*A/N - Hello boys, girls and everyone in between. This has been a very odd week for me scheduling wise, so I'm going to upload both this and the final chapter together. Hope you enjoy them. Please R&R. Thanks - Nikki
Chapter 5: The Escape
After Kurt had finished his food, Dola moved outside the door. Kyle was shuffling through the hallway, when she called out teasingly, "Oh, errand boy. Be a dear and take this back to the kitchen would you?" She waved the bowl. Kyle wanted to tell her to take it herself, but she wasn't supposed to abandon her post and they both knew that.
"So sorry, we have to get rid of the only boyfriend you will ever have."
"I would say the same to you, but you seem like the kind of plucky little lady who knows how to bounce back." She grinned bearing teeth. His mouth gaped like a fish out of water, searching for a retort, but she continued. "Don't worry, darling. It's just one less Wainwright to me; how could that be a bad thing?"
She knew Kyle was remembering how he picked up on her disdain for the well-to-do family. "If you wanted them all dead, why'd you try to save rich boy?" He spoke triumphantly as if he still didn't believe her jumping on the group's bandwagon so soon after trying to save Kurt.
"Because Kyle, I am actually thinking about the crew's well-being. A dead Wainwright might warm my heart, but I still think it is a high price to pay to get out of this mess. I figured if we decided too soon, we might get a little careless. So I played Devil's Advocate so we could assess each option."
She watched the words slowly wrap around Kyle's thick head and soon recognized that he did in fact believe her. Kyle snatched the bowl from her hand and did an about-face in the direction of the kitchen.
Dola had to fight off her guilt as she joined David in preparing for dinner. She ate quickly and offered to take Kyle his food after everyone else had finished and headed off to bed. She had learned a lot about cooking and the proper application of herbs from Samuel years before. Sam once told her that their father had taken a sedative called belladonna after he had lost their mother to help him sleep at night, as the loneliness had caused him insomnia.
Luckily for Dola, David had his back turned as she applied a small, yet potent amount of the fair sedative to Kyle's dish. The devil on her shoulder said to dump the whole vial, but even if she seriously disliked him, she had to remind herself of her earlier statement of the importance of a human life.
She drudged her way to Kyle, determined to look annoyed while handing him his food. Kyle chuckled from the stool outside the closed door. "Hmm, looks like someone drew the short stick."
"Whatever; just eat your damn food." Before Kyle took a bite, Dola nudged him. "Hey, maybe don't do it where he can see." She nodded towards the window. "He's been told no dinner, so how about some subtlety?"
Kyle nodded, hunched over and turned his back to the small window. Dola made a show of yawning deeply and stretching her arms far above her head. "Well, I guess that means I get to go sleep on my comfy bed. Have fun." She smiled as Kyle yawned back.
Even though Dola went straight to her room, she stayed awake and alert. She simply sat with crossed fingers and hoped that she gave Kyle enough to put him to sleep. It was more than luck, Dola figured, that all the boys went to bed right after eating. After an hour or so had passed, Dola opened her door quietly and tiptoed through the hallway.
The only sound she could hear was a whispered snore that she had learned over the past months to be Kyle's. She silently approached the door to the ship and eased it open without a sound. Dola then turned around and walked in the direction of the snorer. The room closest to Kurt's belonged to her, so she didn't have to worry about being overheard. She gave Kyle a slight shake, just enough to make sure he wouldn't wake up. He continued his soft snore uninterrupted.
The door opened with a small whine and Dola paused to hear anything in reply, but was met with silence. She shut the door behind and was thankful to see that Kurt was up and waiting for her. She spoke as soft as she could manage. "Okay, now everybody seems to be asleep, so here is what is going to happen. I'm going to give you one minute to get to the engine room, got that?" She didn't wait for a reply. "Then I'm going to scream out and say you escaped; if we're lucky everyone will be too disoriented to do anything but run out looking for you."
Kurt nodded and started to move, but Dola grabbed him by the forearm. "There is one more thing. I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything." He smiled.
"Hit me a couple of times as hard as you can."
"I'm sorry?" Kurt looked mortified by the thought.
"Look these boys know me well. I wouldn't let somebody get by me without a fight, so it has to look like it. Just hit me a few times as hard as you can." She braced herself.
"I can't." Dola just glared at him. "Mathilde, I can't do it. I won't hit a woman."
"Are you kidding me right now? You're supposed to be killed in a few hours and you are letting your chivalry get in the way? Kurt, really? Now is not the time to be Mr. Perfect." She practically growled.
"Please, Mathilde." He pleaded. "I can't do it."
"Fine." She sighed. "Some help you are." Without a second thought, Dola punched herself thrice in the face.
"Jesus!" Kurt exclaimed as she began mussing up her hair and smearing some of the blood that was dripping from her nose. The overall look was horrific.
"Always have to rely on myself…" She looked at him and Kurt couldn't look away from some blood that had dripped onto her hair. "You're welcome!"
Kurt went to touch her face. "Are you okay?"
She slapped his hand. "Just peachy, dammit. Stop focusing on me!" She set the stool on the ground and lightly tossed the floor mat eschew. "Go, now! I'll finish up here." Kurt stalled. "60, 59, 58, 57..." Dola began counting down and Kurt turned his back on her and left the room as fast and as quietly as he could. Dola placed her now bloody hand on the floor. "50…" She touched her face for more blood which she smeared into a small center on the stool, so it would look as if he hit her with it; she doubted any of the men would believe he could hit her hard enough to get her bleeding with his bare hands. "34, 33, 32…" She quickly assessed the room and nodded her own approval.
Thirty seconds later, Dola drew in a deep breath, screamed and threw the door open with a loud clang.
Kyle flew off his stool from the sound. "What the hell?" He tried to figure out where the sound was coming from and why. "Dola, what the hell is your problem?" The moment he saw her bloody and panicked face, he froze, shocked by the look of her.
"Shit!" She spit blood that had dripped into her mouth. "He escaped!" She yelled throughout the hall, waking all the men.
"What the hell happened?" Kyle accused.
At just that moment, Thomas was running in their direction. Dola, frenzied and fussy poked her finger at Kyle's chest. "Your worthless ass fell asleep. I went inside to check because I didn't see him." She breathed deeply, frantic. "When the door opened, something hit me in the face and I went down. I think it was the stool." Thomas, Kyle, Ed and David all peered in and were able to confirm her story by the mess the room was in. "I tried to get up, but he hit me again."
She heard Rich speak from the front of the ship, with Kent beside him no doubt. "Tom, the door's open."
"Shit!" Thomas cursed. Dola ran her bloody fingers through her strawberry blonde hair hysterically. The visual effect left Kyle a little hypnotized. "Let's go! He couldn't have got far. We'll catch up to him!" And just like that all the boys ran outside. Dola made an effort to look like she was following close behind, but stopped at the door. It had all gone according to plan.
She hurried to the engine room and grabbed Kurt's shoulders from the floorboard. "Come on, I'm going to need your help." Sure she knew how to pilot an airship, but she had very little experience and needed more than a little assistance.
She hurried to the helm of the ship with Kurt in tow. She started to run passed the front door to the ship until she noticed an upset, and as always smug looking Kyle. "Son of a bitch! I knew it!"
Dola froze and placed her arm in front of Kurt behind her protectively. Kyle stood alone at the door. "I knew you were going to double cross us like this. And all for some stupid rich boy. Traitor!" He spat and lunged for her.
Before Dola had an opportunity to beat the snot out of Kyle, Kurt, from behind her, pushed around her arm and decked Kyle with a crack that actually chilled her spine. Kyle thudded to the ground. Dola bent down and checked that he was still breathing. With little show she began rolling his body down the ramp. Kurt picked him up and called out behind himself. "I got this. You go to the wheel." She nodded though Kurt couldn't see her. Kurt dropped Kyle casually and ran back up the ramp where he made sure to shut and seal the door. "So, the plan?"
"Just to get the hell out of here." She smiled and he patted her shoulder. It didn't take long to get the ship up and running and before The Rogues could even realize they were short two members and a prisoner, Dola and Kurt were long gone with their ship.
They had been airborne for two hours before Dola's adrenaline finally began to wear off. "That was a pretty nice punch, there."
Kurt laughed and stood up straight, seeming so much more whole now that he was no longer trapped in a small room. "I'm not entirely defenseless, you know."
"I can see that. I'm sorry for ever thinking you were." She said both genuine and playful.
"So, I can take you home or well, just about anywhere else you want to go." Dola spoke looking straight ahead. Kurt didn't have a home anymore and the worst part was that although he knew it might sound cheesy, the closest thing he had to a home was Dola and he knew that he had to stay with her.
He tried to sound casual while quieting the tenderness with which he looked at her. "I don't know; I've gotten quite fond of this ship. It feels like home." Their eyes met. "Mathilde, have you ever fancied the idea of becoming a pirate?" Dola smiled.
