We gotta book."
"Great. We land and head to Livermore..."
"The lab?" Darien chuckled. Of course Hobbes would be familiar with it.
"Yeah. And the airport."
"Genius Fawkes."
"That's right I am..." he said, low fiving his partner as they walked to the van.
Huiclos shook his head as he got in the back of the van and slid the door shut.
Claire came down the stairs slowly. She saw Daniel sitting on the couch playing with Pavlov. "Where's Quinn?" she asked still pretty dazed.
"He had to leave on an emergency. He'll be back in a few days," Daniel replied.
Claire nodded too tired to think about what was wrong with that statement.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked.
Claire sat down on the couch. "I'm not really that hungry, but a soda would be nice," she said flatly. Her chest was aching some since she hadn't been able to feed Alexander. The tears started again as she thought of him.
Daniel handed her the glass and sat down next to her. "It will be alright. They'll find him and Catherine," he tried to reassure her.
Claire sighed and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."
Daniel got up as he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and Eberts was standing there.
"I'm sorry that O didn't call first-" he started.
"It's alright Eberts. Come on in," Claire invited him in.
"-but I got the preliminary reports from the chemical scan on Dr. O'Claire. It has a list of the ingrediants the were in her bloodstream," he handed the printout to her.
Claire skimmed the list and noticed two things that were different. "Here's the proof we need. We just need to give them a sample of the counteragent and it will show that these two things are not in our samples. This combination would have been lethal," she gave Eberts a hug. "Thank you, Eberts."
Eberts blushed and cleared his throat. "You're welcome, Claire." He'd always had a bit of a crush on her, but he didn't begrudge Darien at all. Besides, what would Claire ever see in him.
Claire brushed some of the hair that she'd picked up from him off her shirt. "I didn't think three cats would shed this much," she laughed.
"Well, you'd be amazed," he left out telling her that he'd ended up keeping all of the cats.
****
Quinn spent the entire plane trip on the laptop he had borrowed from the man sitting next to him. Daniel had put together a floppy disk full of information about counteragent, the gland, and any other piece of information he could use against Arnaud. But he already knew what would get to the man the easiest.
"You look somewhat familiar," the man in the seat next to him said as he leaned over to Quinn.
"Do I?" Quinn didn't even look up from the computer. He continued typing.
"Mhmm. Do you live in Rome?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" The man chuckled as he continued to stare at the boy.
Quinn finally looked up at the man and smiled. "No, I'm quite sure. I've lived in Switzerland all my life."
"No accent."
"I hide it well." Another smile.
"It's eerie the similarities. I had a neighbor once in Rome years ago who looked strikingly like you." The man shrugged and turned to face the front of the plane. "Sorry to bother you."
"Wait a minute," Quinn said, suddenly interested.
"What?"
"Rome? You said Rome?"
The man nodded.
"And the man...he looked like me?"
"Could be twins. It was a long time ago. Like I said...eerie."
"Could you tell me where in Rome? I've been looking for someone. This may be the help I need."
The desparate look in Quinn's eyes struck the elderly man. The boy grabbed his bag from under his seat and rummaged through it, producing a rumpled up piece of paper and a pen.
"Maybe an address?" Quinn tried to hide the pleading in his voice, but it was too obvious.
"My pleasure. I have a name too if it helps."
The man took the paper and began writing. Quinn tried to peer over the man's hand as the pen moved but couldn't see anything.
"Here you go, son. Hope it helps."
Quinn took the paper and immediately poured over the information. His jaw dropped and his breathing came quick.
"If you see Mr. DeTheil, tell him Doctor Katzburg says hello." The elderly doctor smiled as he looked away.
Quinn could only nod.
****
Darien slumped in the passenger's seat of the van as Hobbes drove. Huiclos was in the back of the van sobbing.
They had finally gotten a lead on which flight Arnaud had taken. The good news turned to bad when they found out the flight had landed at another airport and they had boarded the airplane that had crashed.
It was almost 8AM when they got back to Claire's place. A memorial service for the victims was going to be held today at 2PM.
Darien went upstairs to see how Claire was doing.
Daniel was sleeping on the couch when they came in.
Hobbes shook him gently. "Where's Quinn?" he asked keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb Claire.
Daniel blinked a few times and looked at his uncle. "Ummmm..." he wasn't sure what to say to Hobbes. Claire had been easy to lie to because of her state of mind, but Hobbes wouldn't be that easy to convince.
Huiclos hobbled over to the couch as well. "Quinn's not here?"
"Come on, Daniel, tell me," Hobbes urged.
Daniel sighed. They were going to find out sooner or later anyway. "He took a cab to the airport after you left. He was taking a flight to try and track down Arnaud."
"WHAT? How could you let him go?" Hobbes raised his voice a little. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Which airport, and what flight did he take?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me," Daniel answered. "I guess he didn't want to be followed."
Huiclos landed on the floor with a thump. This was all a bit much for him. Catherine and his child were dead, and now Quinn was missing.
Darien came running down the stair when he heard the noise. "What's going on?"
Hobbes was helping Huiclos up and leading him over to a chair. He looked at Darien. "Quinn took off to look for Arnaud," he groaned.
"He what?"
"Apparently he still thinks that they are alive and went to find them. To make things worse, he didn't say where he was going," Hobbes finished.
Huiclos just buried his hands in his face. "God...I can't believe..." he trailed off.
Hobbes put a hand on Huiclos' shoulder. "Come on. I'll drive you home."
Huiclos only nodded and followed him out the door.
****
The memorial service was very crowded. Over 150 people had died in the crash.
Claire leaned on Darien for support and he held her tightly.
Huiclos stood between Hobbes and Eberts. He had such a haunted look in his eyes.
Eberts raised an eyebrow when he noticed Huiclos' expression. He recogzined the look. It was the same look he had after recovering from the mental conditioning.
No one spoke during the ceremony. There was any eerie calm in the air and the only sounds heard besides the priest were the sobbing of several people.
Everyone left and went back to their respective cars to go home and slowly rebuild their shattered lives.
Eberts drove Huiclos home. "Will you be alright?" he asked. "I can come in for a bit if you'd like," he urged.
"Thank you, Eberts, but that won't be necessary," he sighed the pain in his heart weighing on him heavily.
Eberts nodded and started to drive back home. He really did not want to leave Huiclos alone, but he wasn't going to press the issue right now.
****
The airport was practically empty as Quinn exited the plane, followed closely by the man who had made the trip over next to him.
"Good luck, son," the man said. "And be careful out there."
"Thank you," Quinn answered, watching him walk away. He made his way down the wing of the airport, gazing upward at the television screens scrolling with foreign jargon. It was making his head spin.
He was in a strange country, people speaking strange languages, and he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.
Stopping to collect his thoughts and get a drink from a fountain against the wall, Quinn rubbed his weary face. HE splashed a little of the water over his eyes and let the cold drip down his face. He felt flushed.
Quinn stood and looked across the floor. A young couple were parting ways at the terminal gate. They had their arms around each other and the young girl was crying, whispering something in what had to be the most beautiful language Quinn had ever heard.
He watched for a moment before he spotted a pay phone out of the corner of his eye. Sighing, he made his way over to the booth and picked up the reciever.
"Daniel, it's Quinn. You're not going to believe this. But things just got easier. I have a known addres for Arnaud. I'm gonna call you when I get into the city. I'll let you know what happens. Take care. Later."
He hung up after leaving his message and turned around, leaning against the wall. His head was spinning. Taking a few slow steps into the main hall, Quinn took a deep breath.
The young couple were just letting go of each other's hands. The fellow walked into the tunnel and waved goodbye. The girl stood with her arms crossed against her chest, trying not to
cry.
Quinn only made it one more step. His knees buckled under him and the world went fuzzy as his head hit the floor. Trying to blink away the swarm of lights in his eyes, Quinn rolled over and passed out.
****
Huiclos went inside and sat down on the couch. He buried his face in his hands as the tears started to flow again.
He had been able to keep himself composed at the service, but now the tears came freely. "I can't handle this," he moaned. "Everythime I look around the house I can see her face."
The searching they had done had made everything worse. He had clung to the hope that she might still be alive, and it was twice as painful as that hope was destroyed.
It was killing him to bear the idea of living without her. He got off the couch and went into the kitchen. He got a glass of water and grabbed his bottle of painkiller he had for his leg. He'd just gotten it refilled last week.
He opened the bottle and shook out two pills and swallowed them with the water. He thought for a moment and dumped the contents into his hands. 'At least I'll be with her again,' he thought sourly and he started to swallow the pills.
...to be continued
Any Feedback would be great...
Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)
Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com
Status:Part 1
Catagory:Angst
Spoilers: none
Season: after Beholder
Rating: PG for violence.
Summary:A time to cry
Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.
Quinn said goodbye to Daniel and walked home. His uncle Hobbes had been gone when they got up. He'd heard the phone ringing really early, but he didn't catch what was said. He figured Darien had asked Hobbes to come help they check out airports.
Daniel and Quinn had given Darien the information they had found on Arnaud late last night. The two of them had fallen asleep and had maybe gotten 4 hours of sleep before the phone rang.
Quinn decided to go home and see if he could catch Huiclos and Darien before they left. See if they needed his help at all.
He was confused as he saw Hobbes' van and a few Agency cars going down the street. 'I wonder what's going on,' he thought. 'Oh, well.' He continued down the street and went the last two blocks.
He smiled when he saw the two cars still in the driveway fully pack. 'Good. I didn't miss them.' he opened the door and walked inside. His mouth dropped open as he saw Claire curled in a ball, unconscious, and trembling on the couch and Huiclos sitting next to her and holding her as the tears streamed down his face.
"What happened?" he asked running over to his uncle.
Huiclos just stared at him blankly. His voice had left him after the news hit him. He just looked over to the TV set which was still showing news footage.
Quinn grabbed the remote and turned the sound on. "...and to recap the story. There are no survivors from this tragedy. Delta flight 768 bound non-stop for Paris France, crashed at 8 AM this morning. The airport is asking that family members of the passengers please contact the airline to confirm..." he switched the TV off.
Huiclos just looked up at Quinn his eyes looking hollow.
"They could have been on one of the other flights. That was only an opti-"
"Claire called the airport," he interrupted his voice shaky. "they were seen and accounted-" he couldn't even finished before the sorrow overtook him. His face turned white as he fled from the room.
Quinn could hear his uncle vomiting in the bathroom he rushed down the hall after putting a pillow under Claire's head and covering her with a blanket. Huiclos need him right now.
Huiclos leaned his head against the cool porcelain of the toilet. He just couldn't believe this was happening.
Life without Catherine. He'd finally found someone. Someone he loved who loved him back. They'd gotten away from Arnaud and gotten married. He looked at the gold band on his finger.
'Oh Catherine...' he just couldn't handle this. He contemplated several different things.
Quinn saw Huiclos sitting on the floor. "Uncle Huiclos?" He walked in a put a hand on his shoulder.
Huiclos looked up at his nephew, the only family he had left.
Quinn gave him a hand and helped him up. He put his arms around Huiclos tightly. He hadn't known Catherine that long, but he really liked her. She had been very kind to him. He thought for a moment, 'Oh no! Alexander and their baby as well!' He realized now the weight of everything and the tears started to fall.
They leaned on each other and went back into the living room.
Quinn looked around for a moment. "Where's Darien?" he asked a tone of anger in his voice.
****
"Daniel. Yeah, it's Quinn. Look we need to get on this." Quinn held the phone close to his mouth as he moved his head around the corner, checking to see that Huiclos was still asleep.
"Find out if this airport thing is for real. Yeah I'm serious. I'm not giving up this easy. He's not gonna get away that easily."
The knot in Quinn's stomach had loosened a bit after he was able to calm his uncle down and got Claire into a bed to sleep it off.
He had sat and watched the news for an hour, his mind reeling at the possibility that his father was dead and had taken so many hopes and dreams with him. He twirled the remote in his hands, wringing it in his
palms.
"God, Mom. I wish you were here..." his voice trailed off as he choked back the tears. He wouldn't let himself cry.
And then it hit him.
"No. No you didn't!" He jumped from the couch and ran to the phone.
"Yeah, I'm here. Daniel, just call the airport. Hack into the system. Do what you have to do. Find us a list. Okay thanks."
Quinn hung up the phone and ran to his room, throwing together a bag of clothes, trying to keep his shaking hands busy.
He knew it could be done. His own mother had done it. She had been dead for years and no one had been the wiser. They had never spoken about the details, but Quinn knew it had happened easily. And nobody
came looking.
The phone rang. Quinn ran from his room and grabbed the receiver.
"Uh huh. Ok. Yeah, I'm on my way." He flew out of the house, leaving his bag behind. Running to Daniel's place, the thought that there was still hope ran through his mind over and over. This was not the end. He wasn't going to lose like this.
"Sorry, buddy." Hobbes slid the door to the cell closed behind Darien as his partner made his way across the cell and sat down on the cot.
Darien ran his hands through his hair.
"Just stay with her, Hobbes. Please."
"You know I'm not gonna let anything happen to her," Hobbes answered, twisting the cuffs he had taken from Darien's wrists in his hands. "You have my word."
Nodding, Darien leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.
"You need some sleep, Fawkes."
Darien shook his head as his eyelids got heavy. "I can't. Hobbes, we gotta do something."
"Nothing you're doing tonight," he told Darien as he leaned against the bars. "I'm gonna get on the phone. Processing you took longer than anyone expected. Something's not right."
Looking at his watch, Hobbes shook his head. It had taken over six hours to book Darien. They got the runaround, all the usual excuses...he was a government employee, former delinquent...all the norm.
"Let me know, Hobbes. You know where to find me." Darien chuckled as he pointed around the cell.
Hobbes nodded silently as he stood up and walked down the hall.
****
Quinn hung the phone back up. He really did not want to accept the fact that they were dead.
Daniel had hacked into the airport systems and it was confirmed that they WERE on the plane. Daniel had felt awful about telling Quinn that. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.
Quinn almost jumped when the phone rang. He picked it up quickly so Huiclos and Claire wouldn't be disturbed. "Hello?"
"Hi, Quinn," Hobbes greeted him. "Are Claire and Huiclos still there or did they leave to track down Arnaud?"
Quinn took in a deep breath and shook his head.
"Hey, kid, you still there?"
"Yes. Huiclos and Claire are still here..." he started dreading having to inform Hobbes of the awful news.
****
Darien looked up as Hobbes came back to his cell. "Hobbes, what's wrong?" he asked noticing that Hobbes' face was very pale.
"I don't know how to tell-" he broke off leaning against the bars heavily.
"Are you alright?" Darien jumped up lending a hand to steady his partner. "It's ok, Hobbes. Whatever it is I can handle it."
"You saw the news report right before we left, right?"
"Yeah, what about...wait..." Darien slumped to the floor as realization struck him. His eyes filled with tears. "Oh God Hobbes...how is Claire?"
"Not good, my friend. She collapsed at Huiclos' place and she's sleeping over there right now. And he was in just about as bad of shape. Quinn answered the phone when I called."
Darien nodded. He loved Alexander like he was his own child. His eyes widened thinking of Huiclos. He and Catherine had been through so much together, and now he's lost both her and their child. "Bobby, please go over there and..." his voice choked off as a fresh waves of tears started.
"On my way," Bobby regarded sadly. "Darien, I'm really sorry."
"Thanks, Bobby," he got up and grabbed Bobby's hand through the bars. "Damn you, Arnaud! If you weren't already dead I WOULD kill you right now."
"Don't worry about anything Darien. I will find a way to get you out of this," and he squeezed Darien's hand before walking down the hall.
Hobbes drove up to Catherine's house. He sighed as he got out of his van. 'Arnaud! You bastard! You keep taking, and taking. Now you're dead, but did you have do bring them with you?'
Quinn answered the door after a minute. "Hello, Mr. Hobbes," he said letting Hobbes enter and shutting the door.
"How are they?" Hobbes asked.
"They're both still asleep. It's been a really bad day for everyone," Quinn added slumping onto the couch.
"Amen to that," Hobbes agreed sitting down on a chair. He ran his hands over his head and groaned.
"What about Mr. Fawkes? What happened with that?"
"He's being held, pending trial. I know he didn't kill her. Especially not with the counteragent. I got injected with it once, it wasn't a pleasant experience but it also isn't lethal," he sat rubbing his hands together.
"Well, if it was counteragent that killed her, and Arnaud developed the stuff, it was probably him," Quinn hissed thinking about Arnaud.
"I know that, but proving it is not going to be easy," Hobbes got up and headed for the door. "Tell them they can call me if they need anything. I got Darien's keys so I'm gonna go over to Claire's place and feed her dog."
Quinn nodded and closed the door behind him.
****
It was raining the day they buried Casey. Several of her co-workers attended. Her mother stood and stared as they put her only child into the ground.
Claire attended the funeral woth Hobbes and Lori. She hadn't liked Casey very much, but no one deserved to die like that. And at the hands of Arnaud.
Darien was still in prison while Hobbes and Lori tried to come up with a way to prove his innocence.
Mrs O'Claire scowled at Claire as they started to walk away after the service. She came up behind them and tapped Claire on the shoulder. "This is your fault," she spat the anger rising in her voice.
Claire turned. She had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened but-"
"You took him away from her," she punctuated her words by poking her in the shoulder.
"She broke up with him before I even met him. I did NOT steal him away," Claire countered still feeling very weak.
"Yes, but when she tried to patch things up you were there. He married you even though it wasn't his child. You turned him against her and then he killed her," she shouted causing several people to notice.
"He didn't kill her!" Claire screamed with a fury.
"Claire, calm down," Hobbes held her back.
Claire sighed and nodded. She turned to walk away. Lori stood on one side of her to keep her balanced.
"I'm not done with you yet! I'm surprised you didn't bring your baby with you. She helped deliver him and saved both of you," she threw off the hands of someone trying to restrain her.
Claire collapsed on the ground and Hobbes ran to her side. Lori checked her vitals.
"We need to get her home. All of the stress has been too much for her," Lori told Hobbes.
He nodded and picked her up and carried her to the van.
Lori turned to face Casey's mother. "I am sorry for your loss, but you had no right to say that to her," she stared at the woman.
Casey's mother looked back at her.
"Darien did NOT kill her. No matter how angry he was with her he'd never do that. We're pretty sure we know who did kill her."
"Who was it then," she asked not really believing Lori.
"It doesn't matter now. He died too. But before he did he kidnapped Claire's child and a good friend of her's who was also pregnant. He, and his captives all died in a plane crash. So, that's why Claire didn't bring her child. You have no idea how badly you just hurt her, and if I was a vengeful person I'd hit you." Lori turned and walked away leaving the woman staring in her wake.
****
The judge let Darien out on bail on his own recognacance. Being a government employee had its perks.
Weak and tired, Darien rode home with Hobbes at the wheel. He still shook slightly from his lack of sleep. But his blood was also pulsing and craving for a shot of counteragent after his brief stunt with invisibility trying to pick the lock of his cell.
Hobbes had intervened,however, before he could do anything drastic.
They pulled up in front of Claire's house as the rain started to fade. Casey's funeral had ended an hour ago. Darien kicked himself for not being able to be there. Casey had been a big part of his life, and had died because of him. It killed him.
Hobbes opened the door for his partner and ushered him into the house.
"Where's Claire?" he asked a weary Quinn who lay sprawled out on the couch.
"She's upstairs. Sleeping." The boy sat up as Darien planted himself next to him on the couch.
"Good."
Quinn looked up at Hobbes who stood behind Darien.
The agent nodded at the boy.
"Tell him, kid." Hobbes' voice was serious but calm.
"Mr. Fawkes?" Quinn wasn't sure how to start.
"What?" Darien had his head buried in his hands, trying to to fall asleep.
"Mr. Fawkes...I think I may know where my fath....I mean...Arnaud. I think I may know where he is." He cringed as he almost said the words.
Darien's head shot up. "What?"
"Look. Daniel and I have done some research. But we can't go much farther without your help."
"What are you talking about? They're dead."
Quinn shook his head. "No. We don't believe they are. Daniel and I spent hours last night going over the security tapes from the airport. Neither of us saw anyone resembling Arnaud, Catherine, or a baby."
He watched as Darien's eyes teared over. The agent fought them back.
"We have it pinned down to two other locations. Same locations you and Uncle Huiclos were going to check out before...well before all this happened."
"Where is Huiclos?" Darien was suddenly alert. He shot up off the couch and began pacing.
"He's packing right now, partner. You and I can be at the airport in twenty minutes."
"Good. Let me grab some stuff."
Darien shot up the stairs as Hobbes and Quinn looked at eachother.
"We're leaving her in your hands, kid. You sure you can handle it?"
"Positive." Quinn nodded to Hobbes who looked dead through him. It made him shiver. The man meant business.
"I won't let anyone near her. I swear my life on it."
"Good." Hobbes walked out the door to the car and got on the phone.
Quinn stood in the middle of the living room, hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath.
"Good god, Quinn. What are you doing?" he said to himself.
"Yeah, they're gone."Quinn was on the phone the second Darien, Hobbes, and Huiclos pulled out of the driveway on their way to the
airport.
"On my way," Daniel answered, hanging up his phone and rushing from the house, bags in hand.
***
"This is nuts you know?" Daniel stood in Quinn's doorway as his friend packed a small bag and grabbed his passport from the desk against the wall.
"Yeah, I know," Quinn answered, pushing past Daniel on his way to the kitchen.
He threw open the cupboards and grabbed a box of crackers, shoving a handful in his mouth before cramming the box into his bag.
"You're not even going to tell me are you?"
"Noff.." Quinn said, speaking with a mouth full of crumbs.
"This is nuts."
"You already said that."
"Well..."
"Listen. We've been over this. And over...and over. It's going to work. It has to."
"But you don't even know..."
"We know they're not dead, Daniel. You and I spent forever looking at those tapes. They were NOT on that plane!" Quinn's eyes grew dark, making Daniel turn his head, trying to avoid the rage.
"Yeah, then go."
"I'll call you when I get there. Check on Claire."
"She'll be fine. I don't know what I'm going to tell her when she wakes up, but I'll think of something."
"Thanks."
Quinn walked quickly to the door, opening it just as the taxi pulled up to the curb.
"Well...good luck." Daniel shook Quinn's hand as the other boy sighed heavily.
"Luck has nothing to do with it." Quinn chuckled as he shut the door behind him.
He jumped into the back seat of the taxi cab and slammed the door.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"LAX. I gotta catch a flight for Italy."
****
Hobbes and Darien drove to the San Diego Airport and went to the security office.
"Let me handle this, partner," Hobbes said trying to calm Darien down.
Darien nodded as they entered the office. He'd been very edgy about everything that had happened and he also hadn't slept much. He'd also neglected to check his tattoo. He only had two green segments left.
"Can I help you?" the security guard asked as they entered.
"Yes. We need to see the passenger list for Delta Flight 105 bound for Germany that departed 3PM two days ago," Hobbes answered.
"I'm sorry I can't give that information out," he replied.
"Look, this is important," Darien interjected.
Hobbes turned to face Darien. "Calm down," and he turned back to the guard. "We're federal agents and the gentleman we are looking for would be traveling with a baby and a pregnant woman. He kidnapped both of them and was trying to flee the country," he explained showing the man his badge.
The guard looked at the badge and nodded. He went to the computer and it printed out a list. He handed the list the Hobbes. "I hope this helps."
Darien and Bobby scanned the list. Arnaud had registered as Arnaud DeThiel for all of the flights he had booked. It was probably easier for him seeing as Catherine's last name is also DeThiel and no one would question a man traveling with his wife.
They check the list over several times, but he was not on it as a confirmed passenger.
Darien ran his fingers through his hair as Hobbes thanked the guard and left. "What if Quinn is wrong and we're on this hunt for nothing?" Darien fumed.
"Easy there, my friend, we don't have the information from Huiclos yet." Hobbes looked down at Darien's arm. "I think you need to go back to the lab," he added pointing to the tattoo.
"Aw Crap!" Darien groaned.
"No problem," Hobbes took out his cell phone and called Lori and asked her to meet them at the lab.
Huiclos met the agents in the lab an hour later. "Nothing. I found nothing." He slumped down in a chair against the wall.
"Well that's just two airports guys. We got a ways to go." Darien tried to keep the atmosphere positive as he cringed, feeling Lori's needle puncture his vein.
"Sorry, Darien. I gotta get used to this needle."
"No prob."
"Well actually it's three airports," Huiclos interjected. "LAX and San Francisco have a common database for cases like this. They're both
international airports and so share information from time to time. Neither airport checked out."
"Well then we get on a plane for Oakland." Hobbes grabbed his cell phone and dialed the airport. He walked into the hall as he made reservations.
"If we don't find anything in Oakland or San Jose, we head for....wait...." Darien jumped out of the chair, rolling down his sleeve as he strolled over to Huiclos.
"What?"
"The Livermore airport. Jesus, why didn't I think of that?!"
"Livermore? Where is that?" Huiclos was confused as he stood up and watched Darien pace.
"Just outside of Oakland. It's for private jets. I did a stint there years ago when I was trying out the bay area. It's right next to Sandia Labs!"
"What is that?"
"It's a nuclear laboratory. They got all that spy technology, nasa equipment....and it's about a two minute drive to your own private jet."
The two men stood watching eachother as Hobbes reentered the lab.
"What?" he asked bewildered.
"You got us into Oakland?" Darien asked hastily.
"Yeah, we leave in an hour. We gotta book."
"Great. We land and head to Livermore..."
"The lab?" Darien chuckled. Of course Hobbes would be familiar with it.
"Yeah. And the airport."
"Genius Fawkes."
"That's right I am..." he said, low fiving his partner as they walked to the van.
Huiclos shook his head as he got in the back of the van and slid the door shut.
Claire came down the stairs slowly. She saw Daniel sitting on the couch playing with Pavlov. "Where's Quinn?" she asked still pretty dazed.
"He had to leave on an emergency. He'll be back in a few days," Daniel replied.
Claire nodded too tired to think about what was wrong with that statement.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked.
Claire sat down on the couch. "I'm not really that hungry, but a soda would be nice," she said flatly. Her chest was aching some since she hadn't been able to feed Alexander. The tears started again as she thought of him.
Daniel handed her the glass and sat down next to her. "It will be alright. They'll find him and Catherine," he tried to reassure her.
Claire sighed and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."
Daniel got up as he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and Eberts was standing there.
"I'm sorry that O didn't call first-" he started.
"It's alright Eberts. Come on in," Claire invited him in.
"-but I got the preliminary reports from the chemical scan on Dr. O'Claire. It has a list of the ingrediants the were in her bloodstream," he handed the printout to her.
Claire skimmed the list and noticed two things that were different. "Here's the proof we need. We just need to give them a sample of the counteragent and it will show that these two things are not in our samples. This combination would have been lethal," she gave Eberts a hug. "Thank you, Eberts."
Eberts blushed and cleared his throat. "You're welcome, Claire." He'd always had a bit of a crush on her, but he didn't begrudge Darien at all. Besides, what would Claire ever see in him.
Claire brushed some of the hair that she'd picked up from him off her shirt. "I didn't think three cats would shed this much," she laughed.
"Well, you'd be amazed," he left out telling her that he'd ended up keeping all of the cats.
****
Quinn spent the entire plane trip on the laptop he had borrowed from the man sitting next to him. Daniel had put together a floppy disk full of information about counteragent, the gland, and any other piece of information he could use against Arnaud. But he already knew what would get to the man the easiest.
"You look somewhat familiar," the man in the seat next to him said as he leaned over to Quinn.
"Do I?" Quinn didn't even look up from the computer. He continued typing.
"Mhmm. Do you live in Rome?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" The man chuckled as he continued to stare at the boy.
Quinn finally looked up at the man and smiled. "No, I'm quite sure. I've lived in Switzerland all my life."
"No accent."
"I hide it well." Another smile.
"It's eerie the similarities. I had a neighbor once in Rome years ago who looked strikingly like you." The man shrugged and turned to face the front of the plane. "Sorry to bother you."
"Wait a minute," Quinn said, suddenly interested.
"What?"
"Rome? You said Rome?"
The man nodded.
"And the man...he looked like me?"
"Could be twins. It was a long time ago. Like I said...eerie."
"Could you tell me where in Rome? I've been looking for someone. This may be the help I need."
The desparate look in Quinn's eyes struck the elderly man. The boy grabbed his bag from under his seat and rummaged through it, producing a rumpled up piece of paper and a pen.
"Maybe an address?" Quinn tried to hide the pleading in his voice, but it was too obvious.
"My pleasure. I have a name too if it helps."
The man took the paper and began writing. Quinn tried to peer over the man's hand as the pen moved but couldn't see anything.
"Here you go, son. Hope it helps."
Quinn took the paper and immediately poured over the information. His jaw dropped and his breathing came quick.
"If you see Mr. DeTheil, tell him Doctor Katzburg says hello." The elderly doctor smiled as he looked away.
Quinn could only nod.
****
Darien slumped in the passenger's seat of the van as Hobbes drove. Huiclos was in the back of the van sobbing.
They had finally gotten a lead on which flight Arnaud had taken. The good news turned to bad when they found out the flight had landed at another airport and they had boarded the airplane that had crashed.
It was almost 8AM when they got back to Claire's place. A memorial service for the victims was going to be held today at 2PM.
Darien went upstairs to see how Claire was doing.
Daniel was sleeping on the couch when they came in.
Hobbes shook him gently. "Where's Quinn?" he asked keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb Claire.
Daniel blinked a few times and looked at his uncle. "Ummmm..." he wasn't sure what to say to Hobbes. Claire had been easy to lie to because of her state of mind, but Hobbes wouldn't be that easy to convince.
Huiclos hobbled over to the couch as well. "Quinn's not here?"
"Come on, Daniel, tell me," Hobbes urged.
Daniel sighed. They were going to find out sooner or later anyway. "He took a cab to the airport after you left. He was taking a flight to try and track down Arnaud."
"WHAT? How could you let him go?" Hobbes raised his voice a little. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Which airport, and what flight did he take?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me," Daniel answered. "I guess he didn't want to be followed."
Huiclos landed on the floor with a thump. This was all a bit much for him. Catherine and his child were dead, and now Quinn was missing.
Darien came running down the stair when he heard the noise. "What's going on?"
Hobbes was helping Huiclos up and leading him over to a chair. He looked at Darien. "Quinn took off to look for Arnaud," he groaned.
"He what?"
"Apparently he still thinks that they are alive and went to find them. To make things worse, he didn't say where he was going," Hobbes finished.
Huiclos just buried his hands in his face. "God...I can't believe..." he trailed off.
Hobbes put a hand on Huiclos' shoulder. "Come on. I'll drive you home."
Huiclos only nodded and followed him out the door.
****
The memorial service was very crowded. Over 150 people had died in the crash.
Claire leaned on Darien for support and he held her tightly.
Huiclos stood between Hobbes and Eberts. He had such a haunted look in his eyes.
Eberts raised an eyebrow when he noticed Huiclos' expression. He recogzined the look. It was the same look he had after recovering from the mental conditioning.
No one spoke during the ceremony. There was any eerie calm in the air and the only sounds heard besides the priest were the sobbing of several people.
Everyone left and went back to their respective cars to go home and slowly rebuild their shattered lives.
Eberts drove Huiclos home. "Will you be alright?" he asked. "I can come in for a bit if you'd like," he urged.
"Thank you, Eberts, but that won't be necessary," he sighed the pain in his heart weighing on him heavily.
Eberts nodded and started to drive back home. He really did not want to leave Huiclos alone, but he wasn't going to press the issue right now.
****
The airport was practically empty as Quinn exited the plane, followed closely by the man who had made the trip over next to him.
"Good luck, son," the man said. "And be careful out there."
"Thank you," Quinn answered, watching him walk away. He made his way down the wing of the airport, gazing upward at the television screens scrolling with foreign jargon. It was making his head spin.
He was in a strange country, people speaking strange languages, and he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.
Stopping to collect his thoughts and get a drink from a fountain against the wall, Quinn rubbed his weary face. HE splashed a little of the water over his eyes and let the cold drip down his face. He felt flushed.
Quinn stood and looked across the floor. A young couple were parting ways at the terminal gate. They had their arms around each other and the young girl was crying, whispering something in what had to be the most beautiful language Quinn had ever heard.
He watched for a moment before he spotted a pay phone out of the corner of his eye. Sighing, he made his way over to the booth and picked up the reciever.
"Daniel, it's Quinn. You're not going to believe this. But things just got easier. I have a known addres for Arnaud. I'm gonna call you when I get into the city. I'll let you know what happens. Take care. Later."
He hung up after leaving his message and turned around, leaning against the wall. His head was spinning. Taking a few slow steps into the main hall, Quinn took a deep breath.
The young couple were just letting go of each other's hands. The fellow walked into the tunnel and waved goodbye. The girl stood with her arms crossed against her chest, trying not to
cry.
Quinn only made it one more step. His knees buckled under him and the world went fuzzy as his head hit the floor. Trying to blink away the swarm of lights in his eyes, Quinn rolled over and passed out.
****
Huiclos went inside and sat down on the couch. He buried his face in his hands as the tears started to flow again.
He had been able to keep himself composed at the service, but now the tears came freely. "I can't handle this," he moaned. "Everythime I look around the house I can see her face."
The searching they had done had made everything worse. He had clung to the hope that she might still be alive, and it was twice as painful as that hope was destroyed.
It was killing him to bear the idea of living without her. He got off the couch and went into the kitchen. He got a glass of water and grabbed his bottle of painkiller he had for his leg. He'd just gotten it refilled last week.
He opened the bottle and shook out two pills and swallowed them with the water. He thought for a moment and dumped the contents into his hands. 'At least I'll be with her again,' he thought sourly and he started to swallow the pills.
...to be continued
Any Feedback would be great...
