Janine walked into the firehouse a little after lunch, her mind on Christopher. They both had so many questions, some answered, some not. She'd managed to talk him into staying in the apartment until she returned, by showing him the rooms. When she'd left, he was still trying to figure out the light switches.
But he'd told her why he'd come. To find her alive, and take her back with him. That was the conversation going through her mind as she entered the firehouse.
"I want you to return to Wintergrove with me," he'd told her.
"Oh Christopher," she said, sitting down beside him. "I don't know; my life is here."
"Your life is with me," he insisted. "You'd rather stay in this...this..." he gestured around him, lacking a word.
"My family's here, Christopher," she told him. "I return there as what? Your mistress, and Michael's punching bag?"
"Christopher shook his head. "No. Janine if you return with me, It won't be as my mistress. You forget, you were only sold into slavery. You weren't born in it. There's a chance you could be from society."
Janine frowned. "What are you saying? Christopher, you can't possibly do that."
Christopher's jaw set. "Return with me, and you could be anything, including mistress of the manor."
Janine shook her head. This was too much. "I can't...you can't guarantee..."
Anything." he insisted.
"Have a nice lunch?"
Janine startled, looking up. She stared at the person sitting at her desk, before she finally realized it was Peter.
"Sorry," she said, walking towards the desk. "There was an emergency."
"So I gathered," he retorted dryly.
Janine went around to her desk, avoiding his gaze. "I'll make up the time," she told him, hoping that would appease him. He got out her seat, nodding.
"All right."
"But not tonight," she hastened to add. Peter just looked at her.
"Of course not tonight," he said. "You have that date with Egon."
Janine's eyes widened. She'd completely forgotten she'd agreed to go to dinner with Egon after work.
She stood up suddenly. "I'll be right back," she stammered, racing up the stairs.
Janine's mind was a flurry of thoughts, as she rushed to the lab. How could she forget dinner? How could she go to dinner with Egon when Christopher was at home waiting for her? How was she going to postpone this?
She skidded to a halt in front of the lab, trying to compose her self. Peeking in, she saw him sitting at a desk. An open book was in front of him, but his glasses were off, and his head was in his hands.
She stepped into the lab, not wanting to disturb him, but wanting to finish this quickly. "Egon?"
His head came up, and he looked over at her, one hand reaching for his glasses. For one brief moment, she thought about going anyway. He put on his glasses and looked at her expectantly. The light she'd seen in his eyes just this morning was gone. Now, his eyes were as dull and blue as ice.
"There's been an emergency at home, " she heard herself say, and hated herself for having to lie to him. "Could we postpone dinner until later this week?"
He sat there silent, watching her. It felt like his eyes were boring into her soul, and just when she thought she would scream, he cleared his throat and looked back down at his book. "Actually, I was going to ask the same thing," he said, not looking at her. "Raymond and I have work to do tonight. Maybe another time would be a better idea."
She nodded, not feeling like anything was finished, and slowly walked back downstairs. Egon waited until he couldn't hear her anymore, then tore off his glasses, covering his face again.
He sat there for a while, wondering how it had all gone wrong, when he heard Peter's voice.
"You're just going to let her go?"
Egon looked up at his closest friend, who was standing just inside the lab, looking at him. Egon put his glasses back on.
"What do you expect me to do, Peter?" he asked tiredly.
'Fight."
"Why?" he asked. "What's the point?"
"Point?" Peter asked, incredibly, walking into the lab. "The point is, that the best man wins. You're just going to sit aside, after finally coming to terms about how you feel about her, and let some overblown aristocrat with your face take her from you?"
Egon stood up, facing his friend. "And you expect fighting will help win her back?" he asked frantically. "Peter, I can't fight. I don't know how. All my relationships have ended on bad terms. I didn't have the strength to open myself up to that again. I was lucky I found you three." Peter said nothing, merely watching as his friend began pacing like a caged animal, everything kept pent up finally coming out. "Then we hire Janine, and the woman wouldn't give up. Wherever I went, she usually ended up, with a comment or something. She watched over me when you guys couldn't, she took care of me, never let me forget I was only human." He stopped, swallowing hard. "It was inevitable that I finally fell in love with her, but my pride wouldn't let me admit it. Only when she disappeared did I finally realize. Now this. I can't imagine my life without her, Peter, I just can't."
"Then why are you letting her go?" Peter asked him.
"I told you,I don't know how to fight. She's made her choice. I'm not going to try to make a desperate last attempt to keep her here. I was just too late."
Peter touched his friend's shoulder. "Egon, she's confused. I know she is. Just when she's getting back to normal, and there seems to be something that could happen between the two of you, a man who took care of her while she was alone and scared comes back. Of course she's going to be torn. But you have to fight, Spengs. You have to."
Egon looked at Peter, hopelessness in his eyes. "How?"
Peter smiled warmly at him. "Trust me. We'll get her back. That's a promise."
But he'd told her why he'd come. To find her alive, and take her back with him. That was the conversation going through her mind as she entered the firehouse.
"I want you to return to Wintergrove with me," he'd told her.
"Oh Christopher," she said, sitting down beside him. "I don't know; my life is here."
"Your life is with me," he insisted. "You'd rather stay in this...this..." he gestured around him, lacking a word.
"My family's here, Christopher," she told him. "I return there as what? Your mistress, and Michael's punching bag?"
"Christopher shook his head. "No. Janine if you return with me, It won't be as my mistress. You forget, you were only sold into slavery. You weren't born in it. There's a chance you could be from society."
Janine frowned. "What are you saying? Christopher, you can't possibly do that."
Christopher's jaw set. "Return with me, and you could be anything, including mistress of the manor."
Janine shook her head. This was too much. "I can't...you can't guarantee..."
Anything." he insisted.
"Have a nice lunch?"
Janine startled, looking up. She stared at the person sitting at her desk, before she finally realized it was Peter.
"Sorry," she said, walking towards the desk. "There was an emergency."
"So I gathered," he retorted dryly.
Janine went around to her desk, avoiding his gaze. "I'll make up the time," she told him, hoping that would appease him. He got out her seat, nodding.
"All right."
"But not tonight," she hastened to add. Peter just looked at her.
"Of course not tonight," he said. "You have that date with Egon."
Janine's eyes widened. She'd completely forgotten she'd agreed to go to dinner with Egon after work.
She stood up suddenly. "I'll be right back," she stammered, racing up the stairs.
Janine's mind was a flurry of thoughts, as she rushed to the lab. How could she forget dinner? How could she go to dinner with Egon when Christopher was at home waiting for her? How was she going to postpone this?
She skidded to a halt in front of the lab, trying to compose her self. Peeking in, she saw him sitting at a desk. An open book was in front of him, but his glasses were off, and his head was in his hands.
She stepped into the lab, not wanting to disturb him, but wanting to finish this quickly. "Egon?"
His head came up, and he looked over at her, one hand reaching for his glasses. For one brief moment, she thought about going anyway. He put on his glasses and looked at her expectantly. The light she'd seen in his eyes just this morning was gone. Now, his eyes were as dull and blue as ice.
"There's been an emergency at home, " she heard herself say, and hated herself for having to lie to him. "Could we postpone dinner until later this week?"
He sat there silent, watching her. It felt like his eyes were boring into her soul, and just when she thought she would scream, he cleared his throat and looked back down at his book. "Actually, I was going to ask the same thing," he said, not looking at her. "Raymond and I have work to do tonight. Maybe another time would be a better idea."
She nodded, not feeling like anything was finished, and slowly walked back downstairs. Egon waited until he couldn't hear her anymore, then tore off his glasses, covering his face again.
He sat there for a while, wondering how it had all gone wrong, when he heard Peter's voice.
"You're just going to let her go?"
Egon looked up at his closest friend, who was standing just inside the lab, looking at him. Egon put his glasses back on.
"What do you expect me to do, Peter?" he asked tiredly.
'Fight."
"Why?" he asked. "What's the point?"
"Point?" Peter asked, incredibly, walking into the lab. "The point is, that the best man wins. You're just going to sit aside, after finally coming to terms about how you feel about her, and let some overblown aristocrat with your face take her from you?"
Egon stood up, facing his friend. "And you expect fighting will help win her back?" he asked frantically. "Peter, I can't fight. I don't know how. All my relationships have ended on bad terms. I didn't have the strength to open myself up to that again. I was lucky I found you three." Peter said nothing, merely watching as his friend began pacing like a caged animal, everything kept pent up finally coming out. "Then we hire Janine, and the woman wouldn't give up. Wherever I went, she usually ended up, with a comment or something. She watched over me when you guys couldn't, she took care of me, never let me forget I was only human." He stopped, swallowing hard. "It was inevitable that I finally fell in love with her, but my pride wouldn't let me admit it. Only when she disappeared did I finally realize. Now this. I can't imagine my life without her, Peter, I just can't."
"Then why are you letting her go?" Peter asked him.
"I told you,I don't know how to fight. She's made her choice. I'm not going to try to make a desperate last attempt to keep her here. I was just too late."
Peter touched his friend's shoulder. "Egon, she's confused. I know she is. Just when she's getting back to normal, and there seems to be something that could happen between the two of you, a man who took care of her while she was alone and scared comes back. Of course she's going to be torn. But you have to fight, Spengs. You have to."
Egon looked at Peter, hopelessness in his eyes. "How?"
Peter smiled warmly at him. "Trust me. We'll get her back. That's a promise."