The Assassin ✓

Chapter Three

It was 4:47 am. She kept pushing down the gas pedal and thinking that she's now carrying Henry's baby. He had to know that. She had to tell him that. She had to make it in time. Her heart was beating just from the thought she might not make it. What if they died if she was a second too late? She raced onwards at the empty highway. It was a race against time. A race on an empty racetrack, race against Daniel; the man who was responsible for the men she was trying to save. If she didn't make it, he'd kill both Henry and Oliver.

But even then she had no guarantee they weren't dead already. Daniel could be lying. There could be many of them. They could kill both the boys and her. But she wanted Henry and Oliver to know she was coming. Even if they died, she wanted to see them for one last time. They had to know they were not alone. And she was carrying Henry's baby. She had to tell him. He had to know. The sun was rising and she continued to speed.

The clock on the dashboard said 5:01 am. She was gripping the steering wheel and felt like throwing up. {Please. Not now.} Tears gathered in her eyes, but she quickly swallowed them to see where she was driving.

5:03 am. Tears rolled down her face - both from desperation and tiredness and wanting to throw up. Not long now. {I'm coming,} she thought. {I'm coming..}

5:04 am. {What a beautiful morning. I'm throwing up.} She braked, threw open the car door and threw up right there on the side of the road. She had to make it.

5:07 am. There was only one thought in her mind. To make it. {You have to make it.} It echoed into her mind over and over again. Nothing mattered except that. She was so, so afraid...

Vanessa awoke with a gasp and tried to still her beating heart. Something had awoken her.

"Mom?" Her teenage son was in the doorway, talking in a hushed voice. "Sorry to wake you, but there's someone at the door.."

She swallowed her tears and sat upright. Tom needed her. "Who?"

"I don't know. A girl. She has very little clothes.."

Vanessa slid out of the bed and put her robe on. "Isn't that your dream." She smirked and walked past her blushing son.

She met the young girl and settled her in comfortably. Her big brother asked Vanessa to take care of Blair and she promised she would. She watched Blair eat, then fall asleep right there on the couch, and only when she took the plates to the kitchen, she finally dared to let out a long sigh. This was not the way she imagined this morning, not even close. The way she imagined it, was some quiet time alone, mourning him. 

Him. It was the day he died. It haunted her still. She did not imagine she'll have to take care of a underaged murderer-by-accident - doing this threw her back to where she was so many years ago, before Tom was born; back when she was running and fearing for her life, but also madly in love. If she did not choose to run back then, she would've never met Henry.

Henry..

She leaned over the sink and quietly swallowed her tears. The few friends she had often wondered why she had no boyfriend or no husband, but she was not capable of a long term relationship. The longest she had had was 6 months and even that was a few years ago. She was fine without. It was enough - the love she recieved 17 years ago. She had room for no more. She still loved Henry but - how can you love someone who is dead? How can that love still be so vivid, so warm, even hot inside her heart? She remembered his face because of the pictures she kept hidden and often looked at. But she did not remember his smell or voice.. No matter how hard she tried. The clock on the wall told her she was already late and she composed herself. This was no time for mourning. She'd do it tonight, when Tom was asleep. No matter her promise to Henry, as he lay dying, she couldn't quite tell Tom about his father. She promised, yes, to tell Tom how brave his father was, how good. But she couldn't. She was afraid Tom would follow into her footsteps. Or that something might happen to him.