Chapter Fifty-Six: So Far Away

Darla was hesitant to fall asleep. She knew she was going to have a nightmare. One of those vivid, crushing ones, where the atmosphere stayed in her aura for most of the morning even after she was awake. They were becoming so frequent that she knew when to expect them. Now that she had an intruder in her house, there was no doubt. It seemed like no big deal to let him sleep there when she'd offered, but when the lights went off she felt uneasy.

Thor was trustworthy. He was a good man. In addition, he was muscular, handsome and charming. Her judgment had been clouded. When she'd invited him up, she wasn't thinking about this part. The part where she would lay still but awake indefinitely. Having someone she barely knew-let alone someone who snored as loudly as him-sleeping in the next room gave her great discomfort. She'd been constantly over- and underestimating herself every day since the move. She had to think about things a little longer, give herself time to assess situations, and put her own feelings before others' for once.

In this instance, her feelings were irrelevant. She had to get to work in the morning without gaining any unwanted attention. Truthfully, for her, anyway, all attention was unwanted. She was excited to sit in the surveillance room with Glenn and not speak for eight hours. She was looking forward to everything about her day (after her uncomfortable talk with Fury) and thinking about that is how she fell asleep.

The nightmare that coated her thoughts in slick, black ink was a new one. Deep in REM sleep, she couldn't escape it. Each new scare echoed how she felt when Loki had touched her-sharp, poisonous fear. It simmered and crackled like grease in a hot pan. Her muscles tightened and soon she was curled into a fetal ball, trapped in her own head.

The people she'd come to know only briefly at SHIELD were all present before her. They were all upset. They asked her things like Why did you come here and Can't you see we don't need you? Then at last, with the dark night and harsh winds of her cruel imagination, Fury approached her. He was upset. He said, "I should have left you where I found you."

Elsewhere

The abandoned flashlight rolled and stopped itself against the corner chair. It stayed on and cloaked the alcove in an eerie glow. Eve was elated and hungry for interaction. Admittedly, she hadn't thought he'd agree so easily. She didn't really have a plan. That was dangerous. She wanted to wow him above all-so that the next time they found themselves like this, he wouldn't push her away. All she wanted was to move more freely around him. Momentarily, her guarded, controlling self crept back into the driver's seat. She spent milliseconds panicking before letting go. She swallowed her nerves and made all her choices on instinct alone.

She took her bra off quickly and dropped it. His eyes fell to her body without a thought. She began to undress him, slapping his hands away when he tried to speed up the process. There wasn't much to take off since he was already shirtless. While fussing with his belt, button and zipper, she pressed her body against him. They felt a mutual comfort, considering he was too warm and she was too cool. He stepped out of his shoes and she pushed him firmly to sit in the chair he'd had to maneuver around when he'd first joined her. She peeled off his socks and slid her fingertips all the way up his legs. He sat back and watched comfortably. She licked her lips and he jerked to attention.

She crawled partway up him so their faces were close, lips nearly touching, the slunk back down him with her hands tracing his figure. She applied pressure to his hip bones with her palms and brought him into her mouth smoothly. Her tongue clung to him, creating an irresistible suction as she slid him into her throat. He let out a satisfied, low groan and twisted his fingers into her hair.

He found himself thinking This will do just fine, and though she was beneath him in physical reality and theory alike, he wouldn't have left his place if the world had come crashing down around them. He was lost in a sea of sensation with no oars, paddles or motors to bring him to shore. Nothing tethered him to the ground below, gravity and other scientific constants bowed to him in irrelevance. In stark comparison to the pain his body had gone through that day, and still felt somewhere in the background of his head running like a well oiled machine, he was very near ecstasy.

She made small but clear noises, moans and breaths, to aide him on his way. For the first time since their meeting, including every kiss and spat thus far, she had his full attention. He couldn't know this until after the fact but her confidence and devilish desire to satisfy him were the culprits. He wasn't analyzing anything, though he would later on, and his mind was shockingly empty except for passerby notions of yes and more. She kept up with his swelling aphrodisia without needing to be told, quickening her rhythm at the slightest twitch of his hand. His silence communicated just how enthralled he was, he had no critique or witty comeback for her now, nor would he for the remainder of the night at least. She earned his entanglement with such devotion to her work that she never came up for air. When it was over, when he was over, it was as though days had passed.

In all her life, she'd never drawn so much joy from pleasuring another person. Or maybe it was that she'd made him speechless. Either way, the truth remained that in her experience receiving was always the height of the interaction-if her partner was any good at it, anyway. Still here she was, completely satiated having brought him around. Her body was throbbing, but she'd have been happy to stop there, and it was such an odd feeling. It felt foreign in the best way.

He, on the other hand, was not content to leave her untouched. He leaned forward and straightened her back with one hand as the other slipped between her legs before she knew what was happening. She was so sensitive with blunt arousal that his contact made her gasp in pleased shock. He pulled her close to reach the places that would take her away, inching himself almost off the chair completely as well. He let his mouth find the pulsepoint on her neck but didn't pucker to kiss and distract from his precise manipulation. His lips were close enough to feel her heartbeat react to him. Any noises she made, which were few and far between relative to the short span of time they stayed this way, were left unheard by him. He was devoted to making her feel full, and knowing she was tired, in as little time as possible. What could have been perceived as a selfish act, rushing her along the track like a late train, was actually a courtesy. Considering Eve would have had no complaints to lay with him after her good deed with no summation to call her own, she in no way found his quick work of her ungenerous.

Her body cooperated with him until there was nothing left but to set herself ablaze due to sheer completion. She rolled her head back for a moment and not any longer, finding his lips when she came back and setting hers onto them. She was light as air with newly released tensions and never considered he might reject this simple act, tainting whatever bond may have grown through their pavement barriers. That fear didn't exist at the time, her totally bare and feeling bold in every way. Still, this didn't feel like boldness. It was a delicate kiss. It was gentle in a way she had no memories of, and arguably more intimate than all acts preceding it. Her eyes opened just before his and her body was still ringing, though quieter than in the thick of it. She expected some typical smirk or grin to cast itself over him shortly. After endless seconds of staring she came to a realization that felt supernatural. This time around, it was just a smile.

Eve was yanked out of the moment by a faint yipping sound. With an ounce of urgency she shot up. Her legs were wobbly. "I'm just gonna grab Sasha," she announced before traipsing down the stairs. It was for the best, anyway. She feared that letting that moment sit too long would cause it to spoil the way fruit does if uneaten. Her legs eventually acclimated after kneeling for some time. As she braved the dark stairs she remembered the flashlight, but opted not to turn back for it. Her eyes adjusted and she was not afraid.

Sasha was in a bad mood and sat actively scowling when she opened the door. "I know," she cooed, picking her up and petting her. She would not be swayed and whimpered miserably. "I know," Eve repeated sweetly, extending the oh sound for a second longer. She carried the pup to the staircase and was stopped short by a pang in her stomach. Then another and another-she nearly doubled over. God, how long has it been since she'd eaten?

Once when she was eight or nine, she'd wandered down to the basement when no one was looking. She didn't get into much trouble save for a brief scolding when they found out she'd taken the Twinkie out of someone's lunch in the break room. Recalling this, she opted to head down the stairs instead of up. The basement was arguably darker than the rest of the building with no moonlight to aid it. Still, she found her way to the break room and flicked on the light. She almost went blind. She blinked feverishly and headed straight for the fridge, now painfully aware of how hungry she was.

The refrigerator wasn't full by any means, but there was enough there that she had options. First, she grabbed a container of lunchmeat-turkey-that had KAREN written on top with a Sharpie marker. She felt herself salivating but chose to wash her hands first, placing Sasha on the counter to continue pouting. After she was cleaned up, she gave the dog a slice of turkey first. Sasha wasn't sure what to do with it.

"You've probably been eating all day," Eve commented and left it for her to nibble on if she wanted. Then she helped herself until the quarter-full Tupperware packaging was empty. She rummaged through her other options and stole a yogurt cup and a carton of apple juice. She threw open the cupboards adjacent to find a store brand bag of almonds and a granola bar, both of which she took.

Before heading upstairs once more, she snatched a long, thin trench coat to cover herself with and doubled back for the leftover ice cream cake in the freezer. When she returned to the section, Loki had put his pants back on and fashioned a mock bed out of couches and chair cushions. It looked delightful in a way no real bed ever had. She had to really pester him to try the cake, which he ended up loving, but she ate most of it herself.

They were just about to settle in when Loki took up tidying the books she'd scattered. "I can't leave them like this, it's going to bother me," he explained when her eyes beckoned him to the cushioned surface beside her. He grabbed up the lonely torn out page. "What book does this go with?" He asked.

"The one with the cover missing."

He plucked the cover out of his back pocket and skimmed through the stack to find the poor, abused guide. He held the cover up against the binding and reattached them with no seam at all. Then he searched for the page's home. "Hold on," Eve requested when he found it. She held out her hand for him to give it to her.

He held the book up to his ear. "Sorry, he doesn't want to see you after what happened. Frankly, I agree with him."

She laughed until he handed it over. The other side of the page revealed to her the location of the beautiful beach-Barcelona. "I want to go here," she thrust the page at him. He reconnected the paper before looking into it.

"Bar-cell-oh-na."

"Yes. It's in Spain."

"Why there?"

"It's where the universe told me to go," she answered honestly with no concerns for how silly it sounded. "I ripped that page out after asking where I should go." The city felt right. It didn't feel at all like she'd settled. Her whimsical gimmick had worked. Why she was so keen on Barcelona was something she wouldn't remember until the morning.

"Okay," he agreed, feeling slight reluctance due to the process of it all. "I've never been to Spain. I can't teleport us. What about, say, Germany? Would that do? We can travel from there."

"That's great!" She enthused. Sasha matched her energy momentarily then yawned.

"I should be strong enough in the morning. If I'm not, we'll improvise."

"Perfect!" Her eyes refused to stay open now that her various tasks were finished.

He stepped over the back of the low couch effortlessly with his long legs. He lay facing her, eyes more tired than the day they'd met. He closed them and his smile faded to a neutral expression. Eve felt a flicker of disappointment. Not that she expected a good night kiss...or was that exactly it? She rolled over and cuddled the puppy to try and get comfortable.

Her eyes hadn't been closed for more than five seconds when her bedfellow piped up. "Why are you so far away?" He cooed, half asleep already, and found her hip with his strong hand, pulling her in toward the crease where the couches met. She fell into him and their bodies latched like magnets. Sasha curled into her and let out a happy, sleepy noise. Eve had no doubt that her best night of sleep in some time would take place in that very spot.

The Next Morning

Marion Belleview had been the head librarian at The Hedge for over forty years. She considered the establishment a member of her family and took her job very seriously. She was a proud woman. Though she wasn't tall enough to effectively turn her nose up at anything, she still did. Not that she was rude or inconsiderate, she simply knew best. A few months ago, she'd been forced to replace the librarian just under her due to some scandal involving high school girls. She didn't even need to hear all the details before she was planning to let him go. He stepped down before she could fire him, which was widely a disappointment, as she didn't get many opportunities to do so. The occasional lazy twenty something, maybe, but anyone who didn't like to be at her library (or didn't like her personally) often found the environment too stifling and left of their own accord.

In any case, the replacement she found wasn't working out so far. Her name was Trisha and it appeared she'd been handed everything all her life due to her good looks. Marion had nothing against beauty. She was even in tune with her aging body enough not to envy young women who flaunted their skin, as some older woman do. She wasn't bitter by any means, so Trisha's flashy clothes and flirtatious laugh just seemed to be pieces of a confident woman's puzzle. But when Trisha shirked her responsibilities or left her work area a complete disaster for Marion to come and clean up the next day? That was the exact type of behavior she wouldn't stand for.

To account for any additional time she'd have to spend tidying up, and to take an account of each and every thing out of place, she showed up an hour early. She unlocked the front doors with her overstuffed keychain and felt an odd sinking feeling. It was quiet. It was always quiet, that was one thing she loved for certain, but it was quiet like a morgue, not a library. She approached her station cautiously, trying to shake the feeling of dread from the recesses of her mind. There was nothing to worry about, the place was locked all night. It always was. Then she saw her color coded floor guides thrown carelessly onto the top of the desk. She retrieved them protectively and cringed. Someone had smeared ketchup over the laminate with their fingers. Trisha.

Marion grumbled to herself. What a disaster. She never knew what she was going to find, and she assumed this was the source of her dismay. She looked for anything else that may have been tarnished, quickly rifling through the drawers until she realized the flashlight was missing. Had there been a power outage? She slammed the drawer shut and brought the laminated guide along with her to the bathroom to be rinsed. She opened the door and dropped her precious maps. The silver metal ring that connected them clanged on the tile.

She was too shocked to react properly. She stared at the scene, scared to move or breathe or speak or scream. The four stalls hung open and she leaned as far as she could without losing her balance to check that no one was inside them. No one in the first three. She took a smattering of frantic steps to see that the fourth was empty as well. She caught sight of the balled up, bloody clothes in the sinks and gasped sharply. She stopped looking around for fear of what she'd find next. She fished her flip phone out of her dress pocket and dialed 911.

"Nine-one-one what's your emergency?" A woman answered.

"I-I'm not entirely certain," she stammered. "I work at The Hedge on Ply-"

"The library?"

"Yes. The, well, the doors… they were locked all night," she was having trouble organizing her thoughts, which was something she rarely struggled with. She kept imagining what could have possibly happened. "There's blood all over the bathroom," she blurted.

"Are you still inside?"

"Yes."

"Are you alone?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you certain?"

"There's no one in the bathroom with me, but, but…"

"Can you lock the door?"

"Please, I don't want to stay in here," she blubbered, her eyes falling on the blood stained couch. The patterns made no sense to her, she could draw no conclusions based on what little she'd learned about blood spatter from watching forensic shows.

"Until we know you're not in danger-"

"Fine," she agreed bitterly and moved to latch the door. Her hands were trembling, jingling her keys.

"Officers are on their way, I'll stay on with you until they arrive, okay?"

"Okay," she rested her forehead against the door and sighed deeply. She answered the rest of the operator's questions with her eyes shut.

Two floors above her, Eve was sleeping soundly. She had slumped in toward the center of the pushed together couches, but she was undisturbed. She was even snoring a bit, which wasn't typical of her. She was dreaming. She was smiling. And she was alone.

A/N:

Holidays are hard. Winter is the pits. It hasn't been snowing so even when it does start up, I'll probably refuse to wear a jacket for a week or two. Anyway, I'm sure you guys can understand why this update was delayed. Don't worry that this story is going to fizzle or anything, I'm just a busy bee. Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Holidays in general!