Chapter 2: Bonding by: DragonMouse ~( 8>
It was five days later and Crystal Jennson was staying with me. She had no real friends her age, she�d hung out with her big brother�s friends and there was no family that she or anyone else, knew of. Then, she�d made an intelligent, convincing, and at times completely false, argument as to why she should stay with m for the time. �Uncle Teddy," as Crys called Edward around official people, was staying with me also, which was even more surprising by my book. He�d rationalized it by saying, �With you running around with the police and Animators, someone needs to hang out with the kid.� I�d agreed, so he was in one guest bedroom, Crys taking the other.
The unnerving thing was that my favorite assassin was really hanging out with the young girl. He had taken her to the hospital the day after the vampire was killed, because the pain had finally caught up with her. The vampire had tried to crush her ankle while she was popping him with holy water paintballs. She was now sporting a bright blue cast and hobbling around on crutches.
On Sunday, when I�d headed off to church, Edward took her to the veterinarian�s hospital to visit her dog. She�d come back ecstatic and would have been jumping up and down if it was possible. Rio could be discharged in a week, and would recover completely, she told me. Her attitude was a turn around from her glum. �The vampire killed my pet rat,� look she�d been sporting.
Now, as I came in the door, I was greeted by a familiar sight. Crys and Edward were half laying, half sitting on the couch with a rented movie playing on the TV that I�d borrowed from Richard. I came up beside them after locking the door and watched the movie for a few minutes. I was about to say something about the violence when Edward held a finger to his lips, then pointed to the girl. The 11-year-old was sound asleep, even as Jean-Claude Van Damme beat the living shit out of someone.
He got up, went to the TV set and shut everything off. Turning back toward me, he stated softly, �I�ll put her to bed.� I said nothing, just watched as he scooped her into his arms and headed off. I was dumbfounded. I�d seen some emotion play across his face briefly, slightly, when he�d looked at the kid. I�d seen it in Santa Fe, too, but not on his �Ted� face. I so did not want to think about it because the last time I�d seen it, he was looking at me. Quickly, I retreated toward my bedroom, suddenly wanting to sleep and not think.
I gazed briefly at the door to the room Crys had taken over. A sheet of notebook paper was taped to it with her name done in a technical script. Her big brother had done it for her. She�d told us all about Jamie, who�d died in a car crash three months ago. Four days before his 16th birthday, a drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned the car he was riding in. Edward and I knew all about him, but she�d said nothing of her parents. Everything in its time.
After a very brief shower to wash the blood and zombie raising gunk off, I fell into bed in my favorite tee-shirt, the one with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle drawn on it. I was on the razor edge of sleep when a faint knock came at the door. I mumbled something that could have meant anything from �What� to �Leave me the hell alone.� Even I didn�t know what it was meant as.
The door never opened, but I heard Edward anyway. �Sweet dreams, Anita.� After that, I was asleep immediately. Too weird.
*~*
I found myself suddenly awake and sitting up, but didn�t know why. Whatever the reason, I had the Browning in my hand before my eyes were even open, and before I was conscience enough to be called awake. Good reflexes. Hearing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I glanced at the clock. It was only two a.m., three hours of sleep so far.
I groaned aloud and was about to lie back down when the noise that woke me up came again. From down the hall, a pleading, �Edward!� reached me and I was halfway to the door in a split second. Coming out the door quickly, I checked the hall to make sure there were no bad guys. My gun was coming to bear on the dark figure by Crys�s door before I realized it was Edward.
Letting out a breath I didn�t know I was holding, I walked to him as he opened the door. The faint glow from a nightlight bisected his body. His blonde hair was sticking up, evidence that he did sleep. He peered into the room then brought his head back. �Probably just a nightmare, Anita. I�ll handle it, you back to sleep.� He tucked his Baretta in the back of his black sweat pants. The weight of the gun pulled them down a bit, exposing the top of his boxers.
Tired as I was, I managed a grin. �Smiley faces?� He gave me his best blank face before going in the room. I leaned against the wall to compose myself, or I might have fallen down trying not to laugh at Death�s underwear.
When Edward asked the girl, �Would you like to talk about the dream?� I slid down the wall and sat to listen in. Nosey, me? I could see nothing of what happened but I could picture it as I eavesdropped.
As I saw it, Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed, Crys in the same position I�d first met her in, head rested on her one knee, her broken leg sprawled in front of her. Her voice hitched, telling me she was crying, or very close, as she said, �Everybody was dead. You an� Anita an� Jamie, Riley an� Rio, even JC an� Asher an� Jason.�
I winced at the last three. Jean-Claude had watched the child the other night because I had zombies to raise and Edward had mysterious errands to run. I�d been forced to call in the Circus crew, and the group hit it off great. Crys thinks the trio is wonderful. She went on and on about �JC� tickling her from across the room, Asher teaching her to swear in French, and how cute Jason is.
I was brought back to the present when Edward asked, �What about your parents?�
Straightening, I listened harder. Crys sighed and the silence stretched. I began to think she wouldn�t answer when she finally did. �If you tell me about yours, I�ll tell you about mine. Quid pro quo, as Doctor Lector would say.�
Apparently, Edward nodded, because the girl continued. �I loved my parents when I was little, but then, things changed. My dad was nothing like me, really. Sure, he designed video games and I dabble in hacking, but that's it. Him and Jamie would do stuff, but I wasn�t invited. It was almost as if I wasn�t his.
�My mother, oh boy, she was a piece of work. I got into her letters and her password �protected� e-journal one day and found out some stuff. She was a sl-, a hooker, and married my dad because he got her pregnant. Even after she had Jamie, she continued �working�. Mother quit before I was born and became a school teacher, of all things. We didn�t really talk after I found that out.� She waited a beat, then stated, �Besides the initial shock, the need for revenge, and the uncertainty of where I�ll go, I don�t really care that they�re dead. So, your turn.�
Edward shifted, rustling sheets, then began. �My mom died when I was six, in a car wreck. It wasn�t quick, she hung on for a week. My dad was a low level Mafia runner and gunner. H ruled over me with an iron fist, ruffing me up for leaving a tennis shoe in the hall. And for years, I took it.�
He fell silent for a bit and pity wormed its way around my heart and squeezed. A harsh, barking laugh sounded once from him and he continued. �When I was 13, I dropped a plate for dinner, expensive it was, and he went off. The beating were getting more frequent and worse, and I knew one of these days, he�d kill me. So I killed him first, with a steak knife right here.� I couldn�t see where he pointed, but knowing Edward, it was the heart or the throat.
�After that, I was recruited to assassin school and became what you see before you. Since that night, I�ve never eaten veal again. It tastes like my dad�s blood to me.�
I knew I had to get out of the hall when the quietness settled again, because the conversation was probably over. As soon as I gained my feet, Crys spoke again. �I guess we can just laugh when people complain how their parents are so out of it, or they can�t see one because of divorce.�
Edward just chuckled. �Sleep tight, Crys.�
�Could I call you Eddy, Edward? You know, now that we�ve bonded.� There was a teasing but hopeful note to her voice.
He considered for a moment before saying, �Sure, why not. That's what my mom used to call me. I�ll see you in the morning.�
I retreated to my bedroom right down the hall and collapsed into the bed. So Edward did have a past, unless he was lying, but from the details, I didn�t think so. I�d left the door to my room open a crack, so I heard Crys shout, �Eddy!�
Edward�s footsteps halted in the hall. �Hmmm?�
�G�night. I love you.�
I cringed, knowing that he couldn�t love back, not really. But the kid was nothing but persistent, and I knew she�d never give up. Edward grunted, an acknowledgment of her statement, but nothing much more then that. He may not be capable of emotion, but he won�t trample on hers, yet. Santa Fe and Donna flashed quickly in front of my eyes. I sighed. Maybe she had a reason to hope that he�d give in. Just maybe.
~( 8>