By: Wrangler
A/N: this is set sometime after Burnt Offerings. No Donna, and no Richard. Could there be a more perfect world?
I woke up in aching pain, disoriented, and did I mention in pain? Through a half-swollen eye I evaluated my surroundings, and decided I had no clue where I was. The room was painted a dark red, with a set of deer antlers and a painting mounted on the wall. The painting was of two horses, a foal and its mother. But the bed was soft, and that was nice. I was no longer in Padma�s tender care, but other than that I wasn�t sure.
�Are you awake, Anita?� softly asked a voice I knew well. The sight of him jogged my memory of how I escaped. There was an explosion that sent shards and rubble to the wind, the backwash of heat knocked me even closer the cold stone I was chained to. Through the cloud of fire and dust drove a black Hummer, which screeched to a stop on the stone floor. Immediately after the SUV on steroids stopped, my savior quickly, almost flew out of the driver�s side door, Uzi in hand, his black leather duster swirling around him like something alive.
He cheerfully spent the clip of his Uzi 9mm on the vampires who lunged for him. When it was impossible to take a shot with the Uzi without the possibility of hitting me Edward switched hands with the Uzi and drew his Beretta, downing the remaining vampires. I knew by their screams of pain he was using his special homemade Homady XTPs with silver mercury and holy water inside.
I didn�t know if he killed Padma. I hadn�t been able to hold on to consciousness much longer after that to survey the dead. The last thing I remembered was Edward unchaining me from the wall, and I slumped against him, weak from blood loss and hating it all the same. He said, �It�ll be alright, Anita. Just hold on.�
�I wish I wasn�t,� I answered, trying to sit up in the soft bed unsuccessfully.
�I�ll get you an ibuprofen,� he said, and disappeared. Minutes later he was back with a pill and a glass of water. I took the pill without argument. �The doctor said you�ll be fine, you just lost a lot of blood.� I knew that. I lost a lot of blood, and probably a little bit of sanity.
�Where are we?�
�At my house, in one of the guest bedrooms,� he answered.
�How did you know�?� I asked, staring up at Edward who had crossed his arms standing by the bed, staring down at me.
�How did I know what? That Padma had kidnapped you?�
I nodded minutely, and it hurt. Along with the blood loss there had been some customary beating as well. Damn vampires. Edward sat down on the bed next to me, and began explaining. �I was in St. Louis on business. When I stopped by to see you at your house you weren�t there. The house was a mess, it looked like a big struggle had taken place.� I nodded again in confirmation. �So I went to Jean-Claude to grill him on what shit you were buried neck deep in. He said you had been kidnapped by some council master names Padma a few days prior. While he dicked around with vampire politics I tracked you down, in Wyoming of all places, and did something about it.� That quite possibly could have been the longest string of complete non-cryptic answers I had ever gotten from Edward.
Of course, Jean-Claude the politician would try to solve things diplomatically. Padma had had me, and didn�t give a shit about diplomacy, or politics, or ethics, or anything but getting revenge on me for taking the life of his son.
I nodded, letting it all soak in. �Thank you, Edward. I owe you.�
He smirked, that half smile that usually infuriated me, but I found strangely comforting right then. �I�m sure you�ll pay me back someday.�
�I�m sure.� I stretched, and pushed my hair out of my face. �I need to go into hiding. Padma wont stop until I�m dead.�
�Or until he is. Don�t worry, Anita, I took care of it.�
�He�s dead?� I asked, only semi-surprised.
�Deader than most,� was his answer. That made sense. Padma took his revenge on me, and Edward took his revenge on Padma. That�s right, vampires, step back. I�ve got Death on my side.
I smiled happily, maybe even a little sadistically, and tried to sit up again. My second attempt was more successful. �Thank you, Edward. And I mean it.�
�Of course, Anita. Besides, I know you would have done the same for me.�
I knew that was true. �I need to call Jean-Claude to tell him I�m safe.� If I wasn�t safe with Edward, then I wasn�t safe anywhere. Strange, that. That I was safest when I was with the most dangerous man I knew.
Although Edward narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, he handed me a cordless phone to call my vampire boyfriend.
******
I flew back to St. Louis from New Mexico a week later, on Valentines day, of all days. Even though I gripped the arms of my chair with a vengeance it was sort of a relief to see the muddy Mississippi thousands of feet below us. �Relax, Anita,� Edward whispered into my ear. �They charge extra when you break the armrests of the seats.�
I glared at him, and he shut up, only giving me that grin that made me want to punch him. But to punch him I would have had to let go of my seat. I wasn�t going to do that. Edward was tagging along as a bodyguard, just to be sure everything was well.
*****
By the time we got back to my house it was nearly dusk, but not quite. I could feel the coming night, like a menacing presence. After the adventure I just went through, I would not see the night in a good way for a long time.
When I opened the door to my house I was unpleasantly greeted by the sight of flowers. Hella lotta flowers. There had to have been hundreds of roses scattered everywhere in vases on the stairs, in the living room, and it appeared there were more in the kitchen as well. All of the furniture I had knocked over in my struggle with Thomas and Gideon was righted as well.
�He certainly isn�t stingy,� remarked Edward, knowing as well as I that this was all from Jean-Claude.
�Hmph. And I get to throw all of it away too when it dies. Why can�t he ever get me something consumable, like chocolate?� You just can�t go wrong with chocolate.
�If he really knew you, he�d get you coffee,� remarked Edward. That was true as well. I glanced at Edward. His face was as blank as his tone had been bland. Unreadable.
I nodded. �You�re probably right, Edward.�
�I�m going to throw my bags in the guest bedroom,� said Edward, heading up the stairs. He knocked over one of the vases of roses at the top of the stairs, causing a chain reaction that sent them all tumbling down. I flinched. �Oops,� was all he said with a slight smirk, continuing his way down the hall and out of sight.
�Thanks, Edward, really,� I muttered, fighting to hide a smile from his childishness. As I began to pick up the fallen roses there was a knock on the door that startled the bejezus out of me, making me drop the roses and draw the Browning.
�It is only I, ma petite. Please do not shoot,� called Jean-Claude in a purring voice through the door.
I sighed, and holstered the browning. Opening the door revealed Jean-Claude in all his preternatural glory. His shirt was red silk, I honor of Valentines day, no doubt. Count on the vampire to be festive and in vogue at the same time. Soft pettable boots climbed to his knee, meeting new black jeans.
�Hi.� My voice sounded tired, haggard.
�Good evening.� Jean-Claude stepped inside so I could close the door, blocking off the cold February air from intruding into my house.
There was a silence between us, neither one sure what to say. I was sure Jean-Claude sensed my unease. I couldn�t help but feel, I don�t know what to call it. Betrayed, maybe. Betrayed that the only cards he tried to play were his vampire politics, saving his ass, while Edward saved mine.
�I am glad to see you safe, ma petite.� I nodded once, still staring at him like a watchful mouse facing off with the cat. The vampire sighed. �I realize you feel uncertainty with me, now, and I am truly sorry for that. I will do my best to regain your trust, Anita. I swear it.�
Glancing around at the roses, I commented, �So I can see.�
Jean-Claude smiled, melt in your mouth sexy. �Do you like them?�
Shrugging, I said, �A little over board, don�t you think?�
�Of course not,� said Jean-Claude, taking my hand, drawing me closer for a kiss. He stopped, glancing up towards the stairs. Edward made his footfalls heavy on purpose, interrupting us, and I was surprisingly grateful for it. When Edward reached the bottom of the stairs he stepped on one of the roses, crushing it on the tile of the foyer on purpose. The symbolism was lost on neither Jean-Claude or I.
I drew away from Jean-Claude. The movement put me closer to Edward, and I wasn�t sure if I did that on purpose unconsciously or not.
Narrowing his eyes minutely, Jean-Claude nodded in Edward�s direction. �Monsieur Edward.�
Without a nod of acknowledgment, Edward said, �Jean-Claude.� His tone was void of emotion, but I could tell that Edward was not happy with Jean-Claude, as usual. Well, I wasn�t really either.
�I was not aware you were here.�
That surprised me. Crossing his arms, Edward said, �I�m always there for Anita when she needs me.� I fought not to smile. If this was a pissing contest, then Edward was kicking Jean-Claude�s ass. The testosterone poisoning was thick in the air.
�Ah, but does she need you now?�
I didn�t know why Jean-Claude wanted Edward to go away so badly. It wasn�t like the vampire was going to get sex tonight. Of course, he might not have known that. Sex was the farthest thing from my mind after spending a few nights in Padma�s care. It was amazing I didn�t run screaming from any man. But I was Anita Blake, and I did not run screaming from things if I could help it.
�More than she needs roses,� was Edward�s remark.
Changing the subject, Jean-Claude pointed something out that I had been musing about all week. �The council may come after you for killing Padma. I would be on your guard.� And then again, maybe not. Padma wasn�t really the council members� favorite vamp. Jean-Claude�s voice was so blank I wasn�t sure if he meant it as a threat, or a warning for Edward�s safety.
�Well, I guess if they do, I�ll just have to kill them too.�
Jean-Claude laughed, full throated, flashing fang. Seeing those white fangs triggered another memory, a flash back of Padma�s fangs sinking into my breast and the other tortures he bestowed upon my body while drinking my blood. I could feel the pure terror coursing through me as I relived the moment.
As quickly as I had left reality I came back to it. Two different hands supported me, I must have stumbled. I could believe that, because my knees had gone weak, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I looked up at my two supports. Jean-Claude and Edward were glaring at each other across me. It reminded me of a different standoff that had happened months earlier, between Richard and Jean-Claude, before I betrayed the werewolf with the vampire. Only that had had romantic motives. It may have for Jean-Claude, but I knew romance was the farthest thing from Edward�s mind.
Jean-Claude�s hand was warm, but it still felt�undead. Vampirish. NOT alive. I didn�t need nor want that right then. It scared me, even more than usual. I stood under my own power, and they both knew that was their cue to let go of me. I looked up at Jean-Claude, and my heart beat faster. Not from lust either, but from fear. It was all I could do to not take another step backwards, that would have put me flush against Edward.
�Ma petite, are you��
�Alright?� I demanded, suddenly pissed off. �After being poked, proded, fed upon, beaten, and�� I couldn�t bring myself to say the last. I just couldn�t say it, but Jean-Claude�s eyes widened when he got the idea. �Didn�t think it was that bad, huh? Well guess what? It fucking was.� I sighed, holding my head like I had a headache. �I�I need some time away from you, Jean-Claude. I can�t handle your being a vampire right now. An egotist, maybe, but not a vampire.�
Jean-Claude studied me with those dark blue eyes, and nodded, understanding. �Then until you are ready, Anita.� With that he disappeared into the night, more quickly than my or Edward�s eyes could follow. I didn�t think it would be that easy to get the vampire to leave.
When I looked up into Edward�s eyes I knew without a word that he knew Padma had raped me. I had managed to push it down inside of me, cover it with dirt until now, but the flash of fangs in my memory brought it all back. I closed my eyes as a single tear formed and fell down my cheek. Edward lifted his arms minutely flexing his hands closed and open, not sure if I wanted to be held or left the fuck alone. And the truth was, I didn�t really know either. Since I was good at ignoring things, I promptly said, �I�m going to sleep,� and started up the stairs to my bedroom.
Edward grabbed my hand on the first step, turning my attention back to him. His eyes were sincere blue, not a blocked off mask. He may be the consummate liar, but he didn�t lie to me then, when he said, �Things may not be alright now, Anita. But they will be.�
I nodded, biting my lip. Tension sang through me, like a rabbit caught in the head lights. Flee, or stay? Standing on the first step I was as tall as Edward. It was then that I made my decision to lean forward, hugging Edward tightly. I trembled, but I did not sob. Edward understood me so well, and for a moment I wondered why Jean-Claude and I were lovers, and Edward and I weren�t.