The Crossroads Saturday at Midnight [5-10-08]

[elvishvanessa]

Most people would have been angry, frustrated at least, at having been duped two nights in a row by a group of shadowy fae who used no weapons but trickery and guile.

Bond was neither of those things. What he was, was determined. The more impossible a task seemed, the more stubborn he became.

That, and he sure as hell was not about to lose one of his students to kidnappers.

Which was why he now lay flat on his stomach, hidden in the foliage alongside the road, watching through a pair of binoculars. This time, he was prepared.
Once again the fae came riding along the crossroads, Vanessa quiet and barely responsive, her horse's reins held by the woman this time.

The woman was alert, wondering if the mortal would attempt to interrupt their trek this night as well.
The woman was smart. The mortal did indeed intend to interrupt them. However, tonight he had a plan.

Silently lowering the binoculars, Bond waited, every muscle tense, as the group approached. He wanted them close, before he made his move.
Vanessa's head was down, her expression bleak and hopeless. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the ground ahead of her. The only sound was that of hoofs and the quiet jingle of the horse's bridles.
Bond's jaw tightened at the sight of Vanessa's expression, and he fingered the grip of his gun.

The moment the group was alongside his hiding place, he exploded into movement. Firing a shot over their heads in hopes of startling the horses, he leaped to his feet and ran toward them. Reaching out, he grabbed for Vanessa's arm, hauling her out of the saddle.
The other fae drew to an abrupt halt, stopped in their efforts to retrieve Vanessa by the upraised hand of their leader. Rules were rules after all and if this mortal was willing to risk his life for the girl, the fae could only look on.

Bond, however, would suddenly find himself holding onto a fighting and spitting lion.
"Bloody hell!"

That was not what Bond was expecting, and he tumbled backward to the ground from the sudden weight of the lion. Letting the gun fall to the side, he threw one arm up in front of his face to protect it, fighting to wrestle the animal to the ground.
The lion bit and scratched at him, struggling to be free. When it failed to win its freedom, it shifted to the form of a hawk. It screeched and tore at him with its beak, wings beating frantically about Bond's head.
The bites and scratches left Bond's arms a bloody mess, but at least he managed to protect his face and throat from the animal's attacks. He was just figuring he had the thing -- no, not thing, because this was Vanessa, wasn't it? -- under control when it was gone.

And there was a bird trying to tear his eyes out instead.

"Fuck- stop that!" he exclaimed, grabbing at the hawk with both hands just as its beak made painful contact with his cheekbone.
And as his hands grabbed onto the bird, the creature shifted again.

Scales slithered against his hands as the cobra sought to be able to strike at him or slide free.
Okay, now that was really starting to piss Bond off. The snake slipped from his hands and he cursed, jerking away to avoid a bite and then moving with an impressive speed himself as he sought to get hold of it again.

As gently as a man trying desperately to avoid a cobra bite could.
And then there was fire in his grasp. The snake became a brightly burning brand.

The flames licked at him, burning, growing ever hotter, twisting and writhing in his arms.
Bond gave a strangled cry and clenched his jaw against the pain as fire licked up his arms, burning his shirt and his skin. This was the challenge, though, and he'd be damned if he was going to let that arrogant bitch on the horse win.

So he held on.
After what must have seemed an eternity, the fire was gone and he was left with only a sobbing Vanessa in his arms.

The woman made a disgusted face and turned away. She cantered away without looking back and the others followed her until they had disappeared into the night.
He was awfully close to sobbing himself, and in fact there were tears mingled with sweat running down his face, from the pain. But he pulled Vanessa up against him, protectively, and glared at the woman.

Watched them until they were gone from sight.

"You're all right now. It's all right."
She clung to him, trying desperately to stop the tears. "You saved me," she said over and over. "You saved me."
"That's my job," Bond quipped quietly. "I, uh...don't suppose you feel up to walking? I'd be glad to offer to carry you, but I don't think that'd be a good idea."

He didn't make any move to try and dislodge her, however. Just let her cling and cry until she felt better.
She pulled away slowly, then gasped as she saw him. "Mr. Bond, you're, oh Lady! I did not know you were so hurt. Sit, you must sit!"
"I've had worse, don't you trouble yourself over it." Bond gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. After all, it was true. Although the worse was definitely an experience he wanted never to repeat.

"Just...give me a little bit of a hand up, and we'll head on back into the town."
She reached to help him up and found herself falling into her stars, felt the hands of the Lady working through her.

Everything shifted within the patterns until she was floating in the stars with Mr. Bond, gently moving the strands of possibilities until he was whole before her.

And then she fell out of them, gasping at the suddenness of the shift, to find herself kneeling beside his unmarked body. Somehow she had healed him.
And just like that, Bond had a new item to top his list of bizarre experiences.

He stared upward, eyes wide, his expression for once completely open.

"How the bloody hell..."
Her eyes went wide. "I... healed you. I knew the others could, but I didn't think... you are well, are you not?"
"Better than when I started," murmured Bond, still staring.

He lay there for a moment longer, collecting his thoughts, and then quirked the corner of his mouth in a little smirk for Vanessa. "How about we call it even, then? You going to be all right?"
She hesitated, assessing, then nodded and managed a smile for him. "Yes, I believe I will be fine. I do not think they will come for me again. You won my freedom."
"They come again, I'll be meeting them with a hell of a lot bigger gun than the one I had tonight," Bond joked, except that really, it wasn't a joke at all.

He sat up and then pulled himself to his feet, holding out a hand to Vanessa.
Vanessa smiled at him again, a whole smile this time. "I do not think they should like to come up against you again."

She allowed herself to be helped to her feet. "Thank you, so much for all you have done to save me." She hesitated, then impulsively wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"They're lucky, most people don't survive make that very wise choice."

Yep, the cocky attitude was back, but there was a genuine smile in Bond's eyes. And a look of real surprise on his face when Vanessa hugged him. "My pleasure. But let's try not to make a habit of it."
She shook her head. "I shall be most on my guard. I am afraid they caught me most unexpectedly. Not that I would have had much more luck had they not. I am afraid I have no real skill in fighting."
Bond shook his head as well, although for a different reason. "What you kids need in this place is a self-defense class."
Vanessa was not entirely sure what that was, but the idea of being able to defend oneself sounded good. "Perhaps we do," she said. "Might you teach one sometime?"
"I've been roped into another term teaching you lot phys ed. And you want to extend the torture?"

Bond grinned, to take the edge off his teasing. "Told Manning I'd give her some pointers. I suppose I could open up the offer to other students. Especially if things like this are a regular occurrence around here."
Vanessa grinned at his teasing. "I should like that very much, sir."

She looked at him assessingly. "You should probably rest. I healed you, but your body will still require rest before you are fully well. Is there any other way I can assist you?"
"Hm. We'll see what can be arranged then. Maybe a club or something."

He shook his head in amusement, and waved off Vanessa's concern. "Oh, don't worry about me. I do this sort of thing for a living. Good night's sleep, and I'll be shipshape in the morning. You, however, are getting an escort straight back to your room. Do you have a roommate?"
"No," Vanessa admitted. "I live alone."
Bond frowned a bit, glancing speculatively toward Vanessa. "There must be someone you can stay with. A friend you can call?"
She was embarrassed to have to admit that she did not.

"I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound confident. "There will be others nearby should I need them."
Hell. There was no way he was about to let her stay the night alone, after having spent the past two as the victim of a kidnapping. She needed her friends, and a bloody counselor.

She'd have to make do with Bond.

"Right, well. My couch is more comfortable than it looks."
"Your... couch?" she said, not understanding him at all. "I... am sure it is."
If she'd been ten years older, Bond would have been almost insulted. As it was, he just gave Vanessa a small wry grin and shook his head.

"Trust me, you don't need to be spending the night alone after something like that. We'll stop at your dorm and you can pack a kit."
Vanessa opened her mouth to protest - surely this would be terribly improper - but something in his face told her there would be no point in arguing. Instead she just nodded.

"It will only take me a moment to be ready," she said. "Thank you very much for your kindness."
Vanessa would find out eventually that Bond didn't care much about what was proper, but rather what was useful and expedient. If she'd had someone to stay with her, he'd have walked her back to the dorm. She didn't, so it was up to Bond to step up and make sure she was kept safe.

"I'll wait at the door to the building, take all the time you need."
Vanessa nodded and, true to her word, had reappeared at the door to the dorm after only a very few minutes.

"I don't need much," she explained. "I don't actually own much, so it is not difficult." She smiled brightly at him and he might have noticed that the odd stars were back in her eyes now that all traces of the fae influence were gone.
He did notice that about Vanessa's eyes, and it frankly reassured him that she was recovering well from her ordeal.

"You and me both."

Taking the bag from her without asking, Bond led Vanessa to his apartment, keeping a closer eye on her than it probably seemed, just to be certain she didn't begin showing signs of shock or injury. The place was small but comfortable, uncluttered to the point of starkness.
She smiled when she saw it, the simplicity reassuring to her. "It is quite lovely," she said, taking her bag from him and tucking it neatly to the side of the couch before curling herself into a corner of it.

"I am sure I shall be quite comfortable and safe here."
"I'll be in there," Bond said, pointing toward the bedroom door. "You need anything, you knock, or you just call for me. There's some food in the kitchen if you get hungry, not a lot, but there's fruit and things for sandwiches."

He stopped, looking at Vanessa thoughtfully. "You're sure you're all right?"
She nodded. "I am fine now, thanks to you. Please, rest and do not worry yourself about me. I shall be most well."
Bond nodded, relieved that she wasn't in tears or exhibiting any signs of panicking. He wasn't quite sure how he'd have handled that.

After fetching Vanessa a blanket in case she needed it, and a pillow to sleep on, he headed off to his room for a shower and a few hours of rest.
Vanessa extended her senses, making sure he had fallen into sleep and was well before finding her stars and letting herself float among them in search of the Lady and solace once more.

[Preplayed with the wonderful yesconsiderably. NFI. OOC comments always welcome!]