The Adventure Continues

[abrightboy]

For thatsfascinating.



The villa Malcolm rented was in the Languedoc, not far from Marseilles, south of Avignon. It was a very historic region, though Malcolm was particularly not interested in visiting Marseilles again. There was a charming village nearby the villa and if they were going to go to an historic city for a day, he'd rather make the trip over to Montpellier, where he'd never been at all, much less with Dr Whitly.

The villa had six bedrooms. As the driver brought their luggage inside the bright and spacious main room, Malcolm handed him some folded Euros and thanked him and shut the door behind him.

"First choice of a room is yours," he told Edrisa with a smile. "But you might want to explore first."

Comments

[abrightboy]

As they made their way inside, Malcolm looked at her.

"Gil would tell you you're a hero right now, did you know that?"

[thatsfascinating]

She looked up at him for a moment, her expression a complicated mix of gratitude and sorrow.

"I saved you. That's what matters most."

And it was true, even if she was tortured by the fact that she had killed someone, and they were too late to save the girl.

When they got inside, Edrisa brought Malcolm to the couch and eased him down, then sat next to him. "Look at me.. let me see your pupils."

[abrightboy]

"Not just me," he said urgently, letting her steer him onto the couch. "All the girls he would have killed after her. He was on a spree. He never would have stopped until someone stopped him. And the authorities here couldn't find him. How long would it have taken?"

He did look at her when she asked him to, even if he was still talking animatedly.

[thatsfascinating]

She gave him a faint smile, adding a hint of agreement and pride into the gratitude and sorrow. It faded quickly, though.

"I've never killed anybody before," she said softly, cradling his face to hold it steady while she looked into his eyes. "Hmm..." She sat back, drew her phone from her pocket, and turned on the flashlight.

"Okay," she said, looking up and raising her phone. "Look at my nose, okay?"

[abrightboy]

He did as he was told.

"Your nose is really cute," he informed her. Important information.

"It's good that you don't feel good about killing someone. Even a monster. Means you're not a sociopath. But you still did the right thing."

[thatsfascinating]

The compliment drew another smile, a little warmer this time. She looked at his right eye and flicked the light toward it, testing the reaction of the pupil.

"Have you killed anybody?" she asked softly as she switched the phone to the other hand.

[abrightboy]

"In the FBI? No. Shot a man in the knee once because he couldn't be talked down. But... I have a weird fragment of a memory from... I think it's from the camping trip with my father and John Watkins. I'm holding the knife you found in the station wagon and my father is guiding my hands. And I don't know what happened next."

[thatsfascinating]

"Yeah, you told me," she said, flicking the light on the other side. She frowned and sat back. "Your left pupil is a little sluggish. Definitely a concussion. How are you feeling right now?"

[abrightboy]

"Bit dizzy, bit of a headache coming on, mind's getting a bit fuzzy..."

He tried to fit a torn piece of fabric from her dress back in its place and it fell again. He looked at her. "Did he hurt you?"

[thatsfascinating]

Oh. That's why he told her something she already knew. She furrowed her brow worriedly as he tried to put her dress back together, and took that hand, holding it tightly.

"I don't know," she said with a small shake of her head. "It all happened so fast." She lifted her chin to show him her throat. "Are there any marks?"

There were the wounds from her kidnapping, almost healed, but far more noticeable and concerning were the very new deep purple bruises developing, with the clear impression of fingers.

[abrightboy]

"Bruises," he said gravely. "Bruises where he strangled you. Did he hit you? Could there be more?" he asked.

[thatsfascinating]

"He pushed me," she said, lowering her chin. "I think the wheat chaff on the floor might have cushioned my hands and knees, though..."

She lifted up her skirt to look at her knees, which were a little red and scraped.

"Not too bad..."

[abrightboy]

He bent over and pressed a kiss to each knee, then curled up on his side with his head in her lap.

[thatsfascinating]

Edrisa blinked at that. He was acting strangely, and she was worried. She gently touched his hair, avoiding the blood.

"I love you," she whispered.

[abrightboy]

He smiled sleepily.

"I love you too," he said easily. "Everything's going to be okay."

[thatsfascinating]

Okay, that was really nice, but also definitely weird. He wasn't usually that free with those words.

"Bright? I need to look at your scalp wound."

[abrightboy]

He pushed himself up to sitting again to look at her.

"I'm okay," he said. "Just sleepy. I kind of want a nap."

[thatsfascinating]

"I totally understand." She touched his cheek lovingly. "And I'm going to let you sleep soon. I just need to tend to your head wound."

She stood and offered her hands. "Are you okay to make it to the bathroom?"

[abrightboy]

He nodded and got to his feet with her help. Adrenaline had subsided since the fight and the headache was getting worse.

"Why didn't you run?" he asked her suddenly as they walked. "I told you to run."

He'd just remembered, but suddenly it was vivid.

[thatsfascinating]

She held him tightly to steady him as they made their way to the bathroom. Then he asked that question.

"Hold on...let's sit down..." She helped him down on the toilet seat and sat across from him on the edge of the tub.

"He would have shot you," she said. "I could never forgive myself if that happened."

[abrightboy]

"But... he could have killed you," he protested. "If I hadn't woken up..."

[thatsfascinating]

"He would have killed me," she said with a nod. "But you wouldn't have chosen not to wake up. I will never choose to leave you to die."

[abrightboy]

For a moment he just stared at the shower curtain, the neat pile of towels and the mat on the floor as his eyes drifted around the room.

"I just wanted you to be safe," he said softly. "Your job isn't supposed to be dangerous."

[thatsfascinating]

"It is dangerous," she said softly. "Sometimes. But this isn't about my job. It's about you, and me, and us. I'm not going to leave you, no matter how dangerous it is. You wouldn't leave me."

[abrightboy]

His eyes halted their wandering to shift to her face.

"But I can't... you can't be gone; what am I going to do?"