Look for the final chapter of this one tomorrow. Thanks for following along folks. :)
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"Into the woods-
You have to grope,
But that's the way
You learn to cope.
Into the woods
To find there's hope
Of getting through the journey." - Stephen Sondheim "Children Will Listen" from "Into The Woods"
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A knock sounded on the door to Conrad's office, several hours after his confrontation with Snake Eyes. When it opened, Shana walked in, seeming uncomfortable, sans dog, only with her long cane. She gave a weak smile as she spoke, "Mind if I sit down?"
"Um, of course not. What's up?" Duke couldn't hide his surprise that she was there and was worried about her expression.
She licked her lips nervously, "I think I should go home." Nothing was said in response for a moment and she clarified, "Now."
More silence greeted her and she began to be paranoid that she was alone in the room. Finally she heard him shift, probably leaning forward in his chair as he said, "Now? Why? I mean, you just got here practically." He didn't even try and hide the disappointment in his voice.
She shook her head, "With the stuff going on with Snake Eyes and me not really being able to sleep here, I'm just not sure it was a good idea to plan for such a long visit to start with."
"The situation with Snake Eyes is settled." He smiled as he watched her get a curious expression on her face and continued before she could ask, "I don't want you to go yet, but if you do, I won't keep you here. I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for you." Duke's voice held a fair amount of regret; it always seemed as though there wasn't enough he could do.
"What happened with Snakes?" She ignored the second part of his statement because there was nothing she would admit to that he could help with.
She heard him move in his chair again, "Not too much. We just came to an agreement." He couldn't help but grin watching her eyebrow shoot higher. "I told him to stop being a stalker before I have to smack him down and he..." Duke trailed off uncomfortably, not wanting to give himself away too obviously, especially since she was feeling so uncomfortable anyway. "He just wanted to make sure you were safe." It was the truth, just incomplete.
"Safe, from what I wonder?" Her musing tone clearly marked it as a rhetorical question, for which Conrad was thankful. Shana stood and she heard him do likewise.
She felt his presence as he walked closer to her, "If you want to go, I'll arrange for a car immediately. I just want you to promise me one thing." She looked at him expectantly, "That I don't have to wait too long to see you again.
He was so close to her now she could hardly breathe. She heard the words and unconsciously tilted her face up towards him, as if anticipating a kiss. She imagined that their lips had to be nearly touching now, why wasn't he just kissing her? "I promise." As soon as she spoke the words, his lips grazed hers lightly, on their way to her cheek. A shiver ran through her, agonizing about whether she should encourage him, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. He jumped away from her and she did likewise, almost losing her balance.
"Who is it?" Duke's voice sounded a little odd, strained. She couldn't help but smile, hoping that it was for the same reason she was feeling shaky.
"It's just me," Allie's voice carried through the wood easily. "I was just wondering if you had seen Shana lately."
Shana felt the air move as Duke walked by her and a larger gust as he opened the door to his office, "As it so happens, I have." She had a feeling he was gesturing to her.
Jaye spoke before Shana had a chance, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that stuff. I went by your room and saw your things packed up, and I feel terrible. I don't want you to cut this short on account of me."
"It's not just because of you Jaye. I just don't belong here anymore. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to recapture something that was gone," she said dully. It was hard to come back and be sure that she would never be able to be around them again for any length of time. She wasn't sure yet whether she included Conrad in that grouping yet, but for now it was safer to assume that it would be too difficult. It was better to just walk away.
Neither one of her friends knew how to respond to her pronouncement, so she just walked out. She didn't feel as strong as she thought she would though. She was in control of the situation but it felt a lot like she was running away. She hesitated, thinking of running back into Conrad's arms, but resisted and just held her head up as she walked back to her quarters get her things to leave.
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Two days later Shana felt like she was going stir crazy inside of her apartment. She didn't want to go out; she wanted to be back at the base. It was so stupid, she just left there but she had this intense urge to go back. She paced the room, ignoring Chevy's concerned whine at her edginess. This wasn't right; she was not supposed to be feeling like this. She stopped at the phone and for the second time that day, picked up the phone, dialing the numbers to Duke's quarters. She was nearly possible that he wasn't there, which suited her fine.
"You've reached the number you dialed, leave a message." Duke's voice was no-nonsense but had a hint of amusement, like the man behind it. She listened to the message and hastily hung up before the sound of the tone.
"God, what am I, like 12?" her words echoed into the apartment, just heightening her self-consciousness with her behavior. She was over thirty and she was calling the boy she liked's phone just to hear his voice on the machine, without telling him. So incredibly immature, and yet she couldn't bring herself to stay on the line long enough to leave a message. She debating ripping the phone out of the wall to keep her from calling, then went back to the phone, dialing a local number quickly.
"Hello?" A woman's familiar voice greeted her, helping to ground her a bit.
"Hey. It's Shana."
"Hey girl. I thought you were going to be gone still..." Her friend, Nan, trailed off questioningly.
Shana licked her lips unhappily, "Yeah. Supposed to be. Didn't work out that way."
She heard Nan sigh through the line, "Sorry to hear that. Were they being assholes to you? Do we need to go give them a good whack with our canes?" Shana had the rare pleasure of having a close friend who lived fairly nearby who was also blind and had lost her sight as an adult. It was a benefit to living in a large city; it was easier to find people like you.
A laugh escaped Shana's lips, "No. Opposite."
"Ooo?" Nan's voice took on a more shrill tone in anticipation of the gossip. "That old boyfriend of yours? Having trouble sticking to your resolution of staying away from him, or is it the new guy?"
"Duke isn't a new guy, he was my best friend for years," she replied carelessly.
Nan squealed again, "It is him. So, spill, what happened?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all happened." Dejection was obvious in her voice.
There was a pause on the phone, "I'm sorry sweetie, he's an ass to not be interested in a woman like you. So what you're short a couple of eyes, you've got extra marbles, which will always leave us on top."
"It wasn't that he wasn't interested I don't think," Shana corrected.
A longer pause then Nan said impatiently, "Are you going to tell me what it was then? Because I'm confused as hell."
"How about we meet for lunch? I want to get out of here and stop staring at the phone."
"Done. How about Mozart's? Get a sandwich and then concentrate on the dessert while we gossip."
Shana couldn't help the large grin on her face. "Sounds fabulous. Meet you there in forty five? Is that enough time for you to make it?"
"Sounds like a plan. See you there, travel safely."
"You too." Shana hung up the phone, feeling immensely relieved. She knew that an afternoon with Nan would get her sorted out.
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Duke ran to pick up his phone, wearing only a towel. By the time he reached it, it had already switched to the machine and the person hadn't left a message. He figured it was Flint, calling to rag on him and so he hit 69, intending to find out whether he was at home or Allie's. Nothing could prepare him for the shock when he heard Shana's number in New York being recited to him. Suddenly worried, he threw on some clothing and called Flint. "Hey. I've got to run to New York. I think Shana might be in some trouble."
He could almost hear Flint's smirk, "Sure. Trouble. Like missing you?"
"No. Like real trouble. I'll go and scope it out. I'll call when I get closer. If you don't hear back from me by," he checked his watch quickly, "eighteen hundred hours, be ready send a team out."
Flint's voice immediately switched to concern, "You really think she's in trouble? Wouldn't it be better to go with a team, just in case?"
"No," he said firmly. "She gets freaked out by that and if it's nothing, she'll be pissed at me. That should leave me plenty of travel time."
"Alright, Flint still sounded dubious, but was willing to trust his friend. "Call me as soon as you know anything.
"I will, buddy. Out." With that, Duke hurried off to check on Shana.
=======================================
"Into the woods-
You have to grope,
But that's the way
You learn to cope.
Into the woods
To find there's hope
Of getting through the journey." - Stephen Sondheim "Children Will Listen" from "Into The Woods"
---------------------------------------
A knock sounded on the door to Conrad's office, several hours after his confrontation with Snake Eyes. When it opened, Shana walked in, seeming uncomfortable, sans dog, only with her long cane. She gave a weak smile as she spoke, "Mind if I sit down?"
"Um, of course not. What's up?" Duke couldn't hide his surprise that she was there and was worried about her expression.
She licked her lips nervously, "I think I should go home." Nothing was said in response for a moment and she clarified, "Now."
More silence greeted her and she began to be paranoid that she was alone in the room. Finally she heard him shift, probably leaning forward in his chair as he said, "Now? Why? I mean, you just got here practically." He didn't even try and hide the disappointment in his voice.
She shook her head, "With the stuff going on with Snake Eyes and me not really being able to sleep here, I'm just not sure it was a good idea to plan for such a long visit to start with."
"The situation with Snake Eyes is settled." He smiled as he watched her get a curious expression on her face and continued before she could ask, "I don't want you to go yet, but if you do, I won't keep you here. I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for you." Duke's voice held a fair amount of regret; it always seemed as though there wasn't enough he could do.
"What happened with Snakes?" She ignored the second part of his statement because there was nothing she would admit to that he could help with.
She heard him move in his chair again, "Not too much. We just came to an agreement." He couldn't help but grin watching her eyebrow shoot higher. "I told him to stop being a stalker before I have to smack him down and he..." Duke trailed off uncomfortably, not wanting to give himself away too obviously, especially since she was feeling so uncomfortable anyway. "He just wanted to make sure you were safe." It was the truth, just incomplete.
"Safe, from what I wonder?" Her musing tone clearly marked it as a rhetorical question, for which Conrad was thankful. Shana stood and she heard him do likewise.
She felt his presence as he walked closer to her, "If you want to go, I'll arrange for a car immediately. I just want you to promise me one thing." She looked at him expectantly, "That I don't have to wait too long to see you again.
He was so close to her now she could hardly breathe. She heard the words and unconsciously tilted her face up towards him, as if anticipating a kiss. She imagined that their lips had to be nearly touching now, why wasn't he just kissing her? "I promise." As soon as she spoke the words, his lips grazed hers lightly, on their way to her cheek. A shiver ran through her, agonizing about whether she should encourage him, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. He jumped away from her and she did likewise, almost losing her balance.
"Who is it?" Duke's voice sounded a little odd, strained. She couldn't help but smile, hoping that it was for the same reason she was feeling shaky.
"It's just me," Allie's voice carried through the wood easily. "I was just wondering if you had seen Shana lately."
Shana felt the air move as Duke walked by her and a larger gust as he opened the door to his office, "As it so happens, I have." She had a feeling he was gesturing to her.
Jaye spoke before Shana had a chance, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that stuff. I went by your room and saw your things packed up, and I feel terrible. I don't want you to cut this short on account of me."
"It's not just because of you Jaye. I just don't belong here anymore. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to recapture something that was gone," she said dully. It was hard to come back and be sure that she would never be able to be around them again for any length of time. She wasn't sure yet whether she included Conrad in that grouping yet, but for now it was safer to assume that it would be too difficult. It was better to just walk away.
Neither one of her friends knew how to respond to her pronouncement, so she just walked out. She didn't feel as strong as she thought she would though. She was in control of the situation but it felt a lot like she was running away. She hesitated, thinking of running back into Conrad's arms, but resisted and just held her head up as she walked back to her quarters get her things to leave.
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Two days later Shana felt like she was going stir crazy inside of her apartment. She didn't want to go out; she wanted to be back at the base. It was so stupid, she just left there but she had this intense urge to go back. She paced the room, ignoring Chevy's concerned whine at her edginess. This wasn't right; she was not supposed to be feeling like this. She stopped at the phone and for the second time that day, picked up the phone, dialing the numbers to Duke's quarters. She was nearly possible that he wasn't there, which suited her fine.
"You've reached the number you dialed, leave a message." Duke's voice was no-nonsense but had a hint of amusement, like the man behind it. She listened to the message and hastily hung up before the sound of the tone.
"God, what am I, like 12?" her words echoed into the apartment, just heightening her self-consciousness with her behavior. She was over thirty and she was calling the boy she liked's phone just to hear his voice on the machine, without telling him. So incredibly immature, and yet she couldn't bring herself to stay on the line long enough to leave a message. She debating ripping the phone out of the wall to keep her from calling, then went back to the phone, dialing a local number quickly.
"Hello?" A woman's familiar voice greeted her, helping to ground her a bit.
"Hey. It's Shana."
"Hey girl. I thought you were going to be gone still..." Her friend, Nan, trailed off questioningly.
Shana licked her lips unhappily, "Yeah. Supposed to be. Didn't work out that way."
She heard Nan sigh through the line, "Sorry to hear that. Were they being assholes to you? Do we need to go give them a good whack with our canes?" Shana had the rare pleasure of having a close friend who lived fairly nearby who was also blind and had lost her sight as an adult. It was a benefit to living in a large city; it was easier to find people like you.
A laugh escaped Shana's lips, "No. Opposite."
"Ooo?" Nan's voice took on a more shrill tone in anticipation of the gossip. "That old boyfriend of yours? Having trouble sticking to your resolution of staying away from him, or is it the new guy?"
"Duke isn't a new guy, he was my best friend for years," she replied carelessly.
Nan squealed again, "It is him. So, spill, what happened?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all happened." Dejection was obvious in her voice.
There was a pause on the phone, "I'm sorry sweetie, he's an ass to not be interested in a woman like you. So what you're short a couple of eyes, you've got extra marbles, which will always leave us on top."
"It wasn't that he wasn't interested I don't think," Shana corrected.
A longer pause then Nan said impatiently, "Are you going to tell me what it was then? Because I'm confused as hell."
"How about we meet for lunch? I want to get out of here and stop staring at the phone."
"Done. How about Mozart's? Get a sandwich and then concentrate on the dessert while we gossip."
Shana couldn't help the large grin on her face. "Sounds fabulous. Meet you there in forty five? Is that enough time for you to make it?"
"Sounds like a plan. See you there, travel safely."
"You too." Shana hung up the phone, feeling immensely relieved. She knew that an afternoon with Nan would get her sorted out.
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Duke ran to pick up his phone, wearing only a towel. By the time he reached it, it had already switched to the machine and the person hadn't left a message. He figured it was Flint, calling to rag on him and so he hit 69, intending to find out whether he was at home or Allie's. Nothing could prepare him for the shock when he heard Shana's number in New York being recited to him. Suddenly worried, he threw on some clothing and called Flint. "Hey. I've got to run to New York. I think Shana might be in some trouble."
He could almost hear Flint's smirk, "Sure. Trouble. Like missing you?"
"No. Like real trouble. I'll go and scope it out. I'll call when I get closer. If you don't hear back from me by," he checked his watch quickly, "eighteen hundred hours, be ready send a team out."
Flint's voice immediately switched to concern, "You really think she's in trouble? Wouldn't it be better to go with a team, just in case?"
"No," he said firmly. "She gets freaked out by that and if it's nothing, she'll be pissed at me. That should leave me plenty of travel time."
"Alright, Flint still sounded dubious, but was willing to trust his friend. "Call me as soon as you know anything.
"I will, buddy. Out." With that, Duke hurried off to check on Shana.