Hello again! I've kept to my word so far and updated in a time frame under three months!
When Arthur got out of the shower and got dressed, he went back to the kitchen to check on Tori's progress. He found her doing the dishes, humming a tune that he didn't recognize. Once in a while she would softly sing a word or two in what he assumed was Lithuanian. He watched her for a moment, standing silently in the doorway, amazed at how clean the kitchen was compared to only a few hours ago.
"Oh, Dr. Kirkland!" the brunette yelped in surprise, drawing his attention back to her. The knife she was washing bounced on the floor after she nicked herself with the blade. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron as the Englishman rushed to her.
"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized, taking her injured hand, "Let me see ..."
He heard Viktorija's breath hitch and looked up to see her eyes wide and filled with terror, her complexion pale. She had stiffened under his touch, beginning to tremble. The woman reminded Arthur of a cornered animal. His eyes drifted back to her hand, noticing the yellowing purple and blue marks that spread out across her bare arms.
Before the Englishman could process anything, Viktorija had slipped out of his hold and disappeared. He stared into space completely astonished. His brain was slowly piecing together the puzzle, bringing the whole picture into focus. The way she acted after Ivan came to the apartment, the telephone conversation, her timid demeanor… He should have realized sooner. The sound of a door shutting brought him out of his reverie.
Arthur rushed out of the kitchen, pursuing the woman. Having left the apartment, he found himself alone in the corridor, the Lithuanian no where in sight.
"Shit." He inwardly cursed, jogging in the direction of the elevator. Seeing that it was not in use, he checked the stairwell. When this proved to be futile, Arthur ran a hand through his still damp hair. He trudged back to the apartment, feeling hollow inside. He found himself thinking of the worst possible situations after not finding Viktorija.
Arthur had managed to drag himself to his room, pausing with his hand on the doorknob, closing his eyes and softly banging his head against the door. "Stupid" he murmured, hitting his head harder against the wood.
Green eyes fluttered open as he heard a muffled sob coming from the bathroom. The Brit looked at the homogeneous door at the end of the hall, slowly approaching as he heard another miserable gasp. He tried the door knob before rapping lightly, waiting for a response. The soft sounds of crying he had recently become aware of had now faded, making Arthur worry only more.
"Viktorija…" He pronounced her first name for the first time carefully, his voice barely above a whisper. He wished he could have said it under happier circumstances. "Viktorija, open the door."
Arthur waited for what felt like a millennia before he heard the click of the lock, the sound magnified in the dead silence of the entire penthouse. Viktorija appeared in the doorway, eyes downcast and cheeks tearstained. The pair remained silent for a long moment, neither of them knowing how to proceed.
"May I?" The Englishman spoke first, holding his arms out sheepishly for a hug. The brunette merely nodded, and the distance between the two has quickly vanished. Viktorija buried her face in the blonde man's chest, her fingers curling into the fabric there. Arthur rubbed circles on her back, trying the only thing he knew to calm her down.
After the stillness stretched on for what must have been more than three minutes, the Brit heaved a sigh before breaking the relative silence.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," was the brunette's reply, an understanding that the two could now break apart.
"Viktorija," Arthur articulated carefully, "Will you tell me where those marks came from?"
He could see the tears beginning to well in her olive green eyes. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, gently leading her to the resentfully bright living room. The two sat on the sofa, Arthur giving Viktorija her space, but holding her hand for comfort. She took a deep breath before wiping at her eyes.
"Ivan," she began, stopping to let out a shaky breath, "he is…fragile."
Arthur had a vague idea where this was going. He knew that people often blamed themselves for being abused, trying to protect the person responsible at all costs. He remained silent in his reverie, coaxing her to go on.
"He doesn't know how to express his anger. He might end up hurting himself if…if…" The woman trailed off, blinking as more tears trailed down her face. The Englishman patted her hand, trying to be of some help. He grabbed a tissue and offered it to her.
"It's not his fault." Viktorija choked out between sobs.
She was beginning to curl in on herself, trying to make her figure as small as she felt. Arthur wrapped in a hug as he did before, literally giving the brunette a shoulder to cry on. He ran his hand over her hair, trying to calm her down. He held her like he would a child, feeling almost as terrible as he perceived she did.
"It's not your fault," he told her after a moment. "Is it a dog's fault that he gets kicked? Or a cat's that she hasn't been fed in weeks?"
These questions made Viktorija fall quiet. "I guess not," she replied softly.
Arthur gently pushed her up by her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. "You're not going back there. I don't care if I have to physically stop you, but your not seeing Ivan ever again."
The Lithuanian let out a small laugh. "You sound just like Felicija. I've already promised her I would stay away from him."
The two sat in the hush of the sunlit living room, both of them feeling better considerably. Arthur made sure the woman was finished crying before looking down at his watch.
"Good." The blonde heaved a sigh before standing up. "Now, I believe that it's about time for lunch. Come on. We'll go somewhere."
"Oh, Dr. Kirkland, there's no need to do that." Viktorija said quickly, standing up after him.
"Nonsense, of course there is." he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I think you should get to take a proper break after…what just happened."
"B-but," she paused, trying to find a reason to protest the man's generosity, "I'm still in my uniform."
"There's a clothing store just around the corner. My treat." The Englishman was unshakable in his resolve. He usually was more subtle about it, but he was a bit determined and didn't want to give Alfred or anyone else the time to invite him somewhere else.
The brunette just stood where she was, not wanting Arthur to spend any more money on her than he already was planning on.
"Excuse me." she said disappearing out of the room. She returned in dressed in a pair of jeans that were no doubt stashed in her bag. She still wore the long sleeved shirt that was under the uniform dress provided to her by the agency had provided.
"Are we ready?" Arthur offered him his arm after handing her her jacket.
Viktorija took it carefully, offering a small smile to her escort. The blonde man mirrored the expression, trying not to betray the fact that he was absolutely giddy inside.
I'm not sure how good this chapter is…BUT! Good news everyone! This is the last chapter in single digits, so the next one will be in DOUBLE DIGITS! It may not be exciting for y'all, but I'm super excited! \^0^/