Just when you think you know where things are headed, life throws you a curve that leaves you wondering where it’s going to lead. |
By:
M. J. Cogburn and C. E. Krawiec
Previously: Vaughn's
temper was bubbling as he held the glare at his observer then stepped back
and swung around to leave. The
sooner he got away from Gillis Woods, the more likely it was that the
aggravating bastard wouldn't end up with the imprint of the leaper's fist
on one of his jaws. "Remember
what I said, Woods," he snapped, flinging one last glare back over
his shoulder at the man in the still open doorway then faced forward to
continue down the hall...and came to a halt in his steps.
At the end of the hall stood Inmon Fitzpatrick who, by the way he
was standing, had spent some time in a cell recently.
However, that wasn't what grabbed his attention; what did was the
startled expression on his friend's face. Inwardly,
Vaughn cursed; he hadn't expected there to be anyone else around this area
at this time of day. He didn't
know how much Inmon had heard, and frankly, he didn't much give a damn. "What
are you doing here, Inmon?" When
the security guard didn't respond quickly enough, Vaughn roared, "I
asked you a question, mister. I better get an answer and right now!"
The only answer, if it could be called that, was when Inmon broke
gazes with him, his glance shifting to look at something behind him.
Figuring that it was Gillis moving into the hall, Vaughn's already
hot temper blew the top off the thermometer.
Spinning around, expecting to find the aggravating observer at his
back, he roared, "Dammit, Woods, I told you...don't get in my
way..." Whatever else had
been about to spew out of his mouth vanished into thin air as Vaughn
Rickar froze in his steps, his eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of
Johanna Royden standing barely ten feet away from him, in front of the
door into Central Control. The
stunned expression on her face and the disbelief in her eyes stripped him
of the ability to think let alone speak. Silence,
massive and overpowering, flooded the hallway that led to Central Control.
Inside that protected inner sanctum, Lothos watched, waiting to see
which of the four people in the hall would break that silence.
PART
ONE
Inmon
Fitzpatrick regarded the leaper before him who was now dividing looks
between himself and Johanna Royden for several long moments before his
thoughts shifted back to his duty. The
short explicit instructions he had been given to escort a leaper back to
their quarters, while he was in the elevator, was enough to spur him back
into action toward Johanna. The
last thing he needed as he cringed slightly at the memory of his recent
correction was to land in a cell again.
Licking his lips, he started down the hall. As
he met up with the senior leaper, he wasn't surprised when Vaughn caught
his arm tightly stopping his slow but steady progress down the hall toward
the young lady. "Dammit,
Inmon," Vaughn snarled, "I asked you a question." Inwardly,
Inmon flinched from the pressure upon his arm and before he realized what
he was doing, he quickly twisted, grabbed Vaughn and pinned him against
the wall. Meeting his friend's
heated gaze, Inmon's eyes narrowed. "When
it comes to my job, I owe you no explanations."
Keeping his gaze on the leaper for an additional few seconds, he
let go and stepped back before slowly and painfully moving toward Johanna. Blinking
at her, he offered his left arm to her noticing how she was leaning
against the wall supporting herself, paused, and then offered his right
arm. If he had to pass by the
irate leaper again, he didn't want Johanna to be within reach.
He was to protect her, period.
Seeing the look that she gave him, he said softly, "Please,
Ms. Royden, allow me to help you back to your quarters." Johanna
divided a gaze between the security officer before her and her partner who
had taken a few steps after him. Finally,
nodding her head, she interlaced her arm in his.
"Thank you, Mr. Fitzpatrick." As
they started slowly down the hall, neither was expecting the explosion
that was about to happen from the irritated leaper. Within
the hundred years that seemed to encompass the moment when he'd turned,
shouting at, he thought, Gillis Woods, Vaughn felt his control of the
situation beginning to slip when he found himself glaring at his partner.
The stunned look on her face had rendered him immobile.
Only seeing Inmon Fitzpatrick start past him to go to Johanna
provided the needed impetus to get him moving, but even that backfired on
him. He
wanted so badly to follow the security guard...his friend...and put him in
his place, but there was something a bit different to the quality of
Inmon's voice, the look in his eyes. As
Mister Fitzpatrick, now arm in arm with Johanna Royden, moved past
him, the leaper resisted the urge to avoid the looks directed at him.
Inmon's look, he dismissed out of hand; the still stunned
expression in his partner's dark eyes was a different matter. What stung
more than he would admit was her reaction when he tried to speak to her. "Johanna,"
Vaughn began, moving away from the wall to step in front of the couple,
stopping them in their steps. It
both annoyed and rankled Vaughn when the security guard made a point of
shifting his stance, subtly placing himself between Vaughn and Johanna. "I
just want to speak to her," he started to snap, just barely keeping
his tone civil at the last second. Vaughn's
expression darkened at the sight of Inmon lifting his chin slightly and
staring at him. "Don't go
getting your back up, Inmon," he bit the words off. "Like I
said, I just want to talk to Johanna." "And
supposin' the lady doesn't want to talk to you?" Inmon responded, the
edge in his tone unmistakable. "That's
for her to decide, now isn't?" "Then
listen to me, the both of you," Johanna spoke up, her tone one of
coming straight to the point. "I
will decide, and I have decided."
She paused, splitting a telling look between the two men.
"Right now, I don't want to hear anything from you...Mr. Rickar.
And you, Mr. Fitzpatrick, you were sent to escort me to my
quarters. Do so and right now.
I need some rest...and some quiet." Vaughn's
jaw tightened at his partner's blunt comment.
"Johanna...." "No,"
Johanna bit the word of sharply. "Not
now.' "Then
when?" Vaughn demanded. "I'll
let you know." The rather
terse response was as good as slap in the face for the leaper, but he
didn't have any options that he dared employ to entice or force his
partner to stand still long enough to allow him to explain. "If
you'll excuse us." The
cool professional tone in Inmon Fitzpatrick's voice, matched with the
steady gaze he aimed at the leaper was the goad that Vaughn Rickar had no
alternative but to heed. Without
another word, he stepped back out of the way, allowing the couple to
continue down the hall. Not
until the pair had turned the corner did he acknowledge the quiet steps
that approached him. He issued
the warning without preamble. "If
you don't want to lose half of your teeth in the next ten seconds, Mr.
Woods," Vaughn warned darkly, not once turning his head to look at
the man now standing near him. "Then I suggest you keep your mouth
shut. Anything...any word that
comes out of your mouth about this right now, and you'll be spitting teeth
for an hour." Gillis
looked at the leaper before him and grinned knowingly as he watched the
young man huff, shake his head then start down the hallway the same way
that the others had gone. As
soon as the leaper rounded the corner and was out of sight, the older man
headed toward Central Control to talk with Lothos about the events in the
hall. He chuckled softly as he went along, quite pleased with the way the
encounter had turned out. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Once
in the elevator, Inmon looked at Johanna, watching as she softly shook her
head at the situation just past. Johanna
couldn't believe how Vaughn had acted toward his observer. Though he was
Vaughn’s observer for the moment, Gillis Woods was a most respected man
within the leaper community. 'Is
that how he'll act toward me?' she wondered as she dropped her head
forward, looking down at her shoes for a brief moment.
"Johanna?" Johanna
brought her head up to look at the man beside her.
"Mr. Fitzpatrick, I..." "Johanna,
please hear me out." Hearing
the sigh that she gave to him, Inmon knew that he was pushing his luck
with the lovely woman at his side. "I
didn't mean to run you down this morning.
I was rushing a friend to the ER and I didn't realize that I had
run you over. I am so sorry.
Can you ever forgive me for being a rude bastard?" It
wasn't at all what she had thought Inmon was going to say, and so she was
caught unawares for a moment. "What?"
she asked, not realizing that the elevator had come to a stop and the
doors opened. Feeling
he was still on thin ice, Inmon repeated the apology and question.
Noticing the open elevator doors, he gently urged her to step out
then followed her. As the
elevator continued on its way, he stepped in front of the Senior Observer.
"Well?" he queried, keeping his tone quiet. Even
with the gentle verbal nudge, it still took a moment for it to filter
through everything else in Johanna’s thoughts then match up with the
situation to which he was referring. "Oh,"
she began, then, "Ohh...that was you?" "Guilty
as charged," Inmon responded, his voice light but not in a flippant
manner. "I am so sorry." Johanna
searched her escort's expression and saw only honest regret there.
That, added to noticing the way he twitched a bit, shifting his
shoulders a bit as if his uniform was uncomfortable, told her immediately
that Inmon Fitzpatrick had already paid for his haste and unintentionally
knocking her down. She didn't
need hearing it to know what the accident had cost him. "I
forgive you, Inmon," she said softly as she turned to continue down
the hallway to her quarters. She
allowed him to take her arm again as they walked.
"Just...next time, take a half a second to make sure there
aren't any innocent bystanders in your path." "Count
on it," Inmon replied lightly. Inmon
gently touched Johanna's arm as they continued down the hall.
As they went along, Inmon turned his head to the woman at his side
and saw the reflection on her countenance.
"Johanna?" Only
silence met him, which made him call her name again, but still Johanna
didn't respond. It was
noticing that they were about to pass her quarters that made Inmon put his
hand on her arm stopping her progress down the hall. "Inmon,
why did we...?" Inmon
motioned to her door causing the woman to turn to it a bit surprised.
"Johanna, what's wrong?" Johanna
blinked up at the security guard for a moment.
"I..." Johanna
sighed as she dropped her head forward, her hands coming up as she began
to fiddle with her fingernails. "I
don't know, Inmon. Things are
just... so confusing." Inmon
stepped in front of the lovely brunette and took her hands in his,
effectively stopping her constant fiddling.
"Let's go inside and talk." Nodding
her response, Johanna turned and put her entrance code into the door lock
then opened it. Walking
in behind her, Inmon frowned. He
knew all of whatever was bugging Johanna was Vaughn's fault.
Closing the door behind him, Inmon turned to find Johanna already
on the couch. Going to sit
beside her, Inmon shifted a bit so he was facing her.
"What's so confusing? What's
wrong?" he repeated. When
she turned to look at him, her eyes were brimming with tears and Inmon's
heart dropped. He didn't like
the sight of a woman's tears - especially the eyes of someone he was
beginning to care so much for. Without
an answer from her, Inmon pulled Johanna into his arms as he felt her
begin to cry. He gently held
her in his arms, hating to hear her soft gasps.
He wasn't sure exactly what he should do, so he did what he could.
He softly caressed her back, just holding her close.
It was spying a box of tissues on the coffee table before him that
made him finally lean forward slightly and grabbed at the tissues.
He handed the tissue to her and said softly, "Here." Johanna
took the Kleenex handed to her and slightly leaned back in his embrace as
she dabbed at her eyes and nose, then an ashamed turned to look up into
his face. "I'm sor..." Inmon
immediately put his finger on her lips silencing her apology.
"Everyone needs a good cry now and again.
There's nothing wrong with that."
He paused, feeling a bit uneasy as another thought crossed his
mind. He wanted to ask her if
any part of this was his fault, if it had anything to do with him. Yet,
for as much as he felt compelled to ask, he couldn't, wouldn't make her
bring whatever was bugging her back up to the surface. If he did and she
cried again, he'd never forgive himself.
Instead, he switched to, "May I make you some tea?" Johanna
smiled and nodded her head softly. "That...
really sounds nice right about now." Inmon
smiled as he stood. His mother
always had tea after a good cry. She
had said that it always helped to calm her down and finish off the
emotions that were bugging her and helped to relieve the stress.
"You got it. I'll
be right back." Johanna
watched as Inmon stood and went to her kitchen.
She heard the small noises as he searched in various places then
heard water being put into the teakettle.
Reaching over, she grabbed another tissue and gently blew her nose.
She was thankful that Inmon was here.
Getting up, she moved into her bedroom, crossed into the bathroom
to use the facilities then washed her face.
Once done, she returned to the living room to find Inmon sitting on
her couch with two cups before him.
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