A/N – POSTED: 8/13/08. Since this update has been a long time coming, a case RECAP from the stories and events leading up to this point is included at the bottom of this chapter in all-bold text. Scroll down and read that first if you need a quick refresher.
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Lex Talionis – Chapter 9
The firm curve of her shoulder looked as smooth and cool as polished marble, inviting a human touch. Beneath his fingertips, her radiant heat belied the image of cold stone as he traced a slow path to the line of her neck. When he found a sensitive spot behind her ear, he held his breath and listened for her soft sighs. She was beguiling with her sensuous curves and inviting sounds, but his hand stilled and he hesitated. Something about her didn't feel right and he became wary. He wished her face would come into focus so he could see if her pleasure was as genuine as it sounded – he suspected it wasn't.
A rustle of leaves distracted him from the swirling doubts. He looked to his left, beyond the cinch of her waist and there he saw a bird, tugging hard on a worm in an effort to gain its breakfast. The bird was either unafraid or oblivious to their presence. It ignored the naked man and woman lying on the warm earth amidst gold and crimson leaves as it continued to struggle with the recalcitrant worm.
She stirred restlessly beneath his palm and insistently drew his attention back to her. Her body, which only moments ago was so cool and milky, now glowed warm and golden like amber. The fire he felt beneath his touch flushed her skin and shone from her eyes. No longer out of focus, he recognized her face and the golden brown of her eyes. They burned with the reflection of his own passion, and he thought he could willingly be consumed by their heat.
Unintelligible murmurs issued from her parted lips and he leaned closer to try and understand what she was saying. It seemed important, but the words would not make sense in his mind and then, with her lips so close to his own, he no longer cared. He moved to silence her with his mouth, but just when he was close enough to feel the soft brush of her lips, another disturbance tugged at his senses.
The sound of water gently lapping a lake's shore. Edged by a thick growth of mountain laurel, the lake looked dark and cold at its center, then turned a brilliant, tropical blue where its waves washed the land. He spotted a dead fish swaying gently in the rippling water. Its bloated, blanched body looked sickly and grotesque floating in the beautiful blue swells.
But was it a fish? It seemed too large – large enough to be a man. Were the fins and tail actually hands and feet? And if so, shouldn't he go and investigate? Shouldn't he check to see if it was alive or dead? Wasn't he supposed to find out what killed it and why?
He was about to stand and walk to the lake when he felt a hot hand on the small of his back. The lake ceased to exist. He was back with her and her nonsensical murmurings. Although her words made no sense, he knew she was urging him on, forcing him to ignore the outside world and its distractions so he would pay attention to her. She had something important for him.
If she only knew how much he wanted to bury himself in her – how much he wanted to linger over her and find out once and for all if it was possible to burn up their passion. This yearning had been building for longer than he cared to admit, and he wondered how many times – how many years – of lovemaking it would take to satisfy his hunger. Afterwards he would hold her to him forever and soak up her warmth, never again to feel cold or lonely.
His need for her was growing painful and he rose above her, intent on finally satisfying the gnawing ache between them. Her hips lifted in invitation and he had to close his eyes or risk igniting in the fire of hers. Resigned to the fate of being consumed by her, he opened his eyes and … she was gone. All that was left were dead leaves and cool earth beneath him.
Frantically he sat back on his haunches and scanned the vacant space around him. How could he have been so close to possession, only to lose her? The bird, a robin, was also gone, having abandoned its tug-of-war with the stubborn worm. The lake and its abundance of mountain laurel had vanished; only the dead fish-man remained.
He opened his mouth to cry out her name, to rail against the world and beg for her return when he heard a voice above his right shoulder.
"I thought you were better than this, Bobby." The lilting British accent mocked him.
Bobby's eyes snapped open. He lay there staring at a spot on the ceiling lit by a beam of light seeping through a gap in the room-darkening curtains. Years of experience with numerous nightmares had left him mostly immune to their waking terrors. As far as dreams went, he would classify this one as 'disturbing' at worst. 'Interesting' was more like it, with the contraposition of Nicole as white marble and Alex as golden amber.
He was a firm believer that the more bizarre the dream, the more likely it was that it held some insight into events and enigmas in your waking life. By his way of thinking, dreams were conjured by your id as it desperately demanded understanding or recognition of something your conscious self ignored. He needed to break down the dream and understand its components before it slipped away.
But his mind and body wanted to linger over the 'Alex' portions. Her eroticism quickened his pulse and gave him urges he was sorely tempted to satisfy. After what happened earlier that evening, Bobby did not need to spend time analyzing the sexual context of Alex in his dream. Any fool could figure that out.
The deceptive nature of Nicole Wallace in the dream was also fairly obvious. An interesting portrayal, but not in need of deep reflection. Although, how she fit in with the rest of the dream was worth considering.
So. What did that leave? The bird … a robin. Tugging on a worm. No … wait … a rope. It was a rope the bird was so determinedly worrying. Was it really trying to release the rope from the ground, or was it simply trying to call the attention of a pre-occupied Bobby?
And then there was the lake with its mountain laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower. A Pennsylvania lake with a dead fish. No, man. Well … fish-man. Kind of weird, that one.
Nicole Wallace.
Dead man.
Pennsylvania.
Water.
Rope.
Robin.
Nicole.
Needing only the shaft of light that shot through the curtains, Bobby swung his legs over the side of the bed, picked up the phone, and dialed Alex's room number. Her answering 'hello' didn't sound groggy at all. He glanced at the clock. Two fifty-eight A.M. Bobby briefly worried that she hadn't been sleeping, then tucked the fact away for later.
"Eames… I remembered something."
TBC…
A/N-2 – A multitude of "Thank you's" to two of the best fanfic writers out there who were kind enough to take time to review and make suggestions on this chapter (because, let's face it … who knows what condition Vampira is in now that she's returned). InfinityStar and Merel – you're the best!!
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RECAP: Lex Talionis is a continuation of my story Vengeance, which ended with two unsolved murders – hangings in Central Park. Certain aspects of those murders led Goren and Eames to believe they may have been committed by someone looking for vigilante justice, possibly for something related to crimes or abuse against children. Their investigation into these murders stalled when one key witness committed suicide in a hotel bathtub and another disappeared.
Approximately six months later, Nicole Wallace re-enters their lives in my story Indivisible, when she is brought in for questioning about the suicide of her latest husband – millionaire Drew Harrington. Despite Bobby's suspicions, Nicole appears to be uninvolved in Harrington's death, although the detectives still have not ruled out the possibility. A viewing of security tapes from Harrington's apartment building revealed an unexpected visitor – the missing witness from the Central Park hangings investigation.
A second round of questioning with Nicole confirmed that she knew the witness, Lisa Hahn, but didn't provide answers to satisfy Bobby.
Goren and Eames are currently at a motel in Central Pennsylvania following an interview with Lisa's mother earlier in the day, with plans to speak with her former college roommate the next morning.