Hey guys, I know I've been gone a while, so here's the skinny on what's been happening.
I, being me, had two research papers due and one final exam to study for within the past two weeks. Being procrastination-prone sucks. Thus, I haven't had time to cram in fanfiction, as much as I would have liked to. Then, if I crammed in fanfiction, it may not have been as good as it would have had I had time to read over it in my sane mind. So here it is, finally, I hope you enjoy it and don't hate me too much for going on hiatus, because, well, priorities take priority. Duh.
Hopefully, tinkmasked, this answers your question about the contents of the mysterious basket.
Thanks for your reviews and Happy Reading!
~TPWG
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
Nadir was losing his head, darting around frantically as if that would clear his foggy mind. He slowly came into focus as one thought coursed through his mind like a raging river.
"Where is my basket?"
Nadir made no effort to be polite as he drunkenly shoved people out of his way, ducking his head to look at people's hands.
"Where is it?" He demanded, whipping around to get a good look at the crowd of potential thieves. They all looked equally guilty - or equally innocent. He was having a great deal of trouble discerning one from the other.
"Where is what, my Persian friend?" A thick German voice asked. Nadir slowly looked up and his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Audwin Albrecht," Nadir seethed, "you know good and well what!" He continued to fume, "Tell me, what's your middle name?"
"Alf," he replied, "Why do you ask such strange questions?"
"Because, Audwin Alf Albrecht, if you took my basket and I find out you did, I will beat you within a centimeter of your miserable life, make you suffer beyond what you thought possible, and send you back to your mother begging for mercy! I will make you wish you never met me!"
Audwin took one look at the deranged Persian man and knew he would make good on his promise, so there was only one thing left for him to do.
Run.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
"I had no idea you were so athletic, my little Persian friend!" Audwin shouted over his shoulder as he ran.
"I had no idea you were so obtuse!" Nadir shouted in reply, "You should know not to patronize me when I'm the freaking Persian police!" Nadir quickened his pace as he chased after the obtuse German who, admittedly, had at least a foot on him. Nadir was quicker though. He ducked into a hallway on his left, running through and following it to the end where he ran into Audwin, side-tackling him to the ground.
Audwin attempted to fight him, but Nadir located a pressure point and pressed down hard. Audwin was suddenly zapped of his energy and strength, and he collapsed, relaxing involuntarily on the spot.
"Now tell me, little German, where is my basket?"
"Can't tell," Audwin panted, clearly not accustomed to Persian police tactics.
"Yes," Nadir growled through his teeth, pushing down on him harder, "you will."
"It's where you left it!" Audwin defended.
"Which was in my arms!" Nadir yelled, moving his foot to the pressure point and his hands to Audwin's throat. "If you do not wish for me to crush your windpipe, I suggest you tell me where you left it!"
"Wait, wait, you think I took it?" Audwin asked incredulously.
"Why the hell do you think I'm chasing you?"
"I don't know, whereabouts of the basket, I suppose."
"Good God! Where's a Punjab Lasso when you need one? Strangling your stupid mass is a lot more challenging with only my hands."
Landfall was made while Nadir was busy straddling Audwin, and Nadir knew that if Audwin stalled for much longer, the trip would have been for nothing. Nadir leaned in close to Audwin and breathed a warning in his ear.
"Tell me where that basket is right now and we'll leave the ship in peace. Don't tell me where it is, and it will become my personal mission to extract every ounce of information out of you that I can get, then label you as a fraud."
"You wouldn't," he said, his mouth agape.
"I would. Besides, killing you won't get me the information, even if it does grant me instant gratification. What good are you to me dead?" After that, he mumbled something that sounded like, "Not that you're much smarter alive than dead."
"Bedroom," Audwin succumbed hopelessly, "just let me off this damn ship."
Nadir deftly released him, simultaneously sliding off of him and running to the cabin they had shared. Once he reached the door he busted through it with his shoulder. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw his basket and ran to it, thoroughly checking its contents to verify that nothing had been stolen. He rustled the hodge-podge quilts that rested inside and sighed with relief when he was convinced that his possessions were still intact. As he rustled the quilts, a note fell out of their folds and flitted downward, eventually finding a resting place on the floor. Nadir, still holding the basket close, bent down and picked up the slip of paper, turning it over so he could read it. In neat handwriting, the note read:
"I found you."
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
Erik was walking briskly through the concert hall, reciting his to-do list to himself in song so he would remember it. He reached the stage in what seemed a few paces and once again neglected to use the stairs, jumping and pulling himself up onto the stage in one fell swoop. Smoothing his coattails, he let a huff escape his lungs and strode over to the piano, once again feeling its supernatural pull on him. He swiftly sat down on the black leather bench and commenced his song, letting himself be surrounded by and absorbed in the music.
He played passionately with nothing at all to disturb him, such as ignorant managers, patronizing receptionists, or pesky ballet girls, three things he found to be much too typical around both New York and Paris. Although the situation in New York was marginally better than Paris as far as he was concerned, he still noticed these things as one notices nails being dragged across a chalkboard with vengeful fury. Amid his train of thought, he stopped playing abruptly, scribbling something down on the sheet music in front of him in his elegant scrawl. About to resume playing, he smoothed his wig with both hands and gingerly made sure that his mask was in place. His fingers barely graced the ivory keys before he felt another presence in the vast hall. Erik's head slowly rose as he sat up ramrod straight.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
"It would be wise to reveal yourself now rather than accumulating my wrath."
Silence.
"I will figure out who you are, rest assured, since you don't seem too keen on letting me see you," he growled softly.
Silence.
"So be it," said Erik with a menacing tone. He gathered his sheet music, stood up, and turned around to leave when he heard a voice.
"Erik."
He whipped around and glanced towards the back of the theatre. "I should have known we'd meet again, Daroga," he said softly. "Though I must ask - what exactly brings you here? Am I just that irresistible?"
The Daroga laughed and said, "No, not all that irresistible, I have a pressing matter that I need to discuss with you."
"You couldn't have humored me at least a little?"
"Not likely, though I have humored you before, and I've saved your life before."
"And I yours. Now what are you really here for? I'm sure it isn't just for menial chit-chat." Erik folded his arms across his chest, bracing himself for what was to come. He had no idea that he could in no way brace himself for what he was about to find.
"I'm here to deliver a message for you."
"A message would have arrived with the rest of the post. Now what is is you actually have for me?"
"That's the thing, my message had to be hand-delivered."
"Okay, so your message is of high importance. But what is it?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yes, just tell me! You came across the freaking Atlantic ocean to tease me? Don't you have ANY better way to spend your time and money?"
"Actually, I was feeling lonely and the ride was free, so it's all good." Nadir smiled warmly, but Erik's temper just kept rising like mercury in a thermometer on a blazing hot summer day.
"You're impossible!" Erik shouted, gritting his teeth and getting angry. His eyes turned from a warm, dark chocolate color to an intense, fiery gold, but Nadir didn't shrink back.
"As are you . . . you've failed to mention my basket as well. I thought you were perceptive!"
Erik's eyes glowed brighter. "I didn't think I wanted to know."
"Maybe," Nadir said calmly, "it's about time you found out."
He strode up to the stage and set the nondescript basket on the glossy, polished, black floor in front of Erik and watched keenly as he glanced back and forth from Nadir to the basket several times.
"Well," said Nadir, "are you going to look inside?"
"Should I?"
"Well, to be honest, I didn't traverse the Atlantic ocean for 'menial chit-chat'."
Erik shot him a pointed look and tiptoed towards the basket, each step lighter than the one before it. He lifted a section of the puffy quilts gingerly with his thumb and his index finger, not liking the suspense but steeling himself for potential shock, desperately wanting to get this over with.
"Maybe it isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be," he thought.
As he lifted the blanket, his eyes caught a glimpse of something inside and he gasped, stumbling backwards in what seemed like slow-motion and tripping over his own two feet. He landed on his tailbone once again, hitting the stage with such force that it knocked his mask off his face, sending it flying in the air. His head was spinning and he could hardly think. His thoughts were running together at ninety miles and hour and his brain was functioning about as much as a bowl of spaghetti. His hands went up to his uncovered face, feeling every crevice and crease, every deformity, but not processing what he felt. His breathing became rapid, his throat became tight. He could do nothing but stare at the basket Nadir brought and hope that he was only dreaming. Because even though he braced himself for the unexpected, he couldn't begin to fathom what lay ahead of him.
In the basket was a infant, with a face just like his.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
Boom! The cat's out of the bag now, or the baby is out of the basket. However you wish to phrase it is fine with me, but please let me know what you think of the story if you've got a minute or two to spare in the comment box below (like, just below here, literally, you should check it out). I appreciate every single review I receive, and thanks for your time when you read my writing. I have gratitude for you all I just can't express enough.
Thanks again guys, you mean a whole bunch to me.
~TPWG