Pick it Up

HELLO ALL! 

Finally I have spat something out of my acidulous recesses! 

This is for Legacy, the third installment of The Blessed and Forsaken as the tags indicate. 

Yes, you will be confused. I have changed a lot of things around, but here's a little thing to keep you guys going. :) 

It's lovely playlist is available below.

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The body guard closed the door behind me with a nervous shuffle of his hair and a sideways glance. I didn't smile at him.

I waited until the silence filled in around me so that I knew I was alone and set my purse on the side table with a resounding thump. I kicked off the pumps that were a size and a half too big for me and tried to rub the blisters through the stockings. I stumbled when the threads stung my exposed flesh and ripped the stockings off my legs as quickly as I could, stumbling into a lounge chair and sinking into it. Bundling the nylons in my hands I tossed them like a ball to join the shoes. They unraveled and floated pathetically to the floor, like a ribbon stolen by the wind. The red carpet shown through the holes my fingers had made, almost looking like peeled skin. I tried not to shudder.

I leaned back in the chair and let out a breath letting the velvet sooth the skin on my arms and legs for a moment. I had a small desire to let it caress my whole body, but I had to resist. I didn't know how long I would be alone. He could open the door at any moment.

I didn't have time to relax but there were a few things I had to take care of. Launching myself out of the chair, I bee-lined for the bathroom, taking off my suit jacket as I went. I hung it on the outside doorknob of the bathroom turning the water on in the sink waiting for it to warm. I couldn't stand my clothes on any more. The heat had penetrated through them and smashed against my skin. I needed air. I threw everything in a heap next to the door except for my panties and stared at the shower longingly. It was completely tiled connected to a large tub on the other side of clear class doors. It was beckoning to me. It was so cruel. I knew I probably didn't have time to really clean, but I maybe I could cool off.

I turned off the water in the sink, nearly running to the other side of the bathroom feeling like I couldn't shove the glass doors aside fast enough. I leaned over the tub and turned the cold water on high, the humidity in the bathroom immediately dispersing. I let the water run over my hand then stood and removed my panties as well. I sunk in to the water even though the bath was not even a quarter of the way full and just sat. The sensation of the water sloshing and rising against me was soothing like waves, almost whispering a lullaby to my body. Relax. Sleep. I tuned out all noise except for that melody. I didn't know where it was coming from, but I knew it was no threat. It wasn't until I shivered that I broke away from the sound. As nice as the cool water had been, I was too cold now. Disappointed, I sighed on turned on the hot water warming the tub almost instantly, but it was still more cold than hot.

I submerged myself in the water once it was full and the water whispered to me again: Anna. He could walk in right now and do anything he wanted, he probably wouldn't even want to talk, but he didn't have to. I wanted him to come in and without a word sink into the water with me and say hello from his toes to mine like we used to.

A murmur.

"Unum cum oculis. Est hic.*"The one with the eyes. She is here.

"It's alright. Mi prenderò cura di lui**." I'll take care of it.

Jaiden.

I flew out of the tub and unplugged it, grabbing the nearest towel at the same time. I dried off as quickly as I could with one hand while searching simultaineously for a hairbrush and bandaids with the other. I found a comb, which was good enough, setting it on the granite sink while I clambered in one of the mirrors for bandaids. After another moment of dumping razors and toothpicks into the sink bowl I gave up. I yanked on my underwear tossing the towel over the shower doors and tried to comb the curls out of my hair. I bit my lip against the pain as knots quickly gathered in my hair. I rang as much water out of it as I could and put it up in a ponytail. I grabbed my suitcase from where the guard had left it next to a couch just outside the bathroom door. That was quite thoughtful of him.

Once I'd thrown on jeans and a t-shirt, I sat in the chair in the dark room on the other side of the main room closer to the bedroom. This had to be the biggest hotel room I'd ever seen. Too many rooms for one person in my opinion.

I was surprised that the door hadn't opened yet. They couldn't have been too far away when I heard them and they weren't talking anymore. Where did they go?

The door clicked as the lock was turned. I poised myself, legs crossed, cheek in hand, my look prepared to be as stern as possible without threatening my gaze and Jaiden walked straight into the dark room.

He paused and looked at me as I looked at him. His mouth almost as thin as mine though a little more of a frown, a little sadder. His tie was already loosened hanging on the flaps of his suit jacket which hung open away from his stomach. He put his hands in his pocket and sighed.

"I thought you were here to kill me." He took a thin blade out of his pocket and set it on the nearby desk. It was fit in a crude hilt, a dark, nearly blackened stain on the tip.

My heart twinged. I knew what it was. The last remaining bit of the Spear of Longinus. It just happened to have more of Christ's blood on it then all the pieces combined. One of the few weapons that could stop my abilities. He was prepared to disarm and fight me.

This was stupid. I shouldn't be here.

Instead of getting up and leaving like I should have done, my lips moved. "You lied to me."

He turned his back to me, but let his eyes stray in my direction. "Who told you?" more of an exasperated sigh than a whisper.

"Who do you think?"

He halfway turned back toward me and ran his hand down the length of his face, his forefinger and thumb resting on the corners of his mouth. "Mother fucker." He mumbled.

I glared at him, my hands squeezing the arms of the chair. His eyes flickered toward me, I must have used a little more force in my stare than I'd realized.

"Sorry." His eyebrows furrowed in sympathy and he shuffled his stance, but didn't move to sit. I didn't twitch a muscle.

He moved back towards the doorway and turned on the light, then put his hands in his pockets. "It was the only option."

I immediately shook my head. "You should have told me. We could have figured something out, something bett—"

"No!" He took a step closer to the chair. "Anna, would you have let me gone? No! You would have rather killed me and condemned yourself then let me—"

"No! Jaiden, stop it! I never would have—by doing this—this is how you're going to…make me kill you and I—" my voice caught as hot tears filled my eyes, for once blurring my vision. I couldn't look at him; couldn't see his pity as I tried not to cry over the eventual death of my enemy and my lover.

"In the end, yes, you will kill me." His voice was much closer than it had been a moment before and I nearly jumped in the seat. I could smell him now. The wood and pine smell that was his was now charred. "It's the role I have to play to save you. To save them."

I couldn't stop the tears now. I knew someone had to do it. I'd always known. I knew it could have easily been me, just like he did. It was why he gave himself over. So I didn't have to choose.

Because he loved me.

"I thought you betrayed me. I thought—"

His hands were on my face, hotter than I remember, much hotter than any person I'd ever touched in my life. "No il mio pappagallino***." He wipped tears away from my mouth so his lips could graze it. "Never. I've always been on your side. I always will be. You will do it."

"I don't think I can without you. How can I do this alone?" How could he say that to me, when I knew after tonight I'd never see him again until my blade was at his throat, taking his life.

"You are not alone. Not ever. He is with you just like I am. We will be together again when this is over, I swear." His arms were wrapping around me and I gripped his jacket. I couldn't leave him. Not ever again.

"Stop lying to me." It wouldn't matter in the end—the reasons for his sins. Everything that he had done these past five years—he would be condemned.

"Shh." He picked me up and didn't say anything more. I couldn't get the tears to stop, couldn't fight him. I didn't want to, clinging now to his neck and sobbing into his shoulder.

It wasn't fair.

He kissed my neck and shoulder so softly that I hardly felt his lips as he trudged me across the hotel room. He laid me carefully on the bed, kissing my forehead so that I'd let him go. I grabbed the pillow to try and get myself to stop crying for once, it didn't do much. He touched my arm a few minutes later so that I knew he was back. His suit was gone, replaced with a basic white t-shirt and shorts, his feet were bare like mine were and instead of sitting on the bed with me like I expected him to do, he knelt on the floor next to my feet. It was then that I noticed the medicine and bandaids he'd set on the bed.

He took one of my feet carefully in his hand and examined the blister.

"Not giving yourself enough time to plan again? You're going to ruin your feet if you keep doing that."

"Shut up." I mumbled, reminding myself of the teenagers we'd once been. Getting into trouble trying to do what was right, but being too young to know how to do it correctly.

He dabbed each blister with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. They both immediately fizzed and I hissed each time.

"Sorry."

I remained silent as he continued to tend to my feet finishing off by rubbing them. My muscled screamed and I moaned in relief. My hands were usually too sore to do it myself.

"How's your back?" he asked suddenly.

At first I was shocked that he'd known about my encounter with Bael, but quickly realized that he'd more than likely been the one to orchestrate it.

I sat up, letting my feet rub momentarily on the soft blanket as I turned my back to him and I realized how tired I was. How much I wanted to sleep and do anything but. I started to take off my shirt without thinking how tender the scabs were going to be from being in the bath and let out a cry when I felt every single one of them split open. Jaiden watched me with pained and hungry eyes, but knew offering to help wouldn't make it better. I hadn't bothered to put a bra back on earlier so I didn't have to worry about it scrapping off the scabs even more.

Jaiden didn't say a word, getting up to sit on the bed with me and putting medicine on the wounds. They weren't nearly as big as they had been a few weeks ago, but they were still deep in the center. He used the big bandages in the box he'd brought to cover them up as well. Anytime his finger tips grazed my skin I could feel something inside me squirm impatiently.

"Thank you." I said quietly when he was finished.

"You're welcome." He answered hesitantly. I knew he was thinking the same thing I had. It was his fault I had these wounds in the first place. He probably didn't feel I should be thanking him for anything.

He slowly stood up from the bed and turned to leave the room.

"Jaiden." I said quickly.

He turned and looked at me. I was facing him now still without a shirt and I didn't care. He couldn't leave.

I didn't need to say anything else after that.

His arms were around my waist, then his palms grazed my hips as he pushed me down onto the bed with his body, wedging himself between my legs at the same time. I breathed against his neck, trying to actually get oxygen from somewhere, anywhere with his smell suffocating me. His head moved to my chest making my stomach sing, a gasp in my throat. I stopped trying to breathe. I didn't need the air. His scent, his skin, his heat beating, pushing against me, it was all I needed anymore. All I needed to live. He was mine again.


 
We talked.

Once we could breathe normally again it was easy, wrapped in the covers and each other. I told him the parts he didn't already know, the people I was meeting and helping. I told him about all the things I'd learned and how I knew what I was coming.

Most of what was coming he knew and he knew some things I didn't and he told me without hesitation. There was only one that I didn't have enough time to prepare for.

"It's tomorrow. About noon."

"The Rise of the Dead?"

"Yes, the Resurrection snuck up on us. That's why you had a little longer to bathe than you thought." A little guilty smile crossed his lips and I pressed them with my fingers, then my lips.

"He's anxious."

I frowned.

"Of course."

"He's doing everything he can not to show it, but most of us aren't as dumb as he likes to think."

He sat up a little farther on his arm and I sunk more in the covers. "Anna, I don't think he will be able to handle himself when your mom shows up."

"I know. I don't think I can either."

He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else when the door flew open and hit the wall with a bang, rattling the bed.

"Oh, good morning."

Speak of the devil. I mumbled in my head, then chastised myself for using the cliché.

"Well hello dad. Sorry I didn't send you a Christmas card, or call the past five-fucking-years." Nick continued his one sided conversation mocking the last tone I'd used with him. He strutted in and neither I nor Jaiden moved, both still naked in bed, but we weren't feeling threatened either.

Nick flopped himself into the soft chair next to the bed and pulled out a cigarette lighting it and sending a torrent of smoke towards the ceiling before he spoke again.

"Hi boss, oh, by the way, I fucked your daughter and catalyst last night…again."

This got Jaiden out of the bed quickly, he started to grab his clothes and tossed me mine. I pulled them on under the covers as Nick waited.

Our conversation was over.

We were out of time.

He interrupted us. The last moments we had.

Jaiden ignored Nick in the chair, taking me in his arms as soon as I was dressed. I took his face and kissed him, long and hard, then softer. It was all I could do to say goodbye. I stared at his eyes, trying to commit the light in them to memory. I didn't know how long I could hold on to that image.

"What no kiss for me?" Nick glowered from the chair and without a thought I marched over to the chair and bent over slowly, kissing his head and touched his hair with my hands lingering a little longer than I probably should.

I didn't look back, grabbed my purse and bag from the floor, leaving the heels and stockings, and walked straight to the door.

"Bye." Nick called just as the door shut. 

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*Latin

**Italian

***Italian: My lovebird.