Unexpected Confrontation

Notes: So this is a much longer part. About 1800 words, I think. Not where I originally intended to go, but I go where the muse takes me. All in all, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. Even though I think the last bit kinda borders on OOC for Graverobber. Not by much I don't think, but...well I tweaked it until I felt comfortable with it.

And unfortunately, I have no idea how to make text be all Itallic and stuff. So ah well.

First POV is Shilo, Second is GR. I'm sure you'd figure it out anyway, but just to avoid any confusion. ^__^

*~*~*~*~*~POV Change*~*~*~*~*~*

///flashback from film///

*emphasis*

Anyway, on to the fic!

Chapter 3: Need


You're running ahead of me, leading me to what I hope is salvation. That was too close! I can't believe I let myself get so distracted! I'm normally very good at keeping track of where patrols are and when. I have to be.

I can't let GeneCo catch me, no thats wrong, I can't let *Amber* catch me. I don't know what she wants with me-- I've heard rumors that she wants me to be the new "Voice for Change". But why?

I can only assume that she hopes to use me like her father used Nathan and Mags. Like pawns. Well she can rot in hell before *that* happens, thank you very much.

So I can't let them catch me, can't let her catch me. It's too high of a price to pay. I can feel it. So I watched for weeks, getting to know their patrol pattern, so I could avoid them. And now this! Stupid stupid stupid...!

I'm jarred out of my thoughts when you turn left on a street up ahead and backpeddle into me. Sure enough, I hear the telltale slap of boots running our way. I can feel myself starting to panic. I grab your hand and pull you after me, back the other way to an abandoned building. I search frantically for an entrance, and I find it.

I jump through the window, pulling you after me and we hunker down against the wall, and wait.

The sound of boot clad feet gets closer and closer to our hiding place, and then it stops--right outside the window. I can feel my heart beating through my chest. I'm sure if I still had that special comm my dad had created for me, that it would be blaring right about now, warning me about my blood pressure.

I hear the muted sounds of people talking in low voices, and then finally they leave. None of them realized that the gauzy cloth covering the window was hiding the fact that it didn't have any glass in it at all.

We wait a few minutes more, but I don't hear anything.

You turn to look at me, giving me a relieved smile. I smile back.

Way too fucking close. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself--I'm sure if they'd found us I probably wouldn't have had to worry. I would have given myself a heart attack and that would have been that.

I'm so focused on calming down that when I hear your startled breath, it scares me and I turn to you, ready to yell at you for scaring me. You're looking off into a corner of the room I hadn't paid attention to before. When I finally see what you see, I almost cry.

A Repo Man is standing in the corner. For a second I think its a ghost--my dead father coming back to taunt me. Then I realize that he is all to real, and that he is definately *not* my father.

You move beside me like you're going to bolt, and I grab your hand, shaking my head. You give me a look like I'm crazy, but you stay. I'm so glad you did. I don't think I could deal with another messy death in my life right now, even yours.

The Repo Man takes a file out of the satchel he's carrying, and calmly and patiently compares us to it. After a moment, he nods and puts it away. Clearly we are not the droids he is looking for. I almost laugh, wondering where that random line came from, but I don't. All I know is, we are not his concern. Thank god!

"Go" He says.

I don't need to be told twice. I look outside quickly, to make sure there aren't any sentries left behind, before bolting out the door. The house is only a few streets from here, and I long for its perceived safety.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was so relieved that we'd manage to outsmart the GeneCo drones, that I hadn't noticed our surroundings. They'd finally left, clearly irritated that they'd lost us. I was about to comment on their idiocy, when I saw movement in the corner of the room.

I turned to examine it fully, and I damn near shit myself. Oh fuck, this is just not my night! A Repo Man! I start, and gasp. I know outwardly I only look a bit surprised but on the inside I'm in a full blown panic. I know you haven't had any surgery before so he's not after you. Or maybe he is. You are on Geneco's Most Wanted list. I've always wondered about that.

And logically I know I have nothing to fear. Zydrate pays well, and I had paid off all my debts to GeneCo a long time ago, thank god. I don't fear much, but the Repo Man is definately near the top of that short list. And with good reason. Reapers have become the modern day boogeyman.

I'm about to bolt, and pull you with me, when a hand on my arm stops me. You shake your head at me, silently telling me not to run. I give you a look that clearly says *"Are you fucking crazy?!"* But I stay. I think you are relieved.

He pulls out a file, and studies it carefully, looking from it to us and back again. After a moment, he puts it away, nodding to himself. He doesn't rush us, or take out any implements of death, so I know we're not his quary. Thank whatever god is listening!

"Go" He says, and you dash out the door. I'm right behind you. It's obvious to me that you know where you are, because you're running like the devil is on your tail, and you never falter when you turn or jump over a piece of trash in the streets. In fact, you're running so fast that a few times I almost lose you. But I manage.

It doesn't take us long, and soon we're at the gate of the house. You fumble with it hastily and push it open, running inside. I hesitate for a moment, uncertain if I am welcome.

You don't say a word, just grab me by the shirt and pull me in, shutting the gate behind me hurridly. You do the same with the door.

The sound of the door slamming shut reverberates through the silent house, and I am surprised at how different it looks since the last time I was here. I note to myself that the eerie holopictures of your mother have been taken down. Good. Those things freaked me out. Though not as much as finding out that ol' Nathan had pretty much had Marni's body stuffed and preserved like a porceline doll. Can we say issues?

We stand there in the foyer, not speaking just breathing heavily. We wait in silence, as if the enemy will come running out from behind the door at any given moment.

I get tired of waiting.

"So, got anything to drink kid?"

You give me a surprised look, and nod.

"Y-yeah uh. Jim, Jack, Jose and the good Captain. What's your pleasure?"

The other three are too strong for me right now--besides, I'll need my wits about me if I go back out tonight. Though I highly doubt that I will.

"Captain." I say. You nod, and walk into what looks like an old study. I follow you.

"So, uh, please don't mind the mess. I've been kind of remodeling. Cleaning, I guess. Trying to make this place feel less depressing and more--more homey, I suppose."

You say as you hand me a glass. I toss half of it back, and savor the feeling of warmth as it goes down. It's much better than what I usually get. I feel calmer already.

You keep babbling on about what you've been doing with this old house, as you pour yourself a second glass, and I realize that when you get shaken up, this is what you do. You babble. And it's adorable.

Until I see that you're starting to stutter, and that you're shaking, and its all I can do to catch you before you collapse to the floor. Obviously tonight has been too much for you. You're crying now, great heaving sobs, and I am completely clueless as to what I should do.

Remember that short list of fears I'd rather not admit to? Crying women is another one. I just don't do crying women. I can dig up corpses, deal with mutilated scalpel sluts, but put me in the same room with a crying woman and I'm terrified.

I sink to the floor with you, and pull you into an awkward hug. You latch onto me tightly, and start sobbing harder. It's so frusterating, but I just don't know what to do!

And then after a while you're calmer, pulling away from me as you wipe tears from your eyes and take deep even breaths. Eventually you look up at me and smile, embarrassed.

"Sorry."

*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

We're in the house now, ohmygod we're safe. OhgodOhgodOhgod that was too fucking close. Way too close. First the Geneco idiots, that I could have handled but then the Repo man and..and and god do they all look alike in those suits? Right down to the same damn height! Don't think about it, don't think about it. Calm down!

I know I'm screwed up--hey, locked away in a tower for 17 years like a freakish modern day repunzel here! But I thought I'd been getting a little better. Once the so called "medicine" had worn off, I suddenly felt better, and I haven't had a run in with GeneCo in weeks! Not to mention that not only do I go out, but I have friends, and I don't break down anymore whenever I walk into his old room. That's progress, right?

And now tonight, the GeneCo freaks, and then--that--he looked so much like Nathan! At least his eyes did. It was like seeing a ghost. What's worse is that I think he recognized me. Oh fuck!

I'm breathing hard and I'm trying not to panic now. It helps that all you do is ask for a drink. I can get you a simple drink. Yeah. Sure. And maybe myself one too. Or two. Yeah.

So I walk into the study, and I grab two glasses and pour, and hand one to you and to my embarrassment I'm babbling, but its better than thinking about what almost happened tonight. I take a big big gulp, almost emptying my glass, and refill it quickly, though it doesn't seem to be helping.

But then as I go on about taking paintings down and going through old pictures of my mom and dad I just can't fake it anymore! And I'm stuttering and shaking and then i'm falling, and you catch me. I want to say thanks for that, because I'm almost certain that falling on a hard wooden floor wouldn't feel good, but I can't say anything because now I'm sobbing and I feel like I can't breathe!

And you're there, and you're making shushing noises--you! I don't think you even realize it either, because I can tell that you're not used to this, doing the comfort thing I mean. And it helps, because when I hug you like you're all I've got, you don't say anything, and you just let me hold onto you. And that's what I needed.

I finally get myself under control, and I pull away, though I really don't want to. I take a few deep breaths, and it helps me enough so that I can finally talk.

God, I'm so embarrassed! I can't believe I broke down like that. I had been doing so well. That's probably shattered my confident image I had worked so hard on conveying to you. Oh well.

"Sorry" I say.

You stare at me incredulously, a hand still holding mine.

"What are you sorry for? Anyone in their right minds would be terrified of a Reaper. Add in to that what you've been through...you've nothing to be sorry about."

I really didn't know you could be so sweet. But then, we don't know each other that well, do we?

And suddenly I'm kissing you like my life depends on it. And maybe it does. I know I'm not really in a good emotional state for this, but I don't care. I want this! I want you, and I'm going to get what I want for once. Before it gets taken from me. I'm tired of things being taken away from me. My mom, Mags, Nathan. Well, not this time!

You're surprised, and then you kiss me back. Not hard like before, but gently, softly, like I'm going to break. And then you pull back.

"We shouldn't do this now. You--I can't. Ok? Not when you're like this."

And that makes me so angry! Being rejected, even though I know you wanted me earlier. So of course before I can stop myself I lash out at you. I think maybe taking a big gulp of that alcohol was a bad idea. But I can't stop myself.

"So, what, a girl cries and that's all it takes to make the great Graverobber freak out and leave?" I know I'm being irrational. Why can't I stop?

You look at me, surprised and a bit annoyed.

"Uh, no not quite. More like I don't want to deal with the fallout if I take advantage of you when you're near hysterical."

I blink. That really hadn't occurred to me. Well, ok it kinda had but..you have a point. I hadn't really thought about how you might feel.

And when you speak next, I can hear a little anger too.

"If we're going to do anything--be it sex, or me becoming your dealer or whatever the hell this fucked up relationship is, I want to do it when you're not overthinking things"

That one takes me by surprise. I never knew you could be...well, a gentleman I guess. I can tell by the look on your face you didn't know it either. Huh.

I nod, agreeing with you. You're right, and I know it. I may not like it, but there it is.

We sit there on the floor of the study, just looking at each other. I lean in to kiss you once more, gently on the cheek.

"Will you stay tonight, please? I don't think I want to be alone in the house."

I feel silly asking that. I've had worse days than this, much worse, and I was fine alone. When did this turn from getting a simple fix of something I've never had before, to maybe actually caring?

When the hell did I start to need you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tada! And yes, there is more to this than just Shilo and GR being all relationshippy. Soon, Amber and her family will appear. They have such a knack for screwing things up...*cackle*

~Mia