~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't try to bleed me
I've been here before
And I deserve a little more
I belong in the service of the Queen
I belong anywhere but in between
She's been crying and I've been thinking
And I am the Rain King
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Prue?"
Prue looked up to see Tanya, her assistant, knocking on her office door.
"I'm going on my coffee break now. Can I bring you back anything?" she asked.
"Just a latte." Prue replied. "Thanks, Tan."
Tanya left, and Prue turned back to the antiques she was supposed to catalogue. She was nearly finished when Rex came in.
"Busy?" he asked.
"Um... not exactly. I mean, yes. I mean, sort of. But I'm almost finished. I mean... Is there any right way to answer a question like this when posed by your boss?"
Rex laughed. "I suppose not. But no matter. I know how hard you've been working lately, Prue. That's why I came in here. I want you to take the rest of the day off. Go out, have fun, do something other than work. You deserve it."
"Thanks, Rex." Prue replied. She thought for a moment, and her eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute. Have my sisters been talking to you?"
Rex laughed. "No, but maybe they should. I've no doubt that they would have told me off a long time ago for overworking you, and they would have been absolutely right."
They were interrupted by Hannah knocking at the door. "Rex, Mr. Leonerdin is here."
"Tell him to wait, and then come back here, Hannah." the businessman replied. "I'm sending Prue home for the day, and I want you to finish up here."
"Oh, wait, wha-" Hannah stopped herself, knowing it wasn't in her own best interests to argue with her boss. Glaring at Prue, she stormed back into the hallway.
"She hates me." Prue said, more amused than upset.
"No, she doesn't." Rex protested. He looked out the open door where his assistant had just left, and then back at Prue. "Yes, she does."
Prue smiled, and then they both started to laugh.
"Go on." he said. "Get out of here, before the wicked witch comes back."
"Allright," Prue consented. She stood up, grabbed her purse and pulled on her sweater. "Thanks, Rex!" she called as she walked out the door. Turning a corner down the hallway, Prue almost ran into Hannah. The latter woman sent her a scathing look and kept moving. Prue walked on, wondering what the hell her problem was.
On her way down to the parking garage, Prue tried calling home, but nobody answered. Not wanting to go into an empty house, Prue decided to drive around for a while. She was about to start her car when a strange man jumped in.
"Who the hell are you?" she screamed.
"Shh." the man placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm Bane. I'm not going to hurt you. Just drive."
Afraid, Prue nodded and started the car. Following the directions he gave her, she arrived at a small, unfinished house near Bodega Bay.
"Get out." he ordered. She complied, and he took her inside the house, locking the door behind them.
"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, her fear slowly being replaced by anger.
He shrugged. "I needed a ride."
"Who are you?" she asked again.
"I told you. I'm Bane."
She shook her head. "Damn you, give me a real answer."
He smiled. "A bit feisty, aren't you? I like that."
She hit him. He recoiled, not out of pain but out of shock. He hadn't expected this from such a thin, scared-looking thing.
"Surprised?" she asked, her tone insolent.
He shrugged her off. "You're tougher than I thought."
"Is that why you brought me here?" she pressed, hoping for an answer. "You wanted someone weak, someone you could push around?"
He looked away, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the water. "Like I said, babe. I just wanted a ride."
"But why?" she demanded passionately. She didn't care who he was anymore; only what he had to do with her.
"You really want to know?" he asked.
Something in his tone warned her not to go there. Still, she pressed on. "Yes. I want to know."
"Technically, I'm a fugitive. I know what you're thinking."
"No, you don't." she interrupted.
He ignored her. "You're thinking that you already knew that, or if you didn't, you're thinking that you should have. Well, you know now."
"That still doesn't answer my question. Why me?"
"I needed to get away. I don't belong in that prison."
"The hell you don't." she spat. "Holding people hostage is a federal offense."
"Relax." he said. Then, he added, "Or not. You know, you're really hot when you're pissed."
She glared at him, but kept her temper in check. "Okay. You're not going to tell me who you are, other than a first name which I'm not really sure is a first name. You won't tell me why I'm here. Can you tell me when you're planning on letting me leave?"
"When I'm sure they won't find me." he answered simply.
Prue tilted her head to the side. Much as she hated to admit it, she was intrigued. "Who? The cops?"
He shook his head. "Not the cops. The gang that got me into this in the first place. Oh, hell, I might as well tell you everything. Sit down."
Looking around at the bare room, Prue finally seated herself on the window ledge, and looked at Bane with a mixture of fear and loathing and active interest as he began his story.
****************
A/N: Next chapter- Bane's story. Plus, a bit of Prue/Bane. Not much, though, I mean the guy did kidnap her and all...
~from the song "Rain King" by the Counting Crows~
Don't try to bleed me
I've been here before
And I deserve a little more
I belong in the service of the Queen
I belong anywhere but in between
She's been crying and I've been thinking
And I am the Rain King
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Prue?"
Prue looked up to see Tanya, her assistant, knocking on her office door.
"I'm going on my coffee break now. Can I bring you back anything?" she asked.
"Just a latte." Prue replied. "Thanks, Tan."
Tanya left, and Prue turned back to the antiques she was supposed to catalogue. She was nearly finished when Rex came in.
"Busy?" he asked.
"Um... not exactly. I mean, yes. I mean, sort of. But I'm almost finished. I mean... Is there any right way to answer a question like this when posed by your boss?"
Rex laughed. "I suppose not. But no matter. I know how hard you've been working lately, Prue. That's why I came in here. I want you to take the rest of the day off. Go out, have fun, do something other than work. You deserve it."
"Thanks, Rex." Prue replied. She thought for a moment, and her eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute. Have my sisters been talking to you?"
Rex laughed. "No, but maybe they should. I've no doubt that they would have told me off a long time ago for overworking you, and they would have been absolutely right."
They were interrupted by Hannah knocking at the door. "Rex, Mr. Leonerdin is here."
"Tell him to wait, and then come back here, Hannah." the businessman replied. "I'm sending Prue home for the day, and I want you to finish up here."
"Oh, wait, wha-" Hannah stopped herself, knowing it wasn't in her own best interests to argue with her boss. Glaring at Prue, she stormed back into the hallway.
"She hates me." Prue said, more amused than upset.
"No, she doesn't." Rex protested. He looked out the open door where his assistant had just left, and then back at Prue. "Yes, she does."
Prue smiled, and then they both started to laugh.
"Go on." he said. "Get out of here, before the wicked witch comes back."
"Allright," Prue consented. She stood up, grabbed her purse and pulled on her sweater. "Thanks, Rex!" she called as she walked out the door. Turning a corner down the hallway, Prue almost ran into Hannah. The latter woman sent her a scathing look and kept moving. Prue walked on, wondering what the hell her problem was.
On her way down to the parking garage, Prue tried calling home, but nobody answered. Not wanting to go into an empty house, Prue decided to drive around for a while. She was about to start her car when a strange man jumped in.
"Who the hell are you?" she screamed.
"Shh." the man placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm Bane. I'm not going to hurt you. Just drive."
Afraid, Prue nodded and started the car. Following the directions he gave her, she arrived at a small, unfinished house near Bodega Bay.
"Get out." he ordered. She complied, and he took her inside the house, locking the door behind them.
"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, her fear slowly being replaced by anger.
He shrugged. "I needed a ride."
"Who are you?" she asked again.
"I told you. I'm Bane."
She shook her head. "Damn you, give me a real answer."
He smiled. "A bit feisty, aren't you? I like that."
She hit him. He recoiled, not out of pain but out of shock. He hadn't expected this from such a thin, scared-looking thing.
"Surprised?" she asked, her tone insolent.
He shrugged her off. "You're tougher than I thought."
"Is that why you brought me here?" she pressed, hoping for an answer. "You wanted someone weak, someone you could push around?"
He looked away, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the water. "Like I said, babe. I just wanted a ride."
"But why?" she demanded passionately. She didn't care who he was anymore; only what he had to do with her.
"You really want to know?" he asked.
Something in his tone warned her not to go there. Still, she pressed on. "Yes. I want to know."
"Technically, I'm a fugitive. I know what you're thinking."
"No, you don't." she interrupted.
He ignored her. "You're thinking that you already knew that, or if you didn't, you're thinking that you should have. Well, you know now."
"That still doesn't answer my question. Why me?"
"I needed to get away. I don't belong in that prison."
"The hell you don't." she spat. "Holding people hostage is a federal offense."
"Relax." he said. Then, he added, "Or not. You know, you're really hot when you're pissed."
She glared at him, but kept her temper in check. "Okay. You're not going to tell me who you are, other than a first name which I'm not really sure is a first name. You won't tell me why I'm here. Can you tell me when you're planning on letting me leave?"
"When I'm sure they won't find me." he answered simply.
Prue tilted her head to the side. Much as she hated to admit it, she was intrigued. "Who? The cops?"
He shook his head. "Not the cops. The gang that got me into this in the first place. Oh, hell, I might as well tell you everything. Sit down."
Looking around at the bare room, Prue finally seated herself on the window ledge, and looked at Bane with a mixture of fear and loathing and active interest as he began his story.
****************
A/N: Next chapter- Bane's story. Plus, a bit of Prue/Bane. Not much, though, I mean the guy did kidnap her and all...
~from the song "Rain King" by the Counting Crows~