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More Than Darkness	By : SaMe Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 4591 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 47-47
- 48-48
- 49-49
- 50-50
- 51-51
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 56-56
- 57-57
- 58-58
- 59-59
- 60-60
- 61-61
- 62-62
- 63-63
- 64-64
- 65-65
- 66-66
- 67-67
- 68-68
- 69-69
- 70-70
- 71-71
- 72-72
- 73-73
- 74-74
- 75-75
- 76-76
- 77-77
- 78-78
- 79-79
- 80-80
- 81-81
- 82-82
- 83-83
- 84-84
- 85-85
- 86-86
- 87-87
- 88-88
- 89-89
- 83
- 84
- 85
Aida awoke to her phone ringing. Muttering curses
against whoever it was - she knew few people who would
call her at two in the morning - she picked up and grunted something that was
meant to be a greeting.
Sands didn�t know if this was her number, didn�t know
if she even still lived in the same apartment, but he had no other options. He
heard a grunt that might have been her from the other end and held his breath
until he remembered he needed it to speak. �Aida?� he whispered, not wanting to
wake anyone up.
"Sands?" Aida rubbed her eyes, as if that would
clarify what she'd heard. "Is that
you?"
�Oh Aida. It�s me, its
Sands. I don�t know how long it�ll stay that way but yes. I�m here. I didn�t�I
went for a walk and didn�t return. I didn�t know where I was. I woke up and everything
was�wrong.�
"What do you mean?"
�I haven�t�I didn�t mean to leave. He came and I
don�t�I can�t remember what happened after that. I woke up and it was now and I
wasn�t there.� Sands frowned at how confused he sounded, but he couldn�t help
it. His thoughts had been fleeting for days now.
"Sands...it's two in the morning. I'm not
getting a whole lot of meaning from you. Why don't you just come over and
explain?"
�I can�t. He won�t let me. And I�m not�he said that
we�re in Italy. Not England. I hear him speaking Italian sometimes so I think
he�s telling the truth��
"Italy?" Aida sat up.
�I woke up and I was here.�
"When? When did you
wake up?"
�I don�t�a few days ago?� he sounded unsure.
Aida sighed. "You don't know at all, do
you?"
�Jeffrey said it had been three months, but that�s
all I remember. That might have been a few days ago�� It might have well be
three years ago for all he could figure out.
He sounded so confused and lost that it broke Aida's
heart, but she wasn't sure what he expected from her. "You've got to...I dunno...fight him, Sands," she tried, lacking any
better advice.
�I tried. It doesn�t work any longer. He�s�he�s
become me and I�ve become him. Don�t remember when it happened, prison maybe�he
was there and I wasn�t. I don�t think he needs me anymore.�
"Yes...well...that's all fine and good. But
other people need you! Ian needs
you!"
�No he doesn�t. He needs you. He doesn�t need me,�
Sands murmured. �And you don�t need me either. Not anymore.�
"Yes...Ian does need you." Aida sighed,
admitting a truth she'd fought against since he hadn't reappeared to go to
dinner those months ago. "And so do I."
�But�why? You�ve been fine without me. And we
don�t�we don�t work any longer. I�m sure you�ve thought that. It doesn�t matter.
I called because�I called because you�re you. You�re Aida. I needed to talk to
you. I needed to explain that I didn�t leave, I was taken. Do you understand? I
was taken.�
"Yes, I understand that. But I don't believe you
when you say that you're only calling me because I'm the only person you
know."
�No�I wanted to talk to you. Needed
to hear your voice. Needed to know that you were safe,� he said softly.
�I do still love you, you know. I never really stopped. Even when I was angry
with you I still loved you.�
"Then you didn't
call because I'm me. There was more to it than that."
�What? Oh. Yes. I needed your reality. I needed your
reassurance. I forget sometimes. I lose track of what�s real. He�s good at
tricking me. Did I tell you that? He�s been practicing. It makes it harder. I
think he wants me gone. Lost again.�
"Well I don't. Just get on a plane right now and
come back, Sands."
�I don�t�can I do that?�
"Yes. Just
come back to me and Ian."
�He�ll stop me,� Sands whispered desperately, but he
was already rising to his feet and heading to the door, cupping a hand over the
receiver of the cell phone as if to stop Jeffrey from overhearing that way.
"You're stronger than him, Sands," Aida
whispered back. "You can fight him. Don't be afraid. Be confident. Be
ruthless."
He remembered being such things once. Could he do so
again? He had no choice. �I�m leaving. I don�t�I�m not sure that I�ll make it,
but I�m coming.� He was still in Jeffrey�s pajamas, but that didn�t matter. He
had grabbed his wallet off of the table as he passed and that was all he
needed.
"Call me. Let me know. Either way, let me
know."
�I�m coming,� he said again, as if to reassure
himself of that fact. �I�m coming back to you. I won�t have to call. I�ll be
there in�� he honestly had no idea how long it took to fly from Italy to
England, but surely it couldn�t be that long. �I�ll be there as soon as I can.�
"I know you will, Sands. I'll be waiting. For you."
***
The plane landed at Heathrow and Sands barely
noticed. The plane emptied around him and Sands barely noticed. The weather was
hot instead of the bitter cold it had been when he had left and Sands barely
noticed. He did notice when Jeffrey
woke up and started yelling.
Sands flinched, expecting to be cut off from the world
again when he was so close to seeing her again. So very close� That thought
hardened his resolve and he mentally spun on Jeffrey. �You listen here, you
fucking figment. I control you. Not the other way around. I don�t
fucking care if you�ve been more successful as of late. I don�t fucking care if
you�ve found yourself suddenly able to push me away. It ends now.�
Jeffrey snorted. �Oh yeah?
And what are you going to do about it, Sands?�
�I am going to fucking fight you,� Sands hissed.
�Here? In public? You�ll get
us both carted off to Bedlam.�
Sands walked with purpose and seated himself on a nearby park bench. �Right
here, right fucking now. You and me. We worked
together once, barely, but that�s not the case anymore now is it?�
�You kill me, you kill yourself,� Jeffrey hissed, and
Sands could feel him gathering himself up to fight despite his words.
�I don�t think so, but it that�s the way it works
out, then so be it. I�d rather be dead than to be under your fucking thumb
again.�
�You�re going to lose.�
�We�ll see.�
The two men lunged at each other across the landscape
of Sands� mind like two wild beasts, hitting and clawing and kicking and
pulling at each other in an irrational and violent dance. They moved without
reason for there was none. They moved with only one purpose, and that was to
kill the other.
After what seemed like hours, but were in fact
minutes, Sands feinted desperately and knocked Jeffrey to the ground. They were
both bleeding and broken, both injured and irate. Sands raised his hands to
make the killing blow when Jeffrey smiled manically. �I wouldn�t do that if I
were you. Kill me and I�ll bring this whole fucking place down with me. You
know I can do it. And what�s more, you don�t fucking want to die any more than
I do. Petty words, Sands. Empty
threats. You want to see your fucking wife. You�d do anything to see
her. Even let me live.�
Sands hesitated and furtively looked around. Jeffrey
was�irritatingly�right. He could tell that his sanity hinged on this moment. He
had always known. Death, true death of either of them would kill the other. It
was a bitter realisation but not a surprising one. Sands� hands descended.
***
"Oh my god," Aida breathed when she opened
her door that evening to reveal her husband. "Sands...you look..." He
looked like shit, but she was afraid of what saying that out loud would do.
�Like something the cat didn�t even bother to drag
in?� he asked with an upturn of his lips that was intended to be a smile but
somehow got lost along the way.
"Yeah." She moved
out of the doorway so he could come inside. "I'm going to assume that you
didn't have an easy time of it."
�I almost made it. He showed up after the plane
landed,� he said wearily but with an intended smile upon his face now. �I did
it.�
"I'm glad." Aida reached up to brush a comma
of hair out of his face. "I'm so very glad..."
He leaned into her touch, making sure to keep eye
contact with her as he did so, wanting her to know it wasn�t just an
instinctual reaction although it very nearly had been. �I�ve missed you,� he
whispered.
"I've missed you too." Her eyes met his
unflinchingly, daring him to read the truth in them.
He did so and he let out a sigh that was filled with
an incredible amount of emotion for being utterly nonverbal. �I love you,� he
continued.
"And I love you," she whispered. "I
realized...after you didn't come back. I wouldn't have been so hurt and so
worried if I didn't."
�I didn�t know if I could love you again after�well
you know.� He wasn�t going to speak about it. �But I did and I do. I just
didn�t know it. I know it now. I love you, Aida.�
"I'm glad. I don't know if I could stand being
around you if you didn't."
�I do. I do love you, Aida. My
spitfire. My wife.� He moved in to kiss her
before either of them could go on speaking.
Aida wrapped her arms around him and rose up on her
toes to meet him better, needing to be close to him. She'd been physically
close before, but she'd missed his emotional closeness. This was what brought
everything else together.
Sands responded by wrapping his arms around her waist
and pulling her closer, never breaking the kiss. He never wanted it to end.
They had kissed before, desperate passionate kisses that they had both needed,
but this was so much more. This was something powerful and vibrant. Something
you could see hanging about in the air of two people who desperately loved one
another. He moaned into her mouth as their tongues danced and she swallowed the
sound. This was good. This was real. This was love.
When she finally broke away, intending only to catch
her breath, Aida found herself speaking. "Ian's in bed."
He pressed his forehead against hers after giving a
short nod. �Lead the way, spitfire,� he said breathlessly. �I can be quiet if I
have to.�
"I've taken care of...of precautions." She
didn't want any awkwardness later on when neither of them would feel like
dealing with it. That, and starting herself on the pill again had been her
little declaration that she believed he'd come back.
He nodded, taking this information in and using it to
spur his actions. While he had told her to lead the way, she clearly wasn�t
moving quick enough to suit his tastes for place a hand at the small of her
back and propelled her forward. �You might be amused to note that I was the one
who left the country without a change of clothes this time.� He gestured
towards his pajamas. He supposed he had gotten some strange looks on the
flight, but he honestly hadn�t been paying attention.
"Hmm?" His touch
distracted her to the point where she wasn't sure what he was talking about.
He smiled. �Nevermind,� he said softly. They
continued their walk until they were both in the bedroom, and Sands turned to
close and lock the door behind them. This would be the point where it got
awkward, but all Sands wanted was to kiss her again,
so that was what he did.
This time Aida was the one to moan with relief. She
gave herself over totally to her husband, prepared to give all of herself when he wanted it.
Sands grinned at her moan and moved his kisses to her
neck and shoulders, wanting to hear it again. As he did so, his hands moved
across her body, removing clothing and inhibitions alike as he touched her.
"Not fair," she whispered as she shrugged
out of her shirt. "You're still wearing your clothes."
�Then I suggest you do something about that, my
love,� he whispered seductively in her ear before nipping at it lightly.
"You would suggest that," she murmured back
as her fingers went to work on the buttons of his shirt.
�Of course I would. It�s much more fun this way,� he
answered, never stopping to kiss her skin, even though she pushed his arms away
so she could remove his shirt.
"You're probably right." Aida ducked her
head and captured his mouth again as she started to back towards her bed.
�I�m always right,� he was able to murmur between
kisses as together they leaned back onto the bed. �Except for
when I�m not.�
"Like when I'm right?" She rolled him onto his back.
He smiled at her actions and her words. �Perhaps.�
His smile made her own lips
turn up in return. This was good.
"I love you so much," she murmured, leaning
down to nibble on his earlobe.
�I know you do,� he whispered back, a hand moving up
so that his fingers became lost in her hair. His other hand was dancing across
the skin of her back, every so often moving along her side but never any
further than that.
"And you still love me." She still needed
to be reassured. Would probably need to be reassured for a
long time to come.
He nodded but saw immediately that that wouldn�t be
enough. �Yes. I still love you, Aida.� It was hard coming to this realisation,
but he was almost positive that he wasn�t deluding himself. He looked at her
and he did feel something he labeled as love. That love had been tested and
nearly forgotten, but it was still there. He did still love her.
"Good...good..." She captured his mouth,
forcing her tongue past his lips as if she wanted to taste the truth of his
words.
He let her ravage his mouth but only with the
reassurance to himself that he would return the favour in full once he had
caught his breath again. As she kissed him, his hands did move forward to her
chest, his deft fingers working their way between their pressed bodies to
caress her breasts. He was loath to give up the sensation of her naked flesh
flush against his, but he had to touch her.
"Mmm..." She
arched her back away from him in order to give his fingers more space in which
to work. Hot tingles raced through her, warming her. Not that
she wasn't already hot...
Spurred on by her response, his fingers found her
peaked nipples and he lightly pinched them for a minute before he separated
himself from her and leaned down to capture one between his teeth, his mouth
replacing his fingers. She seemed to want to kiss him senseless, and that was
fine, but he wanted to taste her.
"Oh god, Sands..." Aida's eyes squeezed
tightly shut as she tried to focus on the sensations he was causing.
Sands� own eyes closed at her proclamation, knowing
that he was home. �Say my name again,� he whispered, his hands still moving
over her breasts.
"Sands..."
�Again,� he whispered, leaning over to kiss and nip
at her throat as his hands continued to caress her chest.
"Sands..." she whispered once more as her
hands come up to hold his head in place.
He smiled against her throat and knew that she must
be able to feel it. �Yes,� he whispered between kisses. �That�s who I am. Yours. And you�re mine.�
She nodded, unable to find her voice. Not that she
needed it; her body was more than capable of speaking for her.
He had wanted to hear her agree with him, but he
understood why she didn�t. His hands abandoned her chest finally to move
downward, pushing her pajama bottoms down. �Need to be closer to you,� he
breathed as he did so. �Need to feel you.�
"I can feel you," she murmured, raising her
body to press against his.
He let out a moan at the increased contact. �More,�
he gasped, immediately hating whoever had thought that clothes would be a good
idea in this world. They just got in the way.
"Yes." Her legs parted to allow him to
settle against her more comfortably.
His hands moved to her waist and he was pulling her
down closer to him, laying back to look up at her with a slightly glazed look
in his eyes. �Love you. Need you. Want you,� he gasped, arching up into her
body.
She couldn't resist the urge to kiss him again. As
she did, Aida rolled, pulling him on top of her. He wasn't the only one who
needed more. Who wanted more.
Sands took advantage of the new dominant position and
further parted her spread legs, pulling her pants and underwear off completely
and throwing them somewhere across the room. His eyes met hers immediately
afterwards, needing to see her reactions before taking in the sight of her
naked body beneath him.
"Hi," she murmured lazily, her body heavy
with arousal. This wasn't like last time. She wasn't afraid of being naked
before him. She wasn't afraid of what his eyes might see, what changes he might
notice in her body... He loved her.
�Hi,� he responded in turn. �Is this�are you
alright?� He knew what he wanted, he knew what he needed, but he wouldn�t take
from her that which she was not willing to give.
"This is very alright." She reassured him with a soft, loving kiss to
his forehead.
He nodded, relieved. �I just�I had to be sure.�
"I understand." She kissed the tip of his
nose.
He sent her a bemused look at her action before
moving his gaze away from hers to take in the sight of her. He immediately
caught his breath. She was exquisite. She had filled out again in health and
she was beautiful. Again, the thought came that he would have
liked to see her practically bursting with child, but he would have to simply
imagine it.
He traced a reverent hand along her side, not
stopping until he had reached her hip. He didn�t dare touch her further, not
yet. �Beautiful,� he whispered aloud this time.
"Must be dark in here," Aida whispered
back, hushing him with her lips on his. He tasted so good...she craved more.
He didn�t understand her comment but he didn�t argue
it either. He simply kissed her back, his body automatically moving closer to
hers before he realised that he was still wearing entirely too much clothing.
He didn�t want to stop kissing her so to solve this, his hands found hers and
he moved them down to his hips, wanting her to return the favour he had
bestowed upon her. Besides, he wanted to feel her touch. He longed for it.
Her fingers immediately moved to the drawstring of his
pajama bottoms, untying the knot and shoving the pants down his legs as far as
she could before she arched up against him, groaning breathlessly at the
sensation of all that hot skin of his against hers.
Sands blinked furiously at the sensation. This, this, was what he had missed. This was
what he needed and wanted and could no longer live without. He needed her
touch, her love, her very presence. He had missed her
as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out and forgotten. He had found and
reclaimed that piece. �Oh, Aida,� he groaned. He couldn�t say anything else but
that. He didn�t have the words. He could feel her pulse throbbing against him
wildly, and knew that she wanted more just as he did. They were so very close.
He could feel her wet heat against him and knew that all it would take was a
slight shift of his hips and they would be joined. He wanted that joining, but
not yet. He needed that closeness, but he needed this as well.
"That's..."
Aida had to gasp for breath as Sands stirred against her. "That's
nice."
�But not enough,� he responded.
"No." It was torturously close to enough,
but not quite it.
�You want more. You want to feel me inside of you.�
It was near torture in and of itself to ask such questions, but he couldn�t
help himself.
From the way she trembled at the feelings of pleasure
his mere words evoked, Aida had to agree that she did want him inside of her.
�Then far be it from me to deny you want you want,�
he gasped, moving so that he was position before her. With one last lingering
look at her face, he thrust into her with a decisive stroke, choking on a groan
at the sensation. Oh god. It�s been so
very long�bliss�love her with all that I have�such heat...going to melt away
for sure�don�t care� The thoughts flitted through his mind without pause,
but he didn�t pay any attention. He was too busy becoming lost in her embrace
to worry about something as rational as rational and linear thought.
Aida muffled a cry in her husband's neck. It had been
so very long; she'd anticipated this for so very long. Yet the reality of it
all was so much more powerful than memories or anticipation.
"Sands...Sands...oh god, Sands..."
The pace he set was desperate, made that was on part
of her whimpered pleas and his own needs. He did his best to kiss her as his
hips clashed against hers, but it was hard. He wanted nothing more than to give
himself up to the sounds clawing at his throat; moans and gasping pleas to
match her own. But no, he had to kiss her. The fact
that his kiss was little more than pressure and bitten lips went unnoticed.
Aida bit and thrust back just as enthusiastically. There
would be time for slow and loving later. Much later.
Sands was decidedly pleased
with her responses, knowing that he was in no mood to be slow and gentle any
longer. He was hovering between desperation and love, and for the moment desperation
was winning. He wanted to feel her writhe beneath him, wanted to hear her beg,
wanted to see her face go slack in mindless passion. He would follow her
earlier advice though she probably did not intend for it to be used in this
context; he would be ruthless.
In the end, passion was no match for enforced
abstinence. Aida came a few minutes later, muffling her cries of passion in
Sands' shoulder. The moment her teeth broke his skin, he was following after
her, somehow managing to remember that he needed to be quiet due to the young
boy asleep in the next room.
Sands was heaving for breath and he knew it, but
since his ears weren�t ringing with passion-filled yells he knew that he must
have somehow kept silent in the midst of bliss. His arms tightened around her,
not caring that the movement made it even harder for the two of them to
breathe. He needed to hold her. After a long pause to regain his wits, he
kissed the skin directly below his mouth; loathe to move
his head more than that. �Love you,� he breathed.
"Love you," she murmured back, slowly
allowing her body to relax as it wanted so badly to.
�I don�t want to move ever again. This is where I
belong,� he whispered meaningfully.
"Yes." She forced her exhausted body to
embrace him yet again.
He simply gave himself into her arms, pressing his
face against her shoulder and closing his eyes. �I don�t want to leave you,
Aida. I love you.�
"I don't want you to leave me either. I missed
you so much."
�He�ll�he�ll fight. He won�t leave them�but I can�t
leave you. I don�t know what to do, Aida,� he moaned. �I thought I did, I
thought I knew, but I don�t know what will happen if I fight him.�
"Do you have to? Fight I mean? Can't you simply
bargain with him?"
�I don�t know,� he said honestly.
"Will you try?"
�I don�t think I have any other choice.�
Aida nodded. "I don't want you to risk anything."
�Everything�s a risk with me, Aida,� he said softly.
�Going outside as myself to be seen is a risk. Coming
back to see you now was a risk. My life is full of risks.�
"Then I don't want you to take unnecessary
risks."
�I know what you meant,� he whispered into her
shoulder. �I�ll do what I can. Though�he�s not going to be
happy about today.�
"Well, I'm not happy about the last three
months. And the month before that. And neither are
you."
His brow furrowed as he remembered that. �Correct. I
am not happy about that in the least,� he said evenly.
"So he's not the only one with righteous ire on
your side. And maybe he won't fuss as much if you let his family know where he
is."
He nodded. It was a good idea. �I�ll call. It�s not
their fault. Well, not the twins� fault anyway,� he murmured. He wasn�t about
to believe that sunrise had had nothing to do with any of this.
Aida nodded her approval. "The phone is in the
living room. I've been keeping it with me wherever I've gone."
Sands sighed. Despite his willingness to agree with
her suggestion to call sunrise and the twins, that didn�t necessarily mean he
wanted to do it right now. �I�ll be
right back. Don�t go anywhere,� he said softly, moving to get up off the bed,
pulling his pants and boxers back up with care.
"Not for the world," she whispered.
He didn�t hear her, but he hadn�t really expected her
to leave anyway so it didn�t really matter. He padded into the living room to
reach the phone, running a hand through his hair as he did so, noticing for the
first time that it seemed to be near to his preferred length again. This only
served to remind him of the time that had passed and he snatched up the phone
angrily, dialing kitty�s number only after searching Jeffrey�s thoughts for it.
"Jeffrey, where the hell are
you? You promised to take the twins with you this morning."
Sands pressed down Jeffrey�s awareness at the sound
of his name with a little effort. �It�s me, sunrise. He�s not here at the
moment. This is a�courtesy call,� he said dryly. �Consider it a favour since
neither of you seemed willing to do the same for Aida.�
"Sands..." Salida hissed, her hand
clenching around her phone. "What the fuck do you think you're
doing?"
�Taking my fucking life back.
What? Did you think I would just go away forever?� he asked coldly.
"I did have hopes." Salida was silent as
she considered her options; waking Jeffrey seemed to be her best choice. "Let
me talk to my husband."
�Why should I? He�s fucking fine. I�m simply calling
to tell you that I�m back in England.�
"Fuck you. Let me talk to Jeffrey."
Sands laughed coldly. �No. I�m sure you�ll be hearing
from him soon enough. Until then, you�ll just have to wait. Patience is a
virtue or so I�ve been told.�
"Jeffrey, you fucking
bastard!" If Sands wasn't going to play nice, neither was she.
�I�m afraid that�s not going to work this time, dear
sunrise. Have a good evening. Perhaps you�ll see Jeffrey again soon. But then
again, I haven�t had the past few months to myself now have I? One would almost
say I�m due.�
"Jeffrey may be a fucking pussy where your wife is concerned," Salida hissed,
"but you shouldn't bet that I won't rid myself of the problems her
presence causes."
�I had originally intended to open up negations
between the four of us again, but I can see that won�t be the case. Therefore
I�ll make it very simple for you: harm my wife and I�ll orphan your children.�
"You should like that. You'd rid yourself of two
headaches that way. In fact, all headaches. Kill me
and Jeffrey kills you. You'll be orphaning your own brat as well."
Sands laughed unexpectedly. �We seem to be at an
impasse then. A perfect Mexican stand-off. For believe
me, if you kill Aida I will kill you,
no matter the consequences for myself.�
"Fuck you. This isn't over."
�Clearly not. I�m certain
we�ll speak again soon. Until then, goodbye.� He hung
up the phone. He took a minute to calm his furious breathing before stalking
back into the bedroom to find his wife. He had hoped seeing her would calm him
but it only served to agitate him more and he began to pace at the foot of the
bed. Once he realised what he was doing he took a forceful seat on the end of
the bed and shut his eyes tightly. He knew that if he got too stressed he would
begin to feel claustrophobic again, and he didn�t want that. Not now.
Aida, seeing the problem, crept to the end of the bed
where she started to massage his shoulders. She didn't bother saying anything. She
just supported him with her presence.
�Needless to say, it didn�t go well,� he muttered,
grateful for her touch.
"I'm not surprised. But you made the
effort." She rose up on her knees to better work at his tense muscles.
�Sunrise threatened to kill you. I thought you should
know,� he murmured. �It all went a little downhill from there. She wasn�t too
pleased I wouldn�t let her talk to Jeffrey either.�
"I can take threats. After all, you're looking
out for me."
�Oh I am. I returned her threats in kind,� he sighed,
beginning to feel himself melt under her touch despite the irritation he still
felt at what had happened.
"Hmm..." Aida kissed the back of his neck. "Come
back to bed."
He sighed again but nodded. He had honestly never
felt less inclined towards sleep, but that didn�t mean that he wouldn�t join
her. �Just�if I fall asleep, be careful,� he warned as he moved up to join her
at the head of the bed. �I don�t know who will wake up.�
"I'm sure everything will be fine. Even if you do fall asleep. Because you
wouldn't let anything happen to me." Aida had decided that the best
way for Sands to have faith in himself was for her to
have overwhelming faith in him.
�No, I wouldn�t,� he agreed after a mere second�s
contemplation. �I would never let anything happen to you.� He moved a bit
closer towards her with his words.
"So there's nothing for either of us to worry
about, is there?"
�I guess not.� He still sounded a little unsure, but
not as much as he had before.
She kissed him gently, then
stood to retrieve a sleepshirt from her dresser. It
wouldn't do to shock Ian in the morning.
Sands� lips twitched in an approximation of a grin at
her actions. �Pity,� he murmured.
Aida rolled her eyes. "Hey, if you want to
explain to Ian why Mommy and Daddy are naked together, by my guest..."
�I�m so very nearly tempted, but no. I think I�ll
save that for another day many, many years from now.�
"I thought you might." Pulling a silky top
over her head, Aida returned to Sands' side and slid under the blankets.
�Indeed,� he agreed, pulling her body against his and
placing his free hand on her hip in an unconsciously possessive manner.
"He's going to be so happy to see you,"
Aida sighed as she made herself comfortable.
For a second Sands wasn�t entirely
sure who she was talking about and then it dawned on him. �I�ll be happy
to see him too,� he said softly.
"He's missed you. There's barely a day that goes
by when he doesn't ask if you'll be home soon."
�Damn that bastard and his wife,� Sands said between
clenched teeth.
"Shh..." Aida
stroked his face in the dark, feeling his frown under her fingertips.
"He's not mad. Just curious as to where his father is. No permanent harm
has been done."
�Not yet,� Sands said with an angry sigh but allowed himself to be calmed beneath her touch.
"And I was being careful. I took a break from
the troupe. Not a complete break - I'm an understudy - but I wanted to spend
more time with Ian."
�Thank you,� he said softly, knowing that that must
have been hard for her.
"As much as I love acting, I love our son more. It
wasn't much of a sacrifice."
�Oh.� He supposed that made a kind of sense. �Well
I�m sure he appreciates it.�
"He loves it. Enough to make
me feel guilty for working in the first place."
�Why should you feel guilty? You were working for
him. And you needed the money,� he said with a shake of his head, still feeling
a little bewildered that she hadn�t used his money during that time.
"I don't know. Maybe it's just that I always had
a parent around. Even if Momma worked, she had us right there with her." Oh,
the bittersweet memories that brought back.
�Oh. My mother didn�t work but she wasn�t around,� he
murmured without thought.
"And I could tell that you weren't too keen on
my leaving Ian with a sitter while I worked."
He shook his head. �It doesn�t matter. He�s fine. And
you�re here now.�
"But you didn't like it."
�No,� he said honestly.
"Because it brought back bad memories?"
�Yes,� he answered after a moment of hesitation,
deciding to stick with honesty.
"I figured." Aida hugged him.
�What was that for?� he asked once she had resettled
herself.
"Because I love you."
�Oh. That�s as good a reason as any I suppose,� he
said with a small smile.
"I love that you worry about the wellbeing of
our son."
�Why wouldn�t I?� he asked, confused now. �He�s not
old enough to take care of himself.�
"Your parents didn't worry about you," she
replied softly. "And you were worried about being the kind of parents they
were. But you're not.�
�Just�remind me of that every once and awhile
please,� he said softly. He shook his head, immediately embarrassed that he had
asked. �Nevermind. I�m being foolish. Forget I said
anything.�
"I won't forget. It was an honest request. And understandable request."
Sands sighed, clearly wishing she�d just forget it
for once. �It doesn�t matter. We should get some sleep, Aida. I�m certain that
Ian will awake us�� he glanced at a nearby clock, �in a few hours.� It was a
thinly veiled attempt to change the subject and he knew it, but he hoped she�d
go along with it anyway.
Aida sighed in defeat, but she did follow his lead. "Love
you," she murmured as she turned onto her side.
�I love you too,� he murmured over her shoulder as he
settled himself comfortably against her, glad she had accepted his change in
subject. �Goodnight.�
"Sweet dreams."
�We�ll see,� he whispered to himself.
***
Jeffrey didn�t quite know where he was or what he was
doing, but he did know one thing: he felt like shit. No, he felt worse than
shit and he didn�t know why. He lay back in bed�he realised that much at least,
he was in a bed�and thought about it. What had happened? There had been a
fight�hadn�t there? He sat up suddenly with a slight wince as he remembered
what had happened. �That bastard,� he hissed aloud. He and Sands had fought and
Sands had won. It was a blow to the ego to be sure, but he was back now and he
didn�t plan to lose again.
"Sands?" Aida
rolled over onto her back and squinted up at the man she thought was her husband.
"What is it now?"
Jeffrey hissed at her in greeting, too angry to speak
to her otherwise. So that was the way it was, was it? Sands had gone crawling
back to the traitorous whore. Well so be it. He would deal with the both of
them in turn.
Aida, still lagging a little, just
sighed and moved to get out of bed. She was tired. And now her hope of a
bit of morning hanky-panky was crushed.
�Well I do hope you had a pleasant evening with him
last night, kitty for I swear to you that it won�t happen again,� Jeffrey
growled although he made no move to follow her. Whether this was of his own volition or Sands was unclear.
"Jeffrey..." Aida sagged and turned.
�Yes?� he asked with false sweetness, even managing
to send her a grim visage of a friendly smile.
Aida just shook her head. She didn't know what to say
to him.
�Oh surely you must have had something to say, Aida,�
he drawled with a scowl. �Some recrimination perhaps?
Or I know, how about a stuttering excuse of why you did what you did those years
ago? Come on, I�m all ears.� He made a show of leaning back in the bed,
seemingly completely at ease while Aida knew he could move to strike out at her
in an instant if he felt like it.
"I don't think so." Aida edged towards the
door.
�And where do you think you�re going?� Jeffrey asked
casually, sitting up again and swinging his legs out from under the sheet to
the floor though he didn�t rise. �Have you honestly nothing to say to me? I
find that hard to believe.�
"Nothing you would accept."
�Oh you don�t know that,� he murmured, rising quickly
from the bed and moving to stand in front of her in an instant. He didn�t touch
her however; he merely stood there, not a foot in front of her, and waited. He
smiled as she flinched, clearly enjoying the reaction.
"If you hurt me, Sands will do the same to
Salida."
�Who said I was going to hurt you, Aida?� Although
his words were somehow supposed to be reassuring the undercurrent of violence
in them wasn�t. �I know he�ll kill vixen if I kill you. I�ve always known.
That�s why I haven�t yet.� Salida herself didn�t seem to understand this. She
wanted Aida dead, no matter the consequences. Just the thought of his wife�s
bloodlust brought a smile to his face. He did so love her.
"Then why..." She didn't understand.
�Then why what, kitty?�
"Why...threaten me?"
�Because it�s fun,� he said simply. �Because you deserve to die for what you did to us. If I
knew for certain that there was a way to kill you without Sands� interference
in my own life, you�d be a corpse already.�
"It's a good thing we've reconciled then."
�Have we?�
"No...not you and
I. Sands and I."
Jeffrey smirked. �I�ll keep working on him, don�t you
worry. I�ve not given up yet. And I know vixen hasn�t. In fact, that�s another
reason why I haven�t killed you. I�d much rather watch her do it,� he drawled.
�Wouldn�t that be something to see?�
"It won't happen. Sands loves
me."
�So he says. But love doesn�t last forever, despite
what you may think.�
"Then you're planning on not loving Salida one
day?"
�If she did something to me in the vein of what you
did to Sands, I�m certain she would expect
me to hate her.�
"I expected Sands to hate me."
�Oh I�m certain he still does. He just has to be
reminded of that fact.�
"You won't win," Aida whispered. She tired
to get away again.
Jeffrey grabbed at her wrist like a snake striking
out and held it tightly, not allowing her to run. �I�m already winning.�
"If hating me means losing to you, he'll never
do it." Aida issued the challenge in an attempt to hide how much his grip
hurt.
�Who said he�d have a choice? I�m stronger than him,
Aida. He may deny it and you may refuse to believe it, but it�s true. How else
would I be able to take him away from you so easily if he truly did love you as
much as you claim he does? Oh unless�unless he doesn�t really love you. Have
you considered that? I�m sure he said the words, but we both know how
accomplished a liar he is. I�m certain he just did it to spread those lily
white thighs of yours. And from the look on your face right now I�d say it
worked.�
Aida swallowed. "He isn't used to keeping track
of time anymore. Not after he forced you to endure prison for him. He gets
lost."
�That�s your explanation? �He gets lost?�� Jeffrey
laughed. �Well I suppose that�s as good as any when you�re in denial. I suppose
I�ll just have to make sure he gets lost more often then won�t I? Clearly
that�s all it takes to beat him,� he said dryly.
"It won't work. He doesn't want to leave his
son."
Jeffrey seemed to consider this. �That can be worked
around. I have no quarrel with the boy. Only you. But,
thank you for giving me another insight into him. If both you and the brat
wound up dead, what purpose would he have for sticking around? My thought would
be that he�d simply�vanish. Is this wishful thinking, you think?�
"No. But he'd take you, your wife, and your
children with him."
�Oh I wouldn�t be so sure about that,� he mused
thoughtfully. Grief can be powerful, I agree, but it can also be detrimental.
Do you know why he forced me to endure that fucking hellhole for him? It�s
because he couldn�t face life anymore knowing that you�d betray him. It was
that easy. He was gone and that�s all it took. He doesn�t trust you anymore,
Aida. And that works to my advantage.�
"And he's
never trusted you."
Jeffrey smiled. �That doesn�t matter. He�s used to
not trusting me and visa versa. It changes nothing between us. There are other
ways to deceive.�
"He's going to hear about this conversation, you
know." Her fingers were starting to go numb.
�Not necessarily. I�ve always found it easy to hide
my thoughts from him. Did you know?� If he was aware of her discomfort he gave
no sign.
"From me."
�Oh well that�s fine. I could hardly expect you to be
on my side. Tell him anything you like. Tell him I�m out to get him. I don�t
care. I�m still going to win.�
"I won't let you." Aida tried to jerk her
arm away and found herself trapped tightly against Jeffrey's chest. "Let
me go."
�Why should I? I could break your wrist you know. So
easily,� his hand tightened on her wrist. �It wouldn�t be killing you, but it�d
still be fun.�
Her heart pounding, she softly replied, "You'd
only be hurting yourself or someone you care about in the end."
�It�d almost be worth it to see you suffer, you
traitorous bitch,� he hissed though his grip didn�t tighten any more. It didn�t
loosen either, but at least her wrist wasn�t in immediate danger of being
broken.
"No it wouldn't. Not if you love your
family."
�I love my family with all of my heart and it�s still worth it,� he hissed, his hand
immediately tightening around her wrist again and yanking it sharply to the
side. Both of them heard the sharp CRACK
of her wrist being broken. He let her slump to the ground after that to cradle
her broken wrist. He simply looked on dispassionately. �Does it hurt? I really
hope it fucking hurts,� he growled. �We are now a millimeter closer to being
even.�
"Bastard," she hissed through her pain and
tears. And then she bit her lip and tried not to cry.
�Oh indeed,� he agreed with a sneer, crouching down
before her to get a better look at her, wanting to see her in pain.
She turned her head away. "Leave. Just
leave."
�Why would I want to do that when I can watch you
suffer so beautifully?�
Risking more injury but unable to deal with Jeffrey
for another moment, Aida threw herself at Jeffrey, screaming Sands' name as she
did so.
Jeffrey fell backwards onto the ground at her sudden
tackle, his face a mask of surprise. �Bitch,� he breathed without sound, the
wind having been knocked out of him from a particularly well-placed elbow to
his stomach. His face went slack however and he closed his eyes.
"Sands, wake up, please
wake up." Aida was now hovering on the verge of tears and desperate to
wake her husband before Ian appeared to see what all the fuss was about.
Sands didn�t answer directly, but began coughing and
gasping to get his breath back, wanting to roll to his side but unable to as
Aida remained on top of him.
Aida backed off, still holding her injured arm to her
chest.
Sands immediately rolled to his side and curled in on
himself, trying to regain his lost breath. After
taking a few wheezing breaths he finally opened watering eyes to look at her.
�Aida?� he whispered, looking around in confusion as he saw that he was on the
floor. His eyes widened when he realised what must have happened. �He�oh god. He came. I�m sorry. I said�I said that I
wouldn�t let him come. God I�m sorry, Aida,� he breathed, sitting up as best as
he could so that his eyes could meet hers. He had been rambling before, not
fully knowing whether or not she was even there to listen for he hadn�t seen
her. When his eyes fell upon the way she was holding her wrist protectively
against her chest and looking at him with a mixture of relief and terror, he
drew away from her. �He hurt you,� he stated softly. �How long has it�how long
was I gone?�
"Since we went to sleep last night?" Aida shrugged helplessly.
He nodded in silence, somewhat relieved despite
everything. It hadn�t been that long. Good. �What did he do to you?�
"Mommy? Daddy?"
Aida winced, but slowly rose to her feet. "Good
morning, Ian."
Sands eyed his son from across the room but didn�t
get up from his place on the floor to greet him. He didn�t know for certain
that Jeffrey was really gone.
Ian came over and attached himself to Aida's leg,
watching Sands suspiciously before looking up at his mother. "What's
wrong? Why were you yelling at Daddy?"
Aida put on her most reassuring grin. "Your father
surprised me, that's all. I wasn't really expecting
him yet. But I'm very glad to see him.
Aren't you?" The boy nodded, but didn't say anything.
�Just tell him, Aida,� he whispered, giving her a
pointed look. �Explain it to him.�
Aida frowned at Sands and gave him a brief shake of
her head. There was no way in hell she was going to shatter her son's innocence
at such a young age.
�His children know,� he argued softly. �It�s easier.�
"For them."
He sighed and shook his head. �Fine,� he murmured,
clearly unhappy with her refusal to share the whole truth with Ian but not
arguing it further.
"Tell me what, Mommy?"
Aida looked down at her son and rested her good hand
on his head. "Nothing. Except we're
going to go out for breakfast this morning. Would you like that?" When
Ian nodded, Aida gently pulled herself out of his grasp. "Go get some
clothes on then, and brush your teeth." The boy ran away and Aida closed
the bedroom door behind him.
Sands rose to his feet in silence, slowly walking
towards her. �Let me see your wrist,� he said softly.
"It's broken," Aida mumbled as she gently
extended it.
He sucked in a breath at the sight of her black and
blue wrist, examining it gently. �You need to the hospital.� Though he knew a
great deal of human anatomy and medicine from his school years, he had no real
practical experience in setting bones and stitching up wounds.
"I know. I figured we'd grab breakfast
afterwards."
He nodded and sighed. �For what it�s worth, I�m
sorry,� he murmured softly, his fists clenched at his sides in rage.
"I know you are. I should have called for help
sooner." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "It hurts,
Sands."
�I�m going to kill him,� he hissed, his heart
wrenching at her words.
"No...please don't do
that. I'm sorry for complaining." The thought of loosing Sands again to
another of his internal battles made her blood run cold. "I'll be
fine."
�No you won�t. If I don�t do anything he�ll think
that he can hurt you again without consequence. And he will, Aida,� he
whispered.
"I don't care. I don't want you to get hurt
worse. And you might if you go after him. Jeffrey's determined to make you
disappear for good, Sands."
�I know,� he said softly. �Sooner or later I�m going
to have to deal with him on that count.� It�ll
probably be sooner.
"He said...he said he was going do everything he
could to make you hate me again. And that you'd..." Aida trailed off,
unsure if she would be egging Sands on by sharing this, or if she'd make him
made by doubting him, or �
�He�s not going to beat me, Aida. I won�t let him. In
a technical sense, I gave him life. I can take it away again if I have to,� he
said coldly.
"I know he won't beat you. That's the one part I
was able to doubt completely."
�You weren�t able to doubt the rest?�
Aida moved away with a nervous laugh. "Cheap shots. He was playing off a woman's
insecurities."
His brow furrowed at her response but he nodded,
letting the topic lie for the time being. �We should get dressed. I�ve no doubt
Ian�s already on his way here to haul us out the door.�
She nodded. "You may have to help me into my
clothes. Instead of out of them for once."
His mouth twitched in an almost-smile. �It will be a
challenge, I�m sure, but I think I�ll manage.� He frowned then as a sudden
realisation hit him. �I don�t have anything to wear but pajamas.�
"Actually..." Aida opened her closet to
reveal a few pieces of men's clothing hanging in the back of her closet. "I
had hope," she explained before he could assume the clothes had belonged
to someone else.
He was a bit taken aback, but he nodded his thanks as
he reached for a pair of black khakis�it was probably too hot to wear his
missed leather anyway�and a loose shirt of white linen. He raised an eyebrow at
her choice of color, but figured beggars couldn�t be choosers.
"I like you in colors other than black,"
she murmured.
�What colors?� he asked. He had known that she liked
seeing him without his somber ensemble, but he couldn�t recall if she had ever
said exactly which colors she liked seeing him in.
"Considering I haven't seen you in very many
colors..." She smiled in spite of her pain. "I think I'd like to see
you in a pale green."
�That could perhaps be arranged,� he murmured,
quickly pulling on the clothes so he could help her. He needed a shower, but
that could wait until they got back. �What do you want to wear?�
"I don't care. You can choose if you'd
like."
�If it were up to me you�d never be clothed again,
but for Ian�s sake�� He reached and pulled out a pair of cranberry colored
slacks that caught his eye and a white short-sleeved button down blouse that
wouldn�t be terribly difficult to get over her injured wrist. It also gave him
the advantage of being able to do and undo her buttons at his leisure.
"I'm going to need a bra with that," she
muttered as she took note of the sheerness of the shirt. "And no funny
stuff, Mr. Sands."
He put on a look of mock-offence. �You wound me, Mrs.
Sands. To think that I would have anything but the purest of intentions in mind
when it came to dressing�� he never even made it to the end of his sentence.
The look on her face caused him to snort out a short laugh. �Alright
fine. I�ll get you a bra then.� He reached for a white bra that wouldn�t
show through her shirt and helped her put it on with a sigh after removing her
night shirt. �It�s a shame to cover you up but needs must.�
"Yes.
Besides, I know you. You don't like to share. And if I were to go
topless, there would be a fair amount of ogling going on in the streets."
He sighed. �You�re probably right. Doesn�t mean that
I don�t sometimes wish we had the city to ourselves though. Then you could work
on your full-body tan and no one but me would be able
to appreciate it.� He gently helped her into her pants now, supporting her as
she pulled them up with her good hand.
"There's always the roof," she murmured
wickedly in his ear. "But someone would have to watch Ian."
�Well I suppose I wouldn�t mind if he stayed with a
sitter for little while. And it�s not as if we�d be far away�� It was clear he
highly approved of this idea. �Just remember to bring the suntan lotion or
we�ll both not be having anywhere near the kind of fun we intend.�
She kissed the side of his neck, then
shrugged into the shirt he held out for her as he fastened the back zipper on
her slacks.
�Keep that up and I�m going to have to undo all of my
hard work and Ian will have to be kept waiting,� he murmured as his hands moved
to button up her shirt.
Aida heard the door open very quietly and grinned. "He
waits nearly as well as you do. Isn't
that right, Ian?"
Sands glanced over to see Ian tiptoeing across the
room, seemingly dressed save a pair of shoes. �We�re almost ready to go. Give
me a minute to help your mother and then I�ll help you with your shoes,� Sands
addressed him.
"Why does Mommy need help?" Ian asked as
clambered up onto the bed.
�She has a hurt wrist,� Sands said softly. �We�re
going to go to the doctor soon and make sure she�s alright though, so you don�t
need to worry. And then we�ll go out for breakfast.�
Ian nodded. "Will it take a long time? I'm
hungry."
"Go get a banana from the kitchen and we'll open
it for you," Aida replied, not at all insulted by her son's apparent
callousness. After all, in his world, being hurt was healed by a band-aid and a
cookie.
Sands watched as Ian scampered out of the room and
finished buttoning her blouse with a final kiss on her collarbone before
gesturing towards her bare feet. �Shoes?�
"Sandals I think."
�Where?�
Aida took in her outfit and made a decision. "The white leather ones on the last shoe
rack."
He looked to where she was gesturing and went to
retrieve the shoes she had picked out. He placed them on her delicate feet with
care, fighting down an urge to tickle even though he knew it would be
pointless. She wasn�t ticklish. Once her sandals were buckled on her feet he
rose to stand before her, taking a step back as he admired �his� work. �Yes, I
think I�ve done rather well for myself this morning. I should be
congratulated,� he teased gently.
"If you were to get congratulations, they'd be
for last night. Not this morning," she teased back as Ian came in with the
entire bunch of bananas since he'd been unable to wrestle one off.
Sands had been about to respond to that when Ian
thrust the banana bunch in his direction. Sands smirked a little and pulled one
off and unpeeled if for his son before handing it back. �Sit on the bed and
I�ll tie your shoes for you.�
"After we get them on the
right feet. Right, Ian?" As a mother, Aida noticed these things. As
a boy with a mouth full of banana, he nodded his agreement.
Sands laughed a little, having just noticed this for
himself. He removed the wrongly placed shoes and attempted to show Ian the way
they differed from each other so he wouldn�t make the same mistake twice. Once
shoes were on their proper feet and tied, he nodded towards Aida. �Come on. I
think it�s time to go.�
"You'll have to drive," Aida said as they
made their way though the apartment.
�That�s fine.� He just hoped his license was current.
He hadn�t driven British streets in awhile and hoped that he still remembered
how. He closed and locked the door behind him and together the small family
made their way out into the city.
***
"Ian in bed?" Aida
looked up from her book as Sands came into the room. It hadn't taken long for
their son to warm up to his father again, and it hadn't taken Sands long to volunteer
to take care of Ian. What with her broken wrist, Aida considered this a very
good thing.
Sands nodded and took a seat on the couch next to
her. �Tell me what happened, Aida,� he said succinctly.
"When?"
He sent her an irritated look. �When do you think? This morning, Aida. Tell me what happened between you and
him.�
"He woke up before I did. He must have
immediately realized he wasn't with Salida because he was in a bad mood."
�That much is obvious from what he did to you. That�s
not what I�m asking. I want to know what he said, Aida.�
"He said he wanted explanations. I think he just
wanted to make me grovel for forgiveness. So I told him that I didn't think he
was really going to listen to anything I had to say, and I tried to
leave."
�And he grabbed you.� The way he said it made it
sound almost as if he was remembering what had happened when he was really only
stating what he would have done in the same position.
"He...kept me from leaving. He didn't grab me
then."
�What did he say?�
"He said that the only reason I was alive and
that he wasn't trying to kill me is that he knew you'd retaliate. But if he
could find a way around that, then..." She shrugged. For some reason she
was very calm while discussing all this. She figured it was the painkillers.
Sands nodded. He had expected this. There were brief
moments when he wished that it hadn�t come to this, that he and Jeffrey weren�t
at odds, but he pushed such thoughts aside, knowing that he�d wind up blaming
Aida for what had happened if he dwelt on it too intently. �Anything
else?�
Aida was quiet for a long time, but finally murmured,
"When he started to talk about how somewhere deep inside, in some tucked
away and forgotten corner there was a piece of you who still hated me and
always would, I tried to leave again. That's when he grabbed my wrist. At first
it was just to make me listen."
He couldn�t help but blanch as her words so deftly
followed his earlier train of thought. �And then wanted to hurt you,� he said
softly, again forcing his mind to dwell on other things.
"No. Not yet. I told him that if hating me meant
he would win, you'd never do it. Besides, you'd said you love me. He said that a man would do anything to
get laid. Even tell a woman he hates that he loves her."
�I�m not like that, Aida,� he said, feeling an urge
to defend himself probably stemming from his earlier thoughts towards her. �I
wouldn�t manipulate you like that.� Other women before her, surely.
He had told them whatever they had needed and wanted to hear. But he hadn�t
done that with Aida.
"I know. I do know that. I believe that. I
believe that there's so much between us that you wouldn't be able to. But it
still hurt to hear it. So I told him that you'd never willingly leave Ian. He
said that he didn't have anything against Ian, just against me, and he could
talk you around where I was concerned. And that it didn't matter if I told you
about all this because he could convince you that I...that I was making the
whole thing up. That he knows how to hide his thoughts from you." Aida
looked down at the cast on her arm. "That's when I just asked him to
leave. To let me go. He said,
why should he? It'd be the work of a moment to snap my wrist. That it wouldn't
really make up for not being able to kill me, but it'd be fun. I told him that
you'd just take it out on Salida, that if he really loved his family, he'd
leave me alone. I guess he took that as a challenge."
Sands closed his eyes and let out a muttered curse.
He felt a tiny niggling urge to be upset with her for tempting Jeffrey like
that, especially when she knew he was dangerous, but he really only had himself
to blame. His hands had broken Aida�s
wrist. It didn�t really matter that he hadn�t been in control of them at the
time. �I�m sorry,� he said at last, bowing his head. �I didn�t protect you.�
"And I should have tried to wake you up
immediately instead of trying to handle it myself."
He didn�t argue that. He found it easier to blame her
and that just made him feel worse.
"It won't happen again,"
Aida semi-pled, taking his silence for the accusation that it was. "I
know better now."
Do you really?
He bit his lip and nodded.
"And it's just a broken wrist."
He shook his head at that, finding himself suddenly
furious, though not with her. �It�s not just a broken wrist, Aida,� he said
evenly. �He hurt you. He knew what
would happen and he did it anyway. I won�t
let him do it again.�
"Shh," Aida
hushed in a futile effort to calm him.
�Don�t,� he hissed, unintentionally turning his anger
upon her for her presumption. �Don�t try to lessen what he did. He knew that I
would act accordingly if he hurt you and he did so anyway. If I don�t retaliate
he�ll hurt you again. And next time won�t just be a broken wrist.�
"And if you retaliate, he might retaliate
back."
He growled in frustration; that thought having
occurred to him as well. �What do you expect me to do, Aida? I can�t just
forget about it so don�t even bother asking.�
"I don't want you to do anything...for the
moment." She hurried to continue when he growled his dislike of that plan.
"Let's just see what happens first. Jeffrey won't kill me. Not until he thinks
he's talked you around. So let's just see how he reacts."
�That�s your plan? To wait to see if he decides to
kill you anyway or not?� he asked incredulously.
"If he's not certain that he has you convinced
that killing me is a good idea, he won't risk it. To do so would be to risk the
lives of his family."
Sands let out a sigh in exasperation. �And so as long
as he just hurts you but refrains from killing you, that makes it alright, does
it?�
"Maybe he won't hurt me again." Even as she said it, Aida knew it was a
feeble argument.
�And maybe he�ll decide to leave forever and never
bother me again. I mean, if we�re going to fantasize, we might as well go for
the good ones, right? Oh I know. I could be pardoned as well. Wouldn�t that be
nice?�
"Sands..."
Sands knew he was being overly harsh and bit his
tongue.
"I just don't want to see you hurt. I know what goes on when you and he
fight."
�If I could fight him in another way I�d have done it
years ago,� he muttered.
�I know. I'm not trying to blame you for
anything."
He nodded, not otherwise answering.
"I'm not."
She laid her good hand on his knee.
Why not? I
would, he thought to himself with a frown. His anger had not entirely left
him, but it had cooled a little. �You want me to wait.�
"Yes. Not forever. Just a
bit."
�I don�t like this,� he stated bluntly.
"And I don't like the thought of you coming back
to me all cut up."
�That hasn�t happened in a long time,� he murmured, fingering
one of the many faint scars he still had from that time absently.
"And I don't think either one of us wants it to
happen again."
�I�d heal,� he muttered mulishly.
"If you didn't bleed to death
first." Seeing that he wasn't going to give in easily, Aida slid
off the couch to kneel in front of him. "Please, Sands."
He wanted to ignore her and do this his own way,
regardless of the consequences, but he couldn�t. Not with her begging him like
this. �Damn it. Fine. I�ll wait,� he murmured. �You
have my word.�
"Thank you." She laid her head on his knee.
"Let's go to bed."
He sighed. �Alright.� He
rose to follow her without protest.
***
He hadn�t set out to break his promise, truly he
hadn�t. But he hadn�t been able to sleep and watching Aida�s still form was a
temptation in and of itself. He longed to touch her, but in his current state
of mind he�d only wind up hurting her and she had already been hurt enough for
one day. So with silent motions he moved out of the bed, not even causing her
to roll over. She was well and truly asleep and he made it out of the bedroom
without incident.
He entered Aida�s small bathroom�he always had such
conversations with Jeffrey in places with mirrors, it was easier that way�and
closed the door behind him but didn�t lock it. He didn�t want to prevent her
from finding him easily should she come looking. �Wake up, Jeffrey,� he hissed
at the mirror, waiting for a response. It didn�t take long.
�Well good evening, Sands. I trust you�ve had a good
day,� Jeffrey drawled with a mocking sneer.
�You knew the rules. You knew that I would hurt
Salida if you hurt Aida. And still you did it. Why? You�re not stupid so why
risk it?�
�Because she deserved it. Because it was fun. Because you�re weak.
Take your pick,� Jeffrey said casually. �Don�t tell me she didn�t deserve it,�
he continued upon feeling Sands� response to his words. �She sent you to
fucking prison, Sands! She sold you out without a second thought!�
�I know,� Sands said evenly.
�And still you fucking defend her! I don�t understand
you,� Jeffrey said with an angry frown. �If it had been anyone else, they would
have been cat food by now. And yet she lives. Why?�
�Because I love her,� Sands answered without
hesitation.
�Bullshit. You don�t love her, you hate her. You
blame her for what she did to you. I know you do. I can feel it. You don�t
trust her. Without trust there is no love. Admit it. You�re only using her to
be closer to your kid. That I can accept. That, I understand. Take the kid
then. Kill the mother. It�s easy.�
�I�m not going to kill my wife,� Sands hissed.
�Why the fuck not? Many
people do it all the time, I�m sure and they�ve probably not got nearly as much reason to do so as you
do!�
�I�m not going to kill my wife,� Sands repeated. �I�d
kill the both of us before that happens.�
�You�re not going to kill her. Despite
what she�s done to you?�
�No.�
�Fine. Then I will. This has
gone on long enough. Vixen and I will take your kid. You don�t have to worry
about that. It won�t be the same as having my son back, but it�ll be enough.�
�You bastard,� Sands hissed. �I am not going to let
you kill her.�
�You�re in no position to stop me. If I suffer you to
live, you can be comforted by the fact that there�s other fish in the sea. You
were happy with your whores once, you�ll be so again. And if I decide to kill
you it won�t matter anyway.� Jeffrey moved to enter Aida�s bedroom in silence
but remained rooted to the spot as Sands stopped him.
�I�m warning you, Jeffrey. I�ll fight you if I have
to and neither of us will come out of this well.�
In response, Jeffrey lashed out at Sands within his
mind as Sands had days ago. It was apparent that Jeffrey learned fast.
�Something like that? Is that what you thought of doing to me? Fucking
pathetic,� he muttered in disgust. �You�re not worth allowing to live. You can share your wife�s fate.�
Sands hissed at the blow but he didn�t let it stop
him. He wasn�t really breaking his promise with Aida. He hadn�t thrown the
first punch, so to speak. �I�m warning you, Jeffrey. Attempt to hurt her again
in any way and I�ll make you suffer.�
�What, like this?� Jeffrey�s
asserted his control and Sands� fist shot out and punched the mirror, creating
a spider web of cracked glass from Sands� hand had impacted. �I rather enjoy
the pain and I�m more than willing to suffer through it to fight you.�
�Fuck you,� Sands hissed with a wince as he pulled
his bloodied hand away from the broken glass, not looking at the pieces of
shiny metal embedded in it.
�What�s the matter, does that hurt?� Jeffrey reached
over and pushed down on one of the broken pieces, piercing his thumb in the
process but not seeming to notice in either case as he laughed around Sands�
gasp of pain.
Things got a little messy after that but for the
second time in the last few days, Sands came out victorious. Barely.
He leaned heavily over the bathroom sink, heaving for
breath as he watched his blood splash down on the once-pristine porcelain and
tile of the bathroom. He was a little worried that Aida hadn�t come but figured
that her sleep was the heavy sleep of the medicated. He didn�t want to wake
her, especially not now that he had gone and gotten himself into a fight
despite his promise, but he needed help. He stumbled out of the bathroom with
this thought, leaving bloodied handprints on whatever he touched. He collapsed
on the ground kneeling at her side of the bed and whispered, �Aida I�m sorry.
You�ll be so upset with me, but please, I need your help.�
Aida groaned, and slowly opened her eyes to look at
him. "Sands?"
Sands immediately turned away from her despite his
desperate need for help. He didn�t want her to see him like this. �I�m sorry. I
didn�t�I didn�t start it, I swear to you,� he gasped. �I didn�t start a fight
with him.�
"With who?" Uh, her mind felt like it was wrapped in
cotton.
�Jeffrey,� Sands whispered. �I got into a fight with
Jeffrey.�
"Jeffrey?" Aida had to think about that for
a moment; she frowned as she remembered what fighting with Jeffrey meant. "Are
you alright?" she queried as she struggled to sit up.
�No,� he said softly, wincing as she fought to bring
herself to the state of consciousness that obviously wanted to elude her. �I�m
sorry. I didn�t start it.�
"What happened? Where are you hurt?"
�My hands,� he whispered, holding up his bloodied
hands despite the fact that she probably couldn�t see them in the dim light. He
did notice however the marked trembling in his fingers and tried not to gasp
aloud at the additional pain that caused. �My wrist hurts. My
chest.� He didn�t want to tell her that he also felt a little light
headed, not wanting to remind her of her grim prediction that he�d probably
bleed to death if he fought Jeffrey again.
"We...we need to get you cleaned up," Aida
murmured as she slipped out of bed.
�I�m sorry,� he whispered again, moving to his feet
again with effort. He just stopped himself from using the bed as a brace,
remembering at the last minute that his hands were covered in blood. He
stumbled but managed to keep upright beside her.
"Here, let me help." Aida slipped her good
arm around his waist and moved close enough for him to lean on her.
�I shouldn�t have tried to talk to him,� Sands
murmured in a distant voice as they slowly made their way back to the bathroom.
�Should have known better.�
"You were doing what you thought was best."
�Was I? I�m not so sure now,� he murmured again after
softly warning her to be careful of broken glass on the floor.
"Shh...it's not important right now," Aida soothed as she
urged him to take a seat on the toilet. "Now, lemme see where you're hurt."
Once he had taken a seat he offered up his bloodied
hands while keeping his gaze to the floor in a position of supplication. It was
almost as if he half expected her to smack the backs of his hands with a ruler
for what he had done.
Aida hissed in sympathy, then
dug in a nearby drawer for a pair of tweezers. "This is going to hurt,"
she warned as she took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. Then she reconsidered
as she took in the amount of blood welling up from the cuts. "Come sit
over here. I think we're going to need to flush them too." There was no
way she'd be able to see if she missed any pieces of mirror unless she could
clear away the blood. Good thing I've got
that economy bottle of saline solution.
Sands nodded, keeping silent but doing as she
instructed without hesitation or argument. He simply sat where she directed him
to and held out his hands once more, wincing as he did so but not making a
sound.
"This is going to feel cold." Taking his
hand by the wrist, she doused the back of his hand with saline solution, trying
not to look at the bloody water that dripped to the tub. "Do you think any
of these are going to need stitches?"
He looked down at his left hand for the first time,
frowning to see just what they looked like underneath all the blood. It was
noticeably better off than his right�he apparently hadn�t been in much mood to
inflict as much damage against Jeffrey as Jeffrey had been on him�but it was
still a ghastly thing to behold. He nodded towards one especially deep cut
along the back of his hand and the web of his thumb. He wasn�t quite sure if it
needed stitches or not, but it was the deepest cut on that hand.
Aida glanced up from her work just in time to see his
nod. "Yes...that one does seem to be bad. We'll go by the ER in the
morning just to be safe." Done with the saline for the moment, Aida picked
up the tweezers and started to go after the pieces of glass that she could see.
Sands bit down on his lip so he wouldn�t cry out as
she went to work, not wanting to alert Ian to what was happening. Though if he
could sleep through he and Jeffrey�s arguing, he could probably sleep through
anything. She was being gentle he could tell, and he was surprised at that. He
had expected her to be upset with him for getting himself into this situation
and to act against him accordingly.
When she'd gotten all the pieces that she could see,
Aida glanced back up at her husband. "I'm going to run my fingers over the
cuts," she said softly. "I know it'll hurt, but I need to you to tell
me if you feel anything in there that I missed. Alright?"
He nodded, tensing for what was to come next. �Do
it,� he gasped.
"I'll be quick," she promised, then set out
to press each little cut. Twice Sands stopped her, and twice she dug out glass
shards that she'd missed. "There. Done with that side.
I need to do your palm now."
He nodded, the muscles in
his jaw twitching as he turned his hand over with a gasp of pain he couldn�t
stop even through his clenched teeth. She repeated the process with a look of
sympathy and stopped her only once to remove a long sliver of glass from the
meat of his palm. He winced as she added it to the small pile she had been
collecting in a hand towel at her feet.
This continued for some time as Aida silently picked
pieces of mirror out of her husband. For the most part he was quite patient,
and he never flinched away from her. Still, it was a relief to be done.
"We just need to slather those with some
antibacterial cream and wrap them up."
He nodded, relieved to be nearly finished himself.
�I�m sorry,� he whispered as she dabbed a bit of blood away from the long gouge
across his chest. �I didn�t want for this to happen.�
"I know you didn't." She chose to believe
that. It was better than thinking he enjoyed the pain. Enjoyed
this strange form of self-mutilation.
�I couldn�t sleep so I tried to talk to him. He
didn�t want to talk,� he muttered.
Aida sighed, but didn't say anything.
�I�m sorry for the mess,� he continued, looking
around slowly, his eyes lighting upon several bloodied handprints left on his
way out the door. Not to mention the broken mirror and bloodied sink. All in
all it looked as if someone had been murdered in here.
"It's alright. It'll be easy enough to clean up
in the morning. Right now you're the only thing I'm worried about."
�You shouldn�t have to be,� he muttered under his breath,
clearly a step away from livid for what had happened. This is all Jeffrey�s fault, he thought to himself with not a
little rancor. I just wanted to fucking
try and sort this out. But no. He had to go and cause
problems for the both of us. Inconsiderate bastard.
"But if I minded, you wouldn't be here right
now."
He looked up at her statement, so simply made, and
nodded after a moment�s hesitation. She wouldn�t pretend to worry about him
when all it brought her was grief. Of course she wouldn�t.
"I love you," she whispered, kissing the
back of his bandaged hands.
Though her kiss was designed to be gentle, she still
caused him a minor amount of pain and he forced himself to hold back a wince. She didn�t mean to hurt me. She was trying
to make me feel better, he reassured himself. �I love you too.�
She kissed the insides of his wrists, his shoulder,
and his cheek. "Let's go back to bed."
He nodded shortly, closing his eyes at the way his
head spun even with the slight movement. It didn�t matter. Sleep would help fix
that. And if Jeffrey felt anything like he did right now then he would have
nothing to worry about come morning.
***
"Well, hello there."
Sands started out of bed at the frightfully familiar
voice, gasping in pain as he was quickly reminded of the injuries he had
suffered last night at Jeffrey�s hand. �Salida.
What�what the fuck are you doing here?� he breathed, automatically moving
closer towards Aida should he need to protect her. It was apparent his wife had
not yet woken up to Salida�s intruding presence, and from the even sound of her
breathing it didn�t seem as if she were likely to any time soon.
"Just thought I'd drop by.
After all, you never know... I thought I might have been lucky enough to drop
in on a dead body."
�Not today,� Sands hissed. �Not ever if I can help
it.�
"So I see," Salida drawled as she took in
the long, shallow gash across Sands' chest and his bandaged hands.
Sands caught the line of her gaze and scowled at her.
�What do you fucking want, Salida? Jeffrey�s not here and if you think I�m
going to let you talk to him now you�re even more insane than I give you credit
for.�
"Well, at the moment I don't think you really
have a choice."
�Oh? And how to you figure?� Sands asked, forcing an
amount of calm into his voice.
"Well, since it's so hard to find a good
babysitter, I had to bring my own two darlings along. Right now, they're
playing with your son. At my hotel."
Sands sat ramrod-straight up in the bed, his blood
having frozen in his veinz. �If you hurt my son so
help me you will be begging me to kill you once I�m through with you,� he
hissed.
"Oh, I
don't intend to hurt him. He looks so
much like his brother and sister that I don't think I could."
�What do you want?� he asked again, his voice clipped
and cold.
"Jeffrey."
Her smile was just as cold.
�Not here,� he gritted out between clenched teeth.
�I�m not going to let the two of you hurt her.�
"Fine. My priority is
Jeffrey at the moment anyway. Not your whore. Why don't you just get dressed and
come with me?"
�You can wait in the living room. I�ll be there
directly,� he growled.
"Oh good." Salida
stood, a mocking smile on her face, and left the room as if she had all the
time in the world.
Sands immediately turned towards his wife, grabbing
her shoulders and shaking her, clenching his teeth through the pain that caused
him. �Aida, wake up. You have to wake up,� he pleaded desperately.
"What?"
Aida's eyes popped open, but then she squinted and gazed around the
room. "Damn, I hate being doped
up."
�Be quiet and listen to me very closely,� he
commanded her in a hissed voice. �Salida is here. She has our son. Unless I let
Jeffrey go with her, I don�t know what will happen to Ian. She said she
wouldn�t hurt him, but she didn�t say she�d give him back if I didn�t do what
she wanted either.�
Aida went bone white and started to tremble. "Oh god...Ian..."
�He�s alright. I believe that she wouldn�t hurt him,�
Sands attempted to reassure her.
"And Jeffrey? Who says
Jeffrey won't?"
�I do.�
She didn't reply. She was too busy beating herself
up. How could she have let this happen? She knew that her apartment wasn't
safe. That her locks weren't any deterrent against anyone
wanting to come in. Why hadn't she moved? Why hadn't she been more alert
last night? She knew how painkillers knocked her out. She shouldn't have taken
them. This was all her fault.
�I didn�t notice her come in either,� Sands muttered,
guessing where her thoughts were taking her. He moved out of the bed with a
wince, moving to get dressed on his own despite his wounded hands for he knew
that Salida would be coming back to check on him if he took too long.
"I'm coming too," Aida said suddenly,
climbing out of bed with legs that were wobbly with shock.
�No you�re not,� Sands insisted forcefully. �They�ll
kill you.�
"So? They have my son. My baby." Aida fought tears.
"What if he's scared? What if he is hurt?
What if something happens and I don't see either of you ever again?"
�So you�d rather I lost both of you because you don�t
trust me to get my son home to you safely?� Sands asked coldly, having managed
to pull on a pair of pants with wincing effort.
"I never said I don't trust you." Why
didn't he understand what she was feeling? It had to be exact same emotions
that were running through him. Anger. Helplessness. Worry. Guilt.
Sands looked down at his now bleeding hands and shook
his head. �It doesn�t matter. You�re not coming. Ian will come home safe to
you. I swear it. But if you go after him, I can�t guarantee that he�ll ever see
his mother again. Do you really want that?�
Aida closed her eyes in defeat. "I'm sure it's the guilt talking when I
say that perhaps it'd be better for him in the long run."
�What do you mean?� Sands asked warily, pulling on a
shirt now. He didn�t think he was up to doing that many buttons so he left it
open at his chest. It probably would have gotten blood on it anyway, for the
long cut on his chest had broken open again through the gauze just like the
wounds on his hands had.
She shook her head. "Just go. And be
careful."
�He�ll come back to you. We both will,� Sands
whispered, looking over at her sadly.
"You'd better. I refuse to believe that we found
each other again only to be separated."
He nodded, leaning over in a wince to grab his shoes.
He didn�t put them on for the same reasons he hadn�t buttoned his shirt, but
that didn�t mean he was going to leave them behind. �I love you, Aida. I�ll see
you soon.�
"I'm going to hold you to that."
He nodded and walked barefoot out the door to greet
Salida, not daring to look back. �I�m ready,� he murmured to her. �But you
won�t get to see him until my son is back here. That�s the deal.�
Salida just rolled her eyes. She had the upper hand,
and she knew it. But if Sands wanted to ignore that, it was fine by her. "Let's
go then."
Sands breathed out a soft sigh of relief. He hadn�t
known if she would go for that, but he had been willing to fight for it. He was
very glad he hadn�t had to fight for
it. �Fine.� He gestured for her to lead the way with
his chin, unable to point with his shoes cradled against his chest in his arms.
***
The first thing Sands heard - Salida had been
annoying persistent in her insistence that he be blindfolded - when they got to
Salida's hotel room was the sound of raised, childish voices.
He picked out his son�s voice among the others with a
little concentration and was relieved to hear that his son seemed to be having
fun with his half-siblings rather than being afraid and hurt. �Are you going to
take this fucking thing off now or are you going to continue this charade?� he
hissed towards Salida. He wanted to see his son.
"I don't care. Do as you like."
He tore off the blindfold with a scowl and a wince,
half-determined to march into the hotel room, grab his son, and tell Salida to
go fuck herself.
Salida must have seen that urge in his eye, because
she grinned. "Easy there, Daddy. We still have a bargain. And if you don't
keep to it..." She pulled out a gun. "Just make sure you do."
His eyes narrowed at the sight of the gun. �Put that
away,� he growled. He would be damned if he was going to let her in the same
room as his son with a loaded gun in her hand. �I haven�t reneged on our
bargain.�
"Just making sure you keep your head,"
Salida murmured. Then she called with a wicked smile, "Julian! Maeve! Ian!
There's someone here to see you!"
At least
there�s one bonus in this, Sands thought distantly as he heard the sound of
small feet coming towards him. Ian will
know about Jeffrey. He hadn�t agreed with Aida�s refusal to explain things
to their son but he had gone along with it. Now, it didn�t seem to matter.
Maeve and Julian, though children, had been briefed
by their mother and had enough of a cruel, possessive streak that they followed
her directions to the letter. They reached Sands first and closed ranks against
Ian.
"This is our Daddy," Maeve declared.
"No it's not," Ian said. "He's
mine."
"Nuh-uh."
Maeve's superior smirk was a match for Salida's. "My mommy said that we
have the same Daddy. But that he likes us better. That's why he never spends
time with you."
�You little monsters,� Sands said and to his horror
he felt an upwelling of pride in the twin�s actions concordant to the rage he
felt towards Salida for putting her children up to something so petty. �This is
beneath you, Salida,� he muttered disgustedly before turning towards the
children who were in fact, all his. To see them all together like this at once
was staggering. It didn�t help that Ian looked so much like him for it was as
if Aida had been carefully pushed out from the family. The notion unsettled him
greatly. �Maeve, Julian, I am not your father. I never have been. I am Sands
and the only child I have is Ian.� He didn�t quite know what to say to Ian
though. Maybe Aida hadn�t been completely wrong in thinking that it wasn�t time
for him to find out about all this� �Ian, I am two people. I know you probably
don�t understand, but I will try to explain. I am Sands, and I am Jeffrey. When
I�m Sands, I�m your father and married to your mother Aida. When I�m Jeffrey
I�m Maeve and Julian�s father and married to their mother Salida.� It wasn�t
the best he probably could have done, but he hoped it would do for now.
"Mommy says you're the same person." This came from Julian. "She says that you're just playing with
the other lady."
�Your mother is a liar,� Sands said clearly. �And you
should be upset with her for not telling you the truth.� It probably wouldn�t
work to try and turn Salida�s children against her, but he went about it
anyway. �I�ve always been two people. In fact, your father Jeffrey came later.
He was not always here.�
"Now, that's not very nice," Salida said as
her hand reached for the gun she had tucked into her waistband. "You
should stop telling our children tales."
�I�m not, you bitch,� Sands hissed, low enough that
only she heard him. �I am not one person. I am two. I do not love Salida or
either of you two,� he addressed the twins, but Jeffrey does. Jeffrey does not
love Aida or Ian, but I do. It�s all real and it�s all true.�
"But you are Jeffrey." Salida moved around until she was standing
behind Ian, her threat clear. Play or
lose all.
Sands eyes practically screamed murder at her from
across the room but he wouldn�t let her kill his son and she knew it. He
loosened the leash he had thrown around Jeffrey�s neck last night but he did
not leave.
�Vixen,� Jeffrey breathed, wincing as all of Sands�
hurts now became his as well. �Where am I?� he looked down at the sea of
expectant faces before them, raising an eyebrow when he saw Ian.
"Does Daddy kiss your Mommy?" Maeve asked. "Because if he does, then that
means he loves her. Have you ever seen them kiss?"
Ian shook his head.
This was too much from him. He didn't like it here anymore. "I want
to go home, Daddy."
�I�m not your daddy,� Jeffrey said with a bit of
amusement as Sands screamed at him. He was in no mood to play nice.
"Yes you are." Ian's eyes were reproachful. "And I want Mommy."
�I am not your father. My children are Maeve and
Julian over there. You are not my son. And their mother is standing behind
you.�
�Stop this,� Sands managed to hiss. �He�s a child.
You said you�d let him go, Salida.�
"That's right.
I did, didn't I?" She
grinned, then knelt down to look Ian in the eye. "You
just sit right here and your Mommy will come get you." Then she turned to
Jeffrey, "Ready to go, lover?"
�More than ready,� Jeffrey breathed with feeling.
�What are you doing? Send him home right now or
neither of you are going anywhere,� Sands growled. There was no way in hell he
was just going to leave Ian to sit here alone trusting that Salida would call
Aida to come and get him.
"Daddy...I want you to come home too." Ian
tried to get closer, but Maeve and Julian pushed him away, taunting him as two
tears escaped his eyes.
�I can�t Ian. Not right now. But you�ll be safe with
your mother,� Sands said softy, forcing his voice calm and even.
�Say goodbye to the little brat. You�re never going
to see him again,� Jeffrey growled angrily.
�Don�t listen to him,� Sands said softly after
sending a mental fuck you to Jeffrey.
"Daddy..." Ian's lower lip started to
tremble. "Don't wanna be alone. Don't wanna wait for Mommy. Wanna go
with you."
�Call him a cab right now Salida or so help me I�ll
make your precious husband suffer for it.�
"He'll be fine," Salida said
dispassionately. "Like I said. Your whore can
come get him here."
�If anyone�s the whore it�s you,� Sands growled.
�Call the cab,� he stated again.
�Call my wife a whore again and I�ll take it out on
your brat over there,� Jeffrey eyed Ian coldly.
�Hurt my son and I�ll kill us both,� Sands promised.
"No one's getting hurt," Salida said. "Unless
you don't understand that you're not the one in control, Sands." She
jerked Ian back into her and pulled out her weapon. "Now, I suggest you go
into the hallway with Maeve and Julian."
Sands wanted to scream at her, to wrap his hands
around her throat and just squeeze,
no, he wanted to make her suffer. He would kill her so very slowly. It would be
his best work yet. It didn�t matter if she hurt Ian or Aida or not. Her fate
was sealed. But he knew when to wait. He would do as she instructed for now,
knowing that he had no choice. But they wouldn�t be able to get rid of him
forever. They would try, and maybe they would even succeed for awhile. But they
would not get rid of him. He would make them both pay.
�I love you, Ian. Don�t believe otherwise,� he sent
towards his son, and walked out of the room quickly, not able to bear hearing
his son�s response.
He couldn't help it though, because Ian screamed
after him then broke into loud tears.
***
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More Than Darkness