Epilogue (Pt 1)
Xandrie jerked awake, blinking bewilderedly, until her mind caught up with her surroundings.
She was with Christian. She was safe.
She glanced down at the man in her arms to find a pair of clear blue eyes staring back at her.
�Hey, sleepyhead,� he whispered, his voice slightly husky from sleep.
�Hey, yourself.�
�Looks like we made it.�
�Yeah,� she mumbled absently, looking up at the other passengers who have already lined up in the isle, impatient to get off the plane. �You need help getting up?� she asked gently.
Christian shook his head. �Nah. I can manage.�
He pushed himself up from the seat, wincing at the effort. But the wince was quickly replaced by a strained but reassuring smile, when he met her worried gaze. �Let�s go, ch�rie . The land of opportunities is waiting.�
***
They had just cleared the customs and were on their way to the airport exit, when Christian spotted two familiar figures � Sean and Julia McNamara.
This was far from a welcome sight. Christian has been through too much these past few days, and the last thing he needed now was another confrontation with his so-called friends, the questioning looks (or even the questions themselves) that he did not want to deal with.
He changed directions abruptly, nearly colliding with Xandrie, hoping that they didn�t have a chance to notice him. Fat chance.
�Christian!�
Sean�s voice made him cringe visibly, earning another concerned stare from Xandrie. He inhaled sharply, slowly letting the air back out, as he tried to steady his frayed nerves. Then, having forced as big a smile as he could muster, Christian walked over to the McNamaras with Xandrie trailing close behind, a mixed look of confusion and apprehension on her face.
�Sean, Julian, what are you, guys, doing here?�
�Picking up Liz,� Sean explained nonchalantly.
�Liz?�
�Yes,� he confirmed without missing a beat and paying no heed to his friend�s incredulous expression. �I called her up a couple of days ago; told her to come back, seeing how things were getting back to normal around here.�
"Right. Without even waiting for me to return," Christian thought bitterly. "Typical!" Not that he minded Liz�s return. She was the one honest person in their office, and, despite the fact that she probably hated his guts, he really did like having her around (even if only to banter with).
Still, it would have been nice to be included in decisions such as bringing their anesthesiologist back from a forced vacation.
�There she is!� Julia exclaimed, interrupting his train of thought, and Christian turned around, his eyes instantly spying the familiar figure hobbling across the airport waiting room toward them. The one person he was actually glad to see.
He waited patiently, while Liz exchanged warm greetings with Julia and Sean, and, when his turn came, pulled her into a slightly awkward, hesitant hug, mildly surprised (and pleased) to feel her warm and eager response.
Liz was the only one who noticed (really noticed) the way he looked. She also noticed (he knew) the slight wince that twisted his features when he pulled out of her enthusiastic hug. But he interrupted her before she had a chance to ask him about it.
�It�s really good to see you, Liz,� he said truthfully.
And she smiled in return. �You too.�
�So who�s your friend, Christian?�
Julia�s voice shattered the fleeting pleasure of the moment, and Christian stiffened involuntarily, diverting his attention back to the couple. Julia has been eyeing Xandrie for quite a while now with a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, and contempt. To her credit, Xandrie seemed completely unperturbed by that uninvited attention, blatantly ignoring the other woman.
�This is Xan�� he stopped himself short, suddenly remembering her own introduction to him years ago -- "My friends call me Xandrie" � Julia could hardly be considered her friend. ��Alexandra,� he corrected himself, �Alexandra Aubain.�
�Beautiful name,� Liz interjected, stretching out her hand. �It�s very nice to meet you.�
Xandrie smiled warmly in response. Liz seemed a bit rough to her, but Xandrie could sense a kind of genuineness about her and caring that she really didn�t see in the other woman.
�New girl-toy?� Julia spoke up again, and it took all of Christian�s restraint not to jump down her throat. �What�s the matter, Christian? American girls were not enough for you, so you had to bring in one from overseas?� she taunted. �Does she even know anything about you? Know what you are?�
Before Christian could respond to this barrage of insults, Xandrie stepped forward, her green eyes blazing dangerously.
�Julia, is it? You know, a long time ago a man insinuated that I had a � how you say � questionable moral character. If I remember correctly, he had to have a very expensive dental work done afterwards. And the only reason I haven�t kicked
your teeth in yet is because, unlike you , I don�t like to make a bad first impression. Unlike you, I don�t want the whole world to think I�m a bitch before they get to know me.�
She didn�t raise her voice a bit as she spoke, but the unmistakable cold threat floating underneath the syrupy smile instantly made the target of her anger more than a little uncomfortable.