Hmm...not much going on. Frustrated with working my butt off at school. Can't wait to finish this chappie, leave school, and head for the gym for some relaxation.
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Lita lay awake in bed. The lights were off but she still felt the impression of staring up at a ceiling, waiting for sleep that simply won't come. She was feeling true loneliness for the first time in a long time.
Of course she had missed Rob when he had gotten injured. But then at least she could assure herself that he was at home waiting for her, thinking about her too.
"Not so sure anymore, are you Li?" she whispered in the dark. She flopped over on her back, trying to get comfortable, but the position felt too open, too vulnerable. She could still remember all too clearly those long nights she'd been held captive by Evolution. Shuddering subconsciously, she flipped over on her stomach, squeezing the pillow with goosebumpy arms.
She looked at the clock. 2:03 a.m.
"This isn't working," she murmured. Throwing back the stifling weight of the covers, she climbed out of bed. She dressed in the dark, simply grabbing her favorite kimono she'd bought on the company's last trip to Japan. It was silky black with the golden outline of a dragon. "Rob would love this," she thought, and bit her lip. Not bothering with shoes, she grabbed her room key and headed out the door, across the plush hotel carpet down to the bar.
Crossing the lobby, Lita noticed a familiar hulking shape at the bar. She smiled as she slid onto the stool next to Kane's.
"I'll have whatever he's having," she told the bartender, a tired-looking, but pretty woman who couldn't have been over thirty. The woman laughed. "Whatever you say. One Sweet Moo coming up."
Lita raised her eyebrows at Kane. He raised his glass. She noticed it was filled with milk.
"And I say to you...'huh?'"
"Warm milk with honey," Kane explained. "It's supposed to help you sleep."
"I normally just crunch on some sleeping pills, or pain pills depending on whether it's been a rough night," Lita answered matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, but if you did that tonight, you'd be too groggy to get up and going in the morning."
"Too true," Lita agreed. The bartender slid a glass across to her. Noting the steam rising out of the top, Lita took a hesitant sip. "This is pretty good," she commented. "Where'd you get the idea?"
"My mom used to make them for me," he said quietly. Lita sat silently, sipping her drink. The silence unwound itself, stretched out. The bartender looked with a curious eye over her shoulder back at them, but found nothing of interest, just an odd pair of friends commiserating at sleepness night at the bar. Broken hearts, sure, but not by each other. They didn't have the restrained awkwardness of current or former lovers. Roxeanne shrugged. She was glad they were there together at least. That way she wouldn't have to be the crying shoulder for any sob stories.
"I hate him you know," Kane finally stated.
"I know. But still, just a little bit, don't you...?"
"Of course I love him," he interrupted gently, as if he were explaining quantum physics to a small child. "He's my brother."
"I don't understand," Lita stated honestly.
"I know. It's just, why did he get everything? Why did he deserve to be so much better off? He's always had more of the career, and then a beautiful wife, and now even a child..." He shook his head and finished off his drink.
"Want another?" Roxeanne the bartender called, but Kane shook his head, not taking his eyes up from the bar. Lita could see the anger working underneath his skin, the subtle way his shoulder tightened where the material of the black tank top ended. His neck was even rigid, his hands clamped into fists in front of him. Lita saw the transformation, and felt a shiver of terror. She'd always kidded herself that Kane had never really been a monster, that he wasn't truly capable of harm. But she'd thought back now of the things he'd done to people, the harm he'd caused. She saw now how that had all been possible. Kane was still as much of a monster as ever before; now he was simply bridled by his care for the people around him.
She reached out her hand slowly, as one would to a growling dog. Kane didn't look up. Lita lay her tiny palm across his fist. He still did not move. She unclenched his hand, entwined her fragile fingers with his and he did not resist her. Kane looked up, looked *at* her and Lita knew he really saw her. There would be no rage, no rampaging tonight.
"Go to bed," Lita whispered.
Kane curled his hand around hers, and placed Lita's hand gently back on the bar before pulling away. "You know I won't leave you down here by yourself."
She smiled. "On the off-chance that Evolution found out what hotel we were at, in all of this city, and set up an all-night stakeout behind the ficus trees in the lobby?"
"No," his voice was low, but a little shaky. "On the off-chance that any other man will pass you by and see how beautiful you are in this very moment. It may be selfish, but that's a privelage I claim for myself."
Lita's smile faded and her heart sped up. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely. "I...I really needed that right now."
Kane shrugged, hidden once again behind his mask of indifference. Lita leaned toward him, kissed him quickly and innocently with honey-stickied lips, telling herself that they were adults, they were friends, and this was all perfectly all right. No one was going to get hurt.
"We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..." she thought suddenly, but instead asked, "You ready to go, then?"
"Yeah," he sounded a little out of breath.
"Okay." She chugged down the rest of her drink. "Let's get out of here. Morning's gonna come too soon."
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The line, "We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip," is from the wonderful song, "The Freshmen", by the Verve Pipe. I don't know why, but I really like this chapter. Maybe because I have a feeling that many won't.
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Lita lay awake in bed. The lights were off but she still felt the impression of staring up at a ceiling, waiting for sleep that simply won't come. She was feeling true loneliness for the first time in a long time.
Of course she had missed Rob when he had gotten injured. But then at least she could assure herself that he was at home waiting for her, thinking about her too.
"Not so sure anymore, are you Li?" she whispered in the dark. She flopped over on her back, trying to get comfortable, but the position felt too open, too vulnerable. She could still remember all too clearly those long nights she'd been held captive by Evolution. Shuddering subconsciously, she flipped over on her stomach, squeezing the pillow with goosebumpy arms.
She looked at the clock. 2:03 a.m.
"This isn't working," she murmured. Throwing back the stifling weight of the covers, she climbed out of bed. She dressed in the dark, simply grabbing her favorite kimono she'd bought on the company's last trip to Japan. It was silky black with the golden outline of a dragon. "Rob would love this," she thought, and bit her lip. Not bothering with shoes, she grabbed her room key and headed out the door, across the plush hotel carpet down to the bar.
Crossing the lobby, Lita noticed a familiar hulking shape at the bar. She smiled as she slid onto the stool next to Kane's.
"I'll have whatever he's having," she told the bartender, a tired-looking, but pretty woman who couldn't have been over thirty. The woman laughed. "Whatever you say. One Sweet Moo coming up."
Lita raised her eyebrows at Kane. He raised his glass. She noticed it was filled with milk.
"And I say to you...'huh?'"
"Warm milk with honey," Kane explained. "It's supposed to help you sleep."
"I normally just crunch on some sleeping pills, or pain pills depending on whether it's been a rough night," Lita answered matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, but if you did that tonight, you'd be too groggy to get up and going in the morning."
"Too true," Lita agreed. The bartender slid a glass across to her. Noting the steam rising out of the top, Lita took a hesitant sip. "This is pretty good," she commented. "Where'd you get the idea?"
"My mom used to make them for me," he said quietly. Lita sat silently, sipping her drink. The silence unwound itself, stretched out. The bartender looked with a curious eye over her shoulder back at them, but found nothing of interest, just an odd pair of friends commiserating at sleepness night at the bar. Broken hearts, sure, but not by each other. They didn't have the restrained awkwardness of current or former lovers. Roxeanne shrugged. She was glad they were there together at least. That way she wouldn't have to be the crying shoulder for any sob stories.
"I hate him you know," Kane finally stated.
"I know. But still, just a little bit, don't you...?"
"Of course I love him," he interrupted gently, as if he were explaining quantum physics to a small child. "He's my brother."
"I don't understand," Lita stated honestly.
"I know. It's just, why did he get everything? Why did he deserve to be so much better off? He's always had more of the career, and then a beautiful wife, and now even a child..." He shook his head and finished off his drink.
"Want another?" Roxeanne the bartender called, but Kane shook his head, not taking his eyes up from the bar. Lita could see the anger working underneath his skin, the subtle way his shoulder tightened where the material of the black tank top ended. His neck was even rigid, his hands clamped into fists in front of him. Lita saw the transformation, and felt a shiver of terror. She'd always kidded herself that Kane had never really been a monster, that he wasn't truly capable of harm. But she'd thought back now of the things he'd done to people, the harm he'd caused. She saw now how that had all been possible. Kane was still as much of a monster as ever before; now he was simply bridled by his care for the people around him.
She reached out her hand slowly, as one would to a growling dog. Kane didn't look up. Lita lay her tiny palm across his fist. He still did not move. She unclenched his hand, entwined her fragile fingers with his and he did not resist her. Kane looked up, looked *at* her and Lita knew he really saw her. There would be no rage, no rampaging tonight.
"Go to bed," Lita whispered.
Kane curled his hand around hers, and placed Lita's hand gently back on the bar before pulling away. "You know I won't leave you down here by yourself."
She smiled. "On the off-chance that Evolution found out what hotel we were at, in all of this city, and set up an all-night stakeout behind the ficus trees in the lobby?"
"No," his voice was low, but a little shaky. "On the off-chance that any other man will pass you by and see how beautiful you are in this very moment. It may be selfish, but that's a privelage I claim for myself."
Lita's smile faded and her heart sped up. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely. "I...I really needed that right now."
Kane shrugged, hidden once again behind his mask of indifference. Lita leaned toward him, kissed him quickly and innocently with honey-stickied lips, telling herself that they were adults, they were friends, and this was all perfectly all right. No one was going to get hurt.
"We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..." she thought suddenly, but instead asked, "You ready to go, then?"
"Yeah," he sounded a little out of breath.
"Okay." She chugged down the rest of her drink. "Let's get out of here. Morning's gonna come too soon."
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The line, "We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip," is from the wonderful song, "The Freshmen", by the Verve Pipe. I don't know why, but I really like this chapter. Maybe because I have a feeling that many won't.