Be my husband man I be your wife
Be my husband man I be your wife
Be my husband man I be your wife
Loving all of you the rest of your life yeah
If you promise me you'll be my man
If you promise me you'll be my man
If you promise me you'll be my man
I will love you the best I can yeah
Stick the promise man you made me
Stick the promise man that you made me
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Stick the promise man you made me
That you stay away from rosalie yeah
Oh daddy love me good
Oh daddy now love me good
Oh daddy love me good
Oh daddy now love me good
If you want me to cook and sew
If you want me to cook and sew
If you want me to cook and sew yeah
Outside of you there is no place to go
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
Please don't treat me so now doggone mean yeah
You're the meanest man I ever see
Oh daddy now love me good
Oh daddy love me good yeah
Oh daddy love me good yeah
Oh daddy now love me good
"Robin," he shook her arm, and she sat up, the blankets dropping. At that moment, a part of him he didn't very much like right then, wished she hadn't been wearing that shirt.
It had been his at one point. As a matter of fact, it still was his shirt. A very strange feeling in his stomach that he didn't really recognize took over and he quickly left the room.
On the couch was his suitcase. It was lined with lead and foam-padded, fitted for the various weapons he kept with him. A surveillance camera system and a sniper gun, among other things. If he put his mind to checking he had everything, perhaps that feeling, still warm and oh-so-pleasant, would stop.
He heard her walk across to the bathroom, and the water turned on shortly after. He sank onto the couch. It was draining, being so close to something so pure as Robin. For some reason the image of her in his shirt, and barely anything else, was now burned into his memory, and with a new wave of that wonderful feeling, he realized what it was.
A territorial one.
Robin lay back in the tub, letting the warmth soothe her. Her gaze fell upon the shirt, folded nicely on the edge of the sink. It smelled of Amon and it was worn thin and gray, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
She sank lower under the water, her hand unconsciously reaching for the pendant from Father Juliano. She'd only met one person who could possible wear the same one, other than herself and the Sisters of the Abbey. In time, perhaps, she'd meet the young man that once filled her one precious summer in Ireland with such happiness.
"You don't belong to anyone?" Her head to the side, a mess of blonde hair fell over her green eyes. The older boy nodded quickly, wiping at something in his eye. Her seven year old self grabbed his hand.
"It's okay. I don't belong to anyone, either."
For a moment she was afraid he'd push her away, like he had when she had first come. Instead he toyed with the pendant around his neck. "We can belong to each other."
She smiled, and nodded.
She had left later that day, as all irony of that sort went, and she'd never seen the boy to whom she belonged ever again.
Perhaps, perhaps in Ireland he'd remember her, and she could tell him all that had happened since their separation.
"Robin, please hurry. We must leave."
Their things stood at the door, and Robin and Amon made one last sweep of the room to make sure they hadn't left anything. Amon, satisfied, picked up his duffel and opened the door.
Robin entered from the other room, the sad, distant look that always clouded her face when they left another temporary home very visible. Her gaze fell upon Amon and her eyes shot open.
"Amon, you're Orbo!" she whispered, pointing at his chest.
"I got rid of it while we were still in Japan. It was mixed with an isotope. Robin. It was how they knew where everyone was." Not as good as Michael was at hacking, he had still managed to find out that and quite a bit more about the Orbo while they were still at STN-J.
"So they really think we're-"
"To the best of our knowledge, yes. We can talk later, but right now we have a flight."
Robin nodded, and face set with determination, she walked out of hotel room.
Dublin Airport was noisy and filled with various sorts of people, and right away Robin hated it. It was too loud, and, with each jolt by a passing by person, Amon's grip tightened on her hand.
If she didn't like it, he probably wanted her to burn the place down.
Somehow they made it to a cab. Slipping in, Robin made room for Amon, who took the seat next to her. The driver started to say something in a language that she'd never heard.
"Oh, I'm sorry but I don't speak-"
Amon said something to the driver, who nodded, and pulled away from the curb. Robin gaped at him. "What?"
"How did you know-"
"Lived here," he said quickly, in the tone of voice that she hadn't heard since she had asked him if had family. When he lied. She wouldn't pry. If it had taken this long to learn just that he had a half brother, it would probably be while before she learned what exactly his ties to Ireland where.
They were let off at least two hours later, Robin had lost track of the time since she'd fallen asleep. It was a smaller town, with a short main street, and looking farther down the road, there were fields and houses. She smiled. It was nothing like Italy, but it gave off the same comforting feeling.
Amon led them into a pub that was off of the street they were on and Amon slipped through the group, leaving Robin for just a spare moment. Panic set in as somebody, smelling of cigarettes, snaked an arm around her shoulders.
"Why, if it isn't the Little Bird! And you're not wearing your dress! I take it you and Amon-"
"Nagira!" she cried, smiling. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I had to check on you guys. I'm glad to see you can still smile. I was afraid being around Amon would make you as serious as he is."
Amon now had an envelope in his hand now. "Nagira."
"Are you making friends with Eddy again or are we going to leave?"
"We're leaving." He walked past the two and out the door.
"You know, from what I've heard," Nagira said watching his brothers retreating from, "I thought it was my job as the older brother to be the grumpy one."
It was a large, sprawling estate, set on the water's edge. The two-story house looked worn and not tended. There were weeds shooting up from between the stones in the pavement.
"I haven't actually been able to get back here to clean up in quite a while," Amon said, glancing sideways at the young witch in the seat next to him.
"You own…this?"
"Yeup, his mother's family's owned it for God knows how long." Nagira told her, lighting a cigarette. Amon's hand reached backward and Nagira handed it to him. Robin watched the scene with surprise.
Was the man next to her actually her partner?
The hallway was very bright, and the floor had a black and white checkered pattern. Through a large archway was a wide set of stairs that led upward. Amon checked the entire first floor with Robin in tow, glasses perched on her nose. There didn't seem to be anyone in there for a few years. The second floor had a few bedrooms, and Robin took one with large windows on the back of the house with a view of the sea. Her room at the abbey had faced the sea. She wiped off a shelf and put her bag on it.
She would definitely need some cleaning supplies.
"Amon," she called, not quite sure where he was.
"Yes?" His head poked through the small doorway that led to her bathroom. She dusted of her pants and walked into the bathroom.
The large old-fashioned tub looked usable, if it was scrubbed. There was a showerhead in desperate need of scouring, and the mirror needed Windex. "Is there any way we can go back into town and pick up some cleaning supplies?"
He walked back into his room. They were sharing a bathroom. She'd have to clean it a little more than she would have.
"Nag-I will take you," he called over his shoulder.
"Thank you."
After dark the town came to life. The lamplights reflected on the slightly wet pavement, as well as the occasional lighter for a moment. Robin followed Amon quickly.
He obviously knew where he was going. And after five minutes of walking, they entered a small general store.
"That's not Amon, is it?"
His head snapped up from talking to Robin. "Nan-Excuse me?"
"It's me, Dan Werthers, Petey's son?"
Recognition flashed through his eyes. "Dan…Yes. Where's your father?"
"Oh, you knew da. If he wasn't yelling at you making the milk go sour, he was sleeping. His hearts not too good, so I'm in charge of the place."
Robin smiled. So Amon had not just appeared on the surface of the Earth fully grown.
"Amon, you've got to be shitting me, you're fucking married?"
Amon had a wife? Then she flushed furiously. She hadn't taken off the ring because he had never told her to. Amon struggled for a moment.
"This is my wife," he paused, looking at the young woman next to him. "Hope."
Dan took her hand in a hearty handshake, and it was only Amon's firm grip around her shoulders that kept her from bowing.
"I'll go get those things we need," she said quietly, and walked down one of the isles. Amon watched her leave and suddenly realized she had just abandoned him without realizing it.
"Where have you been? Clearly, getting laid, but otherwise, you know?"
He'd ignore the one about his sexual relations with Robin. If only, that small, nagging part of his brain. "Working. Europe. Listen, Dan, if someone asks you if you saw…my wife, say you didn't. Could you do me that favor?"
Dan leaned forward. "I thought she looked young. How old is she?"
"Old enough," he said quickly. "Just do me that favor."
"Sure, Amon."
Robin appeared from around the corner, a basket on her arm. Amon took it from her and she busied herself with the ring on her finger.
Dan handed Amon the sack after he rang everything up and Amon hastily left with Robin in tow.
"I can't believe it."
"Can't believe what?" he asked, still slightly shaken. He had blocked out his childhood long ago, and simply returning had brought back bad memories.
"You actually got in trouble as a kid. It was simply unthinkable up until then."
He shook his head. "You of all people should know that I don't always obey orders."
"True."
They walked slowly. Amon glanced over at her. "So we're married."
"So my name is Hope. That was…nice. Thank you."
"This won't be too hard. We've done it before."
"Yes, but only to check into hotels. This may be slightly more…difficult. I'm sorry I forgot to take off the ring, Amon."
"I did, too. It would have been harder to explain to him who you were if you didn't have it on."
The reached the car and Amon ducked down to check underneath. Robin waited.
He unlocked the car and started to cross to his side when he was Dan taking out the garbage. He quickly leaned over and opened the car door for Robin.
A.N. I forgot to mention that all the Titles in this story are all Nina Simone songs, who has got to be the absolute best jazz singer of all time, other than Ella Fitzgerald. I know, tres bizarre, but I just felt like it. Enjoy y'all.