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Chapter 37 – Saudade

"Todd, when you get the music queued up and ready to go, pleeease let me know."

"Sure thing, Madelyn."

"I can't leave people hanging around and waiting to get out there since they were promised a rocking dance party by you-know-who. Also I'll need you to run out back as soon as the extra tables arrive and show them where they need to be set up. You'll need to specify that we're not covering the cost of delivery since they decided to show up so late."

"Right, Madelyn."

She nodded and watched her one and only assistant for the evening—a college-aged intern—run off into the growing crowd of people that filled the school's dimly lit auditorium. Preparation had been one thing, but actually getting everyone and everything in line and ready to go had been quite another. She wasn't sure it would end until the gala was almost over. Now, the caterers were set up, the ceiling was draped and decorated with expensive colored light fixtures, the sound system retrofitted, and the (non-alcoholic) drinks were already flowing. But she still had to keep track of the time and make sure everything happened when it was supposed to. There would be speeches, toasts, and live music in multiple acts. First, an obligatory performance by the school's student orchestra, and then a local band that promised to give everything they got, which as Madelyn recalled was a hefty sum of money from the school's coffers.

She glanced down at the time on her communicator before slipping it into a small pocket in her dress. The podium for speeches would have to be brought onstage fairly soon, and she could not miss that window of time. At least then she would have a moment to breathe. It was hard enough to breathe or do anything in this damn dress, a sleeveless black gown made of silky fabric that flowed over her feet, embellished with tiny crystals. She'd been a little nervous about wearing it, but she hadn't had time to go shopping for something less high class after Khan had turned up. Turned out most of the people in attendance tonight were wearing far more expensive pieces than hers anyway. The phrase "black tie affair" on the invitation had clearly been taken seriously.

She buzzed Todd through the com device in her ear that connected wirelessly with her communicator. According to him, everything was good to go. He and some friends of his from university were supposed to help with moving chairs and setup that Madelyn would never have been able to do on her own in heels. She felt lucky to have even snagged Todd to help her and quickly thanked him before ending the call. The school had saddled this gala on her last month and she'd had little help to prepare for it. She also knew why she'd been chosen to organize it and couldn't help but her grind her teeth at the thought. That damn Brown boy. She knew his family practically ran the school with their generous financial backing, and he'd certainly not held back with his rude behavior in class, even after she'd managed to get him reprimanded once for posting explicit images in her office. Whatever he'd told his family about her, she obviously wasn't a favorite and they probably thought she could use the extra work—or whipping into shape, which was more likely to be the way they'd put it.

Shaking her head at her own wandering thoughts, she picked up her dress and made her way through the growing crowd, dodging small children that darted into her path and skirting around massive tables of food and the people eating it, her curled hair bouncing on one shoulder. By the time she arrived at the glass doors at the auditorium's entrance, the guests of honor were beginning to arrive: the school's headmaster, Nigel, and his wife, a few department heads, and of course, the Browns, among other wealthy benefactors. This gala was to celebrate them and Madelyn would be damned if she didn't try to make a good impression. Anything to keep a job at this point, though planning this entire gala on her own should have sufficed.

She squeezed her way between people to greet whoever came first, offering a firm handshake and a "thank you for coming," flashing a wide smile and doing her best to be warm and forthcoming, despite the fact that the only person she really knew or cared about here at all was the headmaster. By the time everyone had arrived and been greeted, she was exhausted. Being fake and kissing ass had never been her strong suit. She made a point of showing Nigel and his family their reserved table, then glanced around for the other families. They'd been ushered away by other guests to their appropriate places and were taking their seats or filling their plates with dinner—or having their paid help bring them plates of food.

For the time being, she could let herself breathe. Her feet ached in her high-heeled sandals. She'd considered wearing flats, but the length of her dress required a few extra inches and she was already short enough as it was. She glanced around for an unoccupied chair and spotted one at a table near the back, which she headed for straight away. She didn't recognize the family sitting at the table, but offered a faint smile as she settled into the cushioned seat, a wave of warm relief instantly sweeping through her feet and ankles.

She checked the time again. The Assistant Principal should have been making an appearance onstage right about now. She gave it another few moments, then buzzed Todd.

"Where's Richard? He's supposed to be up right now."

"On it."

She heaved a sigh when the plump man finally stepped onto the stage a moment later, nodding and smiling to modest applause. A warm hand slid around her shoulder from behind.

"You look beautiful tonight."

She turned at Khan's voice, until she could glare up at him with indignation. She barely realized the compliment he had just paid her until later. "I told you not to come!"

"Did you really think I wouldn't?"

She glared up at him, and then she stared down at him. He was dressed in an extremely expensive, sleek black tuxedo jacket and a crisp white shirt that pulled around his torso and shoulders, and matching black trousers that hugged him in every unfortunate way. She watched, blinking in vague astonishment as he casually pulled out the chair beside her and settled into it as though he was meant to be there. She didn't even want to know how he'd managed to get into the auditorium without paying for a ticket in advance.

"You really shouldn't be here." She tore her gaze away from him and glanced towards the front of the room, where the Assistant Principal was giving just the most riveting speech. Khan slid a hand up her arm.

"You're stressed and uncomfortable. Perhaps you should remove your shoes."

The applause that erupted suddenly meant that she had to lean across the table towards him in order to hear what he said. "I'll trip on my dress. You do realize there are people here who may recognize you, right? We can't be seen together."

"I see no one of import."

"There are hundreds of people in here—" He leaned over for a kiss and she gave in for just a moment, before indignantly pulling away. "I can't do this here," she hissed.

A louder applause broke out and the Assistant Principal stepped down from the stage, a younger teacher stepping up into his place. Madelyn turned and focused her attention squarely on Khan. "Listen to me. You can't stay here. I already told you why—"

"Do you think for one second that I would allow anyone here to prevent me from spending an evening with you while you look as lovely as you do?"

She felt her cheeks grow hot and jutted her jaw out a little. "I still have to work," she reminded him.

"And I shall not keep you from it." He still didn't appear to be buying it however.

She eyed him and turned as the third speaker stepped on stage. She groaned quietly at the sight, but Khan heard her.

"Who is this?"

"That is the man who fathered my little nemesis. Ben Brown Sr. He practically owns the school."

Khan nodded carefully, his gazed fixed on the man behind the podium. Madelyn worried on her lower lip until she couldn't hold back what she was thinking. "I swear to god, if you do anything…"

"You know I cannot."

The intensity of his gaze shifted to her and it was like someone had doused his fire with a bucket of ice water. It pulled at her and she had to look away, clutching her dress in her fingers as she stood up. The third speaker was the last of this bunch, the student orchestra was set to go on immediately following them and it needed to go smoothly. Khan could wait. She made her way around the side of the auditorium, heading towards the stage. A glance over her shoulder smoothed over the kinks in her mind. Khan hadn't decided to follow her.

She slipped backstage, where the students were preparing their instruments. Todd and a few of his buddies were waiting with chairs in hand, prepared to jump to action to set up. She made a quick count of the students, then of the chairs Todd and the others had close by.

"You okay, Madelyn?"

She glanced at Todd. His eyebrow was sky high.

"Yeah, I'm fine. As fine as I can be right now anyway." Applause from outside meant it was almost time.

"Who's the bloke you were talking to?"

She frowned in confusion, then frantically reached up for the device in her ear. "Shit, you heard all that?"

Todd nodded, both of his eyebrows reaching his hairline.

She pulled the device out of her ear and clenched it in her fist. "Don't breathe a word."

"Yeah, but who is he?"

"It doesn't matter and it's none of your business."

He shrugged, still looking at her strangely. "Suit yourself." He wandered over to his friends, and when she glanced over they were talking lowly amongst themselves, one of them covering his smiling mouth with his hand. Anger curled into her stomach when she looked again and they were all grinning. She started to approach them, until Ben Brown's father came around the corner. She shot the boys a glare and motioned frantically to the stage. They scurried to work.

"Mr. Brown!" she exclaimed, whirling around in her heels and pasting on a smile. "What a wonderful speech! Definitely going to remember that one."

He gave her a cool look and shook the hand she'd offered him. "I give a variation of the same speech every year. Let's hope you'll be around next year to actually hear it."

He strode away, leaving her to curse at herself, at everything really. So far this evening was turning out to be a real jewel.

She whirled around again and managed to snag the lead singer of the band to fill them in on obligatory last minute details, but to her relief they seemed to have things under control on their end. She waited until the student orchestra was finished, then signaled the band to go onstage. Waiting until the music started, she finally let out a breath. There were only a few other things left to deal with before the evening would be over.

She almost expected Khan to pounce on her at the door as she went back out into the auditorium, but he didn't. As the music picked up with guitars and synths, dancers ran out onto the floor to have their slice of the apparent fun, and Madelyn walked smoothly and calmly between them, seeking out her empty chair. She spotted Khan first, on his feet and coming towards her through the crowd. Almost immediately, he caught her eyes and sent her a smoldering gaze complete with a smirk. She pressed her lips together, fighting her immediate attraction to him. There was nothing good behind that look, or at least nothing good that she wanted to deal with here. Then she froze.

A younger man and a woman who was probably his wife pulled Khan's attention away from her, apparently trying to spark a conversation. She paused, waited to see what Khan would do, but he merely acquiesced and gave faint nods and was doing a very good job of pretending to be interested. This couple didn't have a clue.

She let out a breath and continued on, until she could sidle up next to him and paint on another fake smile. Khan's hand on the small of her back kept her grounded.

"I was just telling these kind people of the work you put into making this event happen," he said. "I believe you deserve far more credit than you've received."

She knew his words rang completely true and her smile faded into a genuine look of gratitude towards him.

"It's truly a remarkable event," said the woman. Her husband nodded.

"Yeah, thanks for doing all the hard work."

She shook hands and watched them amble off to mingle elsewhere. Then she turned to Khan. "You seriously didn't introduce yourself as—"

"John McGivers," he murmured. "I'm not foolish enough to use any other name here."

His face lingered by her ear a moment longer as she fought to restrain an embarrassed grin. They probably thought we were married.

"You smell magnificent. What's changed?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, partially for his inappropriate tone of voice. "Nothing? I'm not even wearing perfume."

She caught the look in his eyes and knew instantly that he was onto her. She said nothing. She should have known. He always had this way about him, being able to pick up the slightest shift in hormones. Maybe she should have gone with the pill instead of the injection.

"Madelyn! Who's the lucky man?"

She turned to see the headmaster, Nigel, approaching them. So did Khan. She dug the heel of her sandal into his foot before he could say anything.

"Hey, Nigel! Uh, this is my friend, John Harrison."

Nigel's eyebrows shot up. "John Harrison? Isn't that the terrorist fellow from a while back?"

"Yeah, that guy turned out to be using a fake name," she said quickly. "John, this is Nigel, my boss."

"How do you do?" Khan instantly shot his hand out to shake. "I'm afraid my name is an unfortunate coincidence. Believe me, I've been spared no small problems with the authorities because of it."

If Madelyn had been eating anything at that moment, she probably would have choked.

"Yeah," Nigel nodded, looking at her again. "Yeah, there's definitely a resemblance too, isn't there? That's funny."

She shrugged. "It's the hair. I keep telling him he needs to color it or grow a beard or something, but he refuses." She glanced up at Khan. His jaw rippled with tension.

Nigel laughed. "Right, well it was good to meet you, John. Hope to see you around in the future!" He glanced at her and winked, then strode off. She managed a small smile.

"Very, very close, Maddy," Khan murmured, his tone close to a warning.

"He knows I'm not married. I couldn't just let you—" She stopped, incensed by the look he was wearing, and pulled in at the same time. "This is exactly why you can't be here."

"I will leave, but first you will dance with me." He snagged her hand and started to pull her into the crowd.

"What? No, I don't dance."

"It will require little participation on your part."

She had no choice but to follow him. The music had slowed now to a calm, relaxing song she'd heard played on the radio once, but everyone on the dance floor seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were still more speeches to come according to the schedule of events in her brain, but they currently weren't a pressing matter. Maybe it would be alright to take a break for a few minutes.

His hands settled on her waist and instantly pulled her close to him, so she draped her arms casually around his neck. She gazed up at him silently as his attention flitted around them from person to person, until he seemed satisfied that whoever or whatever he was looking for wasn't around. Then his attention settled on her.

The auditorium's dim lighting tinted with purples and blues and reds illuminated his pale, chiseled features, almost glowing in stark contrast to his dark hair. And his eyes. Fixed on her, his eyes glimmered and reflected the light. If she was being honest with herself, she thought he looked absolutely gorgeous.

"You never struck me as the dancing type," she said after a moment.

"There were many gatherings, similar to this one, which I attended during my reign. Some of these parties required that I partake in the festivities, lest I be seen as a heartless bastard. Initially, I begrudgingly complied, but as a result I learned to enjoy myself. There were politics involved, of course. It was all part of the game."

She was genuinely fascinated by this peek into his former life. "Please, go on."

"I'd prefer not to linger on the past when we are here, now."

"You can't keep these things from me forever."

"Are you going to write a book about me with all of this information you so desperately want to know?"

She grinned. "That's not a bad idea. It'd probably make me more money than this." She glanced around them. This gala had happened because of her and she wasn't going to let them take it without giving something back to her in return. If not…

"If you did write about me, how would you explain to the families of those I killed why you continued to be drawn to me?"

She considered her answer carefully, already feeling like he was holding her to a fine line. "You did things for me that no one else would've been able to. Things that, in the long run, could potentially make up for what you originally did to me. You showed me your potential for being more than what the textbooks said you were."

He lifted his chin slightly, still looking down at her. Pretending to be offended wasn't going to change anything.

"I wouldn't leave anything out," she continued. "People deserve to know what really happened on the Vengeance. And they deserve to know the monster behind the mask, just as much as they deserve to know your human side."

"The logic of your statement is faulty. By comparing a part of me to humanity, you're insinuating that I share the flaws of my creators, that I am not the superior being you know me to be. I am and will always be the most superior. I was created first, I was the archetype. I was engineered to be better. To compare me with humanity is to say that I am not better, nor more intelligent, nor stronger, nor in fact superior. And that would be a lie."

"Jesus," she murmured, shaking her head at the top of his egotistical iceberg that decided to surface. "That's not what I was saying at all, but I'll be sure to put that one down for the record."

"Then explain how you can justify the assumption that I have, and I quote, a human side."

She sighed, shaking her head faintly, and leaned into his hands. "By human, I meant kind. Sensitive even. You care so much, and it isn't always about the right things, but you love. And you act on that love, no matter the cost."

His expression shifted, brow loosening and crinkling slightly before he masked his surprise.

"You love deeply, Khan. That's what I meant by "your human side." Not that you share the attributes of your creators. But who am I to say that you don't? I never met them."

"You are fortunate you never will."

The implications in his voice made her wonder for a moment.

"Am I still a monster to you?" he said, inclining his face towards her now.

She stared at him, lifting her chin in her own defiant manner. "You're a beast. But you're my beast."

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a faint smirk.

Madelyn slid her arms more tightly around his neck, not ignorant of the way his fingers were pressing into her back. Eventually, her feet began to hurt again. He seemed to pick up on her discomfort and pulled her out of the fray of dancers as the music picked up, leading her back towards the unoccupied chair she'd claimed earlier. But then he kept going, pulling her past it and making for the doors of the auditorium. She pulled back.

"Khan, I can't leave yet."

He zeroed his gaze in on her with unsettling speed. "Why?"

"I've still got things to do here. People to manage."

Without warning, he took her chin in his thumb and forefinger and crashed his lips into hers. She exhaled against him, wishing she could just leave. Just walk out of there holding his hand and leave all of this behind. All of it, the people, her reputation, her belongings. All she needed was him.

She opened her eyes as his lips fell away and reality crashed over her. He was leaving in three days and she couldn't afford to ditch the life she'd refashioned for herself if she wanted to continue to experience normalcy after he was gone. The thought made her stomach hurt.

His fingers slipped away from her face, just as a pubescent male voice echoed across the room.

"Hey guys! Hey look, my teacher invited her terrorist boyfriend to the party!"

Madelyn cursed under her breath. It was Ben Brown, pointing and making a big scene, waving at a group of students to come over and see them.

"Look at this you guys! Oh my god, what a whore. Hey, someone call the police! Let's show these cocksuckers how we treat terrorists around here!"

She grabbed for Khan's arm to stop him from going after the boy as he ran off laughing. Khan's upper lip curled into a fierce snarl and his eyes burned. Every muscle in her body vibrated as she held him back, almost expecting him to explode and lunge after the boy. She let out a breath when he finally backed off, but his features were red hot with anger.

"That is your student?" he spat. "How dare he act in such a manner, Madelyn! What disgusting behavior! Why haven't you done anything about him?"

She was doing her best to pull him to the doors now, anything to get them both out of a potential shitstorm. "I've tried. Like I said, his parents practically own the school."

He still lurched around, looking for the boy, but he had disappeared into the crowd. Madelyn kept a firm grip on him until they came outside into the cool night air, glass doors sliding shut behind them, muffling the music coming from inside.

"And you haven't taken it up with any other authorities?" He sounded as indignant as he looked, the tension in his neck giving away his efforts at self-restraint.

"Khan, please. I practically begged them to give me the job I have now, ok? People pretend they don't know what happened to me, but when it comes down to it, they know everything—at least everything they were told by the media. They hate me, ok? They hate me and there's nothing I can do about it short of quitting my job in protest, and that still only lets them win."

His rage did not satiate as quickly as she'd hoped. "You let him call you a whore! You cannot allow this to continue!"

She felt like she was pleading with him just to calm down. "What am I supposed to do? Kidnap him? Threaten him?"

"Yes," he replied, as though that had been obvious all along. "He is young and ill-trained. He deserves a lesson or two."

She exhaled bluntly, shaking her head and looking anywhere but at him. "I've had enough of all of that. For any reason." She continued shaking her head, unwilling to believe that he would still consider that as a reasonable course of action. It still hurt her though, to think that he couldn't even do that. He couldn't do anything. He was a bystander, forced into passivity because one wrong move could put them both at the business end of an armed torpedo.

She realized she hated what he'd been forced to become just to be with her for these last few days. Even if it stemmed his violent nature, she hated it because it wasn't truly who he was. She would rather try to wrangle a storm then watch it disappear with a whimper because there was nothing else left from which it could draw strength.

Tapping from the inside of the glass doors drew her attention. Todd was motioning at her to come inside, tapping on his wrist. She nodded briefly and shooed him off, then turned back to Khan. "You know," she said slowly, carefully, "If circumstances were different—for you I mean—I wouldn't be averse to teaching him a lesson. God knows he needs one. Did I tell you about the photographs I found all over my office?"

"Yes, amidst other unruly and disrespectful behaviors."

She reached up and placed her hands on his face. She could feel the tension vibrating through him like electricity. "You know you can't, and we both know why." She pulled his face down enough to place a quick kiss on his lips, then let him go. "You should go. I'll be home in a couple hours." She sighed at the thought of the work that waited for her within those hours.

He regarded her silently, pulling his hands behind his back. The action pulled at his suit and made the buttons of his shirt struggle to stay fastened. Her lower lip found its way between her teeth again.

"A couple of hours then," he said, nodding, eyes flitting over her. "You looked beautiful tonight."

"I know, you said so earlier." Somehow it was easier to brush off the compliment the second time around. But she could see in his eyes that he genuinely meant it. "Thank you."

He held her gaze another long moment as he began to walk away, then he turned and disappeared into the darkness. Momentarily left alone, she fought the urge to say his name, just to get him to stop so she could see him again. The night closed around him in his dark suit and she couldn't see him anymore. She knew where he was, knew where he was going, knew the path he would take to get there. But she couldn't see him, and for the slightest moment that terrified her.

She turned away, the gala inside visible through the glass doors in front of her, muffled music barely audible. She couldn't go back in yet. She pulled her communicator from her pocket, fingers hovering over the list of contacts.

She wasn't sure what she could say, but she had to try. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

She dialed McCoy, counting back the hours in the time difference between them. Assuming he was in San Francisco, it was only two in the afternoon for him. Hopefully he'd pick up.

"Hey, Madelyn." He sounded surprised to be hearing from her.

She realized that the last time they'd spoken, she'd hung up on him out of sheer anger. "Hi."

"It's pretty late over there, ain't it? You alright?"

She hesitated. "I don't know if I'm alright, to be honest."

There was a long stretch of silence on the other side before he responded. "You and Khan… you guys made up?"

She thought about how she could say it. She thought there was a hint of jealousy in his voice, but she didn't see why she had to hide this from him. "Yeah, we did. And now I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea."

"Madelyn, I told you what Starfleet's gonna do—"

"Bones, I know," she said, pausing, taking a breath to steady herself. "But I have feelings for him."
"After everything he did to you?"

"You don't understand because you don't know everything that's happened between us. Just leave it at that."

"Alright, I'm trustin' you on this. You and I both know how he can manipulate—"

"This isn't manipulation, Dr. McCoy," she snapped.

There was another stretch of silence.

"I'm—Bones, I'm sorry. I just… I didn't know what else to do, so I called you." She ran her fingers through her hair, waving Todd away when he appeared at the door again. "Maybe this was a mistake too."

"No, no, you stay on the phone. You never call me unless you got a reason, so what'd you wanna talk to me about?"

She took a careful breath before continuing, grateful for his persistence. "It just seems like there should be something Starfleet can do besides locking him away in cryostasis."

"Honestly, Madelyn, it's our best option. It's foolproof, it'll keep his nose out o' places they shouldn't be, and it keeps us from turning into another Admiral Marcus."

"I know, but can't there be some other way?" She knew she sounded desperate. She felt desperate. There had to be something else. "Even sending him off world?"

"The thing is, Madelyn—and he's made this abundantly clear several times—he's not goin' anywhere or doing much more than he already does unless his crew is with him, and that's just not something we can risk. You should know that."

She hated that they still viewed him as a threat. She hated that he still technically was a threat, as long as his people were kept from him. "So send them all off world. Send them somewhere they won't bother Starfleet. Outside Federation space even."

"What are you sayin'? You sayin' we should stick 'em on a colony and let them take over the place like they took over Earth back in the 21st century? Give 'em something to chew on for a while? You know they'll get bored."

She sighed. "There's seventy-two of them. Seventy-four or five if you include Khan and the others."

"We got Otto Novak, Aidan McPherson, Cecelia Rodriguez, Suzette Ling, and Kati and Khan. That makes seventy-eight with the ones still in cryotubes."

"So seventy-eight." Or seventy-nine. "Seventy-eight capable people."

"Seventy-eight dangerous human weapons, Madelyn."

"They're Augments, Bones. They were created to be better, and to rule, and to conquer—" She froze, an idea hitting her like a sack of cement. Why hadn't this occurred to her before? "You don't have to send them to a colonized planet. You can send them to an uninhabited one. One that they can conquer and make their own without Starfleet having to worry about them. Bones, this could work. This could really work! Oh my god, all we have to do is find a planet that can support life, outside Federation space if you insist, and Starfleet will never have to deal with any of them again!"

And she wouldn't have to lose Khan. God, she wouldn't have to lose him. Her heart was beating wildly at the thought that had just fallen out of her mouth. She waited with baited breath for his response, her palm sweating as she clutched her communicator. "Bones?"

"Madelyn, I don't know."

Panic hit her like a freight train. "This is the only thing that's going to work, and if you don't follow through on this for me, I swear to god I will find a way to make it happen on my own."

"Woah, ok, calm down. Madelyn, this… this is a big can o' worms. What you're talkin' about is essentially handing a starship and seventy plus Augments over to Khan and hoping he'll take it in the right direction."

"I'll make sure he takes it in the right direction."

"I can't say I doubt ya. But we don't even know if there are habitable planets outside Federation space that don't already have occupants. How do ya feel about Klingons?"

"Bones, just please do this for me," she replied. She didn't even care how desperate she sounded.

"He'll still be coming back to San Francisco on Tuesday, regardless of any decisions."

She nodded vigorously as though he could see her. "So you'll bring it up to whoever's in charge—"

"I'll see what I can do."

She thought she might cry. "Thank you! Oh my god, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me!

"Clearly, I don't," he grumbled.

She turned when Todd came through the doors this time. "Madelyn, the headmaster and a few others are asking for you. They said it's a serious matter."

She nodded. "Bones, I've got to go. Just please do this as soon as you can. I really need this."

"Like I said, I'll see what I can do. Will I be talkin' to ya again anytime soon?"

"Only if you have something."

"Fine."

"Bones, thank you."

She looked down at her communicator to see that he'd ended the call. Now all she could do was wait.

"Madelyn, they're waiting for you inside," said Todd. She did her best to look interested.

"Mm, yeah I'm coming."

She picked up her dress and followed Todd inside. He led her across the room, making his way around guests until she spotted Nigel and Mr. Brown in the middle of a serious conversation. They both looked her way as she approached.

This can't be good.

"Ah, Madelyn, thanks for giving us a few minutes of your time," said Nigel. "I wanted to follow up on the conversation I had earlier with you and your friend, John. I'm a little confused, since I overheard a couple mentioning him by the name of John McGivers, and yet he introduced himself to me as John Harrison. And Mr. Brown here has reason to believe that he is neither of those."

Madelyn forced herself to smile despite the panic burning inside her. "Well, it's a complicated thing, like I said before."

"A complicated thing," Nigel repeated slowly. "Yes, I'm aware. I think, Madelyn, you need to be a tad more careful of the company you keep, given your history and the fact that you barely received the job you currently have solely on the basis of your academic achievements. This school is run by families, for families, and I would hate to see it lose you."

Nigel's words disturbed her about as much as the look on Mr. Brown's face. She dropped her smile and replaced it with a sober look. "Right, I'm sorry. John wasn't supposed to come tonight. In fact I told him not to come. It won't happen again."

Nigel nodded. "I hope it won't, for your sake."

"I've got a lot of work to do," she said quickly, lifting the hem of her dress from the floor. "I hope you're both having a nice night." Without another glance, she hurried away, the threat echoing in the back of her mind for the remainder of the evening.

I apologize for the fact that this chapter was actually just one long scene. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading! xoxo