Aspen Yesterday Morning…
With an early morning flight to Aspen, Billie knew she wasn't going to be in a good mood. There were very few things that scared her, and flying just happened to be one of them. She felt so helpless having to relinquish control to someone she didn't even know to get her somewhere she needed to be. It made her queasy, which was why she allowed Van and Deaq to leave for Morocco without her to help the authorities out there. But now she had no choice. Getting on the plane meant finishing the case. She wanted to finish the case and bust Abney and his whole crew for their ties to everything wrong with this world.
Van, on the other hand, was perky as usual, maybe even more so. It bugged the hell out of Billie to see him in such a good mood. She hated him for it. "Go take your Ritalin," she'd sharply told him as they stood on the tarmac of the private airport waiting for the jet that would take them to Aspen that morning.
"You don't like flying or something?" Van asked her. He had settled down a lot since their confrontation earlier that week. But that didn't mean he felt any better about going to Aspen to finish this case. If anything, there was more resistance to it, but it's not like he'd be able to do anything about it. That doomed feeling would just have to stay locked up inside.
"No," Billie snapped back, ending the conversation until after they had boarded the private jet and were already at cruising altitude. It was at that point when Van got beyond annoying with his incessant chatter about God knew what. Like Billie was actually paying attention. All she needed to set her off was his voice going non stop for nearly an hour and the fact that the plane wouldn't stop shaking. That's when she'd finally had it.
"Will you shut up already?" Billie yelled, slapping him in the arm and prompting Van to look at her, confused as hell.
"Jeez, you're really irritated today, aren't you? Forget to take your Sarefam?" Van tried to make the comment as playful as possible. He really didn't need Billie's anger this early in the morning, especially if they were getting ready to take down the biggest gun smuggler in the world. But, as usual, it didn't work. It only seemed to make things worse.
"I've had it with your smart ass comments!" she shouted, standing up and heading towards the back of the plane where the bathroom was located, but not before taking another swing at his arm for good measure.
"Owww!" Van wailed as her punch landed in its intended spot on his arm. He instantly curled up, nursing his probably bruised right shoulder. "You're a crazy bitch!" he yelled to her back. But Billie didn't stop. She ignored him. "Keep walking! It's not like I wanna talk to you either!"
Billie really felt queasy now and was thankful for the distraction to use the bathroom. If she had stayed any longer, there was no doubt in her mind she would have gotten sick. The fight and the turbulence had gotten the best of her. She took a look in the mirror and could see the paleness in her face. But just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, the plane hit another strong gust of wind, sending her already frayed nerves into a tailspin. It was enough to make her fall to the floor and surrender to the porcelain goddess.
After having hurled the contents of her stomach, which really wasn't much since she hadn't eaten breakfast, Billie sat back on the floor, holding her head in her hands and swaying with the plane. She'd never felt so sick in her life. What she wouldn't give for some Valium right now, and maybe even a stiff drink. But all that talk about drinking made her stomach protest yet again, and before she knew it, Billie had her arms wrapped around the toilet seat once more. "Uh, when will it ever end?" she cried, wishing the flight was over even though she knew there was at least another hour left.
Having sat alone for nearly fifteen minutes, Van decided it was time to find out what was taking Billie so long in the bathroom. He needed to go, and waiting for her was making him anxious. Standing up, Van slowly made his way towards the back of the plane. When he reached the closed bathroom door, he could hear that familiar sound of someone losing their breakfast in the toilet. Van wanted to laugh at first, thinking Billie got what she deserved for being such a bitch that morning, but soon regret set in. He'd also been an ass. Maybe it was time to apologize for getting on her nerves so much. For a second he thought, 'Nah!' but the sound of another bout with nausea came through the door and prompted him to change his mind. She was really getting sick in there.
"Billie?" Van called through the door as he tapped on it with his knuckle.
"Go away," she practically mumbled. Billie didn't sound well at all.
"I need to pee!" he earnestly replied, trying to see if that would get her to open the door.
"Just hold it!" Billie nearly growled back.
"Come on, Billie, open the door," Van was getting ready to beg. "Please, just open the door."
"You're such an impatient little baby!" she yelled. He could hear the toilet flush and the faucet turn on. After another minute or so, Billie finally emerged from the bathroom, her face pasty white and her hair a wet mess. "Are you happy now?"
"You look like hell," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and holding her still before she could walk away from him. Van gave her the once over and was glad to see she hadn't gotten sick on herself. "Come on, I think I have something that might help you." He led Billie back to the front of the plane where they'd been sitting and grabbed the overnight bag he'd placed on the seat behind him. From inside Van pulled out a small vile of pills. Billie looked at him strangely for a moment. "They're herbal pills," he started, "Lavender, ginger, and chamomile, calm the stomach and the nerves." He placed three pills in her hand and smiled at her. "By the way, I'm sorry for being such an ass. I didn't realize how much you hated flying."
Billie looked down at the small offering in her hand. The apology was unexpected, but nice. "Thank you," she said, sitting back down in her seat and taking a big gulp of her water to wash down the pills. Van made his way back to the bathroom as she began to feel the effects of the herbal drugs. Her body instantly relaxed and her stomach stopped threatening to flip again. She snuggled against the oversized brown leather seat, finally feeling at ease.
When Van came back, Billie was nearly asleep. The pills had done the trick. She was finally calm again. Van grabbed a blanket from one of the other seats and threw it over her. She opened her eyes momentarily, a little spooked by what he had done, but when she realized she wasn't in any danger, Billie relaxed. She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was soon lights out before she knew it. Her head rolled back until it found a nice place to rest, Van's shoulder. He sighed, letting his own head drop so that they were supporting each other, and closed his eyes as well.
But the peace that settled over the cabin wouldn't last that long. In what felt like a matter of minutes, the captain announced their arrival at a small private air strip in Aspen, startling both of them awake. Billie shot out of her seat at the sound of the voice over the PA system, letting Van's head drop suddenly. He was quickly awoken as well and stared at a near frantic Billie. Grabbing her hands, his touch somehow seemed to calm her down. He guided her back into her seat and kept holding her hand until they were safely on the ground.
"That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Van asked once the plane came to a full stop.
"Shut up," Billie retorted as she pulled her hands away from him and stood up. "This never happened, agreed?"
"Agreed," he readily answered. It was the end of their discussion for the next half hour as hey got off the plane and into the freezing cold winter climate of Aspen, Colorado. There was a sleek black Jaguar parked on the tarmac near the jet hanger waiting for them. They loaded their luggage in the trunk and took off, Billie driving. She felt much better than she had on the plane now that she was on solid ground.
With her wild driving through the snow covered mountain roads, Billie and Van reached their hotel in less than fifteen minutes. He hung on for dear life as she swerved past treacherous curves and blind corners. Little by little, he was learning things about her. Maybe in time, he'd know enough to figure out why she liked to push people away. She'd been doing that a lot lately, especially in the last couple of days. It was like she didn't want to get anywhere near him unless she wasn't feeling well, or was angry at him.
As they pulled up to the front door and waited for the valet, Van turned to Billie and said, "Thank you for not getting us killed."
She glared at him and with uber-sarcasm replied, "Oh that's right, Mother Superior, you've never sped. That one time when you and Deaq got busted for speeding and handcuffed the cops to a pole never really happened!" Rolling her eyes, she got out of the car as the valet opened her door.
"I should have expected that," Van mumbled to himself, following Billie into the hotel.
"Welcome to the St. Regis Aspen," the concierge greeted them as they walked into the beautiful lobby, all paneled in wood and antique furniture. The place was breathtaking, for lack of a better word.
The pair made their way to the marble faced front desk and were quickly checked into a junior suite with a single king sized bed. Van and Billie looked at each other for a moment, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Who would get the bed and who would end up on the couch? That was a matter they'd have to "discuss" when they actually got to the room.
A bellhop was assigned to help them with their luggage and lead them to their room, which was on the second floor of the hotel. As they traveled down the corridor, both Van and Billie glancing at each other, waiting, anticipating the other's move. Billie knew she was going to get it. Psyching Van out was all a part of her plan. She just wondered what he'd do when he found out he got the couch. At least she knew what she'd say… "Stop being such a whiney little baby!" It seemed to work every time.
The bellhop finally stopped in front of room 237, slid the electronic key card through the scanner, and opened the door for them. Billie was the first to enter, taking in the beauty of the room. It was much better than she expected, with a burgundy and brown color theme radiating warmth throughout the room. The walls were a warm creamy brown, as where the drapes, while the bed and the chairs were several shades of deep red, some of the chairs even covered in a very beautiful plaid. She could get used to this, she thought, making her way to the bed. Billie hopped on top of it and closed her eyes, savoring the softness that enveloped her.
When she heard the door close, she said, "The bed is mine!"
"What?" Van sharply retorted as he walked up to the foot of the bed and stared at her. "Why do you get the bed?"
"Because I'm your boss," Billie snapped, sitting up. "What's your point?"
"I wasn't the one who was just puking their guts out on the plane," he threw back.
Billie was quiet for a moment before she replied, "Stop being such a whiney little baby!" And just as she had predicted, the line worked. A smile crept on her cherry red lips as he retreated into the living area, taking his bags with him. 'He's such a beaten dog! Oh, I love it!' Billie said to herself as she began to unpack her things.
Lunch with Abney was scheduled for noon, and soon after Billie was done packing, she began to look through what she had brought and decided on the perfect outfit. Her choice ended up being a black Donna Karen textured skirt that hugged the curves of her hips in all the right places, a four-buttoned raspberry colored long sleeved blouse with a wing collar, and a jacket that matched the skirt. She entered the bathroom soon after to do her makeup and hair. But after the plane ride, she also needed the shower.
Van had watched her meticulously pick out her outfit, the expression on her face that ranged from disgust to satisfaction being filed away for future reference. When Billie finally had everything together and entered the bathroom, he took a seat on an easy chair that was in front of the plasma screen TV in the middle of the room and turned it on to see what channels they got. There was a very wide variety of programming available. It took a while to go through all the channels, but he finally found one playing a football game and settled down to watch it. Before long, he was lightly snoring on the comfortable chair, the day and Billie's attitude having already worn him out.
And that was how she found him an hour later after she emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and made up. Billie shook her head, angry that he had managed to fall asleep. Plodding over to him, she flicked his ear, waking him up with a start. "What the hell are you doing sleeping?" she nearly yelled. "We're supposed to be downstairs in fifteen minutes!"
"What!" Van shot out of his seat and ran into the bathroom. In his frantic rush, he hadn't even bothered to look over at the clock on the night stand to see that there was at least an hour left before lunch. Billie giggled. It was his own fault. Besides, the quicker he got ready, the better. That meant they could scope out the restaurant before Abney arrived and set up a few hidden cameras to record their conversation. She sat down on the chair he had occupied previously and also made a run through the channels, stopping on E!
Van emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later with a toothbrush in his mouth and a towel around his waist, and began rummaging through his suitcase to find his black Paul Smith suit. Billie turned her head when she heard the door open and got an eye-full. She stared him for a moment, watching his half naked body move gracefully like it had the night at the club. It didn't even register that she was ogling until he turned around and looked at her, a funny expression somewhere between amusement and confusion appearing on his face.
"What?" Van asked, having finally found his suit and the lavender dress shirt he planned to wear with it.
"Uh… Nothing," Billie replied as she quickly turned her attention back to the TV. She could feel her face turn bright red as he walked back into the bathroom to put his clothes on. 'Oh, God!' she thought. 'What the hell am I doing? This is Van! I'm not supposed to be looking at him like that!' Billie chided herself.
'Admit it, you think he's hot,' that little voice in the back of her mind said.
'Shut up!' Billie quickly silenced it. This was one thing she wasn't going to start thinking about. It was crazy! This was Van, her employee! She wasn't supposed to be thinking about him this way. He was supposed to the annoying little shit that bugged the hell out of her and did stupid things, not someone she wanted to lust after. 'Ick!' she thought, a shudder running down her spine. And with that, Billie quickly dropped the subject and put her focus on the TV screen, which was showing the latest winter fashions.
"Hey, what time is it?" Van yelled from the bathroom.
Billie looked over at the clock on the nightstand and replied, " 11:30."
"What?" nearly shouted as he stepped through the door and glared at her. Van was dressed in his form fitting suit, his hair done in that wild, messy way he usually had it. Just to make sure she was telling the truth, he strode over to where she was sitting and glanced at the clock. "Thanks," he sarcastically replied. "Don't ever do that again."
"Yeah, whatever," Billie said as she stood up from the chair and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. "Come on, let's go downstairs and check out the restaurant. We need to put a few cameras there anyway." She grabbed her small Coach Signature Ski Pocket Hip bag and put it on her shoulder as Van looked on in confusion.
"I thought you were planning on placing a few cameras around the restaurant before Abney arrived," he said, still looking at the tiny bag and wondering how she managed to fit anything in it. "How is a small bag like that supposed to fit any equipment?"
Billie gave him a rye smiled as she took the purse off her shoulder and opened it to reveal the smallest camera he'd ever seen. She held it up on her hand, along with the finger sized transmitter and replied, "Anymore questions?"
The pair soon left the room and walked down the elegant staircase to the hotel's restaurant, Olives. A table had already been reserved from them near one of the picturesque windows that overlooked the snowy mountaintops of Aspen. Billie couldn't help but smile at the scenery. It had been so long since she'd last been out of the smog filled cityscape of LA and someplace where the air was fresh and clean; five years to be exact. Five haunting years… Her smile turned into a frown as Van pulled out a chair for her, being the ever so polite gentleman that she rarely got to see, unless he was undercover and trying to charm those he needed to get close to.
Billie's attention soon turned to the bag still on her shoulder. She pulled it off and set it down in front of her, discretely opening it to take out the tiny camera. In the middle of the table was a large arrangement of white lilies and light blue belladonnas set in a simple glass vase with a white bow wrapped around it. The arrangement was the prefect place to hide the camera, which Billie did by pretending to lean over and sniff the flowers.
"Lilies are so beautiful," she commented, her eyes seeming to glass over as her mind drifted to the last time she'd received flowers. Van quickly took stock of that look, realizing she was in the midst of a reverie. There was something she was hiding, something connected to those flowers that made her look back. But what was it? He'd have to figure it out later. Right now was not the time, especially since the waiter was already hovering near the table waiting to take their drink order.
"Welcome to Olives," the waiter politely greeted them. "Our suggested wines for this afternoon are Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1996, Château Margaux 1995, but if you are looking for something a little more exotic and expensive, may I suggest the Dom. Romanée Conti 1997 vintage, which smells of berries, spices and leather. Dark in color, it hints at flavors of soy sauce, flowers and licorice. The aroma is rich and penetrating without being too profound. Or the Petrus Pomerol 1998 vintage, which is extremely fruity, with suggestions of berries, vanilla, mocha, and oak emanating from its rich purple robe. The finish is something to wait for as it caresses the palate."
"Hmm…" Billie pondered. "The Petrus Pomerol sounds interesting. We'll have a bottle of that."
Van shot her a look. He knew it was a very expensive wine, somewhere in the range of $1,500 a bottle. But it wasn't the first time they'd had to shell out a load of money in order to impress a criminal of Abney's caliber. The Russian gun runners they'd captured soon after having been assigned to the Candy Store were the first to be treated lavishly, Billie having rented out a mansion in the Hills and bought nearly an entire shipment of Russian Vodka just to keep them from suspecting anything. $1,500 seemed like chump change compared to that.
When the waiter left to get them the bottle, Van turned to Billie and said, "You don't plan on drinking all of that yourself, do you?"
"Of course not," she replied. "I plan to share." Her tone was somewhat playful, suggesting that maybe Billie wasn't in such a bad mood anymore. He smiled at her joke and sat back in his chair.
"Hey, why don't you call Deaq and make sure that he's getting video and audio feed from the camera?" Billie suggested when she realized they hadn't checked in with him yet all morning. "He's probably worried sick that we haven't called to tell him we were okay."
"Alright, I'll be back in a minute. Pour me a glass when the wine gets here," Van said as he stood up from his seat and walked out of the restaurant to the lobby so he could make the call. He pulled out his cell phone, and with the push of a button, was connected to his partner.
"Where the hell have you been?" were the first words out of Deaq's mouth when he picked up.
"Busy," Van replied. "We're in the restaurant. Billie just placed a camera in the flower arrangement at the table. I'm just calling to make sure you're getting everything."
"Hold on, lemmie check." Deaq put down the phone for a moment. Van could hear the clicking of the keyboard as his partner brought up the feed on Billie's computer. He picked up the phone again and said, "Yeah, I've got everything. Billie's being poured a glass of wine by the waiter. I think he's also hitting on her."
Van chuckled, "Well, I hope he knows what he's getting himself into. What about the truck? Has it arrived yet?" Again he heard the quick clicks of the keyboard as Deaq searched for the status of the truck that was hauling the weapons to Aspen.
"Yeah, it's at a secure site. Aspen PD is letting us use one of their impound lots to hold it until we need it," Deaq relayed. Billie had set everything up in those last couple of days before they left, and as Deaq looked on, he felt a little better about them not being in LA. But he still had his doubts. No matter how many safety measure she put in, something was always bound to go wrong.
"Thanks, man," Van replied as he turned around and made a quick sweep of lobby just in time to see Abney and his men arriving at the front door. He was carrying an aluminum suitcase in one hand; the payment for the weapons. "It's show time. Abney's here. Get ready to record everything."
"Good luck," Deaq replied just before Van ended their conversation by flipping closed his phone.
As Abney got closer, Van quickly changed his mentality and put on a show by saying, "Hello, Drayden. It's nice to see you again. We already have a table at the restaurant and the wine is waiting." God, how he hated kissing ass, especially to men like Drayden Abney. The man screamed elegant and sophisticated, something he felt he lacked.
"Ah, Van," Abney replied, extending his hand. They shook momentarily before Van whisked him towards the table in the restaurant where he knew Billie was waiting for them. The rest of the men in his crew stayed behind, including Rousseau in his ever present cheap suit. Van wondered why he didn't buy something a little more high end, especially since he supposedly had so much money. Well, having money didn't necessarily mean having class, he reasoned.
When they got to the table, Billie instantly stood up, a smile plastered on her bring pink lips. "Good afternoon, Drayden," she said, extending her hand. But what she got was a soft kiss instead of a shake. It sent goose bumps down her spine as Abney helped her into her seat, then put the aluminum case he'd been holding on the ground at his feet. She loved the attention, especially since she didn't have to do anything in return.
The waiter swung by again a few minutes later as they discussed the lighter things, like how the hotel was, and what they thought of Aspen. Billie took a few sips of her wine glass, enjoying the taste of the rich Merlot. She liked it so much that two glasses later she was all smiles and giggles. Van wasn't slow to notice. He knew something like this was going to happen. Ever since the incident at the club, he took stock of every drink Billie had, and this was no exception.
By the time the food arrived, she was heavily liquored up, and it was beginning to show. She couldn't keep her body steady; it swayed from side to side as her speech also became a problem. There wasn't a word she could say that didn't come out slurred. Concern for her and the case were the two things that permeated Van's mind as he closely watched her while keeping an open ear to Abney. He needed to stay focused on what was going on, but he also needed to make sure that Billie didn't do or say anything stupid as well.
Finally, when she said, "I think we need another bottle!" in that overly giddy voice after having poured the last of the contents into her glass, Van knew it was time to take her back upstairs to sleep off the alcohol. By that time she had already had four. This would have been her fifth. Business had yet to be discussed, and Abney was becoming impatient with his body language setting off alarm bells in Van's head. He kept fiddling with his napkin and silverware. It wasn't a good sign.
"I think you've had enough," Van stepped in and took the bottle out of Billie's hand. "I also think it's time for you to go upstairs and get some sleep." He helped Billie out of her seat and placed his arm around her waist. He also grabbed her purse off the table and slung it over her arm. Van turned to Abney and added, "I'll be right back so we can finish discussing business."
"But I don't wanna go!" Billie mumbled as he head fell back against his shoulder. Van didn't know what he was going to do, or how he'd get her back upstairs without making a scene. This was by far the worst thing that could possibly happen that day. It couldn't get any worse, or more embarrassing than that.
"I have a better idea," Abney replied. He turned towards the door and with the motion of his hand, Rousseau quickly made an entrance. "Please take Billie to her room," he ordered his employee.
Van was hesitant to give his partner over to a man that he knew not to trust, but he couldn't let Abney know that. Without a second thought, he leaned Billie against the tall Frenchman and let him leave with her. Yet that pang of guilt and mistrust continued to play on Van's senses. He needed to wrap business up as quickly as possible if he wanted to make sure that Billie was safe.
Sitting back down in his seat, Van turned to Abney and asked, "Do you have what we discussed?" He knew he was rushing, but Billie was the priority. His mind wouldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities of danger she could encounter with Rousseau by her side. It made him sick to think the disgusting Frenchman was holding her right now. Bile began to rise in his throat, but Van swallowed it back, hoping he'd done the right thing.
Van chided himself for dwelling so much on Billie. He needed to shift his focus back to Abney and the case. After all, he could deal with Rousseau later. Abney was only here right now, and the whole case was riding on their exchange.
"Of course," Abney answered, using his foot to slowly slide the aluminum case under the table towards Van. He picked it up and set it on the seat beside him then proceeded to open it.
Immediately Van noticed something was wrong. "That's not two million dollars," he pointed out. "Where's the rest of it?"
"Half now, half when I get the shipment," Abney answered, folding his arms across his chest.
Van was thoroughly pissed now. Abney had just thrown a monkey wrench into their perfectly set plans. Billie had set it up so he would have to pick up the truck at a location she'd be able to control. This meant they'd have to make the delivery themselves. That doomed feeling soon began to come back as Van leaned back in his seat.
Abney pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Van. "Directions to the warehouse; I want you to take the shipment there and drop it off at the loading dock then come inside through the back door," he said, instantly turning serious. "I will give you the rest of the money when I know I have the entire shipment. I will meet you there at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Don't be late." It was then that he stood up and made his way out of the restaurant.
Van breathed a quick sigh of relief then snatched the camera out of the flowers and the case off the chair, proceeding to tell the waiter to charge the lunch to their room as he rushed upstairs to check on his partner.
Billie and Rousseau were inching their way closer to the room. He knew he had her in the prefect position, drunk and vulnerable. It wouldn't take much to extract some revenge on the woman that had him by the balls. Hell, there was a lot he could do in this empty hallway that she'd probably never remember. His first move was placing a hand on her ass, which she didn't protest in the least. His second move had been feeling up her breasts. A grin came across his slimy face when he realized that her partner wouldn't be coming any time soon. Now was the prefect opportunity to really get Billie good.
Rousseau leaned her against the wall. Billie was in no shape to protest, her body having lost any sensation from all the alcohol in her system. He began by slowly unbuttoning her jacket, then moving to her blouse. But before he could get the first button undone, Rousseau felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and a fist slammed into his nose.
"You touch her again, and your nose won't be the only broken thing on your body," Van venomously spat at the man who was now on the ground at his feet, struggling to get up from the hard blow. For good measure, Van swiftly kicked him in the chest just to make sure he got his point across. He then bent down, took Rousseau by the collar, and said, "If for one moment you think you're going to try and screw us over, just know there will be hundreds, if not thousands of people out to get you if I don't kill you first."
Van straightened up, letting go of Rousseau's collar and making his way towards Billie, who was getting ready to pass out. Gently taking her in his arms, he lifted her off the ground and carried her the rest of the way to their room, juggling the aluminum case in his hand. Once inside its safe confines, Van delicately laid her on the bed and set the case down beside it. "Billie," he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek. His gut had told him something very bad would happen. He was thankful he'd been able to stop it from getting worse. At least she was safe now. But that still didn't mean he wasn't worried about what might have happened. "Come on, Billie, wake up," he nearly begged as he leaned over her, trying to get her eyes to focus on him.
"Mmm," she finally grunted. Billie's face was that pale white color mixed with just a hint of green and her eyes glassy and unfocused. She was still unable to verbalize in a normal manner, only grunting and groaning sounds that she tried to make words out of. She was trying to tell him something, but failing miserably. All Billie could do was flail her arms in hopes of making him somehow understand. But when her face turned sour suddenly, Van knew. He ran into the bathroom and grabbed the trash can just seconds before Billie threw up.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and held back her long, dark hair as he said, "That's it, just let it go. You'll feel much better afterwards." When Billie was finally done, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, never once realizing what was going on. She was way far gone now, or, as Van liked to put it, a space cadet. Anything he planned for that afternoon was put on hold so he could take care of her.
For once, he really didn't mind. After that close call with Rousseau, Van knew he couldn't trust the bastard any farther than he could throw him. He was just glad Billie hadn't been assaulted. That would have made his blood boil. Come to think of it, his blood was already boiling. There was nothing more he wanted to do than smash the Frenchman's face in. At least he'd been able to take out a little of his frustration on the slime ball. But it still wasn't enough. Rousseau had messed with someone he cared about, and Van wanted nothing more than to pummel him again for what he'd done.
Van took a deep breath, knowing he was getting riled up over nothing. Instead, he focused his attention on Billie again, gently slipping off her shoes and jacket. Grabbing a couple of fluffy pillows from the other side of the bed, he placed them under her head and drew the covers over her body. And with a soft, feather light kiss on her forehead, he whispered a promise, "I will never let that happen to you again."
Van took off the jacket of his suit and threw it over the back of the easy chair beside the bed then kicked off his shoes. He was tired. The day was slowly wearing him down, as was his worry. He lay down beside Billie, wrapping his arms around her waist in a protective gesture. Then, and only then, was he reassured that she'd be okay. Soon after, he was also asleep.
Hey everybody! Hope you liked the update. I'm determined to finish the last of this background before I get back to Van and Billie in the cabin. Should be update after next. Anyway, I hope that whet your appetite for what's coming up next... the confrontation! This should get real interesting! Okay, review Q&A time!
prplerayne: You made a GREAT analogy between Billie and the Tin Man. That makes sooo much sense! She just needs to find that icy thing she calls her heart and warm it up a bit. And when she does, I have a pretty good feeling that it's gonna be an earth shattering revelation! Oh, the things I can do to her when she does have that epiphany! You're in for a real treat! There will most likely be a Billie breakdown in the chapters to come!
Fan4fastln: Yeah, Billie really isn't a cold hearted bitch. She just needs something to smack her upside the head every once in a while so she does show some feelings. And I probably wouldn't have had the same apprehension either about warming up Van... Ooh, that's a nice thought... I'm really gonna enjoy dreaming about that tonight! As for the slip of paper, it's just a receipt for some takeout. Nothing important, unless I really wanna make it important... Nah! There's enough going on in this story at the moment.
Avillie: School, papers, school, papers, work, papers, projects, works... That's pretty much my daily routine. It sux... I know. I just pulled a triple shift at work... That was a BITCH! And somehow I managed to finish the homework that's due tomorrow. Wow, I really do surprise myself sometimes. Anyway, I'm so glad that update made your jaw drop! I wanted to make sure I got maximum shock value out of it, which, apparently, I did. :) In future updates, you'll find out what Van is thinking about Billie's sudden show of affection. I can tell you this: It's gonna get REALLY interesting!
Francesca: OMG! You got G4 too! I officially LOVE that channel! I get my Van fix nearly every day because of G4, LoL! I loved this past week's episode, and I can't wait to watch this week's even though I know what's gonna happen, hehe! And OMG! Saved By The Bell! I still can't believe it's the same person... What a total turn-around Tiffany made between those shows. Real shocker. Still like watching the reruns, tho. Total throwback. Thanks for reading the story! So glad you're enjoying it. Hope this update was just as interesting as the last few have been.
simbagirl: Where are you? OMG! I hope everything is going okay. Please email me ASAP! I'm getting worried!
And, of course, the unsigned... You guys are always awesome! Thanks for just reading!
As always, PLEASE REVIEW! I really wanted to know what you all thought of the last update because that was the one many of you had been waiting for. It's not too late to tell me! By all means, please do! I just really wanna know what you thought. I'm a very curious person by nature, so drop me a line anytime!
Stay tuned! More story coming soon!