The punching bag was abysmally failing at everything but making her feel tired. Her mind, though, kept on racing, filled part with memories and part with badly shaped fantasies.
Punch- Grunt- Punch punch- Grunt.
With a slightly trembling hand, Carmen made the bag stop swinging and took a deep breath.
But as soon as she stopped, that nagging voice in her head seemed to grow louder. You should call her. No you shouldn't. You absolutely should. See if she's all right. Just calling her would make it not alright. Still, you miss her.
Her fist hit the bag again, as if the force of the punch could make that last thought crumble.
...
Carmen opened her eyes and, out of habit, she almost jumped out of the unfamiliar bed, but the sight of her own coat on the floor and something warm on her shoulder, made her stop and consider her situation, while memories from the night before flooded her mind.
The caper. Meeting Tigress. Fighting her and getting wounded, in such a stupid way. Protect the face, of course, but also the rest of your body, duh.
And then her attempts at being as stealthy as possible while not losing the precious cargo of originals she had managed to sneak out before Tigress realised that the ones she was carrying back to VILE were fakes. Climbing up the roof, and then jumping, while Player was asking her how hurt she was.
"You need to get some help, Red."
"I can't go to the hospital."
"I know that. But just… get some place to rest. Catch your breath."
"Yeah," she had said while running, trying her best for her breath to sound even. "I'll see to return these and then I'll…"
She had gasped, as a particularly difficult jump made her side hurt.
"Red! You ok?"
"Fine, fine," she had said through clenched teeth. At her feet she could see the lights of police cars, hopelessly chasing for a thief that was long gone.
"Listen. Promise me you're getting that wound treated." It had warmed her heart how Player sounded so concerned even over the coms.
"I promise."
There had been just one simple answer. A solution for how to return the medieval miniatures and how to get a place to rest, even if briefly, at least until she could get the bleeding under control.
But that would have meant involving her again. Putting her in danger, maybe.
Not two blocks away was Julia's hotel. She could make it. She did make it.
And then the memories of Jules taking care of her the night before made her feel warm again. She had been concerned and careful, efficient and tender… her body had been so near hers. The smell of her skin filling Carmen senses as she worked on cleaning the wound. She had made Carmen shudder. Had she noticed it?
Carmen's thoughts went back to the present. The bed she was lying on, still on her side. The warm presence right next to her she could not see. That warm weight that she knew, without having to look at it, was Jules' hand.
She had stroked her hair, in a way that was completely new to Carmen. Jules' hand was on her bare shoulder now, and her presence was impossible to ignore. It felt almost as if it was getting heavier with every passing second.
But Carmen had to move on. She couldn't stay.
Loudly, she stirred, and Jules' warmth disappeared in a second.
Slowly, Carmen stood up. The sheet bandages were a little stiff, but other than that, the wound was still covered. Thinking about Julias' arms around her almost naked torso made Carmen tremble again.
"Good morning," Jules' voice at her back made her smile, even if it sounded rather stiff.
"Hey, Jules," Carmen said, slowly turning around to see her.
"How are you feeling?"
"A little sore, but on the whole, really good."
Julia smiled in that way that reached her eyes and Carmen liked so much.
"I'm glad,"
Carmen stood up and grabbed her coat. "I should probably go."
Julia sighed, and stood up as well. "That wound is not yet healed, you know."
"I know," Carmen said, facing her and fighting a sudden urge to put a hand on her arm. Her waist. Anywhere, really. "But I'll go undercover and get home. I'll get help there."
"Are you sure?"
"I am." She glanced at the bandages again. "You've done brilliantly."
Julia blushed an adorable shade of pink.
"Can I ask one last favour?" Carmen asked, trying to stop this new train of thought that was making her feel hot as well.
"Sure."
Carmen pointed at the black file. "Could you take that to the museum?"
"I thought as much. I'm telling them somebody dropped this at my door last night."
"The old story."
"The old story," Jules repeated with a smile, and Carmen was sure that, just like her, she was thinking about a terracotta warrior and some other items. Including a dozen of red roses, maybe?
In silence, Carmen tried to put on her coat, and Julia helped her. And then she put a hand on the door handle.
"Jules," she said, not sure about how to continue.
Julia's big eyes met hers. "Be safe, ok?"
"Am I not always?"
Julia chuckled. "Still…" she seemed to be struggling with words. "Could you… let me know once you're home safe? You don't need to tell me where, or any details, really," she hastened to add. "Just… that you're ok?"
Once again, warmth filled Carmen's body. After so many capers with Player, Zack and Ivy, and even Shadowsan, she had learned to recognise care. This, though, felt slightly different. Or maybe it was her, finding hidden meanings where there were none.
"I will."
"Ok," Jules smiled.
Carmen was about to open the door, when a sudden impulse took hold of her. Without giving it a second though, she bent down, and placed a lingering kiss right on the corner of Jules' mouth.
Heart beating madly she took half a step back and searched for her eyes. Had she gone too far? Had she assumed-?
Jules eyes were bright, and she was blushing, a slow smile growing. It was not enough, but then again, it maybe was.
With quick movements, she opened the door and exited the hotel room. Her brisk steps didn't stop until she was on the train, coat stored in a bag and burning cheeks hidden as much as possible in the hood of her black jacket.
...
How long had she been here, working her arms off? And hour? Maybe two?
The moment she had finished taking care of her wound back at headquarters she had set up an anonymous email address.
Back home, safe and sound, she had written. And then, before she could decide otherwise, xo .
It felt silly. Girlish. And as she deleted every trace of the address she wondered if Jules would have wanted to contact her. She couldn't now.
Carmen stopped hitting the punching bag, this time for good, and took a deep breath.
Maybe the fact that she was not really facing all the feelings behind the memories was the reason she didn't seem to be able to move forward. To do something about them.
Were there feelings to begin with?
She shook her head. Of course there were. And, they might be one-sided, but she had the hunch they were not. And maybe she just needed to know. To face it, whatever it was, the way she would face anything that VILE threw in her direction.
But that was sneaking, and punching, and stealing, and hitting. This thing with Jules, whatever it was, was something VILE Academy had certainly not trained her for.
Slowly, she went to the bathroom. As she took off her top to take a shower, she looked at the scars. Three weeks had passed and the wound had healed nicely. But it was still a powerful reminder of the time that kept on passing without her, Carmen, doing a thing.
When she finished getting dressed again, her mind was finally made. With a deep calming breath, she took out her cell phone.
"Player?"
"Hey, Red. What's up?"
Another deep breath. "Listen… I need a favour. Two, actually."
"Shoot."
"First, could you secure me an encrypted channel with a phone number?"
"How encrypted?"
"Made it as difficult to trace as you can."
"On it. Second?"
"Never, ever, ever tell anybody."
Player chuckled. "Done. Give me the number."