 | |
Akamu jumped from Adam's arms and Adam shut him in the bathroom with him while he had to figure out what to do.
Emerald took off her coat; Emmy, decided Doc Adams would be hers later. Emerald went to get the wine and couldn't find it. She opened a beer and grabbed one for Adam, and then began to clean up the mess in the living room.
"Why am I always cleaning up after her?" Emerald said.
"Because you care for your friend." His answer shocked Emerald; she didn't think anyone was listening.
"Is she ok?"
"She'll be fine but I think I should let you change her. I'll take care of the blood and the rest of the mess."
"What do you think happened? Wait… Blood?"
"Yes. I know what happened, she got drunk, and killed herself. Temporarily, not permanently."
"Damn it. Is she healed yet?"
"No. It should be a few more hours. Like I said, go in and get her cleaned up and I will take care of the other mess."
"All right."
Emerald did as asked and almost lost her wonderful dinner from last night when she saw her best friend. Adam helped Emerald get Lynda out of the bathtub.
Lynda looked up at a fuzzy Adam.
"I hate you," she said drowsily.
They got soaked Lynda out of the tub to the floor where Emerald could start to dry her off. Adam got the broken wine bottle glass up with a dust buster and found cleaning stuff for the blood. He got it up while Emerald worked on getting Lynda cleaned up. Then Adam and Emerald stripped the bed and flipped the mattress. Emerald changed the sheets while Adam put her into the clean bed and tucked her in.
Adam left just before sunrise and he went back to his hotel room, stripped, took a shower, and went to bed.
Emerald started packing her bags up while Lynda slept. She also contacted a few people to let them know she would be coming back soon.
A couple of days later, Lynda was back to normal. She had lost a significant amount of weight, since her exercise regimen began. Given she wasn't thin, but she went from a size 24 to a size 14 in several months. The snow was almost completely melted and Lynda was out running in the crisp air one morning, when she noticed the sky got suddenly dark and cloudy. Lightening struck in front of her. It scared the living daylights out of her, so she decided to go home, and wait it out if it was a storm. She got the shock of her life when she got home and found her home partially burning and she found Emerald's body in the backyard, her head gone. She quickly put out the fire of what was left of her cabin and did it before the firemen might come.
* You left the ironing on accidentally. * Lynda thought if the firemen did come.
She wouldn't be able to explain Emerald's death. She had sort of been wishing Emerald would die, but that was because she was upset. She didn't think it would actually happen. So, Lynda quickly buried Emerald near her roses in the backyard. She watered the roses to make it look like she had just come out to water. Lynda noticed there was no sword near her body and it struck her as being odd. She went into the partially charred cabin. Lynda buried herself in bottle after bottle for a few weeks.
Now almost May, she passed her mortal birthday by working to keep busy, so she didn't have to think about Emerald or Adam and the pain she felt in her soul. The repairs had to be done. She wasn't going to pay some overweight, butt crack showing, over priced contractor to fix her place. Lynda took charge of the repairs and she had thought of adding on to the cabin. She noticed that Adam didn't come around any more since she thought she saw him when she was coming back from oblivion. Not only did the loss of Adam hurt, but also the loss of Emerald was worse, in her mind.
On that fateful morning, Adam came to see Emerald and ran into Emmy instead. She challenged Adam for his head; Adam was not about to lose his head.
"Jeanette, don't do this. Just leave town and we all can be happy."
"I am not Jeanette. I have to, nothing against you."
"Who are you then?"
"Emmy, and you must die."
"Why? Is it because we spent most of the night in my motel room in each other's arms instead of having a nice meal? We still got to eat rather well."
"No," he was giving her a headache, "No, I don't fault you."
"What… What about Lynda? She doesn't want you to do this."
"Who is Lynda and what about her? Adam?"
Adam could tell she was showing the signs of becoming another dark quickening. He had just gotten over that time with MacLeod and now here he was facing another one. She was having trouble keeping her personalities straight. One minute she was reaching out as Jeanette, the next she was Emmy, and then she'd slip into Emerald. It really wasn't an accident as his blade took off her head.
* Oh god, not again. * Adam thought as her quickening over took him.
He took her quickening and had to get away as quickly as possible. Adam would have to figure out how to keep from telling Lynda he killed her best friend.
He called Joe.
"Joe, Emerald Montgomery is dead. She came after me and… God, I didn't want to."
"What the hell? Slow down, take a breath. You killed Emerald Montgomery?"
"Yes, I had to. She came after me. I had no other way to stop her."
"You could have run. I'll call Kiana."
"Lynda is going to be devastated. I should be here, call Kiana and Kelley in, and I'll take over for a while."
"That's what I'm worried about."
"Have Kelley check in with her family. She is getting bored watching Lynda, I can tell. Kiana needs to go on a vacation. She hasn't taken one in 5 years."
Joe told Kiana that Emerald was dead, which wasn't easy. She decided to take some time off and take some self defense classes so that damn attacker wouldn't have so easy of a time the next time. Kiana talked Kelley into taking them with her, with Adam on Lynda's case he would be careful not to be seen. He watched as she put herself through hell for a month and a half.
A week had passed by after she started working on the repairs to the cabin. Without warning, except for a buzz, Adam showed up at Lynda's almost repaired place around 7pm. The glass man would be by later in the week. Lynda was in the kitchen figuring out her living costs. She felt Adam nearing the cabin; Little Akamu went for the door, going through the doggie part of the new Dutch front door. She unlocked the top half of the door.
Adam caught Akamu and held him as Lynda opened the door.
Akamu jumped down and scurried off into the cabin to watch the happenings from his favorite spot in front of the fireplace.
"Adam," she said a little surprised, "I wasn't expecting you. Please come in."
"I thought you might... Want this," he said presenting Lynda Emerald's other sword.
Lynda closed the door, crossed the room, and sat down blank faced with the sword. Tears began to develop in her eyes.
"I killed the one who killed her," Adam said lying through his teeth.
"I don't know what to say. Thank you. If you'll excuse me a moment," Lynda stood up and took the sword to her room while Adam played with Akamu.
Adam noticed she seemed to be a little thinner. He hoped she hadn't been starving herself again.
* I wonder if I should approach her on how she's feeling, but then what good would it do? I don't even know how I feel right now. * Adam thought as he rubbed Akamu's belly.
Lynda came back in the room, her eyes a little red, but dry.
"Would you like something cold to drink?"
"Yes. What do you," Lynda left the room before he could finish.
She went to the refrigerator, grabbed him a beer, and whipped it off with the dishtowel. She opened it and brought it back out to Adam.
"I guessed at what you might like. I've had a case getting cold in there for a while. I thought you would be coming by more."
"Sorry, my work has been keeping me busy."
"So what is it that you do?"
Adam chose his words carefully, "I'm in research."
"Really of what?"
"History of languages."
"Interesting."
"What is it that you do," Adam curiously asked.
"You mean what I did, I don't work anymore, retired. I can't tell you because it is classified and I don't want to have to..."
"Kill me right?"
"Right. Emerald and I worked for the same people. After her death I took care of the home office. We are both out."
"You seem young to be retiring so soon, will you try to find other work?"
"No, I'm financially set to last a long while, barring any major disasters or big expenses."
"I see."
Akamu bit down on the remote to the stereo. One of the songs she had been listening to over and over again came on over the speakers. Lynda's face saddened and she turned to look out to the backyard away from Adam. She looked to the rose garden where Emerald was.
Everywhere the sun is shining
All around the world, it's shining
But cold winds blow across your mind
Confusion -- it's such a terrible shame
Confusion -- you don't know what you're saying
You've lost your love and you just can't carry on
You feel there's no one there for you to lean on.
Adam watched her reaction to the song. Its words seem to affect her deeply, like an arrow through her fragile heart. Her head dips down, softly sobbing. He looked at her, she felt to him like a woman that had lost her love and her best friend in the same day all over again. Somehow he had to become the one for her to lean on, she had no one else in her life but a little dog.
* I should have been here for her. * Adam thought as he watched her at the dining room sliding glass door.
Every night you're out there, darling
You're always out there running
And I see that lost look in your eyes
Confusion -- I don't know what I should do
Confusion -- I leave it all up to you
You've lost your love and you just can't carry on
You feel there's no one there for you to lean on.
To Lean on.
Like the song said, she was out running every morning, noon, and night. He watched her going and coming. He saw the lost look in her eyes day after day. It was true; he didn't know what to do. She was obviously leaving it up to him.
Lynda went out the back door to go listen to the ocean. The music continued to play through speakers she hooked up outside, for when she wanted to sit outside and not leave the cabin open, kept bugs out that way.
Adam felt a nagging pang in his heart for Lynda. Her whole life had been one big tragedy after another. No joy or happiness as far as Adam had seen it, and love was lost to her, along with her self-image.
Dark is the road you wander
And as you stand there under
The starry sky, you feel sad inside
Confusion -- you know it's driving me wild
Confusion -- it comes as no big surprise
You've lost your love and you just can't carry on
You feel there's no one there for you to lean on.
To lean on.
* If dark is the road she's going to wander, I've got to be her rock. * Adam thought as he followed Lynda outside.
Lynda looked up, wondered if when you die you become a star in the sky. She felt sad about the loss of Emerald, the loss of her quickening to Adam, sorry for herself for not speaking up, and reaching out more often.
Adam let her have her space. He knew what she needed, but would she accept it? This was driving him wild, he almost felt like she was pushing all his buttons, but she didn't know the real 'him'.
* I am going to help her survive; survivors need comfort too. *
"Turn to me," he softly called to her, she hesitated a few moments, "Please, turn to me."
She did finally turn to look at him; his hand was out and reaching for her.
"Come to me," Adam softly pleaded.
Lynda hesitated a few more minutes and then she ran into his arms.
Adam held Lynda as she cried into his shoulder. He kept her wrapped in his strong arms. He began to rub circles on her back with his left large and well-built hand.
She felt the heat of his body come through his clothing and it seemed to calm her down some as he rubbed those circles. Then he let her go. Lynda went to her rose bushes and showed him where she buried her best friend.
"I wanted her close to me, so she lies here next to her favorite roses. I couldn't afford to have people in town asking questions. During the time I was, beyond smashed, people in town wondered why there was lightening striking near the coast and they wanted to know what happened to cause it. All I could say… Was that it had been some freak of nature and that I had nothing to do with it. I did tell them I had to repair the place. I made the guest room into my studio, added a spare room, and bathroom on the side of the cabin. It's not all done yet."
"It looks like they believed you for now. I hope they continue to do so. I'd love to see it when you finish."
"Maybe."
"Do you feel better now?"
"A little thanks. I will still probably hold on to those feelings forever. Her death has been hard to get over. I'm trying to make it through one day at a time," she said bowing her head.
"That's all you can do."
Adam took her by the arm, placed his hands upon her cheeks, just holding her there for a moment. He wiped the tears off her cold cheeks. Adam pulled Lynda closer to him, and kissed her fully on the lips. Slowly at first, then he pulled her in tighter to him, wrapping her in his arms again. The kiss became something more than sweet; it began to be more passionate and loving, and then they broke apart for air. Adam took charge of her and her sadness without hesitation. Lynda's surprise at his kiss quickly subsided to her body melting. He had quite literally taken her breath away.
Confusion, confusion
Confusion, confusion
Confusion, confusion
Confusion, confusion.
He released her from his arms and looked into her face, confusion reigned.
* Did he really just kiss you? What does he want in return? Does he want you or your body? Be careful... What a kiss though for your first one! *
Lynda's mind is torn between keeping her heart protected and what Adam's intentions are exactly. She could not stand another heartache in her life right then. If he really loved her and not just for her body, she had to know.
Adam watched her eyes dance in the moonlight. She was not all that bad looking under it since she had been shedding her mortal weight, but he wanted to take things slow for her sake. He didn't want to damage her any more than he probably had.
Back To Index
To Chapter 9
|
