Okay...I'm evil. (But you already knew that.)
DarylDixon'sLover: I know, right! So many feels.
NadzKers12: Olivia is starting to trust James indeed. Well, at least for the moment. And don't worry, I get squirmy inside when I think about Bucky saying 'doll' too.
hateme101: Yeah, Steve had his short little cameo for now. He'll be back much later.
HaveYouEverHeardTheStory: Romance is still pretty far on the plot line. Really far. I want them to suffer as much as possible before they get to that. And they will suffer because I'm evil.
KateXCross: Aww thanks! Your review was so sweet! I'm glad you like the story though!
Lesliezin: Physically, not a whole lot more is going to get hurt. Mentally and emotionally however, those are two very different things...but I'm glad you're loving it!
Tiphanie: Yes! They're safe for now! Both James and Olivia are going to go through hell mentally and emotionally. I'm even starting to slip it in now. They've got some serious demons, and they haven't touched them yet. And you know me, peace and quiet only lasts so long...
Enjoy!
I woke up when something was draped over me. I groaned, shifting slightly under the soft fabric.
"Sorry, doll. Go back to sleep." James whispered, tucking the blanket under me. "I'm gonna do some work around the safehouse. I'll try to be quiet." And I was asleep again.
I woke up to hammering, and then a curse from the bathroom. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My backpack had been replaced by a pillow, and a heavy blanket had been tucked around me. The light was dimmer in the safehouse, as newspapers had been taped over the windows. There was a table sitting against the wall straight across from me. James came out of the bathroom, his eyes landing on me.
"Hey. I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Yeah. Kinda." I said, rubbing my face.
He'd changed clothes, now sporting a black t-shirt and a clean pair of jeans, and a new pair of boots. He walked over to the table, grabbing the plastic bag that was sitting on it.
"I picked up some clothes this morning." He said, dropping the bag in my lap. "I got the hot water heater back up and running, and the pipes cleaned out if you want to shower. I've got a couple things you can do today."
"O-okay." I said, looking through the bag as he went to the kitchen to put the hammer away.
They were all dark colors, easy to blend in with. He got the basics, jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks. I wondered how long I'd been out, and how he'd gotten so much done already.
Taking a hot shower was such a relief. I must have just stood in there for a good thirty minutes soaking in the steam and hot water. I already had a list in my head of thing's I'd need to get. Plus, whatever James had planned for me.
I braided my wet hair as I left the bathroom, dumping my old clothes in the garbage bag by the door. James was standing in the kitchen, writing something down on a piece of paper. He glanced up at me as I neared before finishing off the list.
"Can you go grocery shopping?" He asked, looking up at me while leaning on the counter.
"By myself?"
"Yeah." He nodded.
"I don't speak Romanian."
James sighed lightly. "You don't have to. Not everyone just speaks Romanian in the city. You'll be fine." He pulled a beanie over my head. "Just play tourist. Don't say too much, and keep everything ambiguous. If anyone looks at you funny, run. You'll be fine." He handed me my backpack. "I'll be coming and going today, so if you leave again and I'm not here, just leave a note." He said, sliding a notebook on the table.
I was nervous. It was the first time I'd been on my own in civilization since...since I ran away the first time. I hadn't hardly been alone period since then. It was nerve wracking, every person that stared too long was a hitman coming after me. Every person that got too close had me shying away. I ended up having to duck in an alley a couple times to breathe, and calm my panic.
There was a grocery store just down the street from the safe-house so I went there to get most of the items. Most of James' list was non-perishable. Things that would keep for a long time. I grabbed a couple extra items, things I knew I would want. It wasn't that hard, playing tourist. I mean, we kind of were. Well, I was. James had the freaky ability to speak any language he wanted, and he seemed at ease here. I was still adjusting, trying to make sense of a foreign country I knew very little about. The fact this was home now hadn't quite hit yet.
I passed a market on my way back, pausing when I saw a fruit vender. I scanned the items, thinking having at least something fresh would be a nice change. My eyes landed on some plums, and I thought back to something I'd read when I was still going to school. I bought a few, stuffing them into my full backpack before heading back to the safe-house.
James was putting together a shelf when I walked in the door. I went to the kitchen, clearing off a space on the counter before unloading my backpack. I started putting food away, wiping down the cabinets as I went.
"What are these?" James asked and I turned, watching him as he inspected a plum.
"Plums. I got them for you. I, uh, read somewhere that they help improve memory. I thought, you'd done so much for me, I would-"
I was cut off as he pulled me into a hug. I froze, my body stiffening. He was warm, and smelled nice. Clean. My heart was pounding, and I forgot how to breathe as he held me for a moment. It really wasn't any different than those times he'd carried me, or the times he'd sat by me in bed to keep me warm. But those times he'd had no choice. I had to let him touch me. But now, he was doing it willingly. I knew it was supposed to be friendly. A thank you for thinking of him. But I couldn't help the images that flashed through my head. The last time a man had touched me without my permission.
James had been keeping himself busy. Olivia had slept until the afternoon, giving him time to clean things up a little, go to the store to get some supplies and a new lock. The first thing he wanted to fix was the bathroom. He knew Olivia would want a shower, and he did too. He grabbed some soap and towels on his way around the store. Things he hadn't owned in a long time. He got a pillow and blanket for Olivia, thinking that would be better than a jacket and a backpack until he could get an actual mattress.
Olivia was still out when he returned. He tore the tags off the blanket before moving over to her, slipping the pillow under her head, and wrapping the blanket around her.
She stirred, groaning lightly as he tucked the blanket around her chin.
"Sorry, doll. Go back to sleep." He whispered. "I'm gonna do some work around the safehouse. I'll try to be quiet."
She fell right back to sleep, not even moving as he covered the windows, or when he was moving the table from downstairs. It had been a trick, getting it inside, but he'd managed, setting it at just the right angle. Everything he put inside was set at the right angle.
He went back to the store, picking up some new clothes for both of them. The only things they had were worn, stained and would draw attention. So he grabbed the basics, feeling a little sick at the fact he knew what sizes to get her. He felt like he was invading her privacy a little, but it had to be done.
He got the hot water heater back up and running, and the drains cleaned out. He'd showered, and nearly hammered a hole in the wall when he'd gotten the toilet working again. He heard a rustle outside the bathroom and knew he must have woken her. He felt bad, knowing she needed as much sleep as possible.
He let her shower as he wrote his grocery list. He hadn't had free will to buy food in a long time, so he was slightly stumped on what to get. He remembered some foods he liked, but most were just hazy memories without enough detail to really mean much. He knew she'd get some other things anyways, so he kept it short. Simple. He was a little nervous letting her go out by herself, but he knew they were safe. She wouldn't have to go far, and she knew what to do if she got into trouble. She was smart. Curious, but smart.
He gave her the list before letting her go, needing to do something with his hands to calm his nerves. So he went out as well, finding an old truck in the back alley behind the building. Surprisingly it still ran, which meant their lives got a whole lot easier for the time being. He went to the hardware store, getting a shelf he could put together, and he kept his eyes open for a bed. He'd need to get one before tonight so Olivia wouldn't have to sleep on the floor again.
She got back earlier than he expected, as he was still putting the shelf together. She unpacked her backpack, cleaning the shelves as she put food away. He finished the shelf, putting the screwdriver on the counter when he saw the fruit. He knew they were fruit, but he couldn't place what they were exactly.
"What are these?" He asked, holding it delicately in his hand.
She turned, looking to the small purple fruit in his hand. "Plums. I got them for you. I, uh, read somewhere that they help improve memory."
He felt something rise inside him, nearly choking him at her words. She'd bought him something to help him with his memory. It was a simple gesture, but it still had him feeling strange. Was it happiness? Was that what was welling in his chest?
"I thought, you'd done so much for me, I would-"
He cut her off as he hugged her, not caring as she stiffened in his arms. She was small, barely reaching his shoulder, and skinny. Too skinny, he thought. He'd need to make sure she ate more. She'd waste away to nothing if she kept that up. The thing inside his chest only intensified as he held her, the only person in his life that cared at that moment. She was the only person in his life at that moment. He wasn't sure what to call their relationship. They weren't friends...but yet they were close in only ways they could understand. And some they couldn't.
He loosened his grip on her as she pushed against his chest, nearly tearing away from him. She wrapped her arms around herself, her breathing shaky. He hadn't thought about that. He'd been so overcome by emotion he'd forgotten himself there. He felt guilt rise up in him as she seemed to get smaller, hunching in on herself as she tried to calm her breathing.
Damn it, James. He scolded himself, leaving the safe-house. Things were going so well...