A Wedding Song 15: Mad Season --- Conclusion
Mild R for language and violent content ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
A few panicked minutes later, Darien burst into the Official's office, interrupting a meeting. Pushing through the people seated before the desk, he grabbed his boss by both lapels and pulled him forward. The others attending the meeting scrambled to their feet and made a fast exit, leaving Charlie Borden at the mercy of his enraged employee.
"Where is she, you bastard? You tell me now, or what you got from Simon Cole is gonna feel like a backrub...."
"Fawkes! What the hell..."
"I know you set this up! You told her to do this didn't you?! Where the hell is she?!"
"Told who... to do what...." the Official choked out.
Just then, Eberts rushed in, alerted by the sudden exodus from the office as he was about to join the group.
"Darien! Stop! What's going on?"
"Alex.... I was on the way back when she called me on the cell. She's holdin' Claire an' the baby hostage somewhere in the Agency.... she's gonna kill 'em..."
"Dear God, no.... Wait. You can't think Charles had anything to do with this..."
"Talk to me, Borden. Where's Alex, damn it? Where's she hidin' with my little girl?"
"I swear... I don't know.... I didn't do this, Fawkes...."
"Sure you did. It's what you've wanted all along, right Chuck? To know the only child I'll ever have was out of the way for good? That way your sick little world could go back to status quo and I'd be so lost in my grief I'd just do whatever you told me to. Not gonna happen...."
"Darien, please. If Alex is in the building, I might have a way to find her, but you have to let Charles go and listen to me. Darien, we may not have much time. Please!"
Reluctantly, Darien released the Official and turned to Eberts, drowning the other man in the tsunami of anger and fear that beamed from his eyes.
"Okay. So show me."
"Have you done a trace-back yet?"
"Star 69? Why would I? It won't do any good and I really don't wanna talk to her again until I've got my hands around her throat an' she can't talk back..."
"Trust me, alright? May I have your cell-phone?"
Pulling it from his pants pocket, Fawkes handed it over. Grabbing his briefcase from where he'd dropped it by the door, Eberts lifted it onto a nearby table, opened it and powered up the laptop inside. He then produced a strange looking device and a cable and connected the phone to the computer.
"What is that?"
"A small invention of mine. I knew I'd have use for it someday."
After a minute or two of typing and waiting, he announced he was ready. "Now, do the trace-back, Darien." he told his friend, handing him the tethered phone.
"Alex?"
"Good for you freak. You know how to do more than turn the phone on and off."
"You didn't tell me where you were, Monroe. How am I supposed to give myself up if I can't find you?"
"I never said I wanted you, did I? What I *want* is for you to get here in time to see Freak Jr. and her precious little Godmother bleed to death. Hurry up and find me, asshole. My patience won't last much longer and neither will Claire."
The dial-tone sounded ominously in his ear for the second time and Darien, in his frustration, nearly threw the phone across the room before he remembered that it was attached to Eberts' laptop.
"Well? Did you get anything?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped. She's somewhere below us, but I can't say exactly where. I can make an assumption..."
'Make it, damn it. They could both be..."
"I know, I know. Well, there's only one floor under us; the basement level. The assumption would be that she was in the Keep, but...."
"Damn! Why couldn't I come up with that before? You grab more bodies and check out the other labs and exam rooms down there. I'll check the Keep."
"Excellent thought. I'll do it immediately."
The two men rushed out, leaving the Official immobile in his chair, caught between knowing he should accept some level of responsibility for Alex's breakdown and the familiar, powerful song of his ego, forever reassuring him he'd done nothing wrong. After a brief moment of indecision, Charles rose to his feet and followed the other two out, intent on assisting in the search, if only to catch a glimpse of the miracle child that was blithely dismembering his agency one bloody piece at a time.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Stealing up to the closed door of the Keep, Darien laid an ear against the steel and strained to hear what might be going on inside. For several seconds all he could make out were low voices, too quiet for him to make out the words, but a moment later a shot rang out and Claire screamed as if she were in unbearable agony. Turning away, Darien slammed a fist into the nearby wall, lowered his head and tried to calm his breathing, swiping ruthlessly at the tears in his eyes.
{You're not dead, Claire. You're not dead... don't be dead. Oh, God....}
Facing the door once again, Darien pounded on the metal and called out to Alex, praying his voice would hold and not betray his fear and anger.
"Alex? I'm here. Open up. Lemme in, Alex so we can fix this, okay?"
There was a brief pause, then the lock on the door disengaged and the heavy panel slowly slid open, revealing a scene Darien was not remotely ready to face. Claire was strapped to the administering chair, apparently only half conscious, but, to his immeasurable relief, still breathing. Copious blood soaked the lower half of her left pant-leg and dripped off her ankle to the floor, but otherwise she appeared to be alright.
When he was finally able to tear his eyes away from this horrific sight, Darien found Alex perched on one of the rolling lab stools with Bobbi in her lap. For the moment at least, the child appeared to be calm and content, despite the pistol her captor was pressing into her ribcage.
"What did you do to Claire?'
"Relax, she'll survive. It's only her kneecap."
"Why? Why would you shoot her..."
"She tried to leave the party. Couldn't let her spoil the surprise before the guest of honor showed up, now could I?"
"She's gotta be in pain. Let me give her something."
"Excuse me? Pain is the point here, remember? You rip out my heart, I rip out yours. You destroy something I love...."
Here Alex's finger tightened on the trigger. Darien responded instantly.
"No! Damn it, think for a minute! The last time you saw J.... your little boy, he was what... a year? He'd only be two and a half now, at the most. All four of the kids I... I lost were older... way older. There's no way...."
"Lost? Lost?! You didn't *misplace* four innocent lives, asshole! Three you allowed to die and one... my James you shot down in cold blood. You murdered my child!"
"Alex, it isn't possible. It can't be true. It can't be...." Darien insisted, though his words shook as his confidence in them wavered.
Abruptly, Alex stood, Bobbi dangling over one arm. Frantic, Darien sent a swift and silent missive to his daughter, urging her not to cry and reassuring her that he would find a way out of the volatile situation soon. When Monroe began to shout again, he focused on the redhead once more, vainly searching, waiting for the moment when her guard would fall even the slightest bit.
"She told me!" she screamed, gesturing at Claire with the gun. "She said they gave him something.... a drug to make him grow faster.... so I couldn't find him.... I would have known! They could have made him a hundred and I would have known... how could *you* not know?!"
Stunned and devastated, Darien felt an urgent need to either collapse or run and hide, but he held himself together by the thinnest of margins.
"Alex.... I.... I'm so sorry... I didn't.... the last thing I wanted was... you have to understand..."
"I don't have to do anything! I'm the one with the gun! I'm in control!"
"I-I know. I'm just... trying to get you to see.... I barely had time to react, never mind look at faces.... please...."
"Please. Is that what my little boy said? Did he beg for his life before you blew him away?"
"Alex.... what you're askin' for.... it's harsh. I know you've been hurt.... I won't make it any worse unless you say so. If you really want it... I'll tell you everything.... I'll tell you the truth."
"Yeah? Okay. Go ahead and tell me your... version of the truth. Maybe if I believe you, I won't shoot her after all. I'll just break her neck. Quick and painless. She won't feel anything. Well? I'm waiting."
"You do something for me first."
"Asking me for a favor.... I'll admit it, Fawkes, you don't lack for balls when it's down to the wire, do you? What? What can *I*... do for *you*?"
"Sit back down. That's all. Just... sit back down on the stool.... an' hold my baby nice an' tight, okay? Please, don't let her go."
"She's going... one way or another. Get on with the story." Alex ordered him with venom. Despite her words, however, she acceded to his request and dropped back to her seat.
"Okay... the kids... you can't know unless you were there, Alex. You'll never get it.... They were all zombies. Their eyes, their faces... nothin'. Just... dead air, ya know? Chrysalis brain-washed all of 'em. They thought there was no place for them in the world the adults are supposed to be settin' up. The bastards made these kids wanna die.... it was the only thing in their heads. I tried... I swear I did. Bobby an' Claire too. We tried to save every kid...."
"Not hard enough!!!" Alex screamed, waving the gun wildly as she leapt to her feet again.
At that moment, Darien's tenuous control over his emotions self- destructed as the image of the girl he'd attempted to revive slammed into his still healing heart, bringing with it every ounce of guilt, pain, frustration and rage he hadn't yet found a way to purge. To his shock, the one that emerged most powerfully was the rage.
"How.. dare you.... you self-centered.... narcissistic little.... Do you think that I *don't* get the concept of *enough*?! I didn't have enough air... or enough strength... to give life back to the girl who died in my arms. I coulda kept breathing for her... an' breathing for her, until my body gave out too... but it never... would have been... enough. You.... are not the only human being on the planet capable of feeling pain, Alex. Now give me my baby, you bitch, before I rip you apart with my bare hands...."
The epithets only ramped up Monroe's fury to the point where she didn't care who died first and swung the gun up to point directly at Darien. Claire, seeing an opportunity, threw off the ruse of pain-lulled semi-awareness she'd been maintaining and shrieked at the top of her lungs. As she'd hoped, the weapon moved back in her direction, giving Darien a chance to move on Alex, but the other woman's peripheral vision was too acute.
"Alright, that's it! Both of you stop or the baby dies now! I am in control here! This is my sh..."
The final word of Alex's sentence was brutally severed as a bullet crashed into her left shoulder. Darien whirled momentarily, stunned to find Eberts behind him with a gun of his own. Just then, Bobbi wailed as only a suddenly and severely frightened child can. The sound sliced cleanly through every fear and worry Darien had wrapped himself in for almost three weeks. His anxieties dropped away and he responded as any mother would; he spun back around and raced to grab his daughter from her kidnapper. Alex fought him briefly, but the intense pain of her wound made it impossible for her to hold onto the squirming child. As Darien cradled Bobbi in his arms, Eberts and two others cautiously approached Monroe.
"Give up your gun, Alex. End this, please. Help is here for you."
"Go to hell, traitor! I don't... want.. your help..." she ground out, forced to drop to one knee even as she tried to raise the hand with the pistol in it. Once he saw that the medics were releasing and beginning to treat Claire, Darien's anger returned with a vengeance. He stalked to where Alex knelt and stamped on her gun hand with one foot, making sure he leaned his full weight into the move. Monroe cried out as her weapon skittered toward the back of the lab, but Darien wasn't finished. Viciously, he began to slowly grind his heel back and forth, his greatest desire to wring the same heart-broken cry from her that she had drawn from his child. He would likely have achieved his goal if Eberts had not pulled him away.
"Darien, stop!"
"She shot Claire in the knee... she had a gun on my baby, damn it!"
"I know, and she'll be dealt with, but not by you."
"I'm the only one who has the right..."
"No, you don't. Darien, listen to me. Thinking that way is what made Alex think she had to do this. Do you really want to go there again?"
"Again? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Arnaud has been dead for months. Can you honestly say you don't still hate him? That you don't still crave revenge for everything you lost because of him?"
"God... I... it's not like that. I'd never do... this."
"I know that, but I also know you have far too much to lose to allow resentment and anger to end up... here."
"Bobby..." Darien murmured, finally cooling down.
"And Roberta as well. They both need you. Perhaps some soul-searching is in order?"
"Maybe... what'll they do with her?" he asked as he watched Alex being dragged out of the Keep. Claire was lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled out not long after.
"The same thing they used to do with you when you lost control and did something foolish, I suppose."
"The Cracker Jack box? Damn... I want her punished, yeah, but..."
"She's dangerous to herself and others right now. The padded cell is the safest place to house her until a final determination can be made as to her future."
Hearing a noise near the door, Eberts turned and discovered the Official waiting there. "I'll be right back, Darien. Stay here, alright?"
"I'm okay, now. I won't go after her. Go on and give him an update."
Moving slowly to the doorway, Eberts breathed out heavily and faced his boss.
"Hello, Charles."
"What happened here, Eberts?"
"Your protégé happened. She came very close to ending three lives. I managed to save them just in time."
"You? How?"
"I shot her."
"You...you can't be serious."
"Go to the infirmary and find out. Alex and Claire are both being treated for their wounds. I'm sure you don't need two chances to guess which one's in restraints."
"Wounds... is Claire...."
"She should recover completely, but she may never walk normally again. Alex put a bullet through her knee."
This piece of news finally silenced Borden's disbelief, but it was quickly replaced by confusion.
"I... I don't understand."
"I see that. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I have an awful feeling that if you ever come to terms with all the chaos and damage you've caused, you'll end up in the padded cell with Alex. Look, Darien's doing well, but he'll need...."
"I called Hobbes. He should be here any minute."
"Thank you. Before he arrives, it might be best if you go. At best your presence at this reunion would be unwelcome. At worst..."
"I know. Is... is that her?"
"Yes. That is the child you would have sent to the human equivalent of a vivisectionists research lab. I've had to save her from your machinations twice, now. That's quite enough, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes... I... I think you're right...."
"Well, well. Welcome to today's episode of ' Words I Never Thought I'd Hear ' "
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Eberts."
"Perhaps not, but I've discovered it does a great deal for my sanity. You have to go."
"She... she's beautiful. If I'd known...."
"Nothing would have changed, Charles. We both know that. You still would have chosen the agency over anything else... including that little girl."
"I *am* human, Eberts. I can regret my mistakes, just like anyone else."
"Yes, but do you have the stomach for admitting them?"
"That... I don't know. I should go think about it... in my office."
"Excellent idea."
Sadly, Eberts watched his old friend walk away. He waited until the elevator doors slid closed then turned around to see to Darien. He found the other man on the inward half of a slow circuit of the room and moved to his side, matching his pace. "How is she?"
"Better. I think she's actually asleep. Has anybody called Hobbes?"
"Charles did. Robert should be on his way down in the elevator just about now. You're ready to fall asleep yourself, Darien. Would you like me to take her for a while..." Eberts asked gently, reaching out for Bobbi.
"No!" Darien yelled, pulling away and actually backing up a step or two. "I mean... I'm okay. I'm fine. Everything's okay...."
Hobbes stumbled into the Keep a few seconds later, just in time to see Darien finally break under the strain of the day. The younger man sank to the floor, still clutching his daughter, and Bobby rushed to embrace them both and reassure himself they were safe and unhurt. Eberts, feeling he was intruding on a private moment, turned and left.
"I didn't let it happen Bobby.... not this time.... she's okay.... she's alive...."
"Easy... it's gonna be fine... it's all over now, babe... all over.... thank God, you're both alright... I'm so sorry... I shoulda been here... I shoulda stopped her myself before she..."
"No.... no, Bobby... forget Alex... I need you to hold me right now, okay? Just... hold onto me... and don't go away.... don't leave me..."
"Never. I swear, I'll never do that again.... I'm here, baby... I'm right here.... I'm not gonna let go...."
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((
Mild R for language and violent content ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
A few panicked minutes later, Darien burst into the Official's office, interrupting a meeting. Pushing through the people seated before the desk, he grabbed his boss by both lapels and pulled him forward. The others attending the meeting scrambled to their feet and made a fast exit, leaving Charlie Borden at the mercy of his enraged employee.
"Where is she, you bastard? You tell me now, or what you got from Simon Cole is gonna feel like a backrub...."
"Fawkes! What the hell..."
"I know you set this up! You told her to do this didn't you?! Where the hell is she?!"
"Told who... to do what...." the Official choked out.
Just then, Eberts rushed in, alerted by the sudden exodus from the office as he was about to join the group.
"Darien! Stop! What's going on?"
"Alex.... I was on the way back when she called me on the cell. She's holdin' Claire an' the baby hostage somewhere in the Agency.... she's gonna kill 'em..."
"Dear God, no.... Wait. You can't think Charles had anything to do with this..."
"Talk to me, Borden. Where's Alex, damn it? Where's she hidin' with my little girl?"
"I swear... I don't know.... I didn't do this, Fawkes...."
"Sure you did. It's what you've wanted all along, right Chuck? To know the only child I'll ever have was out of the way for good? That way your sick little world could go back to status quo and I'd be so lost in my grief I'd just do whatever you told me to. Not gonna happen...."
"Darien, please. If Alex is in the building, I might have a way to find her, but you have to let Charles go and listen to me. Darien, we may not have much time. Please!"
Reluctantly, Darien released the Official and turned to Eberts, drowning the other man in the tsunami of anger and fear that beamed from his eyes.
"Okay. So show me."
"Have you done a trace-back yet?"
"Star 69? Why would I? It won't do any good and I really don't wanna talk to her again until I've got my hands around her throat an' she can't talk back..."
"Trust me, alright? May I have your cell-phone?"
Pulling it from his pants pocket, Fawkes handed it over. Grabbing his briefcase from where he'd dropped it by the door, Eberts lifted it onto a nearby table, opened it and powered up the laptop inside. He then produced a strange looking device and a cable and connected the phone to the computer.
"What is that?"
"A small invention of mine. I knew I'd have use for it someday."
After a minute or two of typing and waiting, he announced he was ready. "Now, do the trace-back, Darien." he told his friend, handing him the tethered phone.
"Alex?"
"Good for you freak. You know how to do more than turn the phone on and off."
"You didn't tell me where you were, Monroe. How am I supposed to give myself up if I can't find you?"
"I never said I wanted you, did I? What I *want* is for you to get here in time to see Freak Jr. and her precious little Godmother bleed to death. Hurry up and find me, asshole. My patience won't last much longer and neither will Claire."
The dial-tone sounded ominously in his ear for the second time and Darien, in his frustration, nearly threw the phone across the room before he remembered that it was attached to Eberts' laptop.
"Well? Did you get anything?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped. She's somewhere below us, but I can't say exactly where. I can make an assumption..."
'Make it, damn it. They could both be..."
"I know, I know. Well, there's only one floor under us; the basement level. The assumption would be that she was in the Keep, but...."
"Damn! Why couldn't I come up with that before? You grab more bodies and check out the other labs and exam rooms down there. I'll check the Keep."
"Excellent thought. I'll do it immediately."
The two men rushed out, leaving the Official immobile in his chair, caught between knowing he should accept some level of responsibility for Alex's breakdown and the familiar, powerful song of his ego, forever reassuring him he'd done nothing wrong. After a brief moment of indecision, Charles rose to his feet and followed the other two out, intent on assisting in the search, if only to catch a glimpse of the miracle child that was blithely dismembering his agency one bloody piece at a time.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Stealing up to the closed door of the Keep, Darien laid an ear against the steel and strained to hear what might be going on inside. For several seconds all he could make out were low voices, too quiet for him to make out the words, but a moment later a shot rang out and Claire screamed as if she were in unbearable agony. Turning away, Darien slammed a fist into the nearby wall, lowered his head and tried to calm his breathing, swiping ruthlessly at the tears in his eyes.
{You're not dead, Claire. You're not dead... don't be dead. Oh, God....}
Facing the door once again, Darien pounded on the metal and called out to Alex, praying his voice would hold and not betray his fear and anger.
"Alex? I'm here. Open up. Lemme in, Alex so we can fix this, okay?"
There was a brief pause, then the lock on the door disengaged and the heavy panel slowly slid open, revealing a scene Darien was not remotely ready to face. Claire was strapped to the administering chair, apparently only half conscious, but, to his immeasurable relief, still breathing. Copious blood soaked the lower half of her left pant-leg and dripped off her ankle to the floor, but otherwise she appeared to be alright.
When he was finally able to tear his eyes away from this horrific sight, Darien found Alex perched on one of the rolling lab stools with Bobbi in her lap. For the moment at least, the child appeared to be calm and content, despite the pistol her captor was pressing into her ribcage.
"What did you do to Claire?'
"Relax, she'll survive. It's only her kneecap."
"Why? Why would you shoot her..."
"She tried to leave the party. Couldn't let her spoil the surprise before the guest of honor showed up, now could I?"
"She's gotta be in pain. Let me give her something."
"Excuse me? Pain is the point here, remember? You rip out my heart, I rip out yours. You destroy something I love...."
Here Alex's finger tightened on the trigger. Darien responded instantly.
"No! Damn it, think for a minute! The last time you saw J.... your little boy, he was what... a year? He'd only be two and a half now, at the most. All four of the kids I... I lost were older... way older. There's no way...."
"Lost? Lost?! You didn't *misplace* four innocent lives, asshole! Three you allowed to die and one... my James you shot down in cold blood. You murdered my child!"
"Alex, it isn't possible. It can't be true. It can't be...." Darien insisted, though his words shook as his confidence in them wavered.
Abruptly, Alex stood, Bobbi dangling over one arm. Frantic, Darien sent a swift and silent missive to his daughter, urging her not to cry and reassuring her that he would find a way out of the volatile situation soon. When Monroe began to shout again, he focused on the redhead once more, vainly searching, waiting for the moment when her guard would fall even the slightest bit.
"She told me!" she screamed, gesturing at Claire with the gun. "She said they gave him something.... a drug to make him grow faster.... so I couldn't find him.... I would have known! They could have made him a hundred and I would have known... how could *you* not know?!"
Stunned and devastated, Darien felt an urgent need to either collapse or run and hide, but he held himself together by the thinnest of margins.
"Alex.... I.... I'm so sorry... I didn't.... the last thing I wanted was... you have to understand..."
"I don't have to do anything! I'm the one with the gun! I'm in control!"
"I-I know. I'm just... trying to get you to see.... I barely had time to react, never mind look at faces.... please...."
"Please. Is that what my little boy said? Did he beg for his life before you blew him away?"
"Alex.... what you're askin' for.... it's harsh. I know you've been hurt.... I won't make it any worse unless you say so. If you really want it... I'll tell you everything.... I'll tell you the truth."
"Yeah? Okay. Go ahead and tell me your... version of the truth. Maybe if I believe you, I won't shoot her after all. I'll just break her neck. Quick and painless. She won't feel anything. Well? I'm waiting."
"You do something for me first."
"Asking me for a favor.... I'll admit it, Fawkes, you don't lack for balls when it's down to the wire, do you? What? What can *I*... do for *you*?"
"Sit back down. That's all. Just... sit back down on the stool.... an' hold my baby nice an' tight, okay? Please, don't let her go."
"She's going... one way or another. Get on with the story." Alex ordered him with venom. Despite her words, however, she acceded to his request and dropped back to her seat.
"Okay... the kids... you can't know unless you were there, Alex. You'll never get it.... They were all zombies. Their eyes, their faces... nothin'. Just... dead air, ya know? Chrysalis brain-washed all of 'em. They thought there was no place for them in the world the adults are supposed to be settin' up. The bastards made these kids wanna die.... it was the only thing in their heads. I tried... I swear I did. Bobby an' Claire too. We tried to save every kid...."
"Not hard enough!!!" Alex screamed, waving the gun wildly as she leapt to her feet again.
At that moment, Darien's tenuous control over his emotions self- destructed as the image of the girl he'd attempted to revive slammed into his still healing heart, bringing with it every ounce of guilt, pain, frustration and rage he hadn't yet found a way to purge. To his shock, the one that emerged most powerfully was the rage.
"How.. dare you.... you self-centered.... narcissistic little.... Do you think that I *don't* get the concept of *enough*?! I didn't have enough air... or enough strength... to give life back to the girl who died in my arms. I coulda kept breathing for her... an' breathing for her, until my body gave out too... but it never... would have been... enough. You.... are not the only human being on the planet capable of feeling pain, Alex. Now give me my baby, you bitch, before I rip you apart with my bare hands...."
The epithets only ramped up Monroe's fury to the point where she didn't care who died first and swung the gun up to point directly at Darien. Claire, seeing an opportunity, threw off the ruse of pain-lulled semi-awareness she'd been maintaining and shrieked at the top of her lungs. As she'd hoped, the weapon moved back in her direction, giving Darien a chance to move on Alex, but the other woman's peripheral vision was too acute.
"Alright, that's it! Both of you stop or the baby dies now! I am in control here! This is my sh..."
The final word of Alex's sentence was brutally severed as a bullet crashed into her left shoulder. Darien whirled momentarily, stunned to find Eberts behind him with a gun of his own. Just then, Bobbi wailed as only a suddenly and severely frightened child can. The sound sliced cleanly through every fear and worry Darien had wrapped himself in for almost three weeks. His anxieties dropped away and he responded as any mother would; he spun back around and raced to grab his daughter from her kidnapper. Alex fought him briefly, but the intense pain of her wound made it impossible for her to hold onto the squirming child. As Darien cradled Bobbi in his arms, Eberts and two others cautiously approached Monroe.
"Give up your gun, Alex. End this, please. Help is here for you."
"Go to hell, traitor! I don't... want.. your help..." she ground out, forced to drop to one knee even as she tried to raise the hand with the pistol in it. Once he saw that the medics were releasing and beginning to treat Claire, Darien's anger returned with a vengeance. He stalked to where Alex knelt and stamped on her gun hand with one foot, making sure he leaned his full weight into the move. Monroe cried out as her weapon skittered toward the back of the lab, but Darien wasn't finished. Viciously, he began to slowly grind his heel back and forth, his greatest desire to wring the same heart-broken cry from her that she had drawn from his child. He would likely have achieved his goal if Eberts had not pulled him away.
"Darien, stop!"
"She shot Claire in the knee... she had a gun on my baby, damn it!"
"I know, and she'll be dealt with, but not by you."
"I'm the only one who has the right..."
"No, you don't. Darien, listen to me. Thinking that way is what made Alex think she had to do this. Do you really want to go there again?"
"Again? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Arnaud has been dead for months. Can you honestly say you don't still hate him? That you don't still crave revenge for everything you lost because of him?"
"God... I... it's not like that. I'd never do... this."
"I know that, but I also know you have far too much to lose to allow resentment and anger to end up... here."
"Bobby..." Darien murmured, finally cooling down.
"And Roberta as well. They both need you. Perhaps some soul-searching is in order?"
"Maybe... what'll they do with her?" he asked as he watched Alex being dragged out of the Keep. Claire was lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled out not long after.
"The same thing they used to do with you when you lost control and did something foolish, I suppose."
"The Cracker Jack box? Damn... I want her punished, yeah, but..."
"She's dangerous to herself and others right now. The padded cell is the safest place to house her until a final determination can be made as to her future."
Hearing a noise near the door, Eberts turned and discovered the Official waiting there. "I'll be right back, Darien. Stay here, alright?"
"I'm okay, now. I won't go after her. Go on and give him an update."
Moving slowly to the doorway, Eberts breathed out heavily and faced his boss.
"Hello, Charles."
"What happened here, Eberts?"
"Your protégé happened. She came very close to ending three lives. I managed to save them just in time."
"You? How?"
"I shot her."
"You...you can't be serious."
"Go to the infirmary and find out. Alex and Claire are both being treated for their wounds. I'm sure you don't need two chances to guess which one's in restraints."
"Wounds... is Claire...."
"She should recover completely, but she may never walk normally again. Alex put a bullet through her knee."
This piece of news finally silenced Borden's disbelief, but it was quickly replaced by confusion.
"I... I don't understand."
"I see that. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I have an awful feeling that if you ever come to terms with all the chaos and damage you've caused, you'll end up in the padded cell with Alex. Look, Darien's doing well, but he'll need...."
"I called Hobbes. He should be here any minute."
"Thank you. Before he arrives, it might be best if you go. At best your presence at this reunion would be unwelcome. At worst..."
"I know. Is... is that her?"
"Yes. That is the child you would have sent to the human equivalent of a vivisectionists research lab. I've had to save her from your machinations twice, now. That's quite enough, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes... I... I think you're right...."
"Well, well. Welcome to today's episode of ' Words I Never Thought I'd Hear ' "
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Eberts."
"Perhaps not, but I've discovered it does a great deal for my sanity. You have to go."
"She... she's beautiful. If I'd known...."
"Nothing would have changed, Charles. We both know that. You still would have chosen the agency over anything else... including that little girl."
"I *am* human, Eberts. I can regret my mistakes, just like anyone else."
"Yes, but do you have the stomach for admitting them?"
"That... I don't know. I should go think about it... in my office."
"Excellent idea."
Sadly, Eberts watched his old friend walk away. He waited until the elevator doors slid closed then turned around to see to Darien. He found the other man on the inward half of a slow circuit of the room and moved to his side, matching his pace. "How is she?"
"Better. I think she's actually asleep. Has anybody called Hobbes?"
"Charles did. Robert should be on his way down in the elevator just about now. You're ready to fall asleep yourself, Darien. Would you like me to take her for a while..." Eberts asked gently, reaching out for Bobbi.
"No!" Darien yelled, pulling away and actually backing up a step or two. "I mean... I'm okay. I'm fine. Everything's okay...."
Hobbes stumbled into the Keep a few seconds later, just in time to see Darien finally break under the strain of the day. The younger man sank to the floor, still clutching his daughter, and Bobby rushed to embrace them both and reassure himself they were safe and unhurt. Eberts, feeling he was intruding on a private moment, turned and left.
"I didn't let it happen Bobby.... not this time.... she's okay.... she's alive...."
"Easy... it's gonna be fine... it's all over now, babe... all over.... thank God, you're both alright... I'm so sorry... I shoulda been here... I shoulda stopped her myself before she..."
"No.... no, Bobby... forget Alex... I need you to hold me right now, okay? Just... hold onto me... and don't go away.... don't leave me..."
"Never. I swear, I'll never do that again.... I'm here, baby... I'm right here.... I'm not gonna let go...."
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((