Furtive Treason and Trenchant Foes 9/?
Title: Furtive Treason and Trenchant Foes 9/?
Series: TDS, TCR, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: Sequel to Fragile Truth and Tragic Freedom. Seven years later, two criminals from Keith's past escape. Their plan is not simply revenge against Keith and his family, but against the other man who helped the Regime fall.
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight
Chapter 9
Stephen cracked a smile when Karu, Aidan, and Nadia came out of Karu’s room with ‘The Hobbit’ in hand. They huddled on the couch around Jake and asked him to read to them.
“Starting them early, I see,” Jake remarked to Stephen as he took the book and opened to where Stephen had bookmarked it.
Rachel and Jon came back from the kitchen with a plate of little sandwiches. The kids would’ve been in bed by this time, but their school wasn’t going to re-open until next week.
Stephen was content with eating and listening to Jake read to Karu, Aidan, and Nadia. Jon joined him in the overstuffed chair. Rachel draped her arms over her brother’s shoulders from behind the couch.
Stephen heard his cell phone’s faint ringtone from his bedroom. Sky got up and ran to go get it. The dog came back with the phone between her teeth. Stephen took it and looked at the caller ID.
“Do I want to answer this?” Stephen asked. The caller ID said ‘Lennox Hill Hospital.’ At Sky’s nod, he answered the call. The conversation was short and to the point, but it also left Stephen silent and with his hand over his mouth when he hung up.
“Stephen?” Jon was first to prompt.
“Craig and Joel are at Lennox Hill Hospital,” Stephen answered as he put on his shoes.
“What happened?” Rachel inquired.
“I don’t know. They were picked up at Central Park an hour ago.” He gave Jon and Karu a quick kiss. “I’ll be back when I can.”
Stephen arrived at the hospital in good time. He went directly to the reception desk in the emergency ward.
“I was called twenty minutes ago,” Stephen said.
“Name, sir?”
“Stephen Stewart-Colbert. I’m here for Craig Ferguson and Joel McHale. Can you tell me what happened?”
The young woman took a moment to look up the file on the computer. “Ninety minutes ago, we got a call from Central Park. The ambulance found them at the Obelisk.”
A doctor approached. “Jenny, Craig Ferguson is cleared to go,” she said.
Stephen turned to the doctor. “What about Joel McHale?”
“He’s being treated by Doctor Gupta.”
Stephen nodded. “Can you tell me where Craig is?”
The doctor directed Stephen to the room where she had treated Craig.
Stephen knocked on the closed door. He didn’t get an invitation to go in. He took that as a bad sign and went in.
Craig was sitting on the side of the bed with his shirt bunched in his hands. He didn’t respond to Stephen’s presence, or to the sound of the door being closed.
Stephen walked over to his silently crying friend. He was about to put his arms around him when Craig suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor. He wrapped his arms tightly around Stephen’s waist and pressed his face to Stephen’s stomach.
Stephen didn’t know what to do, except stroke his friend’s hair. His own body was shaking with Craig’s no longer silent sobs. Tears soaked through his shirt.
“I don’t deserve him,” came the muffled statement between to sobs.
“What?”
“J-Joel. I-I don’t deserve him.”
Stephen lifted Craig up to his feet and guided him down to the bed. “Why do you say you don’t deserve him?”
“I… I failed him eight years ago, and I failed him again.”
When it was clear that Craig wasn’t going to elaborate, Stephen joined him on the bed and put an arm around his shoulders. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“Joel and I were walking in Central Park early this evening. Out of nowhere, B-Beck kidnapped us. We were drugged. I don’t know where he took us. When I woke up, Beck wanted to- wanted to… pick up where we left off. I begged him not to hurt me again. So, he brought in Joel.” Craig took a shuddering breath. “I don’t deserve him, Stephen.”
“Craig-“
“I failed him eight years ago when I admitted to that cop that we were in a relationship. I failed him now by giving into my own selfishness.”
“Did you know that Beck would hurt Joel if you didn’t cooperate?”
Craig shook his head. “But I should’ve known better. I don’t deserve Joel. I was too weak to take the pain and move on.”
Stephen didn’t point out the possibility of Beck hurting Joel even if Craig had cooperated. Instead, he held his friend close and planted a kiss in his hair. “You’re not weak,” Stephen whispered. “You’re not selfish. You are a good man. And Joel loves you.” He heard Craig’s breath hitch and held him tighter. “I know you two can make it through this.”
Stephen rested his chin in Craig’s hair as the older man relaxed into the comforting hold.
There was a knock at the door. It opened when Stephen asked who it was. “Good news to tell us, Sanjay?” he greeted.
Doctor Sanjay Gupta flashed a small smile. “I’m taking you to Joel.”
Stephen saw Joel’s face brighten when they walked into his room.
Craig sat on the side of the bed and leaned over his partner. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Forgive me.”
“What?” was Joel’s confused reaction to the request.
“Forgive me, please.”
“Craig, I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
Because…” Joel took a moment to think his words through. “Because, to forgive you, I would have to blame you for something.” He reached up to brush away Craig’s tears with his thumb. “I’ve never blamed you for what happened eight years ago. I don’t blame you for this. This isn’t your fault. There’s nothing to forgive.” Joel’s hand moved to the back of Craig’s head and pulled his down. “I love you,” he whispered against Craig’s lips.
The corner’s of Craig’s mouth twitched upwards. “I love you, too.” He turned to Sanjay and asked, “How is he?”
“Nothing life-threatening. Bruising and a light concussion. His knee on the other hand…” Sanjay gave Craig an x-ray photo. “Torn ligaments are the hardest injuries to bounce back from. This’ll take more than a knee brace to fix. I’m having a physical therapist come in tomorrow to get her opinion. Best case scenario is a few months of physical therapy. Worst case is surgery.”
“What about-“ Craig started.
Joel answered, “Expected damage that should heal on its own.”
“Are you… are you sure you’re okay?”
“I will be,” was Joel’s sincere reply.
Sanjay quietly told Stephen, “Please, be careful. I don’t want to have to treat any more of you for attacks like this.” He gave Stephen a quick hug before leaving.
“Do you guys want me to go?” asked Stephen.
“You can stay. I don’t mind,” said Joel. His fingers intertwined with Craig’s.
Craig said, “Thank you for coming.”
“That’s what family is for.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The explosion sent him flying. He landed hard on his shoulder. He didn’t give any thought to the pain as he got to his feet and ran out of the new opening in the warehouse wall.
“Aidan!” Keith shouted to the small body halfway across the empty space. He dropped to his knees and gingerly turned his son onto his back.
Aidan’s eyes were closed. His chest was not moving. Keith desperately searched for a pulse in Aidan’s neck and wrists. He could not find one. He tried everything he could to make his son start breathing again. All his attempts failed.
“No… no… no…” Keith moaned as he cradled Aidan against his chest. There was no denying the reality that his son would not breathe again.
Keith’s heart shattered. Aidan was dead. His son was dead.
Keith held Aidan’s body tightly to him and rocked back-and-forth, mind and heart numb. He did not feel his tears running down his face. He did not feel his breath hitch as he cried. He felt nothing, except the weight of his son in his arms.
“The son has paid for the sins of the father,” Keith heard O’Reilly’s suddenly near voice say. “But the father’s punishment is not yet over.”
“Leave me alone,” Keith’s broken voice said into Aidan’s hair.
“This is how I shall break you,” O’Reilly stated.
Keith shuddered when O’Reilly’s fingers trailed across his shoulders.
“Next will be Rachel, and that adorable little girl of yours. What was her name again? Ah yes, Nadia. Maybe I’ll let Glenn have some fun with them.”
Keith wanted to kill this sadistic man. His body trembled with all the grief and rage building up inside him. But… he could not move.
“I won’t stop there. Oh no. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert…”
Keith sensed O’Reilly crouching down in front of him.
“… Along with everyone else you consider part of your family. One by one, until you’re begging to do anything to stop it, until you’re begging for me to kill you. Until you are nothing more than a broken man.”
Keith flinched when O’Reilly grabbed and handful of his hair and forced him to stare into that smug face.
“That is my promise to you, Keith.”
Keith shot up with a wordless cry of anguish. He took a deep breath and reminded himself, “A dream. That’s all. Only a dream.”
Keith didn’t have his glasses, but could tell he was in a luxurious hotel bedroom. Three people rushed into the room.
“Are you alright?” asked Barack. The other man in the room was quiet.
The woman with shoulder-length brown hair sat on the side of the bed, placed her hand on Keith’s bare chest, and gently pushed him back down to the soft pillows.
Only when she leaned over him did Keith clearly see her face. It was a face he hadn’t seen in twenty-three years.
“Hello, Keith,” the woman greeted in a soft voice.
“Monica?”
Series: TDS, TCR, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: Sequel to Fragile Truth and Tragic Freedom. Seven years later, two criminals from Keith's past escape. Their plan is not simply revenge against Keith and his family, but against the other man who helped the Regime fall.
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight
Chapter 9
Stephen cracked a smile when Karu, Aidan, and Nadia came out of Karu’s room with ‘The Hobbit’ in hand. They huddled on the couch around Jake and asked him to read to them.
“Starting them early, I see,” Jake remarked to Stephen as he took the book and opened to where Stephen had bookmarked it.
Rachel and Jon came back from the kitchen with a plate of little sandwiches. The kids would’ve been in bed by this time, but their school wasn’t going to re-open until next week.
Stephen was content with eating and listening to Jake read to Karu, Aidan, and Nadia. Jon joined him in the overstuffed chair. Rachel draped her arms over her brother’s shoulders from behind the couch.
Stephen heard his cell phone’s faint ringtone from his bedroom. Sky got up and ran to go get it. The dog came back with the phone between her teeth. Stephen took it and looked at the caller ID.
“Do I want to answer this?” Stephen asked. The caller ID said ‘Lennox Hill Hospital.’ At Sky’s nod, he answered the call. The conversation was short and to the point, but it also left Stephen silent and with his hand over his mouth when he hung up.
“Stephen?” Jon was first to prompt.
“Craig and Joel are at Lennox Hill Hospital,” Stephen answered as he put on his shoes.
“What happened?” Rachel inquired.
“I don’t know. They were picked up at Central Park an hour ago.” He gave Jon and Karu a quick kiss. “I’ll be back when I can.”
Stephen arrived at the hospital in good time. He went directly to the reception desk in the emergency ward.
“I was called twenty minutes ago,” Stephen said.
“Name, sir?”
“Stephen Stewart-Colbert. I’m here for Craig Ferguson and Joel McHale. Can you tell me what happened?”
The young woman took a moment to look up the file on the computer. “Ninety minutes ago, we got a call from Central Park. The ambulance found them at the Obelisk.”
A doctor approached. “Jenny, Craig Ferguson is cleared to go,” she said.
Stephen turned to the doctor. “What about Joel McHale?”
“He’s being treated by Doctor Gupta.”
Stephen nodded. “Can you tell me where Craig is?”
The doctor directed Stephen to the room where she had treated Craig.
Stephen knocked on the closed door. He didn’t get an invitation to go in. He took that as a bad sign and went in.
Craig was sitting on the side of the bed with his shirt bunched in his hands. He didn’t respond to Stephen’s presence, or to the sound of the door being closed.
Stephen walked over to his silently crying friend. He was about to put his arms around him when Craig suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor. He wrapped his arms tightly around Stephen’s waist and pressed his face to Stephen’s stomach.
Stephen didn’t know what to do, except stroke his friend’s hair. His own body was shaking with Craig’s no longer silent sobs. Tears soaked through his shirt.
“I don’t deserve him,” came the muffled statement between to sobs.
“What?”
“J-Joel. I-I don’t deserve him.”
Stephen lifted Craig up to his feet and guided him down to the bed. “Why do you say you don’t deserve him?”
“I… I failed him eight years ago, and I failed him again.”
When it was clear that Craig wasn’t going to elaborate, Stephen joined him on the bed and put an arm around his shoulders. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“Joel and I were walking in Central Park early this evening. Out of nowhere, B-Beck kidnapped us. We were drugged. I don’t know where he took us. When I woke up, Beck wanted to- wanted to… pick up where we left off. I begged him not to hurt me again. So, he brought in Joel.” Craig took a shuddering breath. “I don’t deserve him, Stephen.”
“Craig-“
“I failed him eight years ago when I admitted to that cop that we were in a relationship. I failed him now by giving into my own selfishness.”
“Did you know that Beck would hurt Joel if you didn’t cooperate?”
Craig shook his head. “But I should’ve known better. I don’t deserve Joel. I was too weak to take the pain and move on.”
Stephen didn’t point out the possibility of Beck hurting Joel even if Craig had cooperated. Instead, he held his friend close and planted a kiss in his hair. “You’re not weak,” Stephen whispered. “You’re not selfish. You are a good man. And Joel loves you.” He heard Craig’s breath hitch and held him tighter. “I know you two can make it through this.”
Stephen rested his chin in Craig’s hair as the older man relaxed into the comforting hold.
There was a knock at the door. It opened when Stephen asked who it was. “Good news to tell us, Sanjay?” he greeted.
Doctor Sanjay Gupta flashed a small smile. “I’m taking you to Joel.”
Stephen saw Joel’s face brighten when they walked into his room.
Craig sat on the side of the bed and leaned over his partner. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Forgive me.”
“What?” was Joel’s confused reaction to the request.
“Forgive me, please.”
“Craig, I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
Because…” Joel took a moment to think his words through. “Because, to forgive you, I would have to blame you for something.” He reached up to brush away Craig’s tears with his thumb. “I’ve never blamed you for what happened eight years ago. I don’t blame you for this. This isn’t your fault. There’s nothing to forgive.” Joel’s hand moved to the back of Craig’s head and pulled his down. “I love you,” he whispered against Craig’s lips.
The corner’s of Craig’s mouth twitched upwards. “I love you, too.” He turned to Sanjay and asked, “How is he?”
“Nothing life-threatening. Bruising and a light concussion. His knee on the other hand…” Sanjay gave Craig an x-ray photo. “Torn ligaments are the hardest injuries to bounce back from. This’ll take more than a knee brace to fix. I’m having a physical therapist come in tomorrow to get her opinion. Best case scenario is a few months of physical therapy. Worst case is surgery.”
“What about-“ Craig started.
Joel answered, “Expected damage that should heal on its own.”
“Are you… are you sure you’re okay?”
“I will be,” was Joel’s sincere reply.
Sanjay quietly told Stephen, “Please, be careful. I don’t want to have to treat any more of you for attacks like this.” He gave Stephen a quick hug before leaving.
“Do you guys want me to go?” asked Stephen.
“You can stay. I don’t mind,” said Joel. His fingers intertwined with Craig’s.
Craig said, “Thank you for coming.”
“That’s what family is for.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The explosion sent him flying. He landed hard on his shoulder. He didn’t give any thought to the pain as he got to his feet and ran out of the new opening in the warehouse wall.
“Aidan!” Keith shouted to the small body halfway across the empty space. He dropped to his knees and gingerly turned his son onto his back.
Aidan’s eyes were closed. His chest was not moving. Keith desperately searched for a pulse in Aidan’s neck and wrists. He could not find one. He tried everything he could to make his son start breathing again. All his attempts failed.
“No… no… no…” Keith moaned as he cradled Aidan against his chest. There was no denying the reality that his son would not breathe again.
Keith’s heart shattered. Aidan was dead. His son was dead.
Keith held Aidan’s body tightly to him and rocked back-and-forth, mind and heart numb. He did not feel his tears running down his face. He did not feel his breath hitch as he cried. He felt nothing, except the weight of his son in his arms.
“The son has paid for the sins of the father,” Keith heard O’Reilly’s suddenly near voice say. “But the father’s punishment is not yet over.”
“Leave me alone,” Keith’s broken voice said into Aidan’s hair.
“This is how I shall break you,” O’Reilly stated.
Keith shuddered when O’Reilly’s fingers trailed across his shoulders.
“Next will be Rachel, and that adorable little girl of yours. What was her name again? Ah yes, Nadia. Maybe I’ll let Glenn have some fun with them.”
Keith wanted to kill this sadistic man. His body trembled with all the grief and rage building up inside him. But… he could not move.
“I won’t stop there. Oh no. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert…”
Keith sensed O’Reilly crouching down in front of him.
“… Along with everyone else you consider part of your family. One by one, until you’re begging to do anything to stop it, until you’re begging for me to kill you. Until you are nothing more than a broken man.”
Keith flinched when O’Reilly grabbed and handful of his hair and forced him to stare into that smug face.
“That is my promise to you, Keith.”
Keith shot up with a wordless cry of anguish. He took a deep breath and reminded himself, “A dream. That’s all. Only a dream.”
Keith didn’t have his glasses, but could tell he was in a luxurious hotel bedroom. Three people rushed into the room.
“Are you alright?” asked Barack. The other man in the room was quiet.
The woman with shoulder-length brown hair sat on the side of the bed, placed her hand on Keith’s bare chest, and gently pushed him back down to the soft pillows.
Only when she leaned over him did Keith clearly see her face. It was a face he hadn’t seen in twenty-three years.
“Hello, Keith,” the woman greeted in a soft voice.
“Monica?”