Long Road Ahead - Deckard Shaw Fanfic

10- Epiphany

DECK's POV

I set down my drill and kick open the door, praying the loud bang of the heavy metal doesn't bring forth the calvary. Once the dust settles, I see a weak, frail outline of someone familiar.

"Deck?" She asks tentatively as I rush over to untie her binds. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, I search her deep brown eyes. All I can see are exhaustion mixed with relief. Grabbing her now free hand, I pray she has enough energy to get out without me having to carry her in the case of needed to fight our way out.

"Well love, let's get you out of here, shall we?" I say with a wink and a smirk that she immediately returns. Despite being nearly thwarted a few times by a handful of Cypher's goons, we made it out of the facility and on the road back to my underground base. The ride is silent until we I park. Everything is quiet, with only the gentle tapping of water from a nearby source. She lets out a faint sob and buries her head into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, slightly off put by our sudden close proximity.

"You ass," She started, conjuring a confused reaction on my end. "I thought you would leave me." She says, gently pounding my chest and then sitting up to compose herself.

"Now you listen, Soph, I got a little preoccupied." I replied. She stood up out of the car abruptly and I followed in suit.

    "What is it?!" She asked, rushing to me. "Is it the baby, is he ok? Is Hattie ok?" rubbing her shoulders, thinking of how to best explain the events of the past couple of days.
    "I tried to come and get you, I swear it, but Cypher came after Hattie and the little bugger. I'm so sorry, Soph, but I had to--" I tried to explain as I attempted to read her face, but she cut me off before I could continue.

    "No, Conner is the priority. You should have protected him, and Hattie for that sake, before me. It's your assignment to keep him safe, not me." She says, her features getting softer and more gentle. I broke our gaze and strode over to my well kept liquor cabinet, pouring myself a much needed drink.

    "You don't understand, Sophia. I didn't want to have to make that decision. How can I choose between the life of a child and the life of someone I love. I put you in that position. That bruise on your lip, it's my fault. All of this is my fault, and frankly I don't know why you've stuck with me for this long. That was the hardest choice I've ever made, harder than ended everything with you when we were kids. But, I knew. I knew you would have done the same thing had the roles been switched. I went as fast as I could, I swear, but Soph, I thought she had bloody killed you and I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing--"

    I was cut off by her lips pressed against mine. The world went still. It was just me and her, and a piece of my heart broke. No, not a piece of my heart, but a piece of the darkness that had clouded and corrupted my heart for so many years was gone. All of the guilt that I felt over the years for letting her leave melted away. It melted away to her, to her brown eyes that looked slightly green in the morning if the light hit them just right. It melted to her face, bare of any makeup and freckles that were scattered across her nose during the summer when the sun made its unique art on her body. It faded to her soft hair, which was always changing. Pink when we were kids, her natural mousy brown, and now a darker auburn brown due to having to dye her hair in order to protect a child that wasn't even hers. All colors were her, all were beautiful.

    We broke apart, and the world came back. The gentle drip of the faucet, the ice melting in my drink, and her breath.

    I want to marry this girl.