Chapter 36

Eighteen months after Genviève had returned to France, David found himself sitting on the steps leading to a stylish apartment building in Marseille. He had a book open in his hands, his eyes skimming over the words although his mind was elsewhere. Now that he was here, what next? The longer he waited, the more convinced he became that flying to France wasn't such a good idea after all.

He looked around him, admiring the beauty of the architectural designs. There were people walking up and down the street on that sunny afternoon, a slight bustle in the background. A vehicle would drive by every now and then. The young man looked at his watch, then got up, deciding to while away the time with a tour of the town.

David ended up at the local market place. It was a beehive of activity, and he could not tell his right from his left with the crowds and movement around him. He saw an incredibly inviting fruit stall ahead, and went towards it as he dug into his pockets to get some change. As he arrived at the stall he began to count the coins in his hands, lucky to find he had just enough to buy three apples. He pointed at the fruits and dropped the coins into the hands of the woman behind the make-shift counter.

"Merci," he said politely as she handed him the plastic bag with the apples. Taking a step back he bumped into one of the many people walking by. He apologized absent-mindedly as he tried to navigate through the crowds.

"David?"

The young man turned his head in the direction of the one voice he that had caught his attention. Well, if all he needed to do was bump into people so that she could show up, David would have done so right at the airport. Smiling brightly and stepping around one middle aged man, he walked up to her.

"Genviève…hey," he greeted brightly, his heart thumping with joy.

The young French woman smiled just as brightly, albeit surprise was expressed just as strongly. She let go of the hand she had been holding so as to embrace David. That was when the African American realised that Genviève had been with someone. A guy no less.

"It's so wonderful to see you," Genviève added as she let go of David. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she stepped back, brushing her hair out of her face. "Oh," she continued, "This is Thierry. Thierry – David," she introduced.

David couldn't help but notice how Genviève was somewhat touchy-feely with the raven haired man beside her. Look at him, all smug, David thought as he unconsciously sized up the guy. "Hello," he said in a slight curt manner.

"Hello," Thierry responded as he firmly grasped David's hand in greeting. Instantly, the African American thought the guy had a stupid accent. "I've heard so much about you," the athletic French man added with a cheeky smile. Genviève playfully slapped his arm as she reproached him, a blush on her cheeks.

Oh, this is just rich, thought David in disgust. I flew all the way here for this?

"So," the mocha-skinned lady asked as she turned her attention to the American, "What are you doing here?"

"I came…" David broke off with a sigh, his will to say more breaking the longer Genviève held on to Thierry's hand. "I came to see you," he said quietly as he searched her eyes for a sign of…anything really. He just needed a sign.

A throat was cleared. "I think I should go. I will see you tomorrow," Thierry said as he gave Genviève a one armed hug. She nodded in response as the young man spoke to Dave. "It is a pleasure to meet you, David Lincoln." And with that he walked away, a smile playing on his lips.

David looked on after the departing individual until he was no longer in his sight. He felt a hand fit into his, and he looked down at them before lifting his gaze to meet Genviève's. "Come with me," she said as she led him away from the market place.

Once the bustle had lessened the young woman spoke again. "You came to see me?"

"Yes," David responded as they walked casually down the street.

"Why?"

Dave looked at her questioningly. "Really? Is that even a question? I missed you. I never even got to say goodbye."

"True, but you did say goodbye in the letter you sent me after I first wrote to you," she said challengingly.

"Yeah, but, it's not the same, even though I said it on behalf of the day you left. Does that even make sense?"

Genviève laughed that laugh that always rang melodically in David's ears. "Kind of. Okay, so you came to say goodbye in person? It's why you flew halfway across the world?"

"No, I wouldn't come here to say goodbye. I was hoping…I just missed you, okay? It's been one and a half years and I still think of you every day."

"You know, you could have told me you miss me and think of me every day in a letter. So David," Genviève stepped closer and held his face in her hands, forcing him to look into hers eyes. "Tell me the real reason you are here."

The young man swallowed, his legs rooted to the spot and his breaths coming faster and faster as his mind tried to think. "I love you okay?" he blathered. "I love you and I came to find out if you love me too. But I took forever to tell you how I feel and now you're with that Thierry guy and it's hopeless and –"

His pscyho-babble was cut short by Genviève's lips that were ever so gently brought to his in a chaste kiss. She pulled away from him before giving him another quick kiss. "David, relax. Un, I love you. Deux, Thierry is my best friend; that is all he is."

The American felt as light as a feather. "You love me?" he asked, a grin plastered on his face. Genviève nodded and smiled, before they both burst into laughter.

"Why didn't you tell me before? That you loved me?" he asked.

"I didn't want to be your rebound girl."

David took her hands in his and kissed them. "You are not my rebound girl. Sue is dead to me. I love you."

"No matter how dead to you you would like her to be, she will always mean something to you. You know it's true."

He was quiet for a while, trying to search Genviève's face. "But I love you, not her, you."

"I know, and I will love you till time stands still."

"Ah, ze French, so romantic," David said jokingly as he pulled his lips in his best French impression which failed to amaze his new girlfriend.

xxx

As impossible as it may seem, Abby could have sworn she had heard every single millimeter that the safety catch had moved, from the time Kensei's finger had touched it to the moment he let it go. What she couldn't understand was why she couldn't move faster, be it to take a sharp right or a sharp left, or even just to throw herself on the ground, which is where she finally decided to go. However, before she could even hit the ground, she heard the bullet piston right out of the barrel of the gun.

This is it, she thought as she finally collided with the ground. She lay there for an instant, but it felt like hours, before she summoned the courage to look behind her. Craning her neck to look at her assassin (ha, even in death she had the mind to consider herself important enough to be 'assasinated'), she was surprised to see him on his knees, his left hand desperately clasping at his breast while his other hand loosely hang onto his 9mm pistol. His breathing was labored, and despite his obvious pain and discomfort, he still had a sadistic smile on his face.

Noticing there was a growing stain of crimson under his left hand, Abby realised that the bullet she thought she had taken had actually gone right through her stalker instead. She run her hands over her own torso, trying to decipher the cause of her own pain, only to understand that her ache was caused by her very recent impact with the ground in her attempt to evade a bullet.

Abby heard hurried footsteps as her brother and Tommy ran to her. Jamie crouched beside her and held her, lifting her into a sitting position. His face was engraved with concern. He called her, quietly at first, then louder and louder as she failed to respond. All this time her eyes were on Kensei, watching as his fingers slowly let go of the gun and he fell backwards and straightened his legs. Abby now saw a man; a man who had been standing directly behind Kensei, but some metres away in the background such that his body had been hidden by that of the caramel-skinned man. This man had a gun trained on Kensei, even now as the biracial man lay wounded on the ground.

"Abby, dammit! Are you ok?" Jamie all but screamed at his sister, shaking her violently. She blinked and turned her head to look at her brother.

She gave him a little smile. "Yes…I'm fine. Finally." Then she passed out.