A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! Really, I can't tell you how much I
love it. I was holding off this one until I got 10 reviews for the last,
but, alas, I only got 8 before I became impatient. This time, I;m sticking
to that goal. So keep it up!
I just realized how easy it is for some writers to write 30 chapter fanfics. I have no idea how long this fic is going to be, but I hope you are all in it for the long haul!
**Disclaimer: I own a Discman, a shelf full of books, and this laptop. I don't own anything related to this show. And even if you do sue me, all you're getting is the Discman and the books because there's no way in hell you're getting my laptop.**
The Black Shadow
by Angel Monroe
Chapter 4: Are You Okay?
Reese looked up from his book as Helena appeared on the fire escape outside his apartment.
"Thank God," he sighed putting his book down. "Are you okay?" he asked standing up quickly to open the window for her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied taking the hand he offered and hopping down off the sill.
He resisted the urge to throw his arms around her just then, but he didn't move away either. Instead, his eyes checked her over meticulously to make sure she was truly alright. His eyes stopped on the thin red line cut into her neck. It was half hidden by her hair and necklace, but his expert eyes caught it all the same. "What happened here?" he asked touching the mark tenderly.
She closed her eyes momentarily, trembling the slightest bit under his touch. "Nothing," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant, though he could tell she was visible shaken by the experience that gave her the abrasion. "Lunden just got a little too close for comfort. I'll be fine."
"I'll kill him," Reese promised her, his fingers still lingering on her neck. "I swear to you, I'll kill him for this."
"Not if I get there first," she retorted.
Abruptly, he broke away from her. "How could I have let this happen?" he demanded to himself more than to her. "How could I have let you get in the middle of this?"
"You didn't let me do anything," Helena argued, her lips forming a slight smirk. "I got myself kidnapped fair and square."
"Is everything a joke to you?" Reese asked turning on her. "You could have been killed, and from the looks of it, you almost were."
"First of all," Helena answered, her voice turning on the offensive, "I'm not a helpless little girl. It isn't that easy to kill me. Second of all, why do you even care?"
"Oh come on, Huntress," Reese said, his voice impatient with her little games. "Don't play that, 'Why do you care?' crap with me. You know how I..." his voice trailed off.
"How you what?" Helena asked stepping closer to him, the smirk back in its rightful position. "Tell me, detective. What do I know?"
He stepped closer to her in return, only inches from her now. "You know what's between us," he replied.
"A couple of inches?" she asked with mock innocence.
He shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "This," he replied leaning down so that their lips met softly and briefly.
"Well," Helena whispered as they parted, still very close, "I guess I can accept that."
She pulled away from him completely. Shaking her head, she tried to put her thoughts in order again. "We can't do this right now," she told him. "I need to talk to you about Lunden."
"Okay," Reese sighed, obviously not wanting to stop their previous activities.
"First of all," Helena started, "what happened after I disappeared?"
Reese sat on his bed, "Well," he started, "after I panicked for a few minutes, I hit the ring you gave me. The last time you were in trouble, a woman friend of yours answered. You turned out okay last time, so I figured it would work again. So the same woman called and I told her what happened. She said she'd take care of it, and the next thing I know, you're sitting on my fire escape."
"I'll have to talk to her about that," Helena said to herself. Then to him again, "When I was at Lunden's place, I found out some very valuable information."
"What is it?" Reese asked eagerly.
"This guy isn't even after you," she replied.
"What the hell do you mean, 'He's not after me'?" he demanded. "He blew up my car; he kidnapped you."
"He's not after you," she repeated. "He's using you to get to someone in your family. Now I didn't even know you had a family, so I have no idea who in it he's after."
At that, Reese stopped dead. His face paled slightly, obviously taken aback. "I knew that bastard would get me in trouble sooner or later," he almost whispered. "I knew he would piss of the wrong people and someone I care about would get caught in the middle. I can't believe he would get mixed up in the kind of thing that would require an assassin!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Helena tried to make sense of his rantings, but it all seemed like gibberish to her, "slow down a minute. Who is he after?"
Reese looked down for a moment, rubbing his head absently. Finally, he looked up into her eyes. "He's after my father," he replied.
"Your father?" Helena asked, still not completely understanding. "Who is your father?"
Reese scowled, almost spitting the words, "My father is Al Hawk."
"What?!?" Helena almost shouted. "You mean to tell me that that criminal, the same criminal that killed my friend's mother, is your father?"
"Yes," he replied between clenched teeth.
Helena took a moment to absorb the shock, not saying anything else that might offend Reese. Finally, she had to ask, "How that hell did you get stuck with that genealogy?"
Reese looked as if it was the last thing he wanted to talk about, but he answered anyway, "My mom was young, naïve. She didn't know what she was getting into."
"I'm sorry," Helena said sincerely.
Anger flashed in his eyes. "The day she got the message of how dangerous he actually was," he continued, "was the day she and I were kidnapped as leverage by one of his enemies. I vowed then and there that I would not let him hurt us ever again, and now he's doing it again."
Helena sat silent for a moment, unsure of how to continue. "So what now?"
Reese shook his head. "I don't know," he replied pacing the room, the anger still palpable in his voice. "I don't know if I should help Hawk or Lunden at this point," he said, but Helena wasn't even sure he was joking.
He stood up resolutely. "The first thing I have to do is get my mother out of town. If Lunden went after me and tried to kill you, he won't hesitate to go after her."
"Can I help?" Helena asked.
"You've done enough," he replied turning to her. "You go home and take care of that neck." He ran one hand gently over the mark. "I'll let you know before I do anything else."
"Okay," she replied reluctantly going to the fire escape.
Before she exited the apartment, she turned back to Reese. Gripping the collar of his shirt in both hands, she pulled him to her in a long, passionate kiss. Then, as quickly as she came, she disappeared into the night, leaving the devilishly handsome detective to stare after her in wonder.
**So, what'd you think? I won't know if you don't tell me. Hint hint, wink wink. Next chapter coming as soon as I think of it, and not before I get 10 reviews. Keep that in mind.
One last thing. I haven't been writing for the site too long and am just ignorant, so would someone please tell me what the hell 'Literati' means?**
I just realized how easy it is for some writers to write 30 chapter fanfics. I have no idea how long this fic is going to be, but I hope you are all in it for the long haul!
**Disclaimer: I own a Discman, a shelf full of books, and this laptop. I don't own anything related to this show. And even if you do sue me, all you're getting is the Discman and the books because there's no way in hell you're getting my laptop.**
The Black Shadow
by Angel Monroe
Chapter 4: Are You Okay?
Reese looked up from his book as Helena appeared on the fire escape outside his apartment.
"Thank God," he sighed putting his book down. "Are you okay?" he asked standing up quickly to open the window for her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied taking the hand he offered and hopping down off the sill.
He resisted the urge to throw his arms around her just then, but he didn't move away either. Instead, his eyes checked her over meticulously to make sure she was truly alright. His eyes stopped on the thin red line cut into her neck. It was half hidden by her hair and necklace, but his expert eyes caught it all the same. "What happened here?" he asked touching the mark tenderly.
She closed her eyes momentarily, trembling the slightest bit under his touch. "Nothing," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant, though he could tell she was visible shaken by the experience that gave her the abrasion. "Lunden just got a little too close for comfort. I'll be fine."
"I'll kill him," Reese promised her, his fingers still lingering on her neck. "I swear to you, I'll kill him for this."
"Not if I get there first," she retorted.
Abruptly, he broke away from her. "How could I have let this happen?" he demanded to himself more than to her. "How could I have let you get in the middle of this?"
"You didn't let me do anything," Helena argued, her lips forming a slight smirk. "I got myself kidnapped fair and square."
"Is everything a joke to you?" Reese asked turning on her. "You could have been killed, and from the looks of it, you almost were."
"First of all," Helena answered, her voice turning on the offensive, "I'm not a helpless little girl. It isn't that easy to kill me. Second of all, why do you even care?"
"Oh come on, Huntress," Reese said, his voice impatient with her little games. "Don't play that, 'Why do you care?' crap with me. You know how I..." his voice trailed off.
"How you what?" Helena asked stepping closer to him, the smirk back in its rightful position. "Tell me, detective. What do I know?"
He stepped closer to her in return, only inches from her now. "You know what's between us," he replied.
"A couple of inches?" she asked with mock innocence.
He shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "This," he replied leaning down so that their lips met softly and briefly.
"Well," Helena whispered as they parted, still very close, "I guess I can accept that."
She pulled away from him completely. Shaking her head, she tried to put her thoughts in order again. "We can't do this right now," she told him. "I need to talk to you about Lunden."
"Okay," Reese sighed, obviously not wanting to stop their previous activities.
"First of all," Helena started, "what happened after I disappeared?"
Reese sat on his bed, "Well," he started, "after I panicked for a few minutes, I hit the ring you gave me. The last time you were in trouble, a woman friend of yours answered. You turned out okay last time, so I figured it would work again. So the same woman called and I told her what happened. She said she'd take care of it, and the next thing I know, you're sitting on my fire escape."
"I'll have to talk to her about that," Helena said to herself. Then to him again, "When I was at Lunden's place, I found out some very valuable information."
"What is it?" Reese asked eagerly.
"This guy isn't even after you," she replied.
"What the hell do you mean, 'He's not after me'?" he demanded. "He blew up my car; he kidnapped you."
"He's not after you," she repeated. "He's using you to get to someone in your family. Now I didn't even know you had a family, so I have no idea who in it he's after."
At that, Reese stopped dead. His face paled slightly, obviously taken aback. "I knew that bastard would get me in trouble sooner or later," he almost whispered. "I knew he would piss of the wrong people and someone I care about would get caught in the middle. I can't believe he would get mixed up in the kind of thing that would require an assassin!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Helena tried to make sense of his rantings, but it all seemed like gibberish to her, "slow down a minute. Who is he after?"
Reese looked down for a moment, rubbing his head absently. Finally, he looked up into her eyes. "He's after my father," he replied.
"Your father?" Helena asked, still not completely understanding. "Who is your father?"
Reese scowled, almost spitting the words, "My father is Al Hawk."
"What?!?" Helena almost shouted. "You mean to tell me that that criminal, the same criminal that killed my friend's mother, is your father?"
"Yes," he replied between clenched teeth.
Helena took a moment to absorb the shock, not saying anything else that might offend Reese. Finally, she had to ask, "How that hell did you get stuck with that genealogy?"
Reese looked as if it was the last thing he wanted to talk about, but he answered anyway, "My mom was young, naïve. She didn't know what she was getting into."
"I'm sorry," Helena said sincerely.
Anger flashed in his eyes. "The day she got the message of how dangerous he actually was," he continued, "was the day she and I were kidnapped as leverage by one of his enemies. I vowed then and there that I would not let him hurt us ever again, and now he's doing it again."
Helena sat silent for a moment, unsure of how to continue. "So what now?"
Reese shook his head. "I don't know," he replied pacing the room, the anger still palpable in his voice. "I don't know if I should help Hawk or Lunden at this point," he said, but Helena wasn't even sure he was joking.
He stood up resolutely. "The first thing I have to do is get my mother out of town. If Lunden went after me and tried to kill you, he won't hesitate to go after her."
"Can I help?" Helena asked.
"You've done enough," he replied turning to her. "You go home and take care of that neck." He ran one hand gently over the mark. "I'll let you know before I do anything else."
"Okay," she replied reluctantly going to the fire escape.
Before she exited the apartment, she turned back to Reese. Gripping the collar of his shirt in both hands, she pulled him to her in a long, passionate kiss. Then, as quickly as she came, she disappeared into the night, leaving the devilishly handsome detective to stare after her in wonder.
**So, what'd you think? I won't know if you don't tell me. Hint hint, wink wink. Next chapter coming as soon as I think of it, and not before I get 10 reviews. Keep that in mind.
One last thing. I haven't been writing for the site too long and am just ignorant, so would someone please tell me what the hell 'Literati' means?**