Author´s note:

Once more, far too long since the last update, I know. Life is a busy place and the muse does not kiss regularly, but here we go with a new chapter and a hello to readers both new and old. :)

Also, before you proceed, be warned. Graphic content in this chapter with regards to violence!

Clio 1792:

Interesting observation about soul mates, I would actually go as far as portray them as negatives, the twisted thing that soul mates can become if both have a mind like Eli and Maya do. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Guest:

Hehe , good, because that´s just the effect I wanted to achieve. Also, I agree, the show does not use the entire potential of the relationship of these two, which is why it´s fun to explore.

Bougiepolinerd:

Thank you. :)

Fran-thescandal:

Aw, that's some nice feedback, thanks a lot.

Jennkyle:

Thanks for the feedback.

Noro:

Yes, yes, I do. Sorry for the wait.

ScotchSista:

I am afraid we´re going even darker with this one… And feel free to get the creeps, it means I´m doing a decent job here. :D

Kandyse4oliz:

I think the word you were looking for was "contradictory" ;) But yes, I get your meaning, not too happy with Liv right now in the show either. Which is why I am trying to do things differently.

Chapter 24

Beasts and where to find them

There were things that needed to stay hidden. Locked away, safe and sound, never for the wolves of the world to find. Treasures too precious.

And hidden they had been for a long time and he had always been proud of it, proud of his skill and prowess, proud of the secret corners of B316 that did not answer to Command and that Command never knew existed. Those powers too reckless and careless of their own lives to care about what happened to them. The kind that should never even walk the streets in the Land of the Brave. Ruthless, mad killers that never kept "the guy" under lock and key, beasts that only obeyed to their own need to hurt, that were paid and repaid that way, but in return guaranteed safety. Safety for those that mattered. But even the worst of beasts might find their master… And those that had kept her safe, those that he had called on to do so, they had failed in the end…

He was on his hands and knees, his entire body trembling, shaking uncontrollably, the acid burn in his throat a relentless reminder that all he could do at this point was retch. His stomach emptied of what little it had contained, even bile gone, he had the feeling his lungs would be next. And maybe that would be good. Maybe that would end it all. Somewhere in his mind there was that little voice of determination, the voice that never broke, not even under torture. But that voice was almost silent now, only giving small, occasional mental whimpers that reminded of insanity and strait jackets and the dark corners of asylum cells.

"It´s easy…" The voice sounded almost soft, cooing as it bounced off the walls of his lonely cell. "It can all be so easy."

He was determined not to give her the satisfaction of breaking but for the first time in his life, even after all he had been through, he could not guarantee that. There was the feeling of dread that she had more up her sleeves. Much more. And it terrified him. The thought sent shivers of ice cold terror down his spine. "I don´t even know what you are talking about."

She was there, just a few steps on the concrete and he heard the rustle of her clothes as she knelt, ridiculously elegant clothes. The face that looked at him with that cruel sneer and heartless smile was so similar to Liv´s and yet so different.

She was clearly enjoying this. He could live with that. Many in his situation would have been repulsed by the sheer notion, but he had known the thrill of power that came from the complete control torture could grant over another person. The adrenaline rush caused by the panic and dread in the other´s eyes as they realized their own body was nothing but a fragile thing. So now, he did not blame her for that. He had been there himself. "Sure you do not want to rethink your answer, Jake?" she asked.

He was perfectly aware that she was using his name to taunt him, because she sure as hell knew this was not who he really was. But that didn´t matter. It didn´t matter what she knew about him. There were things far worse than that. He returned her gaze as she moved a thumb under his chin, raising it in an almost tender gesture. "I would think about it again, but of course that is your choice."

He wanted to laugh at her face. In someone who knew his job this would lead to nothing, in an amateur it would lead to rage and to being left alone after the beating or whatever she had in store had led to unconsciousness. Somehow he was curious about what kind she was. But his laugh was barely one, it was a raspy sound, almost a cough and the dryness of his lips stung painfully at his grimace of a smile.

The woman who called herself Maya but who had at least as many fake identities as he did, got to her feet, returned to a small table set up in the corner of the cell, picked up an object which through swollen eyes he could identify as a laptop. "Last chance, spy boy." Her voice was almost song, a cruel little tilt into melody, her turn over her shoulder almost coy.

"Many have tried this." He somehow managed to struggle his body into an upright position that did not dislocate his shoulders, arms tied behind his back. It was difficult to find a dignified upright position when cowering in a puddle of diverse things not worth mentioning. "You´re….you´re not the first one. You won´t be the last." His vocal cords hurt with every word, but that did not keep him from talking.

She gave a shrug that was obscenely unfitting for the scene. "Well, well, still I´d like my try if I may." She walked over again and set the laptop down in front of him, careful to pick a spot that was not splattered with blood. Cowering, she opened the lid. Making his fears reality, exposing his Achilles heel.

"The interesting thing about humans," Maya said in a chatty way almost, as if having just a nice little conversation "is that everyone, really, everyone has a weakness. No matter who, no matter where. Everyone. It doesn´t really matter if you´re a president or just a caring parent. Or a little spy boy reluctant to give me the answers I need. And I am sure that you will understand that I don´t have any time or patience for nonsense any more Jake." She gave a dramatic little sigh. "because there are wars to win and fights to pick."

He stared at the screen, trying to mask his terror. It was an image taken from a camera, filmed at this very moment he was almost certain. The quality was remarkably good. It was daylight in that little suburb of London. He could tell it was that by merely glancing, nothing else needed. The brick building that peeked from behind the bushes was unmistakably her school. The camera was probably attached to someone´s clothes. No, he corrected himself. More likely someone´s glasses. He had used the likes before himself. He could even have ventured a more than educated guess at the make.

"May I introduce you to my dear friend….oh well, names should not really be of your concern." She snarled with a grin. "he´s taking a little stroll right now as you can see." His heart was beating wildly, painfully each thump against his chest worse than torture. Because this was his very core. "I´ve never been to this place myself." Maya continued in an almost lazy drawl, as if the scene on the laptop screen didn´t even concern her. "but I have my connections. I have friends all over the place. I know people who are pretty good at hiding, but also at seeking." She sat down and took out a smart phone, starting to tap the screen without comment, as she continued, laying out a scene of terror in front of him. "and sometimes these friends of mine find out interesting things. In your case…" she tilted her head to the side. "a little girl, your daughter Cathy, stored away under false name and faked papers in a little suburb in London. Nobody would ever get suspicious. But you probably underestimated me, didn´t you?"

He just stared at her, not talking, his smugness taken away, his limbs weak and trembling.

"And the funny thing is, Jake," she continued. "that you and me are going to have a deal now. I just need some simple information and in return we can negotiate about what my friend is going to do." She raised the smart phone an inch maybe. "Show my little toy here what you have." On the screen, the person wearing the camera looked down, revealing a sniper´s rifle. Looking around, the person revealed he was on a low roof, well hidden among branches or some other greenery. Maybe the roof of a garage. The neighbourhood was peaceful Jake remembered. It had been one of the reasons for his pick. People there were good, watchful folks, but no harm ever got there. Not ever.

Maya nodded, pleased. "So now we established that, let´s reconsider my question." There was a chance he told himself in rising panic, a dreadful feeling he had not felt in a long time. There were a million chances she was bluffing. She had found Cathy maybe, but he had not yet seen her. He had connections too and they were smart, brilliant. They would have gotten her to safety already. Surely she was bluffing.

"Oh look at that." Maya´s voice sounded perversely cheerful while on the screen his faint hopes turned into horror. He could hear the chatter of the two girls turning around the corner, intermingling with the faint noise of a car driving by in a distance somewhere and a dog barking somewhere in the neighbourhood. The camera angle moved, focused. The other girl looked Indian, maybe Pakistani. Listened and giggled as Cathy chatted about this or that. He could feel his head shaking.

"Precious things, daughters," Maya said, making him want to use that accursed sniper rifle on her. "but let me tell you, they don´t always stay that cute. So…Jake…where are those folders? As much as a pain as daughters can be, it would be annoying to cause a mess, wouldn´t it?"

Jake Ballard had never been broken. Bad things had happened to him, but he had always been proud of his resilience. But now, that he watched the camera shift, showing that whoever was hiding on that low roof was starting to meticulously set up that rifle aiming at his ten year old daughter, the child he had hidden so many years, the child he had never talked about to anyone, his Achilles´ heel,….now that he watched that unfold, he could feel what he had made others feel countless times. The dull sensation of a breaking spirit. He could see the gun twitch slightly, the sniper getting into position, taking aim.

"….R….Rosen." he croaked, a sound more than a word, barely human.

"What was that?" Her voice was betraying her impatience now, for the first time in the entire conversation.

"I…gave them to David Rosen. And he…hid them in a store house…."

A smile widening on her face. "Well, well, that was not that difficult now, was it?" she asked. "we could have avoided all of this, spy boy. Unfortunately though, some things don´t go as planned. In the end it´s all about power, Jake."

And in that moment when her smile turned even more cunning, he understood: she had known. Not just of Cathy, but she had known, probably also of Rosen. Or had she? He could live with many things, many cruel things he had done and caused but there was that one thing he could not bear to exist with: the thought that all his attempts had been futile. The thought that Cathy didn´t stand a chance. He could feel his insides turn to ice as the woman calling herself Maya tapped the smart phone again, his terrified gaze torn between her and the screen as the terrorist uttered the words that shattered his world:

"Don´t harm the other one. She´s got nothing to do with this."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The awkwardness was still there, hanging over the room like a thick, stuffy blanket, but getting back into her old habits, kicking her mind back to action made it feel less weird. It had taken only minutes after their embrace and they had been at the small table, sitting on sofas facing each other, partners in justice, united in a common goal the way they had barely ever been united as individuals.

The president and the fixer.

"The first thing we need to find out is how far my father´s influence goes," Liv said. "I am sure he would not leave you unwatched, so we need to fix this first, to find out who in the White House is on his pay list."

"That could be anyone."

"Yes, but that is where we start. I already put Huck to work on this right now, starting with your personal Secret Service Detail and then working our way down from senior staffers all the way down to every single intern."

Fitz scowled slightly but bit down the question on why she had jumped the gun. Apparently she must have told Huck to start his research before even knowing he would be game. He decided now was not another time to argue about this. Now was the time to try and keep his wits together and focus, be rational - hard as it may be with all the conflicting feelings begging fro attention.

"We cannot make this a big thing. We cannot go public."

"Of course not, not yet. The damage would be worse than anything. What we need first is a firm base. And legal support."

"Rosen."

For a very short moment when they both said the name at the same second Fitz almost smiled, having that brief déjà vu of connectedness that he had so often felt with her. But the next second it tasted stale. She did not comment on it but had already reached for her phone, watching him with a glance he could not quite describe in any other way than fierce. This was what Olivia Pope looked like when she was sniffing a trail, when she was getting serious about getting things done. The silence ensuing while she waited for the Attorney General to pick up his cell did suddenly not even feel awkward any more. Until it lasted. And lasted.

"He doesn´t answer." she said. "he always answers his phone."