The Prodigal Saga: The Escapee

Chapter 10: Somewhat Back

(Merideth POV)
Ok, my plan had obviously backfired. Running into a deathly cold Russia with no coat...not the smartest idea I ever had. But who could blame me? I wasn't the planning sort of person. But then again, my actions when I was captured seemed to solidify my whole "I don't think before I do" thing.

Which, essentially, is what brought me to this point, frozen tears on my cheeks, a massive gash and my leg basically bleeding as hard as a girl during her special time of the month. But I had long since lost the feeling of being cold long lost to a white wonderland.

Well, partially lost. I felt someone kissing me and I couldn't help but notice. After all, aside from Wesley, I had only ever kissed one other person outside my family...once. And that was Travis.

Well, this potential suitor was nothing more than an asshole. I just wanted to sleep, and I didn't look anything like Snow White. I opened my eyes, the great effort that it was and glared at essentially nothing.
"Leave me alone. I want to sleep." I shut my eyes again, only to be brought back to consciousness by a stinging pain from my left cheek. I shot awake with a shriek, blinking everything back into focus to see a very red Wesley Carter, his hand raised to hit me again. I touched my cheek.

"Wesley?" I hissed at the pain in my cheek. "You hit me!" I hit him back. "You fucking bastard! How dare you!" Wesley, oddly enough smirked as I punched him, however feebly as I did in the nose.

"There she is." Wesley gestured. I huffed and closed my eyes again, only to be hit again. I growled and shot awake yet again. Now Wesley looked mad, eyes burning with intense fire that contrasted the bright blue I had only seen on vacations to the Caribbean.

"You are not going to sleep!" He shouted at me. "Because if you close your eyes, they won't open again." He smacked my cheek again as I started to fall asleep again. "I'm not losing you, Hudson, not now." He went beet red and cleared his throat. "I mean -"

"Wesley. Don't even try." Shelby? I whipped around and saw her, my mother, Madam Krow and an older couple driving. "You only came to save her because...say it with me now, guys..."

"You love her!" Wesley went red.

"I do not love her!" He barked, grabbing a heated blanket and wrapping it around me as my teeth chattered.

"H-How'd-d it get s-so insanely c-cold in here!?" I asked. Wesley wrapped another blanket around me in a sort of cocoon.

"It's always been cold, Girl Guide. It just got to a point with you that you couldn't feel it anymore. And to think, someone with a badge in wilderness survival and fire making didn't think to make a shelter from the wind, or a fire." I smacked him.

"They don't have fire making badges in guides, jackass. They have fire safety. And I'm sorry I was a little busy sheilding three little kids and bleeding like I was on my bloody period from my thigh to build any sort of shelter!" I snarled at him, eyes narrowed in anger. Wesley smirked.

"Maybe...or you were just so busy selling cookies to your darling Godfather, you didn't think to earn one." Wesley accused.

"SCREW YOU! At least I wasn't working for the enemy!" I screamed. Mom stopped me from lunging at him.

"You're crazy!" Wesley shouted.

"Wesley, stop antagonizing her! She can't have her heart rate going any higher or she'll be sending cold blood to her heart and she'll end up worse than she was before!"

"I don't care, let me at him!" I started to lunge for his throat, only to have Mom grab me by the back of my shirt.

"Merideth Lola Corrine Hudson!" Wesley snickered.

"Lola? Corrine?! And you laughed at Septimus?" I kicked him.

"Again, I say screw you." I snarled, flopping back down and crossing my arms. Mom sighed.

"Merideth, why must you insist on being so stubborn?" I looked to Mom rolling my eyes.

"Am I not entitled? After all, I did almost die!" And with that I laid down again, ignoring everyone.

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It took me about an hour of stewing in my own anger when the cold started to get to me. I shivered again and I felt someone poke me.

"Hudson?" Wesley. Son of a bitch. I glared at the previously mentioned quisling.

"What do you want?" I demanded. Wesley cleared his throat.

"You're still cold?" he asked. I gave him a "bitch please" look.

"No sh-shit, Sherlock." I growled. Wesley started taking his shirt off and I went wide eyed. "And wh-what the h-hell are you d-doing!?" Wesley looked at me.

"Going to warm you up, Princess, now take your shirt off!" he ordered. I stared at him.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Just do it! I read it somewhere." I huffed and sat up again, feeling dizzy and I ripped my shirt off over my head and threw it at him. "Ha-Happy?" Wesley got on the cot beside me and pulled me into him. He was hot and I nearly felt myself melt at the heat.

"You worked for Daniel." It wasn't a question, it was more a statement that I wanted clarified.
"In a sense." Wesley replied, after an agonizingly long silence. "I didn't intend to work for the devil, but Webster got an offer he couldn't refuse." I rolled my eyes.
"Technically, the devil gave the town prosperity in exchange for Webster's soul." I pointed out. Wesley stared at me.
"You read it too?" He asked. I nodded.
"It's my mothers favourite short story." I said, mom grinning. "And I had some pictures Mariska drew of it in my room." Wesley smirked. "And don't change the subject."
"Technically, you did." Mom said, making me huff with annoyance.
"Touché, Mom. Anyways, what sort of offer did the Devil give aforementioned Webster?" I asked.
"My good name back, and the whereabouts of my father." Wesley explained. "if it makes you feel any better, Hudson, I was only hired to keep the necklace safe." I chewed my frozen lip, doubt racing through my mind.
"Sure..." I said sarcastically.
"I mean, originally, the plan was for me and my shipmates to hide the necklace with my treasure until Issacs said he wanted it. But then, two of my bilge rats turned up dead by his hand and the necklace gone. The next I saw him, he told me he had placed it in the company of his goddaughter..." He gestured to me. "And I had to get it from you. Quite frankly, Princess, he made you come across as a whiny, selfish bitch." I glared at him. "He was wrong!" He added in haste, making me grin and nod. "He said that I was to get the necklace and turn it back to him to get my name cleared and my father returned to my family. He also said he'd sweeten the deal by letting me have the aforementioned you for what I wanted...or give you back to him and I'd still get the original deal." I hummed.
"And then?" I asked. Wesley sighed.
"I asked, as a normal person, what he'd do to you if I returned you...he got all mysterious and I knew...I knew he'd have killed you, much like he tried today and is currently going to attempt again. At first, I didn't care, one less mouth to feed in the world, I guess...then I actually saw you."
"Saw me?" I asked eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, that day I took Issacs hostage trying to get to you, ok, I'll admit, taking Issacs was just for me. I wanted to see what that necklace could do without him intervening. Anyways, the way you tried to take on Darcy to protect your sister...I will admit, I was impressed. Then I finally got my hands on you."
"Pedophilic much?" I asked, rolling my eyes.
"Don't care," Wesley snarled. "Anyways, I saw the true you, not the one that Isaacs made you out to be...well, you still were whiny."
"Fuck you." I scoffed.
"Well, aside from whiny, you actually had nerve to stick up to me...not to mention that impressive wound on my shoulder after I tried killing you. And even this...I'm telling you all of this crap and you're not trying to rip my throat out." I grinned. "I realized that Daniel was trying to get me to give you back to him so he could kill you himself." I smirked.
"Who's in love with who now?" I asked. Wesley scowled.
"Oh, blow me!" I chuckled.
"No thanks, I don't want HIV." I came back, making Wesley go red.
"This round to you Hudson." He snarled. I grinned and nodded.
"Definitely." I grinned before Wesley softened grabbing his damn satchel.
"Oh, and I found this as well...that necklace is more than just Triton's gift to Ariel. it's special..." I sat up.
"Oh? And how is that?" I asked. Wesley looked me in the eye.
"It made you royalty."