Exquisite

One Condition

~Damen~

"Good morning, Little red." Cassien kissed the top of Neith's forehead before taking his signature seat at the foot of her bed. "Damen said this was urgent, should I be worried?"

"Not really, no." She flashed him a dimpled smile and I rolled my eyes; this girl stayed out of trouble just by shooting gorgeous smiles at people. "Where's Viv?"

"She stopped at a bakery to get something for you, but I left Valdez with her. They should be here anytime now ..."

"I have cake." Vivienne swung the door open, her cheeks suspiciously bright. "And Damen can't stop me from giving it to Neith. She deserves it for eating all the filth she's fed here without fuss."

"It's called healthy ... never mind." I surrendered as Viv cut out a big slice of chocolate cake and handed it to my girlfriend who looked like she had just been told she had attained heaven.

After about half an hour of small talk as the two women neatly demolished the cake between them, Neith finally sat up. There was an alert gleam in her eyes, the one I had learned to associate as predatory.

"He found me." She started without any context but my siblings sat up instantly, all humor gone from their faces. "Shotgun. I haven't opened the letter yet, I wanted to do it with all the three of you."

"How ...?" Cassien trailed off. "I've been so careful no one finds out you're here."

Neith gave a faint smile. "There's a reason we need his help, Cass."

She reached under her pillow, pulling out the crisp envelope. It was strange how something so ordinary could make my heart beat like that of a wild horse, my shirt's collar suddenly too tight around my neck.

Her brow furrowed as she opened it and what looked like two tickets fell out, landing on her lap.

None of us moved for a moment, frozen. "What are those?" Viv finally whispered, reaching out for them with shaking hands.

"There's a letter," Neith murmured, her eyes scanning a small square piece of paper. Her gaze met mine, blank.

It terrified me.

"What does it say?" Cassien asked, oddly jittery for a man I had seen calm in even the most impossible situations. I could feel his impatience; he was so close to Marquis, it was killing him to not be able to do anything.

"Don't carry any communication devices, they can be tracked. Your cover is that of a couple, so find a husband to bring with you." She read out monotonously. "I'll find you there. Be safe. SG."

"They're tickets to the cruise to Italy," Vivienne breathed. "The one which Dad used to go to every other year." She looked up, suddenly pale. "Why does he want to see her there, Cassien? That place is a meet-and-greet of every dipshit on this planet."

"It's the last place anyone will look for them."

The three of us turned to look at Valdez who was standing at the door all this while without us realizing it. "He's a cop, Sir. FBI, of all things. It's the only way he can meet Miss La Rue without attracting unnecessary attention."

"He's risking his own life for this," Neith said quietly. "All those people there - they might know who he is. They'll assume something completely different and ..." She trailed off.

"He knows what he's doing, Red." Cassien touched her arm gently, probably in an attempt to get rid of the haunted gleam in her eyes. I would have done it too if I wasn't paralyzed by the sheer terror of what was about to happen.

She was going to leave.

Again.

"I'll go with you -" Cassien started but Neith shook her head violently. "No. It's too risky. Everyone there will know who you are, Cass."

"Father has been hiding me from everyone because anonymity is the best defense. I'll go alone, it'll be completely fine ..."

"I'm going with you."

Three pairs of incredulous eyes swiveled to look at me.

"D, do you - do you realize what we're talking about here?" Cassien asked me slowly as if talking to a child. "You don't ... you've never wanted to be a part of this -"

"I said," I realized I had almost ripped out the top buttons of my shirt as I spoke over him, "I'm going with her. You can't stop me, really."

"I can." Neith had gotten off the bed, her feet wobbly but she shot out a hand to stop me from reaching out for her. "I'm not going to let you fucking die for me, Damen. This isn't your world, I'm not going to be the one to drag you into it."

Blood was roaring in my ears, my vision alarmingly blurry but I stood my ground. "I am not going to sit here and wait for the news of you being cut up or shot in the head, Neith."

"This isn't a choice, I'm going with you. It's the only way I can let you go."

There was absolute silence in the room as Neith took a shuddering breath, a tear sliding down the smooth curve of her cheek. "Damen ..."

"Let's give them a moment, Cass. Valdez, come on." Vivienne said quietly as she got up, taking the two men with her and gently closing the door behind them.

I wanted to get closer to her, try to get her to sit or get rid of those offending tears but I was frozen, my body refusing to cooperate with my brain.

"Neith -"

"Shhh." She was so close, her glassy eyes looking up to meet mine. I shivered when she laced our fingers together, leaning forward so her forehead rested on my chest.

"I can't lose you." She whispered brokenly. "Not you. Please. Please don't do this."

Her hair was so soft under my fingers, like raw silk. Even under the distinct scent of hospital soap, I could smell traces of orange and vanilla that seemed to be imprinted in her skin.

"Don't you see?" I reached for her knees, picking her up in one smooth motion as she simply tightened her arms around my neck, burying her face in me.

"We do this together or we don't do it at all."

For a long moment we just lay in her hospital bed like that, Nieth clinging to me like a small child. Finally, I felt her take a deep breath as she sat up, determination written across her face.

"One condition."

I raised my eyebrows. "Yes?"

"I need to know if you're trained enough to take on hostilities." Her mouth was a grim line. "The cruise is three months from now, I'll heal completely in a couple of weeks or so."

"You fight me. Only if I feel you're good enough do we do this your way."

Despite myself, I felt a smile creeping up my lips.

Boy, was she in for a suprise.

"I accept."