second chances part 2
Summary: Racer X has more than his share of secrets. But when one he thought was deeply buried, comes to the surface; will he admit to the truth before it’s too late?
Pairing: Racer X/Minx; Rex/OC
Rating: R for violence, adult themes, and angst.
Disclaimer: This was written for the sole purpose of my entertainment. If you recognize a character it doesn't belong to me; I simply borrowed them, twisted their existence, and returned them.
That night, Jack Burns moved silently through his house. It was one of the nights when he was thankful to be home. Jack walks down the hall to a bedroom door. Quietly he opens the door. Inside the room his daughter Katie is sound asleep.
He crossed the room to the bed quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. As he watched Katie sleep for a few minutes, Jack’s mind drifted to another girl. Even after all his years in the CIB he still had a hard time if one of his cases involved a child. Minx had reported what had been discovered at the hospital and Jack had never felt the anger towards another human being as strongly as what he did towards Rafer Cobb at that moment.
In his mind, Jack could still see the girl’s fear filled eyes. Being a father, he had wanted to hold that little girl close and soothe the fear away as he had with Katie when she was little. But Jack also knew that the fear in this little girl couldn’t be easily fixed by being held close and a mug of hot chocolate; like Katie’s could.
“I love you, Katie.” Jack whispers as he runs a large hand over Katie’s hair and plants a small kiss on her temple. Getting up from the bed, Jack leaves the room to head to his own to get ready for bed.
Early the next morning, a black car sped around the street corners in the city as if it was particapating in a race aginst itself. The car only slowed when it approched the Children’s Hospital.
Last night X couldn’t the image of the girl Cobb had been holding captive from his mind. This morning he was going to try to get the answers to the questions that he had about who she is.
Getting out of his street car, X made his way into the lobby of the hospital and approched the nurse’s desk in the lobby.
“Excuse me, I was wondering if you had any information on the girl brought in by the CIB yesterday?” X said as the nurse looked up from the computer she was working on.
“Are you with the CIB?” The nurse asked.
“Yes, I am.” X said as he opened his wallet and showed her his badge. “I was wondering if I could see her.”
“Normally we don't allow Non-family visitors, but since she doesn’t have any known family; I don't see how a few minutes would do any harm. If you come with me I’ll show you to her room.”
The nurse lead X down the hallway, around the corner, to the last room on the right. When the door opened, X just caught a glimpse of the girl before she had pulled the sheet and blankets over her head in an effort to hide. The nurse walked over and tried to pull the blanket down. But when the girl refused to let her, the nurse laid a hand on the girl’s arm.
“Sweetie, there’s someone here to see you. Won’t you come out and talk to him?” The nurse said in a soothing voice; trying to coax the girl into releasing the vice grip she had on the sheet and blanket. But the girl stubornly refused, X knew it was because she was afraid of people. But by the way she was acting made X wonder just how deep that trama went.
Giving up, the nurse left the room. X moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Was it his imagination of did he actually feel the girl flinch as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you. Can’t you come out from under there and talk to me?”
The girl’s fingers slowly let go of the blanket, but she didn’t make a move to uncover her face.
As Racer X pulled the blanket down from the girl’s face, he was shocked to find his eyes locked with a pair of midnight blue eyes. But it wasn’t only the color of the eyes that almost sent him reeling back in shock, the shape of her eyes are very familiar.
At that moment his mind transposed another face with similar features onto the girl’s. He stared at the girl’s face for a few more moments; before he closed his eyes trying to clear the other face his mind had placed over the girl’s.
When Racer X opened his eyes again the image was still there; almost mocking him as he tried to clear the image from his brain.
“So why don’t you tell me your name. I can’t just call you ‘hey you’; can I?” For some reason he had to know her name, it would help him separate his conflicting thoughts about this situation. When the girl didn’t say anything X decided to change his tactic.
X remembered the easiest way to get information out of Speed when they were younger was to have Speed correct him if he had said something wrong. While it was a longshot, it was still worth a try.
“You know, I’m good at guessing names; and I bet I can guess yours.” X said pretending to concentrate on guessing the girl’s name.
“Let’s see,” X said as he tried to think up a name that was probably wrong so she would correct him. “I bet your name is Christina.”
The girl just shook her head. “No? Ok, well let’s try again.” This time X pretended to really study the girl’s face. “I think I got it this time. It’s Emily; right?”
The girl shook her head again. “No? I’m really batting zero here. Aren’t I?”
“Arianna.” It had been so quiet that X had thought he had misunderstood her. Surely Fate couldn’t be that cruel to him as to have her be named Arianna. He was having a hard enough of a time looking at the girl’s face; and with the unique name as Arianna, it would only make things harder for him.
“What was that?” X asked, wanting her to repeat what she had said.
“I said my name is Arianna.”
As X watched, Arianna absently pulled a necklace out from underneath her gown. As she toyed with her necklace, seemingly lost in thought; X caught a glimpse of the charm and it nearly caused him to choke on air. The gold locket was undeniably familiar, and any lingering doubts as to who the girl in front of him was disappeared in that instant.
After years of training, he was able to keep his expression neutral despite the emotions building inside. “Arianna? That’s a pretty name. And it suits the owner just fine.”
Arianna gave a small smile, and any shards of doubt that his brain was still latching onto was shattered. He knew at that moment exactly who she was.
Still playing the devil’s advocate, X kept his strait face. “How old are you, Arianna?” He didn’t have to ask that for he knew the exact second she had entered the world.
“I just turned ten last month.” Arianna answered with a yawn.
Glancing at her arm, X noticed the IV line that ran from her arm up to a bag on the pole. The nurse had commented on the way to the room that she had been given a mild sedative to help her sleep because she had nightmares last night that caused her to wake up screaming.
“Why don’t you get some sleep? I think the medicine they’re giving you is starting to catch up. We can talk later, after you get some sleep.”
“So you’re coming back?” Arianna asked, and X could detect the faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“If you want me to.” X said and Arianna’s nod made X realize that Arianna trusted him; it was something he didn’t feel he deserved.
Getting up from the edge of the bed, he took one last look at Arianna before turning and leaving the room. X was almost in a daze as he heading down the hall way to the lobby. Quietly he left the hospital and walked to where his car was parked.
Once he reached his car, he climbed into the driver’s seat and waited. He leaned over and rested his forehead on the steering wheel and closed his eyes; it felt like a lead weight settled in his stomach as his mind finally accepted who Arianna was. Somehow his heart had known all along, but his brain couldn’t wrap itself around the idea that he knew who Arianna is.
Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, X started his car and put it in gear. With a final sigh, X pulls his car out of it’s parking space.
Back at CIB headquarters, X sits uneasily at his desk. Minx watches him from across the room before she makes her approach.
"X, the lab just sent these reports back. I think you'd want to see these.” Minx said quietly as she hands him the file. As she waits, X opens the file and scans though it quickly. “We’ve also been running her description through the database. Either the girl doesn’t have any family or they just haven’t reported her missing.”
The slight stiffening in X’s shoulders couldn’t be ignored when Minx motioned that the girl might not have a family.
“Is something wrong?” She was beginning to get a little worried about him. Ever since they had left the hospital yesterday, he had been restless. Never before had she seen Racer X wound so tightly. He was like a rubber band that was about to snap.
“I just came from the hospital. I know who she is…” X said; his voice barely a whisper.