Author's Note: Alright, someone begged for another chapter, so here it is. And this is a reminder that this story is rated "M".
Chapter 8: Safety
"I don't think we can lose them," Micky said. "They're just gonna find us again. They're gonna keep tracking us."
"There are way too many to fight," William said.
"Do you have a gun back here?" Micky asked.
"Yes, in a false bottom in that toolbox," William answered. "But there's only a couple of bullets in there."
"One is all I need," Micky said. Mike grabbed for the toolbox and quickly located the gun.
"What are you gonna do?" Davy asked.
"Get rid of them," Micky answered.
"With one bullet?" Peter asked.
"Just trust me," Micky said.
"Be careful; they're shooting back at us," Rose said. Micky broke the glass window on the back of the van using his elbow. Micky quickly peered outside and then took aim. Mike could see out the second window, but remained low. When Mike noticed a gas station with a large propane tank on the corner, he knew what Micky was doing. The station itself was empty of cars and there was only one employee outside sweeping. As soon as he saw the chase, he took off running. He wouldn't be close enough to be hurt.
Micky shot the gun and a split second later the propane tank exploded. The sudden explosion sent a shockwave through the air. Mike made sure the man near the gas station was unhurt as the cars following them were caught in the explosion. Sure enough, the man was knocked to the ground, but otherwise uninjured. The same couldn't' be said for the cars chasing them; all four were caught in the explosion and the heat and pressure caused the cars to experience their own explosion. Three of them flipped over as a second shock wave was sent through the air.
"Nice shot," Willow said in admiration.
"That should take care of them," William said. "We should be safe enough to head to the safe house now."
"Are they dead?" Peter asked timidly.
"You said it yourself, Pete," Mike offered, "they're monsters. They aren't human. I'm sorry, but at this point it's kill or be killed. We don't have a choice."
"I know," Peter said. "But they said they were cops…"
"Templars often are," Micky said. "They have to take positions of power to get what they need. And being a cop makes it easier to cover up their crimes."
"I don't understand how good people can be so bad," Davy said.
"They aren't good," Mike said. "They only pretend to be good. During the Italian Renaissance, a Templar rose all the way up to the position of Pope."
"Pope?!" Davy exclaimed. "What happened?"
"Supposedly there was something special underneath the Vatican that he wanted," Mike answered. "That and he used his position to control the Romans. He was in it for the power. Rodrigo Borgia. Pope Alexander. But he was killed. He was poisoned."
"By an Assassin?" Peter asked.
"Actually, no," Piper said. "An Assassin wanted to, but Rodrigo's son beat him to it. But the Assassin later threw the son off the top of a tower."
"I take it the son was bad, too?" Peter asked.
"Yes," Piper answered. "The whole family is notoriously known for incest and orgies and murder. The son killed the dad to take over control of the Roman Army."
"So this stuff really does go back a long time," Davy mumbled.
"Farther than we know," Micky said. "Some of these Assassin stories were passed down. It's as much our history as American history is."
"You ok, Peter?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Peter answered after looking at Ginny and Rose. "They're monsters."
Several hours later, they'd arrived at the safe house with no other incident. William purposely took as many turns as he could to make sure they weren't followed. When they stopped for gas and to take a bathroom break, Micky checked the van for anything they could have put on it to track them. When they got out of the van at the safe house, they were somewhat in awe of its size. William had told them it was large enough for them, but Micky wasn't really expecting it to be quite as large as it was. William said the house was originally a mansion having ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms, but most importantly, the basement had been converted to a training room for Assassin's.
Once they'd decided what rooms they'd use, they set at making a plan. However they hadn't come up with anything significant. They knew that Robert would have moved away from the soap factory and their first task should be to find him. The only thing they'd decided on was to allow William to leave and try to find as much information about Robert as he could. He had a friend who could look into numerous records, including tax, property and family papers. He also had friends connected to other Assassin groups; he'd reach out for help in every corner he could and report back to the group. Once William had left that evening, Micky knocked on the door to what was now Ginny's room.
"Hey," Micky said when she told him to come in. She was sitting on the edge of the bed smiling at him. Each time he looked at her, he saw just how small her frame was. She used to be strong and looked healthy. Now she was frail and looked tired all the time. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok," Ginny answered. "I get a little better each time I eat."
"Good," Micky answered. "I wanted to give you something."
"Give me something?" Ginny echoed as Micky sat on the bed beside her.
"I...I thought you were dead," Micky started.
"I already know this," Ginny said softly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I am not mad. At least not at you."
"No, I thought you were dead because Rose found you," Micky started again after a deep breath. "She said she went for help and by the time she got back, your body was already burnt. Someone's body. I trusted Rose. I believed her. And I took these off the body." Micky reached down the front of his shirt and pulled out a long cord wrapped around his neck. He lifted the cord over his head and handed it to her.
"Micky…" she breathed softly as she looked at it.
"I never thought I'd be able to give these back to you," Micky said. "I thought...I thought they'd be a part of me forever. I cleaned them, but the chain you had was too badly damaged. I had to put them on that rope and I never took them off."
"You kept these?" Ginny asked with a small tear starting to form in her eye. She looked down and brushed her hand over each item on the cord. She lingered briefly on the small diamond ring attached to the cord before moving to open the small gold locket.
"Of course," Micky said. "They were a part of you. So they were a part of me. Always have been. I'm sorry the picture got a little burned. I did what I could with it."
"It's fine," Ginny said looking at the small picture inside the locket. Micky smiled and looked down at the beautiful red-head in the picture. He'd seen this picture so many times before. When he couldn't sleep, he often opened it and stared for hours. He never had a picture of Ginny, but he could see her in this woman; Ginny's mother.
"She's beautiful," Micky said.
"I always wanted to live up to her example," Ginny said. "I want to make her proud. She endured so much. She loved me from the day she knew she was going to have me. Despite my father and what he did to her."
"Ginny, she would be proud of you," Micky said tucking her hair behind her ear and pulling her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "You endured five years of...I don't even wanna think about what, and you never once gave in. You are strong. You are beautiful. She would be so proud of you."
"I love you," Ginny whispered. "I never lost hope that you would come for me."
"I love you, too," Micky said pulling her close to him. "I'm so sorry it took so long. It shouldn't have taken that long."
"How could you have known?" Ginny asked. "We need to just be glad we're together and safe now."
"You are safe now," Micky said. He gently took the necklace and looped it over her head. Ginny touched the ring that was now hanging around her neck and smiled at him. Before she said anything else, she leaned in and kissed him. Her lips against his felt amazing. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He hadn't felt sensations like this in years. His heart skipped a beat and he felt butterflies flying around his stomach. She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and the other moved to rest on the inside of his thigh.
"I missed you so much," Ginny whispered softly. "I knew that I'd be able to hold you again. That I'd feel your touch." She leaned in and kissed him again, moving her hand up his thigh and pushing as much of her body into him as she could. Micky pushed her away and immediately felt bad for it.
"We can't," Micky said. "With everything you've been through…"
"I'm ok, Micky," Ginny whispered.
"...I can't while I'm thinking about that," Micky continued.
"If you let that stop you, we'll never be together," Ginny sighed and looked down.
"No, that's not true," Micky said. "We just need to work on it to get over this."
"Every time you see me you're going to be reminded of what happened," Ginny whispered.
"No," Micky said but fell quiet when she took her shirt off and ran her fingers across her skin just above her bra. Micky looked and saw a small scar marring her beautiful skin.
"This isn't the only one," Ginny whispered.
"I'm so sorry," Micky said solemnly. He knew it was his father who'd done this to her, but he still felt responsible.
"It's not your fault," Ginny said. "The only thing that got me through those cold nights was the thought of you. Holding me again. Your spirit and love kept me going. Why should that stop now?" Micky thought for a few moments. He'd dreamed about being with her again, but never once thought it actually possible. Mostly he didn't want to be with her because he was afraid she would relate the experience to her trauma. But now he wondered if being with her would actually be a more healing experience for her. He had inadvertently given her hope when she was going through hell. He could help her return to normal now. His touch could remind her that she was loved, strong, and safe.
"Are you sure?" Micky asked after a moment.
"I have wanted this for years," Ginny answered. "I've wanted you. I control who touches my body now. And when. Yes, I'm sure." Micky smiled and kissed her again. This time he let go of his worries and stress and just focused on her. The beautiful, strong woman in his arms. He leaned her back on the bed and ran his hands over her body. It looked weak, but he could feel a strength emanating from her from somewhere deep inside. It was this strength that he'd fallen in love with so long ago and it was this strength that allowed her to survive to this point. He could feel her moan into his kiss. A sound that almost spoke words; telling him that she felt safe and loved.
He moved and kissed her neck as her fingers slipped under his shirt and brushed his back. He almost felt sparks emanating from her fingertips. He pulled away from her long enough to allow her to pull his shirt over his head. When he kissed her again, he moved lower, tracing down her collarbone. He stopped when he saw the scar across her breast again. One hand was wrapped around her back and he moved the other one over the scar. He couldn't allow himself to look at it as an old wound. He now saw it as a symbol of her strength and perseverance. He moved back to look into her eyes. He saw no regret or hesitation. He saw love.
Her hand moved down his back and around his hips. She brushed her legs against the inside of his eliciting a response deep inside him. He moaned a little as he felt his pants tighten. He kissed her again, running his fingers down her stomach and across her hips. She groaned and arched her back into him. Her fingers found the button and zipper on his pants and quickly dealt with them. His hands looped around the waistband of the sweat pants Piper had given her back at the apartment the night before. She raised her hips off the bed to allow him to slip them off and onto the floor. He looked down and saw two more scars. One on her hips and the other just inside her thigh.
"I'm ok," she whispered when she noticed him staring. "I promise."
"You tell me if you want to stop," Micky said.
"Why would I ever want you to stop touching me?" Ginny smiled and leaned forward enough to pull his pants down over his ankles. Micky smiled and kissed her again. All that was left between them now were their underwear. He reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. Something he'd done so long ago, but it felt like somehow the last five years hadn't happened. He felt her breath and her touch against his skin and that was all he felt. He only needed to focus on her. The passion that came from deep within her infected him. He dropped her bra to the floor and moved to remove her panties. Once she'd removed his own underwear, he moved down to trace kisses around her breasts. His fingers moved up her thighs, brushing past the scar into the warmth between her legs.
"I love you," Micky said as he felt her tremble with passion at her touch. For a moment he thought he was dreaming again. That when he looked, she wouldn't be there or would be one of the other women he'd been with to try and satisfy the hole that had been left in his heart when he'd buried her.
"I love you, Micky," she whispered. Her voice a reassuring sound filling him with desire. She was taking back control and he was showing her how much he loved her; reminding her of what she really meant to him. And assuring himself she was really here with him. Her leg brushed against him and he let out another moan. He moved to kiss her neck again as her hands wrapped around him and pulled him closer to her. Micky got up on his knees and allowed her to guide him inside her. When he did, they both moaned. He felt her warmth and strength completely take over him. Every worry and fear was erased from his mind. It was just the two of them. He rocked on top of her, kissing her and whispering in her ear how much he loved her. She moaned his name, breathing softly into his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Rocking on top of her, he felt amazing. He couldn't imagine the five years he spent without her. She'd been here, next to him the entire time. Her fingers ran up and down his back, leaving a trail of passion and desire across him. He moved faster over her, supporting his weight on his hands and looking deep into her eyes. She was beautiful. Her smile was perfect. This moment was perfect. Something he'd longed to have for years. He wasn't about to spoil it now. Her skin glistened in the soft light of the room and her chest rose and fell with each passionate breath. When he slipped a finger between them to bring her pace nearer to his, he felt the moist desire raging through her entire body. Her body shuddered and her legs tensed around him, pulling him even closer into her. His hips expertly moved rhythmically over her, eliciting more passion filled shudders and moans.
He felt himself nearing climax after several passionate minutes and wanted to bring her with him. He slowed down his movements, but continued to play with her between his fingers. She cried out his name when he pulled her nipple into his mouth. Her back and hips arched up into him, almost lifting herself completely off the bed. He worked her until he felt her body quake beneath him. With each whisper of his name and moan of pleasure, he could feel himself being pulled towards the edge. He put his weight on both hands again and rocked his hips faster against her. He looked into her eyes as she threw her head back and bit her bottom lip. Her fingers dug into his back, clutching him tightly. He felt every muscle in her body tremble and his own anticipation peaked.
They cried out each others names at the same time and Micky felt more than just tension release from him. He collapsed next to her and rested his head on the pillow, covered in sweat and feeling more alive than he'd felt in years. Their breathing was labored and they were both exhausted. Ginny reached for the blanket and pulled it over each of them before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against him.
"I love you," Ginny whispered. Micky smiled and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly. "I never stopped."
"I never stopped loving you either," Micky answered softly running his hands through her hair. He wouldn't ever let her go from here on out. He would keep her close to him always. He would love her always.
