((The angst ensues--- Neko))
Nothing is What it Seems
Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)
Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com
Status:Part 3
Catagory:Angst
Spoilers: none
Season: after Beholder
Rating:PG for and violence. There's also some D/C shipping in this fic.
Summary:Claire begins to remember what happened to her.
Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.
Lori sat listening intently to the explanation Claire was giving her. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. It amazed her, yet at the same time scared the hell out of her. She wasn't sure what to think. Or how she'd gotten herself into this. Sure she and Claire were friends, but this was a lot to ask of someone she hadn't seen in awhile.
"You know..." Darien chimed in as the room fell silent, "Hobbes here can fill you in on a lot. I mean, we've been working together for some time now...he can help you cope with the idea."
Hobbes shot Darien a quick smile before turning to Lori. "My friend's right. I can fill you in over dinner perhaps?"
Lori blushed; having been rather taken by Hobbes while she'd cared for him in the hospital. "Dinner does sound good," she agreed.
Pulling Claire aside as Hobbes continued his blatant attempt to flirt, Darien put on his most sincere puppy-dog look he could muster.
"Hey, Claire...I think we can leave Hobbes to take care of Lori. I think you need some time off. You look exhausted," which was very true.
She had barely gotten any sleep in the past few days since returning home. The last week, she had mainly spent dozing in hospital chairs in either Darien or Hobbes' rooms.
"You know you may be right, Dahrien," she said. "I am rather tired."
"Come on, I'll take you home," he told her, taking her by the arm and coaxing her out the door of the lab. "Hobbes! I'm gonna take Claire home. You behave. See you later Lori!"
The two waved Darien and Claire a goodnight and continued on with their evening plans.
Darien drove Claire back to her place and got out of the car. Pavlov was barking energetically when they entered the door.
"How's mommy's little baby?" Clarie cooed picking up Pavlov who proceeded to lick her face.
Darien smirked at Claire.
"What?" she asked him.
"Nothing..." Darien said trying to hold back a laugh as he recalled her antics when he followed her home invisibly.
Claire picked Pavlov up and carried him to the kitchen, Darien on her heels. She rounded the corner of the counter, still talking to her dog.
Darien quickly leaned over the counter and grabbed the box of dog treats, handing one to Pavlov.
Claire gave him a quick glance as Darien grinned up at her. She shook her head and moved towards the stairs.
"I'm gonna go lay down, Darien," she started. "Make yourself at home...that is...if you'd like to stay."
"Thanks. I might just crash on the couch for a while," he answered, rubbing his aching chest. It still throbbed and no painkiller was doing the trick, at least not while he was working.
"Darien, I do have an extra room. Come lay down upstairs. You should be comfortable," She could read the pain on his face. She wanted to help.
"Thanks, Claire." Darien grabbed a glass of water. The percocet did help a little, but he couldn't take it during the day. It let him sleep better, without TOO much in the way of side effects.
Claire showed Darien her guest room and slowly walked off to sleep in her own room. She set Pavlov down and changed into her nightgown. She brushed her teeth and then laid down sighing, happy that the long day was over.
Darien jerked out of a deep sleep. He heard a loud scream and ran down to Claire's room.
Claire was thrashing in her bed and Pavlov huddled in the corner. From the look of him, this told Darien that her bad dreams happened several times.
Darien grabbed Claire and held her still. "Ssshh! Claire. It's OK. You're all right."
It took Claire a minute to register Darien's voice. She started to sob and hugged him tightly.
"It's ok..." he whispered reaffirming her safety, as he stroked her hair. "You're fine..."
She pulled her head back as the sleep left her. She blinked back tears that were flooding her eyes and quickly realized who she was holding onto.
"Darien..." she said softly not quite sure of her surroundings.
"Yeah, Claire. You were having a pretty bad dream. You alright?"
"Yes," she said quickly, perking up her voice. "I wasn't dreaming," this was an obvious lie and Darien picked up on her fright as she pulled away from him and went back under the covers.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Darien asked looking into her eyes.
Claire tried to avoid his gaze. She just couldn't tell him...she had started remembering what had happened with Arnaud. She didn't even want to believe it herself. How she could have acted that way...with HIM...it just made her shiver all over.
Darien noticed Claire shivering and pulled her close to him. "Anything at all...I care about you, Claire," Darien smoothed down her hair and looked deeply into her eyes.
Claire looked at him doubtfully. She had feelings for him too, but she was just so unsure of everything. There was also the doctor-patient divide that she wasn't sure she should cross. Would Darien even want to be near her if she told him?
Darien held onto Claire in a loving embrace and kissed her. He'd wanted to do this for such a long time, and now just felt right.
Claire melted with his kiss. She did want this...
damn Arnaud for making her doubt herself...She clung to Darien as his kiss continued.
God, his lips were so soft, she couldn't help but to open herself up to his coaxing. She raised her arm and pushed her fingers through his hair, pulling his weight down onto her as she laid back.
They pulled apart as her head hit the pillow. They lay there forehead to forehead for a moment catching their breaths.
Darien opened his eyes first and met her stare as she calmed herself and looked up at him.
Claire really wanted to continue, except her mind was still racing. She wanted Darien very much.
"Claire? Are you all right?" Darien asked noting the pensive look in her eyes.
"I...Darien..." she stuttered unable to put her thoughts into words.
"We can stop if you want. I don't want to push you." Darien said softly, pushing the hair out of her face.
"It's not you. I just..."
"You can tell me, Claire."
Claire's eyes welled with tears again. She was ashamed of what happened.
"It's the nightmare isn't it? Was it about Arnaud?" Darien asked.
Claire nodded unable to say anything.
Darien hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I let him go last time. I'm so sorry he hurt you."
"It's not your fault, Darien."
"
Yes it is. I shouldn't have worried about those papers. There wasn't anything useful there anyway. And he came back, and hurt you," Darien pounded his fist into a pillow.
Claire took Darien's hand in hers. "It wasn't YOUR fault. He's a sociopathic bastard," Claire ran her hand down Darien's face.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it," he smirked, showing a smile as she let out a small laugh. "But I'm still sorry."
He moved down and kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheek ...sweetly moving down to her neck, savoring the scent that was her, light jasmine shampoo and ivory soap.
"Oh, Darien..." she moaned after he kissed her and slid her nightshirt off her shoulders.
His kisses trailed down her neck and then her shoulder.
She shivered under his touch. It had been a long time since she'd been with anyone, whom she cared for. A couple flings in college, which included Kevin, but nothing after that.
Her work kept her late and caring for Gloria for ten years, she just didn't any time to think of anyone. She could see Darien has feelings for her. Way beyond the doctor patient relationship.
***
Claire kissed Darien again and smiled, her eyes dancing.
Darien smiled back and moved to lie next to Claire. He brushed the hair out of her eyes.
Claire snuggled next to him, starting to doze off.
Darien hugged her protectively, hoping he could keep the bad dreams away. "I love you," he whispered and nuzzled her closely.
***
Hobbes opened the door of the restaurant for Lori who stepped inside and began to shake off her coat.
"Nice place," she said as Bobby came up behind her and took her jacket.
"Yeah, it kinda grows on you," he replied as he hung it up. "How bout a booth?" He led her to the back wall where an empty booth waited for them. They settled in and each began restlessly playing with their hands on the table.
"Um..." Lori started. "Bobby, I think I need you to tell me something."
"Yeah, you may be right."
"I want everything."
She was so abrupt that it took him off guard. "Everything?"
"Yep. Don't leave out a detail. Nothing has ever bothered me and will never bother me as much as being out of the loop. So let's hear it," She stared right at him as he wriggled in his seat glancing around the room.
"Well...it's all very technical," he said trying his hardest at sounding serious.
"Oh, I'm sure it is," she smartly remarked.
The next hour was spent with Hobbes revealing as much information as he could possibly part with. What he felt was need to know.
Lori smiled as Hobbes told her about some of his other jobs and missions he'd had. He had a wonderful personality and was very charming. The dinner was wonderful, and she didn't want the evening to end.
Hobbes picked up the check, and got Lori's coat for her. He even held the door for her on the way out.
***
Claire woke with a start at the first feeling of those icy hands around her throat. She shot up in bed, hair falling over her eyes and sat there catching her breath and steadying her heart.
"Darien..." she remembered quickly turning to the other side of the bed. It was empty. "Darien?" she said softly into the empty space of her room.
She got up slowly and grabbed her robe from the bathroom door, hugging it tightly around her against the cold. Claire made her way down the stairs and rounded the corner to the kitchen.
It surprised her to find Darien sound asleep on the couch. She turned to look back at the stairs and back at the sleeping man on her couch. Had she dreamt what had happened?
Her heart began pounding in her throat as the thought of it came back to her. It had all seemed so real. She felt him so truly she was sure of what had happened last night.
But then her nagging self-consciousness kicked in and berated her. "You probably just thought of him to rid yourself of the pain, Claire," she told herself standing in the middle of the living room. "Arnaud or Darien...you choose..." she was blatantly talking to herself as Darien opened his eyes and watched her from the couch.
"Everything ok?" he asked casually as he sat up, startling her.
"Sure," she said trying not to jump back. "Why didn't you stay in the guest room?"
"I couldn't sleep so I found a book and came down here. I guess I fell asleep," Darien got up and stretched trying to work the kink out of his back. "So are you feeling any better?"
"Yes, a little," she started trying to avoid his eyes. The images of last night were very vivid. She could still hear him saying that he loved her...and then his voice abruptly turned into Arnaud's. 'I will miss you, Claire, mon amour,' She turned away from Darien so he wouldn't see the look on her face.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Darien asked.
"Fine."
"OK. I'm gonna run home and get a change of clothes. I'll be back to get you in an hour," Darien said as he grabbed his coat.
"Sure. See you then," Claire said softly.
She closed the door behind him. 'Why did that have to be a dream?' She started to cry. She had feelings for Darien, 'Why oh why did I have to dream that last night?' She got the vision Arnaud touching her and felt sick. She barely made it to the bathroom.
***
"Yeah, Hobbes, it's Darien, look.." he said into the telephone as he pulled up outside of Claire's house and put the car in park. "I need you to tell Lori to check out Claire when we get there ok? And discreetly. I think something's up, but she isn't saying," he nodded a few times before he hung up the cell phone and trotted up the walk to Claire's door. He knocked once as he opened the door himself. "Claire? You ready?" he called up the stairs.
"Yes I am," she said loudly from his side, making him jump backwards into the wall. He cringed as his shoulder struck the door.
"Jesus, Claire. Don't do that!" he said laughing.
"Sorry," she said concerned as she automatically reached for his shoulder, checking for damage. "Are you alright?"
He chuckled as he replied "Yeah, fine." But she held onto his arm anyway.
She remembered the way it felt as she moved her warm hand along it, feeling the taut muscles shiver as she touched him.
"How about you? You ok?" he asked after a moment.
Shaking her head she fell back into reality. "Let's go," she said quickly as she dropped her hand and walked out the door.
Darien followed her with his eyes as she jogged to his car. Locking the door behind him, he mentally forced himself to believe he hadn't seemed to enjoy that as much as he did.
Hobbes had just finished speaking to Lori as Darien and Claire came into the lab.
Claire checked Darien's tattoo and noticed he had three green sections left. She had Lori follow her over to the fridge where the counteragent was. She showed Lori how to dilute the dosage and how much to inject.
Darien sat on the chair waiting for Claire to give him a shot.
Claire let Lori administer the counteragent, since she WAS going to be helping with this especially if Claire happened to get sick or something.
"Well, buddy, shall we go see what the boss man has for us today?" Hobbes asked.
"Sure. Might as well see how we get to keep the world safe today," Darien commented sighing slightly.
"So, Hobbes filled you in I assume?" Claire asked shortly as she helped Lori clean up.
"Yes, he certainly did."
"Any questions?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh...I'm sure there'll be a few along the way." They both laughed a while before falling silent, listening to the clinking of metal and glass as they moved instruments around.
"How you doing, Claire? Really?"
She took a moment to look over at Lori...to assess the concern in her voice. "Honestly, Lori. I've been better."
"Come on, Claire, sit down." Lori led Claire over to the desk and watched as she gingerly sat down in the small chair. "Tell me."
"They're just memories, Lori. But they're so vivid they're killing me. And these dreams...." she let out a big sigh.
"Dreams about...?"
Claire looked down at her hands as they twisted into a knot on her lap. "Nightmares actually," she whispered, trying to hold back tears.
"Arnaud?"
She could only nod.
"Ok." Lori crouched down next to the chair and stroked Claire's back as tears began to fall. "This can be helped, Claire. We can do this."
"It's not just that, Lori. It's...." she trailed off trying to find the words. "My subconscious is helping me already. And I don't know how, but I'm having a problem distinguishing between reality and dream."
"How so?"
"Last night...oh god..." she sighed realizing what she was about to say may sound crazy. "I was dreaming...it was horrible.." she choked back another wave of tears. "And then Darien was there."
"He went home with you last night," Lori said to reassure her.
"I know...I know...but he was my dream. He was there. I think I put him there."
Lori understood completely. "It's understandable, Claire. Your mind is being battered and it's going for the first pleasant image it can recall. It's nothing to get worked up about."
Claire nodded as the door to the keep slid open to Darien and Hobbes. They both froze as they saw the tears on Claire's cheeks. She quickly looked away, wiping the tears from her face.
"She's alright, guys," Lori started. 'Let's talk outside for a minute,' she mouthed this to them as she lead them out into the hallway.
"What's going on?" Darien asked as soon as the door slid shut.
"She's been though a lot," Lori started. "Give her time. She's started to remember what happened and it's giving her nightmares. She hasn't given me any details, but I don't think there's too much to worry about. Ii takes time to recover and cope with something like this," Lori paced back and forth.
"She's gonna be ok, right?" Darien inquired looking into Lori's eyes.
"She will, just be gentle with her. I'll try and help her as much as I can," Lori said looking right back at Darien. 'I can see why she's added him to her dreams. He cares a great deal about her, and it shows.'
"Thanks for helping Lori," Hobbes added. "Come on, partner, we have a job to do."
"Are you sure she'll be ok?" Darien asked.
"She just said so. Come on. We need to go," Hobbes insisted. "See you later, Lori."
"Goodbye."
Claire packed her bag up and laid it down on the desk as she waited for Darien to come back to pick her up. She paced the lab checking vials, supplies, anything she could do to keep her mind busy. She had been dreading seeing Darien all day for fear her knees may give out on her. But she also longed for it and it was killing her.
She walked over to the corner of the room where her rats were kept. Darien had insisted she stop her experimenting on them and so she hadn't touched them in months.
Opening the lid to their cage, she reached down to the floor for their food bowl and picked it up. Immediately she dropped it and watched the tiny pellets fall to the ground. A litter of what seemed like a dozen baby rats was curled up in the corner of the glass box, the mother rat hovering showing its teeth.
Suddenly, the door to the keep slid open making Claire spin around. Instantly, a man's grip fell around her throat and pushed her up against the wall. Opening her eyes she saw his face. Arnaud was back! "NO!" she screamed as his grip fell from her neck to her arms. "Let go!" She lashed out, feeling her blow fall on his cheek.
"Jesus! Claire wake up!" Darien shook her awake harshly as she fought him.
"Get off!" she screamed one last time as she bolted up off the chair. Darien's hands still held her arms as she sat there staring into his eyes.
"Claire, it's alright. Are you awake now?"
She could see the red mark where her fist had struck him.
"Oh, god..Darien..." her heart pounded. She felt faint. "Darien...I..." she barely leaned over fast enough to vomit onto the floor.
"Alrighty..." he started getting up, pulling her hair back. "Let's get you home."
Claire nodded at Darien miserably. She felt like she was losing her mind. She grabbed her bag and took a glance into the rat cage. Only one rat was sitting there running in its wheel.
"Come on, Claire. I'll take you home," Darien held his arm out for her and she gripped it tight, almost making him wince. 'I almost wish Arnaud would get out of jail. Then I could kill him myself,' Darien thought sourly. It was killing him to see Claire like this. She seemed almost a shell of her former self.
They passed Hobbes and Lori in the hallway on the way out. Hobbes was going to ask them if they wanted to join him and Lori for dinner, but kept quiet when he saw Claire's face. It spooked him to see her like this.
***
Arnaud sat in his cell awaiting his trial. He was annoyed that he had actually allowed himself to be captured. Next time he and Darien Fawkes met, one of them would die. He looked at his watch and sighed. He waited for his contact to show.
Darien helped Claire climb the stairs to her bedroom, holding the door open to her room.
"Time to take it a bit easy, Claire," he said as he guided her in.
"I'm just tired, Darien. I think I just need some sleep."
"Yeah, I'd agree with that." He turned to leave the room, stopping as her hand closed around his arm.
"You're leaving?" Her voice shook slightly in fear.
"No...no, I'm not leaving. I'm gonna go grab you something to eat. You gotta have something on your stomach."
She grimaced and turned her head away embarrassed. "Oh...right.."
"Why don't you get into some comfortable clothes? I'll be right back up."
"Sure..." she said weakly as she began walking toward the bathroom.
Darien waited till she shut the door and heard the shower running before running down the stairs and into the kitchen. He rummaged through the cupboards till he found a box of beef bouillon cubes.
***
This was so easy it made him laugh. The guard showed at 10:00PM, as planned to transfer him to maximum security. The car stood waiting outside the back door as usual, nothing suspicious. "Ridiculous American prisons..." Arnaud chuckled as he sat himself in the back seat of the car, handcuffs still tight around his wrists.
The guard got into the front seat and drove out of the alley. "The key is in the cup holder, sir," he said to the man in the back seat.
Arnaud retrieved the set of keys and easily unlocked the cuffs. He reached under the seat of the driver and produced a cell phone, a wry smile crept across his face as he dialed.
"It is a go," he said into the receiver and hung up promptly. 'It is all a go...' he laughed to himself.
Claire wrapped a towel around her hair and pulled her robe on. Pavlov wagged his tail happily as she emerged from the bathroom. She sat down wearily on the bed.
Darien knocked on the doorframe. "Can I come in?"
"Yes, Darien," Claire sighed.
Darien came in with a tray of food. "Room service, Madame," he smiled.
Claire couldn't help smiling. He had made some beef broth and brought saltine crackers and some 7-up too.
"Try to eat some of this," he urged. He didn't like her pal our at all.
"I will," she nodded weakly.
"I'll be downstairs if you need anything," and he left her alone to eat.
Hobbes and Lori decided to go to dinner and see a movie. He let her pick the movie.
"So how long have you know Claire?" Hobbes asked they ate their dinner.
"Well, we met in med school, and were roommates for a short time. You're worried about her too?" Lori noticed.
"Yeah. I mean we're like a family. Me, Fawkes and the Keeper," Hobbes commented.
"I can tell. I'm sure she'll be fine. She just needs time. I promise to help her out as much as I can," Lori added putting her hand on Hobbes' arm.
"I really appreciate that," Hobbes smiled squeezing her hand.
Lori blushed. Hobbes was very charming when he wanted to be, and she hoped their relationship could develop into something more.
***
He reached the hotel at a little past five o'clock, registering under an alias and ordering a large plate of food to be taken up to his room immediately.
He was sick of jail slop. Hanging his coat up in the room closet, Arnaud sat down on the large bed and picked up the phone. Everything was working lovely but he needed one last piece to fall into place.
"Are you ready?" he asked calmly into the phone piece.
"Yes, sir. The key is in place. Front door secure."
"Wonderful. Forget we spoke." He hung up slowly once again laughing. "This is almost too easy," he said to the empty room.
***
Claire sipped on the broth savoring its flavor and warmth. It felt so good going down. Pavlov slept peacefully at the foot of her bed, snoring his little doggy snore. It made her smile.
She placed the mug down and pushed the tray off to the side. Gathering her robe around her, she crept to the door. It was so quiet, she wanted to make sure Darien was even still there.
Pavlov heard her move and perked his head up, giving a little bark. "SHH! Pavlov, quiet!" she said as softly but as firmly as she could. She walked back to the bed to quiet her dog down. Turning back to the door, she smacked right into Darien.
"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, surveying the room.
She couldn't help but laugh. "Nothing! Darien, nothing's wrong."
"I heard him bark," he said pointing at the dog on the bed.
"Well, he does that from time to time."
"Oh, ok..." he trailed off still a little suspicious.
"Darien, you don't have to be so worried."
"Yeah, actually I do," he answered her taking a step back and moving straining his neck to see into the bathroom. He wouldn't let up.
"It's rather endearing."
"Huh?" he asked stopping his search, coming back to stand in front of her.
"I said...it's rather endearing."
"Oh..." He wasn't sure how to answer that.
"I'm fine, really I am," Claire insisted.
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I am. See, I even ate some food," she motioned to the tray.
"Alright, Claire. Will you be ok if I leave for an hour or so? I need to go back to my place and feed 'Darien' and get a change of clothes."
"I think I'll survive for an hour," she smiled and Darien nodded and went back downstairs.
***
Arnaud reached the agency at a quarter past seven. The sun was down and the lights were out as requested. He looked over his shoulder, looking for eyes, but didn't find any.
He reached above the door jam, loosening a brick above the glass. The key fell out of its cubby into his palm. Smiling wryly, he put the brick back in place and took a stroll down the sidewalk.
The car waited for him down the block. Arnaud silently got in on the passenger side. The driver clenched the steering wheel with his gloved hands.
"Let's go, Eberts," he said casually.
"Yes, sir." The car started and Eberts maneuvered it down the street towards Claire's house.
He made Eberts park a block down from Claire's driveway, keeping out of sight. He casually strolled up the sidewalk of the peaceful street, avoiding the lights of the street lamps. When Claire's door came into view, he paused, stepping back behind a line of hedges.
The light from the upstairs window was on but dimly lit. It must have been coming from a back bedroom somewhere. Arnaud fingered the key in his pocket as he stepped back to the sidewalk and placed his foot on the lawn.
A tiny growl startled him as he stepped onto the grass. Pavlov stood not ten feet from him, teeth glaring and snarling.
"Nice doggy," he said in a soothing voice, taking his foot from the grass and taking a step back. "Good little dog..."
A sharp, loud whistle startled him for a second time, causing him to hurriedly jump back behind the hedge.
"Pavlov! Come on, buddy...what are you doing out here?" came Darien's voice from the driveway. The dog ran across the yard and jumped up into Darien's arms. "Aren't you cold?" he asked sweetly as he hugged the dog against him, walking toward the door.
"Merde!" Arnaud cursed himself. He watched as Darien opened the door and let himself in. Arnaud turned angrily and marched back down the sidewalk towards Eberts.
Darien and Claire showed up in the lab the next day. Hobbes was pacing back and forth in the lab. And Lori was trying to look busy.
"Mornin' Hobbes," Darien said as he came in.
"Hey, big guy," Hobbes started. "Boss man needs to see us A.S.A.P."
"Anything wrong?" Darien asked.
"No," Hobbes replied trying to sound convincing. "Just a new assignment."
Darien followed Hobbes out of the lab giving him a glare. They stopped just outside the Official's office. "OK, Hobbes, what's wrong?"
"Arnaud escaped from prison last night. I didn't want to say anything in front of Claire with her...you know...the way she is right now."
Darien pounded his fist into the wall. "How? How did he get out?"
The Official opened his door when heard the noise outside. "Come in, gentlemen."
"So what's the status, sir?" Hobbes asked.
Darien glowered at both of them.
"It not only seems that Arnaud has escaped, he still has control of Eberts," the Official sighed.
"So, lackey boy isn't as loyal as we thought, eh boss?" Hobbes sneered.
"Shut up, Hobbes!" the Official barked.
"Wait, wait, Hobbes is right. If Eberts helped Arnaud escape, than he's no longer playing for our side," Darien hissed the memory of the gunshot wound fresh in his mind.
"Find him," The Official barked the order at the two agents loudly and stared them down.
"Yes, sir," replied Hobbes angrily as he turned to leave. Darien remained in front of the desk looking down at the man.
"What is it Fawkes," he asked annoyed.
"Well I figured you should know," he started with a glare in his eyes. "If I see him, I WILL kill him."
"Do what you have to do," the official finally answered after a long pause. "But I want Eberts unharmed."
"I'm not promising anything," Darien growled as he quickly turned and followed Hobbes out the door.
Hobbes and Darien stormed down the hall and out of the building. Both too angry to say anything else.
Claire eyed Lori suspiciously. Lori was very nervous because Hobbes had told her about Arnaud. She wasn't sure how well Claire would take the news in her current condition.
"So, are you feeling any better today?" Lori asked trying to break the tension.
"Some. My stomach was still a bit uneasy when I woke up. I don't know maybe I'm coming down with something," Claire answered.
"You should go home then. No good to work yourself into exhaustion."
"I'll get some sleep tonight I'm sure. Having Darien there is a real comfort."
"I'm sure," Lori replied with a small wink.
"Stop that, Lori," Claire said with a giggle. "We're dear friends, nothing more." She covered her face with her hands and sighed, rubbing her cheeks as she yawned.
"You're really pale, Claire."
"Well, I've been sick."
"No...I mean REALLY pale." Lori got up off her chair and crossed over to her friend. "Up in the chair, doctor. I'm gonna take some blood."
***
Lori gave Claire a ride home and offered to stay with her. She knew she should have someone there and was very insistent.
"I'm just gonna stay here with you until Darien comes, alright?" she said as she locked the door behind them and took a quick peek out the window.
Claire quietly made her way into the living room and plopped herself onto the couch, bag still in hand.
Lori went over and sat down on the coffee table facing her, taking the bag.
"This is going to be ok, Claire," she said reassuringly. "You can handle this."
Claire nodded as she stared straight ahead into oblivion. She heard and saw nothing. The tears began to pour down her face as she crouched over and curled up on the couch sobbing.
Lori stroked her hair and tried to comfort her.
'This can't be happening!' Claire's mind raced. 'I just can't believe...' Claire felt very sick again. She bolted up from the couch and almost tripped over Pavlov on the way to the bathroom.
Lori got up and paced back and forth down the hall. Hobbes had told her about how Darien reacted when he saw Arnaud the last time. If he hadn't given Darien the counteragent he would have killed him.
She hoped Darien would get here soon. She'd been too afraid for Claire's mental state to tell her about Arnaud escaping. And now with this...maybe luck would be with them and Arnaud would be recaptured before Claire found out.
Claire came back into the room. She walked so softly, almost like a ghost. Her eyes were red and puffy with a very haunted look. Pavlov pined for attention, but Claire didn't even seem to notice him.
***
Darien was fuming as he and Hobbes walked down to the lab. They spent the whole day searching for Arnaud and Eberts with no luck. He took a deep breath before entering the lab. He almost freaked when he saw it was empty. Then he saw a note on Claire's computer.
Darien,
I took Claire home. Please come to her place as soon as you read this. I'll be staying with her until you get here. Hurry. It's very important.
Thanks, Lori
"What do you think is wrong, Hobbes?" Darien asked as they went back out to the van.
"She probably told Claire about Arnaud escaping," Hobbes guessed. "I'm thinking Claire wouldn't take it too well."
"I KNOW that, Hobbes. But I thought the whole idea of you telling me out of her earshot was to keep her from knowing right away," Darien added angrily.
"I don't know. Maybe it's something else. We won't know until we get there," Hobbes countered.
They pulled up to Claire's house as the sun was going down. Darien slammed the door angrily closed and made his way up the driveway.
"Never let 'em see ya sweat," Hobbes interjected.
Darien spun on him, "Do you not grasp what is going on? Huh?!" he asked angrily.
"I understand completely, my friend. I think it's you who's having the problem. We've got a very scared lady in that house and you storming around throwing a temper tantrum right now is NOT what she needs!"
Hobbes and Darien stared at each other for a heartbeat before Darien rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm fine," He turned and headed for the door.
"That's the way.." Hobbes said quietly as his partner opened the front door.
"Claire?" Darien called as he walked into the foyer leaving the door ajar for Hobbes.
"In here," came Lori's voice from the living room.
Claire was stretched out on the couch, Pavlov curled up at her feet. Lori got up off the chair she was dozing in and walked over to the men.
"She's not doing too well, guys."
"How long she been out?" Darien asked concerned.
"About an hour. I think we need to just let her sleep this one out."
"Yeah, okay," he said quietly as he bent down and gingerly picked Claire up. "I'm gonna take her upstairs."
"I'll drive you home," Hobbes told Lori. "I don't want you alone either."
"Kay," she said without argument. "Darien?" she said quickly.
"Yeah," he said from the bottom of the stairs.
"If she wakes up, she doesn't know anything. I didn't tell her."
"Thanks, Lori." He began climbing.
"Come on, let's go, they'll be fine." Hobbes grabbed Lori's coat from the back of the couch and swung it across her shoulders as they headed out the door. He stopped to make sure the door was locked and watched as Darien took Claire into the bedroom, Pavlov close on his heels.
Lori climbed into the van, very numb from the day she'd just had.
"You want to talk about it?" Hobbes asked with a sincere look on his face.
Lori just sat for a moment. This was Claire's life, but she knew that Bobby considered Claire family.
"That bad, huh," Hobbes added in response to her silence.
"Bobby, how much do you know about what happened with Arnaud?" Lori asked.
"What do you mean? I know that he messed with her mind and stuff. What are you saying?" and before she could reply his mind kicked in. 'Claire makes the cutest sounds when she...' he heard Arnaud's voice in his head. He slammed the brakes and the van lurched to a stop. He looked over at Lori, his eyes starting to tear with rage. "Please tell me that you aren't saying what I think you're saying."
Lori just nodded slowly. "She almost collapsed in the lab. She hadn't fully remembered until I tested her blood and she found out."
"I'm gonna kill that bastard," Hobbes growled.
"I don't think that would help. The damage is already done, I'm afraid."
Darien laid Claire gently onto the bed, making sure she seemed comfortable. He smoothed her hair down and began to stand when her arm clenched around his wrist.
"Darien?" she mumbled.
"Claire...go back to sleep."
"No, Darien...where are you going?"
She seemed so out of it he wasn't sure if she was talking in her sleep or not. "Nowhere. I'm just gonna..."
"Stay here," she said starting to cry again.
"Hey hey hey..." he said, his heart breaking. "Claire, come on, it's ok." He sat down on the bed next to her, handing her a tissue from the nightstand.
"No...it's not," she whimpered. "I just....I don't.."
"Okay, come on...close your eyes," he told her softly. He stretched himself out next to her, holding her close as she continued to sob. He stroked her hair and held her until she fell asleep in his arms.
It didn't take long for him to follow. His mind was racing and he knew he should be out on the street looking for Arnaud. But he also knew he was needed here....and it felt more important to him right now.
All the lights were out. He loved it. He laughed to himself as he jogged across the lawn, watching for that little mutt as he ran passed the hedges.
He slipped the key into the lock on the door, pushing it open with ease. No sound alerted him that anyone was wise to him. Shutting the door behind him, Arnaud bounded up the stairs quietly and paused at Claire's doorway.
The door was open and he could see her form lying on the bed. His adrenaline pumped, as it never had before as he stalked his way across the carpeting. He could smell her perfume, 'Lady of the Lake', in the air.
His eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room as he came up alongside the bed. Reaching out to stroke her hair, he smiled.
"Wake up, Claire," he sang to her as he bent down. "Claire..."
The little dog charged out from under the bed, instantly attaching himself to Arnaud's ankle.
"AAAHHH!" he yelled waking the two sleepers. "Get off me you mangy mutt!" He tried to kick the dog off but Pavlov held tight.
Darien was the first to shoot up from the bed. "No!" he yelled as he tried to grab hold of the struggling man. "Arnaud, you son of a...!" but Arnaud was quicker.
He yanked Claire up from her position on the bed, immediately drawing his gun from the back of his pants. "I didn't want it to come to this," he said wearily, still trying to beat the dog away as he dragged a startled Claire from the bed.
"Let her go, Arnaud," Darien growled as he launched from the mattress to the ground in front of them.
"Darien..." Claire said quietly, waking finally to this scene.
"It's ok, Claire... he's not going to hurt you."
"You don't know that!" Arnaud hissed back. "God damnit! Get this dog off of me!" He kicked as hard as he could, sending Pavlov sailing across the room into the dresser, knocking him out.
"Oh... now that was stupid," Darien said calmly taking another step closer.
"Stop, Fawkes. This isn't a game," Arnaud said as he smiled and cocked the gun.
Darien stopped and glared at Arnaud. He couldn't risk Arnaud shooting her. "What do you want?" Darien asked hoping to trick Arnaud into letting up his hold on Claire.
"What I want is simple, the information disks WITH the codes, in exchange for her. Small price to pay don't you think?"
Claire's eyes shot open. She'd finally throw off enough of the sleepiness to realize the situation. "No, Darien, you can't give it to him!" she pleaded.
"You make the call monsieur, but know this, I WILL kill her just to get to you. Remember Kevin?"
Darien winced and took the cell phone out of his pocket.
...to be continued
Any feedback would be great....
