Twenty-Five Years Ago
Darcy stepped into the room, her facial expression completely blank. "Yes?"
David gave her a solemn look, shoving his hands inside of his pockets as Carol cried quietly in the corner. "…it's about Liam."
There was a painful tha-rum of her heart in her chest, but she betrayed no reaction. "What's happened?"
Carol blew her nose loudly into a tissue, wiping at her reddened eyes.
"…he left the vault, of his own accord. I am afraid he did not survive," David started slowly. His face could have told anyone else in the world that he was truly remorseful for the news, but there was a small glimmer behind the ice of his eyes that made his twin nervous. "Carol found his body this morning on her expedition."
Darcy immediately snapped to the woman's face, and she began to feel a gnaw of doubt in her bones. Carol really did appear distraught over the discovery- any hint of foul play would have been easy to sniff out.
David began to approach her- the faint trace of malicious intent was gone completely…did she perhaps imagine it? Would her brother actually-?
His hands encompassed the sides of her shoulder, and he gave her a firm squeeze. "I know you cared for him, deeply…I am so sorry, Darcy."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The words came out fast and sharp, but wavered on the edge of grief.
He held her close. "He told me the life here was just too much to bear…perhaps if I showed you the surveillance footage, you would understand, and it will be easier to put it all behind you."
The Present
Cross wasn't really seeing her; he was seeing a face covered in black ash and dark blood, a raging fire bursting into a wild inferno. A feeling of total anguish filled him, and he stopped his rhythm and just held onto her tightly, refusing to meet her eyes. His hands were frantically clawing at a foreign body, tracing over perfect, unscarred skin and soaking in the sweet scent of something new and untouched. He was now shaking, and released her, screwing his eyes shut as he clutched at his head. Why didn't he bring that fucking bottle of bourbon with him-
"What is it?" she asked him gently.
The question hurt him in more ways than he could ever imagine. "…I fucked up…with us. There was this woman, the fuckin' singer, and when you left-fuck-we-uh-"
A tender kiss was bestowed on his jawline. "…it's fine."
"You're the only good thing I've had in my life in a long fuckin' time- I'm sorry, Evelyn." He began to reach out towards her, but then drew his hands to his side before they made their way to touch her leg. One clenched into a fist. "I-I didn't know what else to do, at the time-"
"Cross-" Her tone made him snap his jaw shut. "-it's okay. I'm not blaming you, so don't blame yourself."
"How are you so damn calm?!" His timid reserve was quickly forming into aggravation. "After everythin' I just fuckin' said-"
"Hey." She leaned forward and placed a hand on his bicep. "You're alright."
The absolute patient sincerity in her tone made him choke up, and he felt a hot tear escape from the corner of his eye. "God, I never deserved you. I'm so sorry."
"You're a good person, Cross."
"No, I'm not. I fuckin' hurt you, and you sure as shit didn't deserve it," he countered hoarsely. "I've done so much fucked up shit, Evelyn."
You have no idea who I really am.
She gave him a light squeeze. "I think we just need to learn from our past mistakes."
You don't know what I left here for.
"Was I…a mistake?"
God, out of all the people in the world- why did it have to be you?
A shake of her head, and she looked genuinely upset over his emotional breakdown. "No…you- you're one of the best things in my life."
His fingers rubbed at his eyes roughly, and he felt a warm body curl underneath his linked arms. Her head nuzzled into his layers as she wrapped her arms around him, and he desperately clung to her and buried his face in her hair. It immediately calmed him.
When his emotions were kept back into check, she slowly lifted her face to meet his. "Still a big baby…I don't think that'll ever change." A whispered joke, and he lowered his mouth to hers and they exchanged a kiss.
It was brief, as he pulled away from her and rubbed at his forehead. He clenched his jaw. "I'm sorry-I-" A sad sigh, and he nabbed at the edge of his duster, lifting the flap back slightly. "…I'm sorry I lied to you."
"I know."
He couldn't meet her eyes as she curiously glanced at the opened flap. "…I think she wanted me to give this…to you."
A brief moment of bewilderment, and she hesitantly reached inside, fumbling around the array of pockets. A familiar jingle brought recognition to her face, and she glanced down to the small key laying in her open palm. The catalyst for a previous argument- which seemed so inconsequential, now.
"I…I don't know what it goes to. I'm so sorry- I should've told ya, I should've just given it to ya-" I didn't know how to let go-
"Thank you." She smiled sadly. "...I love you."
A hint of a hopeful ember in him began to flare, and he breathed laboriously as he waited for her to resume. When she remained silent, he reached his hands toward her face.
"I…I-fuck, I don't even know where to start." He brought them back and rubbed at his jaw. "That moment, back at Avery's, when you fuckin' set me up, I thought to myself, 'shit, I got to act like an angry old asshole', and, yet, your damn eyes kept drawin' me in, and I knew, 'if she's goin' to shoot me, I hope it's somewhere I can stem the bleedin'."
A laugh.
"I didn't even get your name, that night…I was so pissed off at you, I hadn't had a woman make me that angry in so long…when, when you busted open that damn safe, and you pulled me onto you-"
"I did no such thing, you pervert."
"-and you kissed me, I thought, 'If I fuck this up, I deserve to go to Hell.' Evelyn, you're the most beautiful woman I'll ever meet. You're…fuck-um, when you cracked my skull, at Crawshad- damn, you're right, I am a fuckin' goon- I couldn't believe how badly I fucked up, how fuckin' stupid I am."
"Persistently deaf and stupid," she sarcastically mused.
He chuckled and swaddled her face in both palms. "I should've seen that damn landmine about a hundred yards out- I was so distracted with thoughts of you that I was fuckin' mad the damn thing interrupted me."
Her lower lip was quivering, but her eyes were swimming with warmth for him.
"When-when, damn, when you were so fuckin' angry with me, I was afraid I had lost you at that point. I didn't know what to do, I had lived life so long drinkin' and fuckin' that I felt like it was all a lie, like there was somethin' better out there that I didn't know the secret to."
His thumbs wiped at the tears down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I was so goddamn dreamy over you I didn't see those fucks, it still kills me, seein' those scars." His hands went down and rubbed at her wet inner thigh. "I thought, 'this is it, she's gone, I fuckin' lost her again and she was still just pissed off at me, I couldn't even make her laugh, or smile before she left me'- and then I thought, 'Charon's goin' to fuckin' kill me' and I didn't even care, because then, maybe, I'd have another chance at seein' ya again, and this time I could crack a joke and get you to forgive me in the next life."
She laughed through her sob, and her smile was tear-stained.
"I, I finally realized, how fuckin' selfish I was, and how much I didn't want to admit it to myself, because it was one more reason why I didn't deserve to be with someone like you. I wanted you so badly, I lied to myself, and I lied to you, and I'm sorry- I don't want to lie to you, but I'm so afraid of you finally realizin' that there's actual good men- who still have fuckin' hair, c'mon- Campbell does not count, do I have a story for you-and I don't want you to leave me for them…although, I guess I'm safe on that, seein' your damn taste in 'em." He kissed her forehead. "I…I can't give you kids, I wish I could, I do, and I'm sorry I am the way I am. …probably for good reason- would've came out as damn demons, feral and angry at the world."
"They would've been perfect," she breathed hotly against his neck.
"Yeah…they would've been." He kissed her nose. "You are so violent- I never thought I would ever say that in an endearin' sorta way- and witty, you just keep spinnin' me in circles and I'm killin' myself over here tryin' to keep up. I want to thank you for diggin' me out of that hole I've been buryin' myself in these past two hundred years. Just next time, don't hit me with the shovel when I'm tryin' to crawl out." She was laughing again and kissed him deeply. His chained hands were fondling her, and they drew apart."I'm the worst man on earth, who fell for the most beautiful woman he could ever hope to find."
"...isn't that love?" she asked a little sadly.
His heart thumped painfully in his chest.
"No." He cradled her face gently, bringing her lips to his own. "This is."
The glowing ghoul had a cross look. "You cannot be serious-"
"What?" The merc closed the door behind him, then proceeded to buckle his belt. "Bounty hunter business." A sly wink.
"There are some rather important discussions that still need to be had…is she-?"
Cross reopened the door a crack to peer inside, before shutting it firmly again. He began to awkwardly work his way around his duster for a smoke, the limited mobility of his chained hands making it difficult. "Don't think she'll be up for awhile."
"You are a degenerate animal," Thomas stated matter-of-factly.
A shrug. "A lucky one, I guess." A massive, shit-eating grin broke out. "I mean, I could've ended up like you-" A .45 was brandished in the merc's face with lightning reflex, but his grin only spread a little further. "Huh, guess I hit a nerve."
"I did say you would be shot on sight if you ever-"
A pfft escaped the grey ghoul, and he placed an unlit cigarette in his mouth. His thumb worked at the spark wheel of his lighter, and he frowned as it failed to light…it was out of fluid. Begrudgingly, it was stowed away with the smoke. "Did ya know she has a kink for handcu-"
A quick sidestep to the right as he observed the glowing ghoul's index finger begin to depress on the trigger- a shot let off down the hall.
Cross waggled his cuffed hands at the riled ghoul. "I'm goin' to take that as a no."
"Thomas, what are you doing?" Both gave a turn of their heads to the rosy ghoul coming around the corner.
Cross cupped a palm to the side of his mouth and bent a few inches towards him, whispering. "Does she ever have to cover ya in a blackout curtain to get some sleep?"
Penny had a wary look on her face, and she eyed Thomas's drawn weapon cautiously. "Is everything alright?" She then gave a side glance to the merc who shrugged at her, appearing completely innocent.
"Think he's finally…" Two gloved fingers were brought to the side of his head, and he made small circles. "I feel more feral just damn standin' next to him." He halfway turned, reaching his hands to spin the knob of a door. "I'll be gettin' back, now." A quick dip, and the second lieutenant was left with her supervisor.
Thomas holstered his weapon, the irritation the bounty hunter had settled under his skin seeped into his words. "Did you find her?"
"…y-yes, sir," Penny stuttered; she did not like it when the ghoul was angry, even if it wasn't directed at herself. "I have her in your office, as you asked."
"Good," he bridled, and then he blinked slowly, looking back to the door the merc had just disappeared through. It wasn't his own; it was Evelyn's. The ghoul muttered some obscenities under his breath before stalking down the hallway.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
Knock knock
The sleeve of Carol's lab coat hastily drew down her forearm, hiding away the raised, red scarring from her flaking skin.
"Come- come in."
Darcy stepped inside, waiting until the door had shut behind herself before speaking. "Carol…" She then blinked at the woman, as though she was actually seeing her for the first time. "Are you, well? You look…sick."
"Oh, just a little under the weather." A cough erupted, and she held up a hand apologetically as her chest racked, her small frame shaking. "I've had Murphy check up on me, don't worry."
The female twin had a slight narrow of her eyes, but whether or not she truly cared for her fellow scientist's health condition, was uncertain. "I am attending your next expedition."
Carol was absentmindedly scratching at her inner forearm, and she forced herself to stop. "Did David-"
"He may be chief scientist, but I am the resource manager on this team," Darcy said coldly. "You have done well these past couple of years mapping out the area…but we are still lacking in adult subjects- the two strains cannot proceed without further research. I need to be in the field."
Carol glanced down- the fingernail on her thumb was beginning to dangle. Hurriedly, she closed her hand into a fist, hoping the other woman had not witnessed. "I- uhm, sure thing. I'll-I'll have the suits prepped, and LT fueled."
Darcy nodded. "That is another thing I have come to inquire of- I need you to show me how to work the Mister Handy units- particularly, the Miss Nanny."
The Present
A slap at his hand, and she clasped her bra strap behind her back, reaching for her shirt. The clasp was undone in a split-second, and Evelyn growled as she turned around to smack him for the umptieth time.
"Will you fucking stop it?!" she snapped, replacing the catch together again. The fabric of her top barely grazed the tips of her fingers as the snugged strap of her breast support was undone, again. Now she bristled like a feral cat, whipping her head around as she reached behind, tracing the skin of her back in search of the straps. "Go to your own fucking room before I put you through the fucking wall."
The shirt was now coming over her head, and she was momentarily blinded in the olive folds…the weight of her boobs gravitated forward. A furious snarl, and she lashed at the empty air as the bounty hunter already made an escape out the door.
Cross was chuckling under his breath at the muffled cursing coming through the wall, nonchalantly making his way down the halls of the police station. A quick detour into the break room; a box of potato crisps was now being opened in his cuffed hands. The box was rattled, the potato crisps being tossed around inside their parchment foil for easier pickings as he ambled around the station. A few odd looks were given, but no one made a move to stop him as he wandered, crunching away on his filched snack. The view outside a window told him it was sometime early in the evening.
"There is a lot of work that will need to get done with the discovery of Vault 91 and the smoothskin operation, and clearance inside will be deliberated tomorrow-" The voice from the head of security was echoing from the main lobby.
Woop. The grey ghoul made a hard left, continuing on down another hallway until he came to the conference room. He nabbed the edge of the carton with his mouth, freeing his hands as he turned the knob and stepped inside.
"Finally done?" Campbell was completely relaxed, inclined back in his seat with his feet resting on the table, tilting a foot at him. Lydia was dead asleep in her chair, her head slumped forward against her chest. It had been a long day.
Cross finished the chips, tossing the empty box behind his shoulder. With a wipe of his salted, gloved hands on his duster, he gave a knowing look to the crimson ghoul leaning against the wall. "Think it's 'bout time you and I had a talk."
"Go home, get some rest, and be prepared for an early morning. For now, good work, everyone."
There was the shuffling of footsteps as the department began to clear for the nightshift unit. Penny hid a yawn behind one hand, walking down the hallway to see to the other two smoothskins and their accommodations for the night.
She passed a door with a small viewing window, taking a couple of steps forward before she froze. Slowly, she backtracked, and blinked at the occupants on the other side. The merc's back was to the door, and he was pointing a finger upwards at the larger ghoul's face. She couldn't see his facial expression or hear their conversation, and the crimson ghoul's aloofness made it difficult to discern much of anything.
Charon crossed his arms and began to speak. Cross then appeared agitated as he rubbed at his forehead with his chained hands, and the other ghoul gave a shrug. The bounty hunter then apparently said something of a shocking nature, for the ferryman's eyes widened, and he turned to the side. For a split second, the crimson ghoul almost appeared…perturbed? There was then a few more words spoken on the ferryman's end, and he gave a nod, seemingly in agreement to something. His glowing eyes then flit to the door, catching Penny spying on them, and she gave an embarrassed squawk.
The merc turned around and opened it. "Yeah?"
"I-uh-" Penny started. "You should not have left your room." She worryingly glanced around. "Thomas isn't in a very good mood right now- I'll escort you back."
The merc gave her a look of what the fuck is he going to do?
"You'll escort him directly to my office." The dimly lit halls began to glow an eerie neon hue as the head of security strode towards them. "After that, have Evelyn and the others taken to their rooms for the night- I will speak with her tomorrow," Thomas ordered, directing a dark look to the bounty hunter. "You, on the other hand, will answer to me now."
