*12*
The closer they got, the tenser she became, the more worried she became and the more unsure she became about everything. She found the most comfortable position she could and, knowing she wouldn't sleep chose to do some of her mental exercises instead. No matter how natural, how integrated her talents were in her every day life she still had to practice, still had to sort through information and store it away. Still had to clear and settle her mind on regular basis or she'd find herself good and lost with no map to find her way out and very few people in the world able to help her. Sometimes her abilities were far more a hazard, to herself and others, than a help.
Gray was quiet as well, occasionally singing along with the music on the radio, but for the most part concentrating on driving as an excuse to not think about Alyx, himself, Fawkes, and everything in between. He wanted her to rest as much as she could before they arrived. She was wearing herself down to nothing, had been doing so for a couple months now, and he'd been unable to get her to slow down even for a second. The addition of other agencies co-opting her time more and more often wasn't helping either, but those requests always came through Cavanaugh and neither Gray nor Alyx had any control over them.
Knowing only that he had to get to Rhode Island and Newport he followed the signs, avoiding the one bridge that had a toll, as she had requested. It did mean that not only was he at the wrong end of the island, but that he had no idea where to go from there. Releasing the steering wheel with one hand he set it gently on Alyx's shoulder and a moment later her head came up and her eyes opened.
"Gray?" Her tongue felt thick, while not asleep she'd definitely gone far deeper than she'd planned.
"We've just crossed the Mt. Hope Bridge onto the island. I need to know where to go from here," he told her succinctly once he was sure she was awake enough.
Alyx scrubbed her face with her hands and yawned, one ear popping in response. "Uh, that's 114, right?"
Gray nodded.
"Just keep following it south into Newport." She glanced at the clock noting it was a little after eight. It was Thursday so traffic shouldn't be too bad, but one never knew with this town. "I'll give you the back road details when we're closer to downtown, it'll depend on traffic."
He grunted in reply, feeling a bit confused, he had expected her to direct him to the Navy base he knew was on the island, but followed her instructions. Downtown was an odd mixture of the modern and the antique; 300 year old homes just blocks from a thoroughly modern and completely garish Super Wal-Mart.
He became even more confused as she directed him into an area that was obviously filled with homes of the rich, in fact even he'd heard about these homes, playhouses for the disgustingly wealthy and famous long before the Hamptons was even a dream. Homes owned by the Vanderbuilts, Astor, Wetmore, Oelrichs, among others of high society from the late 1800s until about the1920s, who would spend their summers schmoozing and performing the one-upsmanship dance of the wealthy as they partied and relaxed along the Atlantic coast.
He followed the winding and dark road that ran directly alongside the cliffs, the white-capped waves easily seen as they crashed into the rocks. The lack of streetlights and his unfamiliarity with the route encouraged him to obey the speed limit even as others seemed to take the sharp curves at breakneck speed. After one such incident, the driver of the other car surprised at the appearance of the Hummer and fishtailing his car in his haste to slow it, Gray cursed under his breath.
Alyx chuckled softly.
"Sil?" Exasperation had taken control for the moment.
"Sorry, I can remember doing that myself. I think my record for this road was 60 miles an hour." She shook her head. "I was insane, but it was, after all, a dare."
They drove a few more minutes in a subdued silence. Gray not sure if he should ask what the hell was going on, yet again, and Alyx trying to find the necessary courage now that they were nearly there. A few more concise directions had him on what was obviously a private road with few homes on it and finally on a gravel drive that Alyx opened the gate for.
"What is this place?" Gray asked, as the gravel crunched beneath the tires and the snow covered branches hung over the road, hiding the night sky from sight.
"My home, Gray."
His head snapped about and he gaped at her for an instant before focusing back on the driveway. "Wha... What?"
"Xavier, my real name is Michele MacTierney and my project is my four children." She got the words out just as they broke past the trees and the oversized two-story home came into view. "One of my kids is... is ill."
Gray began cursing again, but this time in Navajo, and, while she may not have understood the specific meanings, the gist was plain. More so with the emotions poring unchecked off him. Somehow he managed to park the car in the turnabout by the garage and snap off the ignition. "This is the big secret, that you have kids? Fawkes' by any chance?"
She shook her head. "No, and they're not your typical kids." She sighed heavily. "I knew you'd be angry. I knew this was a bad idea. Shit." She opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air just as the nearby door to the house opened, spilling a warm yellow light onto the thick layer of snow that covered the yard; remains of the snowstorm just a few days ago. "I can't deal with this now, I need to see my son." And with that she slammed the door shut and ran to the figure who had stepped onto the porch and leaving Gray behind to do as he wished.
Mike stopped her before she went in, just a few moments to comfort her and to quickly exchange information. Then she dashed away, shedding her coat, which fell onto the floor and giving her family a quick mental hug as she headed to Chris' room.
Gray sat in the Hummer for several minutes, seething. She'd lied to him about everything, about who she was, what she was, hell, even her name wasn't hers. The interior of the car cooling noticeably finally drove him out and towards the figure standing patiently on the porch. It took two looks before he believed his eyes. "Agent Corvan? What are you doing here?"
"Agent Graywolf, good to see you again," Mike said calmly, he could easily feel the shock, confusion, and anger coming from the much larger man. The man that his sister was not only partnered to, but also trusted in a way she'd been able to with few others for many years. "Come on inside and we'll explain what we can."
Gray did so, but with much trepidation. "We? Corvan, I can safely say I'm completely confused."
"Jeeze, mom wasn't kidding when she described you as a giant teddy bear," an amused voice said from nearby.
Gray turned to face the owner of the voice and met the blue-gray eyes of a young girl who was a veritable duplicate of Alyx, if she were about 10 years younger with freckles and coppery curls. She was 9 or 10 years old at a guess. He was forced to swallow the pejorative that tried to burst past his lips.
Rose snickered. "Wow, can I use that one later?"
Mike took Gray's coat from his seemingly numb grasp and rolled his eyes. "Rose, you know better." He hung the coat up and waved Gray towards the kitchen.
"Mike, half the island heard that one," Rose argued in defense of herself as she trailed after the two men.
"True enough," Amanda agreed from her position near the stove, where she was slowly stirring something in a pot. "Even I caught that one, and you know I'm still pretty fuzzy in that area." She nodded to Gray. "Mr. Graywolf, I hope you like Yankee pot roast, as it's one of the few items I can make successfully." She turned slightly to face Mike. "Dani'll be down in a few. She's bringing mom up to date."
"Good enough. Graywolf, sit, please. You've dozens of questions, I'm sure, and you need to eat." Mike waved him to the table, but it wasn't until Rose took him by hand and led him there that he finally moved, and even then he had to be encouraged to sit.
"Mike, I think he's kinda in overload. Alcohol might be in order." Rose was honestly concerned for the man. She'd known he didn't know about them yet, or what they could do, but mom had said not to hide anything, that he was angry with her, not them, and that he needed the truth.
That snapped him out of his daze. "How would you know that?"
Rose grinned at him. "I can feel it, of course. I inherited more than just my looks from mom."
It took Gray several minutes, his eyes flicking from one person to another, before eventually coming to rest on Mike. "I think she's right. A drink might be just what I need."
* * *
As Darien slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket he caught the slight frown on Hobbes' face. "You sure you're okay with this. Heading to her place?"
Hobbes thought about it for a few minutes before answering. "This time, yeah. Keller's not going anywhere and, if I know the kid, she has people keeping an eye on the situation for her. It doesn't really matter where we plan our next move."
"It's Chris, Hobbes. I'm betting it's why she arranged to have this week off, only this mission screwed those plans." Darien knew he didn't normally have to defend or justify her actions, but felt the need to on this occasion.
"I know, Fawkes, which is why I told her I agreed. This time. And we are not hanging out there, even if she has other problems to deal with." Hobbes moved the car into the exit lane to head back to the hotel - with a side trip past the records building to see the damage for himself. "We have a job to do and...."
"Hobbes, don't start lecturing. I know the routine; work first. For us anyway. Sides last I checked Franklin was on her ass to stay out of it anyway. Maybe we'll get more done while off his radar." Darien was far more amused than irritated at his partner. As he'd told Alyx, reminders of the reality of the way things were these days were necessary. His preferred mindset was still not always compatible with the way life was now.
Hobbes debated for a few seconds and decided it was time to share the truth. "We're not following Franklin's orders." Darien's head snapped around to stare at his partner, who had to repress the urge to chuckle. "The orders come from Cavanaugh and take precedence."
Darien sighed. "Which is why we're on a field trip without permission and why Gray is so pissed. Well, one of the reasons anyway." He'd suspected there was something else going on, but trusted both Alyx and Hobbes to keep the lot of them on the right track and from being derailed unexpectedly. Though with today's information they were at a bit of a dead end.
"Lots more than the kid seeming to disobey orders bothering Graywolf, but it's nothing we can fix," Hobbes commented a bit ruefully. He'd never wish more trouble on her, but she seemed to attract it and with her it was never just one thing.'
They drove through the evening traffic, slowing as they came near the records building. Traffic was still being diverted around it, but a flash of his badge got pair inside the line and a short chat with the fire department supervisor who was on site and overseeing the final stages of the clean up. There wasn't much left; a few blackened skeletal remains of the exterior walls and smoking hole in the ground.
Whatever had been used, and the supervisor assured them something had been used, had burned hot, fast, and had been highly resistant to being doused. They'd been forced to bring in one of the foam trucks from the airport before they had gotten any control over the situation, and even then they couldn't put it out. Could only keep it from spreading. The building and everything it contained was a total loss.
After a few more questions Hobbes pulled away leaving them to the daunting task of trying to find the arsonist. Though he had a pretty good guess as to who had committed the crime he hadn't bothered to fill in the fire chief since he had no names, only suspicions based on what had occurred to them yesterday morning. Darien was uncharacteristically silent the entire drive to the hotel and remained so until after Hobbes had confirmed seats for them on a late evening plane flight that would get them into T.F. Green airport in Providence about 2:00 a.m. local time.
"Fawkes, what's eating at you now?" Hobbes finally broke down and asked before his partner fretted himself into a full-blown brood session. The man may have perfected the moody look, but it usually signaled some deep worry that would eat at him until forced out into the open air and exposed to the light of day.
"We've been through a lot of shit together, both with and without Alyx, right?" A roundabout route to answer Hobbes' question, but a necessary one Darien believed.
"You know it, my friend. And always landed on our feet," Hobbes agreed, wondering where he was going with this.
"Even when facing down guys that were supposed to be on our side, there was always a reason. Somewhere under all the crap it made sense." Darien sat down heavily on the end of the bed and absently scratched the side of his neck where the collar of his jacket had been rubbing. "This one doesn't. What the hell is so damn important that they'd try to off the good guys ? us ? and torch that building? It sure as hell wasn't loaded with government secrets."
Hobbes grunted in agreement, not understanding it yet himself, though he was beginning to think all of this, up to and including the supposed assassination attempt, was far more personal than political. "You're right, Fawkes, the situation stinks, but we ain't got all the pieces we need, and I'm betting a bunch of them just went up in smoke."
"So now what? Just keep stumbling along and hope we find the answer before it's too late?" He may not have come into this... job willingly, but these days he took it as seriously as any other facet of his life and he hated screwing up; especially when people came to harm.
"That's the job, Fawkes. With all the wonderful benefits like hazard pay and overtime included," Hobbes sneered the last. "Look, partner, we ain't in this for the glitz and glamour. We work our tails off to keep Joe Mundane from having to worry about some dickhead poisoning the local water supply." Hobbes sat down next to his partner, hands dangling between his thighs as he focused on the floor. "Most days we win, some we lose. But we keep going, cause there ain't no one else to do this job."
Darien sighed. "I swear you and Alyx are joined at the brain sometimes." Alyx had spouted off the almost identical speech when she'd informed him of her being transferred to the CIA. "Some days I wonder if it's worth it, I guess."
"So do I, my friend. So do I."
***
The plane ride was uneventful and both men managed to sleep most of the flight, Darien drifting off as soon as the plane had leveled out at 35,000 feet. There were only three of them in the first class section, and Darien took full advantage of that by stretching out his longs legs and getting as comfortable as possible. He had the feeling it might be his last chance at some serious sleep for a while.
Hobbes agreed, though they didn't discuss it, he just satisfied himself that all was secure on the plane before allowing himself to drift off into a light slumber. Always wary to begin with, he was even more so these days. Everything had changed that fall morning, but like most of the world, he'd adjusted and moved on as best as he could.
They were met by Dani, who had grown even more in the months since they'd last seen her, standing a good five foot eight with curly dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She looked decidedly tired and gave them the basics of what was going on as they gathered their bags and headed out to her Land Rover. The drive was done mostly in silence as Darien was still mostly asleep and fell into a doze once the car was moving. Dani and Hobbes talked quietly; the subject revolving around her plans for school come fall.
It wasn't until they neared the house that she mentioned Graywolf.
"... not very happy," Dani was saying when Darien jerked awake; the change in the road surface, from smooth asphalt to the surprisingly familiar gravel of the driveway, bringing him back to consciousness.
Hobbes snorted. The comment that followed was accompanied by a bland tone. "Pissed off at the kid again. If she didn't trust him I'd tell her to find another partner."
Darien sat up a bit more rubbing his face in his hands and yawning hugely. Dani was shaking her head, the lights from the house as they came out from the trees to the open expanse in front of the house making her easily visible. The car slowed as the garage door slid upwards.
"It's more than that, Bobby. Rose likes him," Dani explained, her few words speaking volumes to both men. Rose had this knack for judging people that the entire family trusted. "Says he needs to work through a few male issues is all."
"Huh. That kid is gonna be trouble." He caught the look that crossed the young woman's features. "Already trouble, I take it."
Dani chuckled. "You know it." She pulled into the garage and shut off the engine before signaling the door shut, which caused the overhead light to automatically come on. "You alive back there, Mr. Fawkes?"
"Sorta?" Darien shifted, stretching a bit. "Darien, remember? Call me Darien."
Dani turned about to face him and smiled. "Just checking. You might have changed your mind."
"He'd have to have one first," Hobbes chided, as he opened the door and stepped out into the chilly air of the garage. "Damn, hope this weather breaks soon."
"By mid-week, is the latest guess," Dani told him as she climbed out and swung the door shut.
Darien joined the crowd, but was suddenly wary about going inside. "Oh, this is not going to be fun," he muttered, mostly to himself.
"I'll deal with Graywolf if he's up, you go check on Michele." Hobbes crossed the concrete floor and opened the door that led into the house proper.
"Might as well, he sure as hell won't listen to me," Darien grumbled ruefully.
"Oh, he'll listen, Darien. He just won't hear you," Dani stated flatly. It wasn't that she knew anything more than they did, just the impression she'd gotten from the man over the course of this very long evening.
"Too deep for me, kiddo." Hobbes shook his head as he stepped inside the pleasantly warm home.
Dani snorted in derision. "Nothing gets by you, Hobbes."
Darien only shook his head, steeling himself for the potential confrontation to come and hoping to avoid it.
