Fix You
Lady luck is still on my side for I still have internet. Thought I'm not sure for how much longer. To celebrate the fortunate event, I have decided to post this new chapter in hopes that you will enjoy. It was a little difficult but I got through it just for you all. As usual, I'd like to thank all of you who have reviewed if I have not already. You already know how much your reviews mean to me. I'd like to take this moment to say that it has always been a goal of mine to reach at least 100 review on a story of mine. I don't want to make it sound like I'm writing just for reviews because I am not. I write for you all. Reviews are just like a confidence boost for me so the more I receive the more my confidence builds. On that note, I would appreciate it if you all great readers helped me achieve my goal. I am not saying you must, I am just saying it would help. That's enough ranting I think, on with the new chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Boo hoo.
~Chapter 16
Helena gave an outcry as she leaped into the air, delivering a perfect right hook to the dark haired male before her, knocking him down to the blue mat.
"She's made quite the remarkable progress this past week. She shows no sign of depression and is eligible to return to duty."
Helena grunted as strong arms wrapped around her torso in a tight hold. Moving swiftly the brunette elbowed the new perpetrator in the solar plexus, following the attack with an instep resulting in the man kneeling forward which gave the woman the chance to turn and strike his nose with an open palm, finishing the combination attack with a knee to the groin. The large cinnamon colored man dropped to the floor, joining his three fallen comrades, all groaning and writhing in pain.
"Impressive. This is the same agent whose previous candidacy was denied?"
"Yes sir. And as requested by the company she has been evaluated by her psychiatrist, Malcolm Emerson, who has marked her fit and ready for duty as I stated earlier. He claims she is no longer a threat to herself or others."
"Will you vouch for her agent Hunnigan?"
"Yes sir, as will agent Kennedy. I still believe her strong will makes up for her tendency of becoming over emotional. May I add, after observing her this past week she appears to be in more control of herself and her emotions."
A groan was heard as another man tumbled to the ground.
"As you can see Director Davis, her skills are still quite on par."
Helena panted and stood in a flawless fight stance, hands steady, and form perfect.
"I suppose I should go and introduce myself to our new agent." Liam Davis stepped forward from the sidelines, Ingrid Hunnigan following suite. "That's enough" he boomed, his authoritative voice echoing throughout the training room.
Helena released a breath as she eased out. She turned to greet the DSO director, taking his outstretched hand. She bobbed her head in acknowledgement. "Director Davis, Hunnigan." The two returned the gesture.
"Agent Harper, you will be happy to know I have decided to give you a chance to be a part of the Division of Security Operations. Aside from your files, you have proven to me you have the perseverance and potential to be a part of our team. Welcome aboard."
The brunette shook his hand once again, smiling at his words, "Thank you sir. I won't disappoint you."
"I'll hold you to it agent Harper. Now, let us go and say hello to your new partner."
Helena swallowed the forming lump in her throat, instantly growing nervous. "Of course" she said as she followed behind the director and FOS agent.
The clack of the keys the keyboard made filled the forlorn office. A sleep deprived blond sat behind a large oak desk, his tired eyes on the screen of his computer reading over the final line of his daily report.
Sighing deeply and wearily, Leon rubbed his face in attempts to stay awake. Fortunately, it was now 5pm which meant it was quitting time and to add sugar to the mix it was also Friday; the weekend was his.
A knock at the door caused the male to stir. He pried his eyes away from the monitor. "Come in." The door opened, three figures stepping into the average sized room. Leon stood at attention. "Director Davis." He looked past him to see Hunnigan and a face he had yearned yet dreaded to see for an entire week, Helena. He cleared his throat. "I was just about to clock out and call it a day." He looked to the brunette once again. If she was here, did that mean the transfer had gone through?
Davis nodded and spoke. "I will be frank then; your transfer request has been accepted. From this moment on agent Harper is your new partner and responsibility." Leon allowed a small smile to curl his lips. Aside from the discomfort he felt he was also ecstatic at the news. "I will be sure to show her the ropes."
"I would not trust anyone else for the job. Now, if you'll excuse me." Davis gave a courteous nod and left, Hunnigan following behind.
Helena closed the door, a quiet sigh slipping from her lips. She turned to face the direction of the male, folding her arms over her chest and shifting as uncomfortable and awkward silence filled the atmosphere. This was exactly what she had feared, the silence. It was deafening.
Was he angry at her? Did he hate her? Was that why the past week had happened? She looked to the blond whose attention was back on the monitor. Why was being alone with Leon suddenly so hard?
Leon groaned inwardly as he kept his eyes glued to the screen. He could not stomach to see the poignancy in her eyes. It had only been a flash of a second but he had seen it nonetheless. He had seen the pain he had inflicted upon her.
This was his fault. Since she had told him of her feelings he had not spoken nor seen her. This time it really had been his fault, and he found himself unable to bear it. How angry was she? How much did she hate him?
Upon hearing her call his name he flinched, looking up at her with reluctance. "Follow me" she spoke. He watched as she left the office. What events could this lead to? Leon wondered as he saved his report and shut down the computer. With a sigh, he grabbed his favorite jacket and left.
XXX- Driving down to the country home had been a cinch; it was the two mile walk through thick forest in the dark with only a flashlight that had been the slight challenge. But like any other challenge, both agents embraced it with open arms and saw through.
Reaching the destination, Helena stopped. "We're here." Surrounded by a circle of trees was a still calm lake. Standing beside the brunette, Leon found himself dumbfounded in awe, his heart wrenching at the sight of the gleaming moonlight on the water. A burst of wind sent a flock of fireflies dancing in the air, lighting the night with stunning light. The chirping of the crickets and the call of the wilderness added to the beauty of it all. It was like a dream.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Helena spoke as she stepped into the clearing. "I found this place during a walk sometime last week. I came to the house when I needed to get away and be alone." She looked to the male. "It was the day after I… well you know." She trailed off and sat upon a log, gazing up at the night sky to see the bright stars.
Leon stood behind her, his stomach in knots. The male ached, drenched in dread and guilt. How he hated this. He hated the entire charade of the two acting like strangers. They were past that. It was beneath them. With a sigh he stepped closer. "All this pain and devastation I feel for what I did to you" he spoke. "It tortures me inside."
He moved to stand before her, looking at her with morose eyes. "I wasn't just buried in work this past week. I was avoiding you as well and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry Helena. I guess I just thought I needed sometime away from you, to figure things out."
He swallowed; expecting the woman to stand up and either slap or berate him, or both. Instead to his surprise the brunette gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it Leon. It's fine."
The blond blinked and shook his head. "How can it be fine? You should be angry with me." Helena gave a nonchalant shrug. "The woman I used to be would still be angry but the woman I am now, isn't. We don't always have to be together nor do you have to constantly talk to me."
Leon bent down to one knee. "There's more isn't there? Don't hold back Helena." Helena chuckled and took his hand in hers. "I'm not. I swear I'm fine. I'll admit I was mortified after you hauled ass from my apartment when I told you how I felt, but it's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore, stop beating yourself up."
She gave his hand a squeeze. "To be honest, I should be thanking you. I spent the past week focusing on me. I got my car out of impound, no thanks to Deborah. I took my psych evaluations test, which I passed with flying colors, and started training again, So you see, I'm fine. I guess I too needed to be away from you to figure things out."
Leon sighed and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I need to feel you aren't angry with me. Punch me, yell at me, do anything, something. I can't bear to have you angry with me." Helena laughed lightly. "Quite the masochist, aren't you?" She placed her hands over his cheeks. "If it'll make you feel better." Her hands traveled down to his chest and with a light grunt she pushed him.
Leon cried out as he splashed into the water. The brunette laughed as he broke through the surface with a gasp. He looked upon her in disbelief. "Well" Helena chuckled. "Do you believe me now?" She continued her chortles as the blond swam to the edge.
"Very funny Helena" he said holding his hand out. "Now help me out." The brunette shook her head. "Do you really I'm going to fall for that?" The blond had to hand it to her, she was smart. Without warning he reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her in. She may have been smart but he still had his strength and agility.
Helena gasped as she broke through the surface of the water. It was now Leon's turn to laugh. The brunette splashed him. "That's not funny!" Leon chuckled and swam to her side, catching the slight flinch of her body and hesitant look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he queried. The brunette shook her head, "Nothing."
"Helena, I've come to know you quite well. There's something you're not telling me." Helena sighed. "I'm just wondering if we can still be friends. If we can go back to the way we used to be. What with you knowing how I feel and all…"
She gave a start when large calloused fingers caught her at the chin. Releasing a short breath, she looked into the male's eyes as he spoke, "Of course. There's no way I would give you up over something like this. But I am pondering one thing, are your feelings going to be a problem?"
"I control my feelings now. Not the other way around. I won't act on them or on impulses if that's what you're worried about." She shivered from the coldness of the water.
Leon watched her with warmth in his eyes and in his heart. Unable to explain how he felt things would be well, the blond simply smiled, "How long?"
"Since Tall Oaks, after the cathedral. You were the only one who trusted me. The only one who was willing to go out on a limb for me." She smiled as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Let's get out and get some ice cream."
XXX- Bathed, dried off and in fresh clean clothes, Leon and Helena entered the kitchen when the blond approached the cabinet and the brunette opened the freezer. Looking back at the male for a half of a second, she spoke as she took hold of the carton of chocolate ice cream. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Go ahead" the male said as he placed two small bowls on the table. Helena grabbed two spoons and began to empty out the ice cream into the bowls. "Why didn't you just take me to rehab?" Leon sat down. "Well… I figured something more drastic would work better. Plus, I would have missed you too much."
Helena flashed him the same smile she had on the plane ride to China, as if saying; Ha. Ha. Good one. She passed the blond his bowl and sat down. "So where's Chris?" Leon queried, taking a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. The brunette looked at him. "You haven't spoken to him either?"
The blond shook his head with a frown. Helena gave a small shrug. Had Leon blinked he would have missed the movement. "He's in his loft. He's been staying close since Piers is still in the infirmary awaiting more injections of the antibodies." Leon nodded, understanding. "I'll call him tomorrow."
"Good. I think he'd really like to hear from you."
Silence lapsed between them. Feeling the woman's gaze, Leon looked up. "What is it?" Helena swallowed the ice cream in her mouth. "Is it wrong of me to say I missed you?" The blond exhaled softly, "Of course not." He took her hand. "Helena, I meant it when I said things were not going to change between us. I missed you as well. More than I could endure. More than I could ever believe myself capable of. The only thing that got me through was looking at your necklace."
Helena smiled. "Think I could have that back?" Leon chuckled and removed the necklace from his neck, placing it in the woman's hand. "Throughout that lonesome week, when I allowed myself to think of you, I realized you were too good to let get away." He placed a kiss upon her hand.
"You sure do have a way with words Leon" Helena commented as she chuckled lightly in attempts to ignore her fluttering heart and the butterflies in her stomach.
XXX- Leon sighed deeply. Why had he thought sleeping in separate rooms was a good idea? It clearly wasn't. Perhaps it was just the setting, but lying in bed without Helena was cold, empty. Glancing to the clock radio, he sighed yet again. The night was too long and dreadful.
Hoping music would soothe him; Leon reached and switched on the radio, a soft pop song playing. He recognized it as Keane's, Somewhere Only We Know. It was a nice song to listen to everyone now and then when one needed to think of the direction of their lives. Lying back, the blond allowed himself to sink and be carried off by the rhythm of the guitar, bouncy yet smooth.
I walked across an empty land; I knew the pathway like that back of my hand
Leon looked out of the open window, gazing up into the stars. The melancholy he had felt all week long had begun to melt, his heart warming up again. What was it about Helena that allowed him to do this?
The fact he ignored her for the week pained him greatly still. Repenting and making amends was easier said than done.
Oh simple thing where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
The male chuckled. He could not have spoken those words any better himself. Where have the simple things gone? Since meeting Helena his personal life had left the world of simplicity. Albeit he reckoned that was not exactly a bad thing. In time the simplicities became monotonous but with Helena it was new, different. And being frank with oneself the male would not have it any other way, all for the one reason of Helena being the something he could rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in. I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
Making a decision, Leon shut off the radio and slipped out of bed. He walked down the hallway and stepped into the brunette's room after knocking softly. "Helena?" he called in a whisper.
Helena, having been awake, turned over on her side, smiling as she set eyes on the blond. "Hey." She scooted off to the side as the male slid into the bed. With a content sigh he settled himself and pulled the woman close, wrapping his arms around her.
No longer feeling empty, cold, or alone, the two fell into a deep much needed sleep.
That's it for now. Lemme know your thoughts on this chapter. Once again, I remind you, if I do not post soon it is because of lack of internet. Till next time!