|1| Whatever It Takes || Code 8: Connor Reed

13. Revelations

After not being able to sleep and after finally deciding to go and find her, Connor found her in the truck and she was soaking wet from the rain that kept falling. "Hey." He said as he got into the truck and she barely acknowledged him. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier..."

"What did you guys talk about?" Victoria asked softly and he looked over at her with surprise in his eyes. "You and Tommy before the..." She took a shaky inhale. "Before the job." Victoria finished with a not-quite steady voice.

"Honestly?" Connor asked and she nodded slightly. "You and your tendencies, to hide away from any emotional connections." He said and she laughed quietly, as she nodded.

"Talking about me, of all people." Victoria said and at the words, Connor reached out and gave her a sharp zap. "Ow!" She said as she smacked his hand away.

"Stop talking about yourself in that way, Victoria." Connor said and she was turning to look at him. "Like you're not worth anything, would you stop it?" Victoria was staring at him. "Tommy didn't believe that you were worthless, Jordan doesn't believe it, Griff doesn't believe it." Connor shook his head. "And neither do I, so would you just give yourself a chance for once?" He asked and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is the speech over?" Victoria asked him quietly and Connor sighed, before he was nodding quickly. "Good." She said and quietly, she was turning away from him to rest her head against the window.

"You don't always have to hide your emotions away, Tori." Connor said and she briefly looked over at him, since she hadn't heard the nickname from him before, he hadn't dared to use it. "I'll be inside if you want to talk." Connor said and he noticed that the rain had slowed. Connor opened the door and he walked out towards the house.

Victoria eventually ended up heading inside, since even she eventually got too cold in the vehicle as she was walking into her old room and to her complete surprise, she found Connor fast asleep in the bed.

"Well, I guess it was his bedroom first."

She thought to herself, remembering what Tommy had said about Connor having used this room for a whole bunch of sleepovers, when they were still in school. Victoria glanced over at the chair in her room, only to feel a gentle zap. Victoria turned to look at Connor, who was awake. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" Victoria asked.

"Sleeping." Connor muttered and he shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "It was my room, first."

"Yeah, Tommy mentioned that." Victoria said quietly and Connor sighed, getting up and he shook his head.

"You can have your room back, I was reminiscing and I fell asleep." Connor admitted and Victoria winced, the reminder that Tommy was dead, it stung like a wasp.

"You can stay if you want." Victoria found herself offering, not quite sure what the hell was going on with her head when she spoke the words and Connor seemed like he was as surprised at the words, as she was.

"All right." Connor murmured quietly and he got back in as Victoria went on the other side, her arms wrapping around herself.

Eventually at some point, they must have both fallen asleep since when Connor woke up, he briefly saw that Victoria was changing in the corner. "What the fuck happened to you?" Connor asked as Victoria jumped, grabbing for a big t-shirt and she flung it on quickly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Victoria accused and Connor stared at her, before he was getting up and she was trying to cover her arms, but he caught one of them before she could. Victoria sighed as she held out her arm in defeat, recognizing that she was fighting a losing battle by not letting him see the scars.

"What the hell are these from?" Connor asked as he was just looking at the ones on her arms and she sighed.

"When I really didn't think, that I was ever able to make it." Victoria admitted quietly as Connor looked up from her arm as she was shaking her head. "Tommy... He refused to let me die. No matter what I told him." She murmured quietly and then, he nodded.

"Well, I'm glad that he didn't just let you die." Connor murmured quietly and she was shaking her head. "What about the ones on your back?" Connor asked quietly and she was looking at him.

"Nobody has seen those in a long time." She said and he let go of her arm silently as she turned her back to him and the shirt came off silently.

Connor saw the crossing scars that were almost making a pattern and in between them, starbursts from electrical shocks and he shook his head. "You really are covered in scars." Connor whispered as she nodded slightly.

"Yeah." Victoria said as swiftly now, she grabbed the shirt again and she pulled it on again. "I'm gonna get breakfast going." She muttered as she walked out of the room.

Connor was shaking his head as he was picking at his food, silently watching as she was just pushing her food around her plate.

"I can't eat." She muttered as she pushed it away and Jordan was eating quickly, taking the food no matter what.

Connor glanced at her, before she walked out of the room and now, she was shaking her head.

Victoria walked out of the house and she walked barefoot onto the grass lawn, where the moisture was rising, even without her really needing to think about it. "I told the cops about the club." Connor stated and the water droplets, they all scattered back into the grass.

"Why should I care?" Victoria asked as she was turning around to face Connor, whose eyes flashed briefly.

"Because I have it on good authority that Rhino and Marcus will be there when the police hit it." Victoria silently raised her eyebrows at him, still unconvinced and then he remembered what information she wasn't aware of. "Rhino killed Tommy." He added and then Victoria's eyes glowed, and she was nodding.

"I'm in." Victoria whispered and Connor nodded. "Those scars on my back? Quite a few of those were from Marcus and his lackeys. Taking out their frustrations on me, rather than Garrett." She shook her head. "I get to take them down for it." She said as he nodded.

Victoria was changing her clothes again as she looked at her closet, which was mostly long-sleeve shirts, flannels and jackets.

Victoria pushed the clothes apart and she saw that there was an outfit that she hadn't worn for years, but it had been originally made for Jordan, so she knew that it would still fit. "Here we go." She whispered to herself as she was getting changed.