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Part 37 She had no idea what time it was when she woke, and she didn't have the energy to lift her head to check the clock radio. Alex grinned. They never did make it to the Inspector's office yesterday to give their statements. Derek had called Williamson to tell him that they were still a bit under the weather. More like under the sheets. It was true that her ankle was giving her less of a problem, though, and that was likely due to all the bed rest she was getting. She grinned. So maybe it was something more than bed rest. The cut on her leg had improved, even if the bandage was half-hanging off the bed. Derek, however, might be another story. Sighing, she gently kissed his chest. It was strange that the scratches they had received from the vengeful spirits had disappeared. Or maybe not so strange once the women had taken their revenge on Jeroen and could finally rest in peace. Even the scar on Derek's head looked much better. He had fought her on again replacing the bandage, but he must have seen the adamant look in her eyes. He'd have to see a doctor too when they got home, no matter how much he fought her on that. Rachel would probably insist as well. In addition, she would have to try to get Derek to rest his arm by putting it in the sling that Dr. Guilder had left. In true Rayne fashion, he had pulled it off shortly after they had arrived back in their room. She had been too upset after the helicopter ride back to the marae, and finding Jeroen with his face half gone, to protest. Since they were still recuperating, as they told Williamson, Derek should be wearing his sling when they went to give their statements. After that, they'd be returning to Bora Bora for the party tonight, but tomorrow they would begin their journey home. Regrettably, their time in this paradise was coming to an end. And once back in San Francisco, there would be problems to face. How would others take it when they found out about their new relationship? She was pretty sure that Nick would be happy for them, but would Rachel? After their conversation on Christmas Eve, Alex wasn't sure if her friend would be happy for them. And then there was London... The Ruling Council had not been very happy about one of their Houses taking two weeks off, so how would they feel about a precept and one of his staff from that same House becoming intimate? They would not be happy at all. Was there a chance that the two of them could hide it? Why was it any of London's business, anyway? You know why, her mind nagged. Because of that ring he wears... Was she even sure it would continue? Would Derek truly want to maintain their involvement once they got home? He said he did, but she imagined that he would receive even more flack from the Ruling Council than usual. But if the two of them wanted it enough and worked at it, then why couldn't it work? They could show everyone that it was possible to keep their personal and professional lives separate. Sure it wouldn't be easy, but they could do it. And since when did Derek ever make it easy for London. Rachel's warning again rose in her head. The psychiatrist tried to tell her that this could merely be his reaction to surviving the portal when he expected to die. Alex shook her head. But that couldn't be all this was. Everything had changed that horrifying night on the mountain when she thought she had lost him again. Her love for the man had grown so much since that night, just a few evenings ago. Images of their hours on Mt. Turi flashed before her eyes. Finding what she believed was his dead body, halfway out of that grave... He was so cold and pale in the moonlight. She shivered, remembering her overwhelming grief. But now here she was, waking up in his bed. It was still strange, but something she could definitely get used to. At the moment, however, the man she loved was tossing beside her, mumbling a little bit. What was...? She sat up and looked down at him, trying to understand what he was saying -- but she knew well enough to know that it was not a good dream. "Derek..." She shook him gently. "You need to..." Reed Horton smiled at the man he had tied to the chair. "We're going to have such fun, Derek," he said as he pulled out a large syringe filled with green liquid. "You see, I've always felt that you've been wound too tight." He stabbed the needle fast and hard into the precept's neck, then pushed the plunger. "This is going to loosen you right up." Reed's laughter echoed in his ears. "Poor Derek. It's time you learned the sad fact that you're not invincible." As the drug took effect, the precept's eyes went wide. "I think you are a little too smart for your own good, Dr. Rayne." Reed continued to laugh... then morphed into Jeroen van Dissen... Alex gasped as she came out of it. Damn, that man was still haunting them. That was the second time she had an image of Horton morphing into Jeroen. No wonder, really, since both men hated Derek so much. She pushed the horrendous picture from her mind. At this point, all she cared about was the man beside her. His thrashing became stronger still, and she raised her voice. "Derek! Wake up!" He shot up in bed with a loud intake of breath, and she fell back against the pillows. Alex could hear him breathing hard, and her hand reached to touch him. Thinking better of it, she pulled it back. "Derek? It was just a bad dream, love." He looked at her with a strange expression, and she wasn't sure if he even knew who she was. "Derek?" She sat up and looked into his face. "Are you all right?" She saw the recognition in his eyes after a minute. "It was just a bad dream, Alex." The young woman took his hand. For an instant an electric shock shot up her arm. The older man broke contact and rubbed his neck. "There was darkness... then a sudden pain in my neck. I... I couldn't move... This brilliant light appeared. I could hear voices... observe beautiful colors... Those faded and I was in blackness again." His voice was so soft that she had to lean forward. "It's all right, it's not important..." His eyes gazed at her. "Megan was calling my name... Screaming for me..." His fist clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. His voice hardened. "Horton was there, taunting me. I wanted to reach him, kill him. But I couldn't move..." Megan... Alex had watched him suffer through the aftermath of the reporter's death and his battle with Reed Horton, in addition to his pretending to want to kill her. Several weeks later he had decided that he needed to get away. It certainly wasn't anything warm and tropical like they now enjoyed. No, Derek decided that he had to attempt a climb of K2 in the cold, snowy mountains of Pakistan. "You're right... it was just a bad dream." Was she trying to convince him or herself? The Darkside would learn about them, she had no doubts about that. They probably knew at this point, and they would do all they could to make their lives miserable. She could glimpse a lot more research in her future, and not very many outside assignments... "Part of me wonders if I shouldn't transfer you to Boston or even overseas to get you far away from me." He stared at her, and for a fleeting moment she saw fear in his eyes. "Megan and I were like... this before... She died because of me; you know that. They wanted to get to me through her. What if..." "If they try through me?" She touched his face. "They've used me before, and next time I'll be ready for them. I am not *about* to let the Darkside get to me again." She kissed his cheek. "Didn't I stop Philippe from killing you? And then I stopped myself from killing you?" He chuckled. "I appreciated that, if I never told you." She laughed. "I'm sure you've told that me once or twice." The smile left her face. "But do you realize why I couldn't hurt you? Because I loved you then, and I love you now. My love for you was stronger than Philippe's influence over me. That's the strongest protection I've got." Alex kissed him, then turned to get out of bed. "At this instant, sweetie, we have to get dressed. Insp. Williamson is waiting for our witness statements." Derek leaned against the pillows and drew her back into his arms. "We really do need to talk to the good inspector, but I want us to relax for a few more seconds." "As long as it's only relaxing," she teased him softly. He laughed quietly before his features changed. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be with my statement. I remember hiking up the mountain, and..." He shrugged his shoulders. "Then suddenly we were coming down. I vaguely remember you falling into the pit. Or maybe because you've mentioned it? But pieces come and go, so I couldn't say for sure unless you verified it. I remember Jeroen, but we weren't in the same place as before." "That's all you remember?" Was that really a surprise? He had been shot in the arm, grazed by a bullet above his eye, along with having a bump to the back of his head. "I guess it's natural for you to have some amnesia. Your head did take a bit of a beating." "I guess you're right, Alex," he replied. He smiled faintly as he got out of bed, but at least it was a smile. "Why don't you order us some breakfast..." He checked his watch on the table. "Or maybe lunch," he chuckled. "We'd better get moving to be back in Bora Bora in time to be ready for our New Year's Eve dinner tonight." The young woman picked up the phone as she watched him head into the bathroom. Her body longed to follow and join him in the shower since their time together was dwindling, but her heart realized that he needed this time to himself. After she ordered from room service, Alex stood quietly at the patio doors, watching the rain fall heavily on the glass panes. A flash outside startled her, and a soft rumble of thunder rippled in the morning air. Rain soon followed, growing louder as it came down in torrents. Yet another storm. "This is the season for tropical downpours." Derek wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. Alex giggled as she closed her eyes and tilted her head. "Don't I know it. That monsoon on the mountain that night was more than enough for me." "Did it rain the entire night we were up there?" His breath against her skin made her shiver. "Pretty much," she told him. "It was even worse when I thought..." "Thought what?" Wet kisses trailed down to her shoulder. She sighed, letting him rid her mind of that thought. "It doesn't matter. Besides, breakfast will be here soon and we need to get ready." "You know," he said, turning her to face him, "I get the feeling that I wasn't much of a help on that mountain." "Actually, we made a pretty good team," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You tried to get Jeroen to let me go when he was holding a gun to my head. That's when he shot you in the arm. Do you remember that?" "It comes and goes, unfortunately." His head leaned to the side. "And soon after that is when you fell in that hole?" "That's right." She shuddered. "I can't imagine what that poor native girl went through before she died, although I did get a small taste of it." Alex laughed briefly, bitterly. "And to think I believed we'd have a nice, easy hike up that mountain since I was with a guy who climbed K2." "The guy who climbed K2 almost didn't come back from K2," he admitted. End part 37
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