Man is Evil, Man is Good (4/?)
Title: Man is Evil, Man is Good (4/?)
Author: Christmas Pterodactyl
Rating: R/Mature for large amounts violence and implied sexual situations.
Word count: Part 4: 6,518 words
Disclaimer: The author makes no claims of ownership to any material that may be recognized by the public.
Spoilers: Up to and including 3x05: Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps
Summary: Implosion.
Notes: Back in the saddle again. Not much action at all, but a turning point in the relationship of our favorite intrepid couple.
Previously: Part 1a Part 1b Part 2 Part 3
Jeff barely made it to the large bed before his legs gave out on him. He’d neglected to hang the suit pants, or the shirt, or the tie. They lay strewn on the floor around the bed. He was too tired to care, too tired to want to care, too tired to think about anything. Sleep came within seconds, and he let out the first relaxed sigh since the attack.
It was the sleep of the dead; dreams of swirled reds, blues, and greens flowed around him. There were no nothing save for the color. At one point, he thought he felt something or someone wrap around him and hug against his body. But Jeff was too tired to care.
Eyes barely opened, Winger searched for some indication of what time it was. Somehow over the course of his slumber, a blanket had found its way on him, covering him for the coolness of the room. He felt warmth against his back, and the tall man slowly turned in bed, finding a mass of hair and alabaster skin. Annie mewed softly when he moved, snuggling further against him and into his chest. His bladder was urging him to make a trip, despite how warm and comfortable he was.
Extricating himself as slowly as possible, he slid out of the large bed onto the wonderfully cushioned rug and took care of his immediate needs. His eyes were starting their adjustment to the light when he looked in the mirror and realized he wasn’t nearly the man he’d been a month ago. He was supposed to be the worldly Casanova and she the naïve school girl. The role reversal was baffling, and this was one of the few times he was unsure what he could do to save his ego from going insane.
What I did, I did to protect you. Jeff was amazed at how quickly and handily she’d dispatched the attackers; at the same time, shocked by the brutality of her defense. He shook his head and splashed water on his face, noting it was time to shave his scruff back to the perfect length when his self-conscious side suddenly looked any punctures in his neck.
“I’m sure you taste wonderful, but I wouldn’t do it without your permission.” She was behind him, and he strived not to jerk in surprise. “I couldn’t get you to come back to bed for another hour or two, can I?” Annie yawned loudly, stretching her arms and rising on her tip toes.
“What time is it?” His voice muffled from the towel he was using to finish drying his face off and hiding the shock from her sudden appearence.
“Eleven in the morning. You snore.”
“Mind if I go for a jog first?” She nodded sleepily, pressing herself against his back. He felt two hard tips; and he wanted to see them up close, nibble on them. But he wasn’t ready for that yet, not without some explanations or reassurances. “I need a run. Go on back to bed.” Annie wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his back. He felt the silky hair, the warm softness of her cheek against the bare skin on his back.
______
When Jeff Winger ran, he had no destination in mind until it was time to return to his small apartment to get ready for classes or a date. When he ran, he was free from the constraints of his life. When he ran, he was just Jeff Winger, free of the childhood that haunted him and had shaped so much of his life.
The large bedroom she’d gifted him was slowing being stocked with clothes. He was amazed once more that she had been picking clothing in his size and preference, and the temperature was warm enough that he didn’t need any normal alterations to his running outfit save a pair of pants.
The trail was a challenge; it was loose gravel with inclines that tested his endurance. The first mile was always the toughest, after that the muscles stopped burning and his mind went into auto-pilot. He was avoiding the inevitable talk he was about to have with Annie later today. He was avoiding what he was going to say to her, what she would say to him. Winger didn’t want to judge her; there was the feeling in his heart that just wouldn’t let him. But what she’d done last night was nearly reprehensible.
But now his nipples were chafing.
She seemed to remember everything about him. His favorite clothes, food, likes, dislikes; but she’d forgotten the nipple guards.
Mile three over the terrain was enough for him to call it quits for the day. She had a well maintained trail, but his curiosity was getting to him about that last rise. He was tired, sweating, and the breeze was not helping him at the moment. But there was something on top of that hill that beckoned to him. Twenty yards between him and the top and his muscles were straining; they weren’t used to quick changes due to his being used to running flat streets with no hills, so they had no compunctions against complaining.
______
He hit the miniature plateau at the top of the hill. He wasn’t catching his breath very well, and his muscles ached more than they ever had. But the view was amazing. The snow capped mountains west of him were painted on a clear blue sky and to the east he could make out the faint shape of the skyscrapers of Denver. Annie had a house built into the large bluff where many would have it built on top of it. To make up for that, she’d put some large stones together for seating around a fire pit. But something caught his attention to the right of the circle; it was a polished stone plinth looking over the valley and base of the mountains. He sat on one of the granite benches, his breath returning to him now, and the low breeze cooling him. It was during this rest that he finally got a good look at the plinth’s side, reading the names save for two that were unfamiliar to him. He saw Janos and Elisabeta’s name carved in there, followed by four others with a year behind each one. The oldest were 1448, and newest was 1972.
It was the study group, he realized; or more to the point, the deaths of her friends over the span of centuries, including herself. Perhaps it was when she lost her innocence, or when she was turned. Annie (or maybe Elisabeta, he was not sure who she was anymore) looked at herself as a lost soul; the vivacious girl he was starting to really love thought of herself as being dead.
Jeff started thinking about Annie’s past though, and what she’d gone through. How long had she hid away those same feelings for a husband dead well over five hundred years? How had Annie Edison come to terms with what she was? Did she know what she was getting herself into that night under the willow? Was she really Annie anymore? She’d poured her soul out to him over the course of the month, but he was realizing now that there were so many unanswered questions about her life and the subsequent decisions.
Of all the times she had disappeared and reappeared, he wanted her now. Yet in the same instance Jeff honestly did not know what he wanted. He had fought the growing attraction since the debate. He slept with Britta to prevent such feelings, and when that fell through, he tried to shut off those feelings and convince himself there was absolutely nothing there. There was no “Annie of it all.”
He sat in front of the plinth, the memorial, for several minutes. What had he gotten himself into? Vampires didn’t exist in the real world. They were fictional creations used to sell horrible vampire novels about the undead that sparkled in the sunlight or seduced Winona Ryder. And he wasn’t supposed to fall in love…no, he wasn’t supposed to lust after a “just in her twenty school girl with a perky smile and perkier breasts.”
He couldn’t run away. That would require too much explaining to her and the study group; part of him didn’t want to run. With this new Annie, there was action and romance and excitement, and perhaps some adventure. Part of him, upon realization of what could be, didn’t want to go back to the doldrums of Greendale or being a lawyer for that matter. With Annie, he could go anywhere with her or do anything.
“Conflicted?” There she was, almost like clockwork.
Jeff looked up at the woman, chuckling. “Me? Conflicted?”
“It doesn’t take a mind reader. And you’re usually back from a run after twenty minutes.” He gave her his classic bewildered look. Annie sat down next to him on the makeshift bench and turned her head, soft eyes concerned about him. “Do you want to talk about last night?”
“I don’t know. Did I really see you kill two people?”
She nodded. “You did.”
“And what about the redhead?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, I haven’t had a redhead in a long time.” Annie said with a daring smile that heated his blood. “I’m kidding.”
“Wow. Okay. Little macabre.”
“I haven’t decided what I want to do with her yet.”
“I just have trouble seeing you doing what you’ve done. You’re…you’re Annie; you like purple pens and cardigans and....hell I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Then tell me what you feel.”
“I hate to admit this but I’m a little scared…. I don’t know, what do you expect me to feel?”
“I thought horrified, scared and disgusted.” She sighed, slumping down. “Jeff, I know I’m…different. I know this…is a…screwed up situation. So I understand if you want to walk away.” Neither of them said anything to each other for a time. Annie was right, he thought; he was horrified about what she’d done last night. He’d never seen an actual person die, let alone a person’s neck being ripped out in street fight against actual commandos. And he didn’t want to believe that she was capable of such things. He remembered what she’d told him though. She did it to protect him, and she’d certainly delivered on that promise. And over the past several weeks, he’d come to respect her strength and compassion despite a world that had chewed her up and spit her out.
The fact of the matter was he couldn’t leave her now. He was in love, though he’d never admit it. It was burgeoning, and it was something he’d felt starting to grow in him at one other time.
“What if I don’t walk away?”
“Then we’ll need to accept each other for who we are: I’m a bloodsucker who treats people as a food source and you’re an amoral lawyer who throws people under the train to get what you want. I’d say we’re the perfect couple.”
“You flatter me so.” He deadpanned.
“In all seriousness, I do want this to happen. But you may have to accept certain aspects of my life that you didn’t have to with other woman.”
“Will you give me time to come to terms?”
“Yes.”
“Am I going to be lunch?”
“Certainly not….” She shrugged. “Though I bet I could make it pleasurable.”
He was quiet for moments. It was dawning on him that there might be something salvageable with this woman sitting beside him. “I need to know a few things then.”
Annie shrugged, leaning against his shoulder. “Fire away. We’re not going anywhere…today.”
“Why is your name on this thing?”
“Because Elisabeta is dead.”
“No, she isn’t.”
“Please don’t make me argue this.” She whined.
“Full disclosure, or I tell Pierce you want to invest in Hawthorne Wipes.”
Annie’s eyes widened in mock outrage. “You wouldn’t!”
“I would.”
“God I hate you sometimes. Elisabeta died years ago. She died when they took her innocence and abused her to the breaking point, and still killed Janos.”
“Then who are you?”
“I’m Annie. I’ve used so many names over the years. I’ve come back to Anne though. My middle name, Anabeth, is the inspiration. Annie is fine at this time. It…it won’t change.”
“I like it.” He said quietly. “You’re going to have to kill again, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement. Jeff already knew the answer.
“If I have to, if push comes to shove. When I have to, I’ll protect the lives of myself and my friends and family. I never kill innocents; I haven’t made that mistake since the village. But any threat to me and mine will be dealt with.”
“Understood.”
She took a deep breath. “I know we can make this work Jeff. But you’d going to have to give me some reassurances.”
“What could I possibly give you?”
“Sex.”
“Well, that’s going be a tough one.” She slapped his shoulder.
“I want your promise that you’ll finish your time at Greendale.”
“Annie…” He stretched her name out with a whine behind it.
“It’s not negotiable. Not if you ever want to see the Ace of Hearts in a red bikini again.”
“You’re killing me Edison.”
“They do call it ‘the little death.’”
“Wow, that was original.”
“I’ll try harder next time. No, no more being lazy Jeff. I’ll…incentivize what I can, but in the end, you need to get serious about your education.”
“Fine, you win.”
“In the end, I always do.” It was his turn to roll his eyes at her self-contented smile.
“You’ve got a high opinion of yourself. My turn?” She nodded in ascent. “I help you find the people who have been attacking us-”
“No.”
“Yes, Annie. This one is my non-negotiable. They tried to kill me too, you know.”
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“I don’t care.”
“You are insufferable.”
“And she’s pulling out the big words.”
She took a few moments, he could see her arguing with herself. “You promise to follow everything I say when it comes to a fight.”
“I promise.”
“No Jeff, you have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Okay. What else?”
“Move out of Dildopolis.”
“I know. I’m moving in with you into your apartment.”
“Come again?”
“Later Jeff. I’m your protector now. You want to live dangerously then you announce that we’re a couple and have been hiding it for a while.”
He let out a rather large breath. “You’re going to insist on this, aren’t you?”
“You always said I needed to move out of that neighborhood. And honestly, I really need to. Even I have standards.”
Now he was struggling internally. “I…don…what am I getting myself into?”
The mischevious smile appeared again. “Me.”
“Nympho much?”
“Jeff, it’s been five centuries since I’ve had a lover. I can have a dirty mind on occasion. What you just said…well….”
“How can you live for so long and not have done anything?”
Leaning against him, he found that she was warm, and he didn’t mind the body heat on semi-cool day. “What I did in my attempts to save Janos scarred me for a very, verylong time, and I wanted nothing to do with sex.”
“What changed?”
“You. The minute I saw you in Spanish class the first day, I did everything I could to be near you without seeming too creepy. I had a cover story, with the original Annie’s obsession with Troy. But I wanted you. God I yearned for your touch again…for his touch; because at first, you were Janos to me. But then I got to know Jeff Winger. You looked like him, you acted like him when we first truly met, and like him you have so much potential.”
He shook his head. “We can’t have a simple conversation anymore, can we?” Annie smiled and nodded.
“We can, but we have to get through a lot of the clutter. Give it fifteen years.”
“I hate you.”
“I hate you too.” She smiled.
______
“So was it commandoes or ninjas?”
“Commandoes, they didn’t have the training to be lucky enough to lick the boots of a ninja.”
“And you would know?”
Her shoulders shrugged, going back to the wok. “I plead the Fifth Amendment.”
“Do you even have a legal status here?” She was a good cook, and she’d taught him quite a bit in their time together. He was desperate to order out this evening, but she reminded him that the nearest Thai restaurant was ten miles way and they didn’t deliver this far out.
She snorted. “With enough money, you can get whatever you need.”
“How about a new Lexus?”
“Don’t press your luck. No, these jokers were using stun guns and stun batons. They wanted prisoners, so they were more likely dressed up to intimidate us into following their orders.” She growled under her breath. “I am not amused by this.”
“Calm down there little lady.”
“This is me being calm.”
“Would electricity hurt you?”
“Probably. It’d take more than one zap though. But it’s all the same. Loss of muscle control, a lot probably pain. I don’t particularly like the idea of pain.”
“Does anyone?”
“I’ve met a few. Wonderful people they were.”
“I sense sarcasm.”
“I would hope so; I was laying it on pretty thick.”
“So what did happen to the redhead?”
“She died, blood loss.”
The blasé comment wasn’t lost on him. “Do we need to worry about the Geneva Conventions?”
“I’m not human Jeff. I don’t have to worry about that.” She semi-whispered in shame; and his fingers touched her chin and raised her head to his full-on glare.
“You’re more human than Pierce.”
Her trademark bashful gesture was in full effect. “Well, I’m also older, wiser, non-racist, and have a great rack.”
“Back on topic.” He couldn’t believe he just said that, with the partially buttoned blouse she wore at the moment. “What do we do now?”
“I’ve sent fingerprints to a friend of mine at the FBI-”
“Do I want to know how you made so many friends?”
“No, you don’t. They were also sent to Interpol. So I’m waiting on that. It’s a waiting game. And you’re impatient. You have a test on Tuesday in your Modern History class. I have the notes laid out for you, as well as additional information in case they do an essay portion.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. I told you that you were going to work on your classes, and it’ll keep your mind off the situation. If you do the work, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Like?”
“Like you get to see my tattoo again and the interesting positions you can see it in.”
“Insatiable much?”
“Five centuries?”
“Point taken.”
________
He was doing homework, but he was doing homework for her. The incentives aside, she had a point that he’d gotten lazy over the last few years. Greendale had sucked the life out of him, but it was the sudden change in work load that had thrown him for the proverbial loop. Before essentially being disbarred from the Colorado Bar Association (he held no illusions at this time that he was in fact disbarred) , he always had the facts ready to crush a prosecuting attorney into the ground. He loved the thrill of the win. And Jeff had only felt it twice since Greendale, after the debate and after the first year of Paintball. He wanted the rush again, he craved the rush.
So he was now deep in a cavern in one of Annie’s immaculately cared for libraries. Upon examination of the titles in the book shelves, he knew she’d placed in this specific room due to shelves upon shelves of political treatises and theory. She was going to make him work for it now. Even before the revelations of the last two weeks, she would have pushed him to study. And he would have blown Annie off with a witty remark and a lackadaisical smile. It was their agreement, and with her, he kept his promise.
It seemed inconsequential, all things considered. People wanted him injured or dead, beyond the normal scope of life. The attack at the diner, the attack at the restaurant; it would make a man consider staying home and cooking his meals for the rest of his days. And Annie had saved him on both occasions, which was a role reversal he’d never imagined. All things considered, did studying for classes even matter now?
Annie stood at the doorway, watching the tall man working with three books open. “I’ve only seen you really study once. You were in the study room, trying to beat Rich with pottery techniques.”
“I haven’t had proper incentive since then.” She picked up one of the worksheets she’d provided him, and matched the questions to the answer key in her mind. She’d had many jobs in the past. In one of her roles, she had been a school teacher, which many children depended on her for their education.
“Mastering knowledge is its own incentive.”
“Did you really just say that?”
“Too hokey?”
“You Britta’d the moment.”
“I don’t remember this being a moment.”
Jeff snorted. “And they say I’m not a romantic.”
“Actually, I’m a character archtype combination of the dark lady and the ingenue.” She put the back of her hand to forehead and swooned against desk. “For I have been cursed, tragedy having struck my life; and I struggle to fight my inner demons, and will languish for the entirety of human history!”
“Annie?”
“If only there was a knight in shining armor, someone to ride in on a trusty steed and save me from myself!”
“Annie?”
She fell to her knees, placing her hands together in prayer, and looked to the ceiling. “Oh, please! Let a reluctant hero save me from myself and from the terrible curse.”
“Now that’s pathetic.” Jeff chuckled and went back to the worksheets Annie had made him. She broke out in laughter, a sweet music that softened his heart. Holding one of the worksheets up, he chuckled at the entire situation. “You realize that I’m not in fourth grade, right?”
“You don’t like the way I’m helping you study?”
“I don’t mind the help.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“It feels so…elementary.”
“Sometimes the best ways to learn is to break everything down to a more simplistic level. I knew a man once who used flash cards for medical terms. He’s a heart surgeon in Las Vegas now.”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“No, you’re too lazy. You’re lucky I’m not asking for an essay.”
“You wouldn’t do tha-. Know what, don’t answer that.”
“I have you trained so well.” Annie looked over the desk at the piece of paper he was working, nodded at few of the answers, then pulled a chair up next to the desk. Placing her elbows on the table and bridging her hands to lean her chin on, she watched him work. Surprisingly, he had taken to this format of education. Simplistic as it may be, sometimes things like this would help the student retain more information; though there was the side benefit of making fun of Jeff.
“So I found out some information.”
He didn’t look up as he paged through a large hardcover of congressional journals. “Okay….”
“Our attackers, at least two of them, were from Eastern Europe.”
“And you have a gut feeling about it…”
She took a breath. “They’re from Romania.”
“Friends of yours.”
“These people know too much about me.” Looking off into an imaginary horizon, she was deep in thought and kicking herself for being so careless in her hiding.
“It couldn’t be another vampire, could it? God I can’t believe I said that with a straight face.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She was quiet again. “The one who turned me let himself die before the 1700’s. And by then, he’d lived for countless centuries. I’m the only one left.”
“So we have three dead mercenaries, probably the same people that shot up the diner, with no clue what their motive was.”
“Yes.”
“Not much to go on counselor. I’m just throwing this out there, so don’t get all yellow glowy eyed, but you mentioned cursing the couple that betrayed you.”
“I’ve been down that avenue already. There were no descendants of the Steopan line after 1663.”
“So Margarita-”
“Marga.”
“- didn’t have any children beyond the two that you know of.”
“Yeah.”
“What about the husband? She was seeing other people. He was out pillaging and plundering, which can include raping.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she looked up at him again while he closed the books on the table and flipped one of the papers for a scratch pad. “Janos never said anything about women frequenting Radu’s bedroll….”
“That he or you know of. If she was seeing men, he was doing women. Which means the Steopan line you were watching wasn’t on that side of the family tree. And I doubt most of those women weren’t willing.” In his career as a lawyer, one type of defendant was taboo to him. Rapists were bad luck, and there were others in the firm that would jump at the chance if the client had a lot of money. Granted, everyone man and woman had the legal right to their in court; but he knew how to read people, and he’d picked out who would be a bad apple.
“Jeff, I hunted down any associate of Radu or Marga’s. I slaughtered the village, and burned some of the country side…”
“That’s still a lot of ground to cover between your village and camp, and the other towns. And I’m not a math major, but isn’t there something like a cell dividing.”
“Geometric Progression. One to two, two to four, four to sixteen and so on. It makes sense. Even with infant mortality rates aside, that’s a lot of people.”
“But only one or two bad apples.”
“That is a lot ground to cover. Historical records don’t go back that far.”
“Which means the next step is to follow the money. It’s like a divorce case. Husbands and wives hide money all the time during nasty cases. Most banks in the US require all sorts of wonderful verification and identification to open accounts, and they keep track of that; so it’s all off-shore if you want to keep the money hidden. ”
“I tried that route.” She was lying. Jeff knew her tells now.
“But you didn’t use all your resources. How long has your ‘family’ had those accounts at the Swiss banks?”
“Going on two hundred fifty years, at least.”
“Which means you’re probably a high value customer.” Jeff was smiling now. He was on a roll with new ideas. And he was smiling. “Which also means the banks will probably bend over backwards for a very high value client if they were asked for some information.”
“Follow the money?”
“Follow the money. It doesn’t matter how many shell companies it goes through, there is always a paper trail.”
“When did you get good at this?”
“I was a lawyer. I may not have been on the right side of the fence, and I haven’t really thought about it until recently. But I know a lot of tricks where an honest person may falter.”
“Yeah. That’s right Jeff, Daniel Webster has absolutely nothing on you and your wonderful lawyer skills. You’re just so awesome.” Edison’s voice was dripping with playful sarcasm. Then the cyan irises softened and her wonderful smile crept out. “You really don’t know how sexy you are until you show initiative. That’s what I’ve always loved about you. And I know you love the thrill of the hunt.”
“I’m not a wolf.”
“You crave young flesh. Said it yourself.”
Jeff rolled his head towards his right shoulder in exasperation. “Yeah, well, I thought you were nineteen at the time.” He drawled out. Winger exhaled and his eyes closed due to the lack of sleep. He would blame his unfamiliarity with sleeping in a strange bed, let alone one that he shared with an “older” woman
“Technically speaking, I still am.”
He guffawed. “Yeah, whatever Little Miss Ingénue.”
“What? Do you want me to swoon again?” Her stood and walked behind him, then leaned her rather amble bosom over his shoulder until cleavage was clearly evident. “I can hardly contain myself. Shall I swoon again?” She had made her way around the desk, and fell into his lap. “Oh please allow this tender young woman to be devoured by the whole of your carnal needs. I am so in lust that I know not what I can do.”
Winger rolled his eyes when his brow was once more troubled. “Wait, who’s Daniel Webster?”
“You are such a heathen.” She pulled herself, went to a bookshelf and pulled out a hardcover. “Read it. I may test you later.”
“An-nie!” He whined when she threw the book at him.
______
They’d been at it for hours, tossing ideas back and forth between the downstairs library and her rather opulent bedroom. In between bouts of intelligent comments, snarky remarks and a healthy dose of innuendo (and an even healthier amount of gratuitous sex which neither complained about), Jeff finally laid a card on the table he was hesitant to use.
“We need Abed.”
“And why do we need Abed?” She looked up from her workstation while he went through files on one of her laptops.
“Because Abed is more observant than you or I could ever be. He’s a living computer. He pieces information together differently.”
“And what part of ‘I’m trying to protect you and the group, my only family,’ did you not understand? You do realize that the people who are trying to kill us will keep an eye on the group. And I have a feeling they’re not above kidnapping to draw me or you out.”
“We need him Annie.”
She was insistent on this point. “Jeff, we have to do without him. It’s bad enough you’re already in danger.”
“And here I thought this was a partnership.”
“This isn’t a partnership. This is a dictatorship. You follow my instructions.” Back off Winger! said that tiny voice in his head that he’d stop listening to years before. He didn’t know how to take that comment, and the pointed comment and direct response surprised him.
Thusly, Jeff said the first thing on his mind. “That was brutal.”
“It’s the truth. And we’ve already gone over this.”
“I told you I can take care of myself.”
“And I said you can’t.”
So he tried for levity. “Do you not see these abs? These guns?” He flexed his biceps. While not bulging, they were toned well and did in fact have power behind them.
“Oh I see them. I also saw your ass handed to you by the Fly Dancers. You must have been so proud.” Jeff bit his tongue, hard. The sarcastic side wanted so much to retort, but the new light shed on Annie’s character prevented him from the truly hurtful comments. The miniscule and oft ignored voice was screaming and making no progress.
“All right. If you’re going to be that way, I’ll be over at Dildopolis, with a big sign saying ‘Come and get me’.”
“No, you’re not. And I’ll restrain you if I have to.”
Winger, she’s holding back! Stop pressing the issue! It’s not worth it! Think of the damn tattoo and how flexib- Shut up! “Yeah, bondage, whatever. Get this through that head of yours: I’m not Janos.”
“You’re right, you’re not Janos. Janos could take care of himself. Do you think you can just go up to these people, talk them down with a Jeff Winger Speech then go to L Street and toss back a few McClellands? It doesn’t work like that.”
“And I’m sure you’re going to tell me how it works?”
“I am! Because here’s what you’re going to have to do,” Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him close to her face. “Because you’re going to have to kill people; and killing changes you! You don’t have near the amount of impetus that I did when I took all those lives. You can’t just walk up to a person and shoot them in the stomach, letting them die that long, slow death. You asked me if I had the guts to do it. I do Jeff. I’ve taken a lot of lives. Most, I’m not very proud of. And even when they did deserve it, a little piece of me died.”
“Dramatic much?”
“Shut up!”
“Not everyone is wired the same!”
“I know, and that’s why you lost your dinner after the scuffle in the parking light the other night. You’re not ready for something like that, and I’m doing my damndest so you don’t ever have to do that.”
“It’s my choice Annie!” The woman pushed him away from her as lightly as she could. She didn’t want to hurt him, and she knew that if she was mad she could lose control.
“Leave.”
“What?”
She pointed towards the door. “Leave. Take whatever you car want. Just…just leave and don’t look back.”
“That’s not happening.” Jeff was going to stand his ground, it was now principle. But Annie grabbed him by the front of his shirt again and pulled him up off his feet. Her eyes were burning an azure fire and she threw him out of the room with only some of her impressive might. He landed on his ass, having been thrown through the open doorway of the office and into the great room.
“I’ll tell you this right now.” She was suddenly crouched down in front of him, her lips brushing against his ear. He felt a hot breath. He felt her anger. “I love you too much to let you get hurt. But if you walk down this road, you will never, ever, see me again.” His eyes widened. “You can tell the group whatever you want about why I left. I won’t be joining you anymore at Greendale.” Annie exhaled slowly, knowing this was driving him insane. “And if you say one word, one word, about the real me, I will completely disappear after making your short miserable little life a living hell.” She stood and peered down at the tall man. Elisabeta was back in full force. The vengeful woman who had killed hundreds of people was now seething at the younger man. She whispered, her eyes glowing amber and her fangs bared. “Now get the hell out of my home.”
“Annie!” But she blurred out of existence, and the double doors to the office slammed shut and clicked. His buttocks was going to bruise; she had thrown him with enough force that he’d almost had the wind knocked out of him when he landed. But Jeff knew he’d hurt her emotionally and mentally. Whoever he was, whoever he looked like, he had no right to push her that hard. She may have lived for centuries, but behind the walls she’d built to protect her, she was still a young woman who was still trying to find her place in the world.
There was nothing more he could do.
______
Hi! This is Annie! Leave me a message and I’ll call you right back!
An-nie, I hope you are okay, we miss you so much! If you’re feeling sick, I can come over and make chicken soup and bring the brownies you like. Call me!”
Annie, Pierce Hawthorne. Haven’t seen you at the group in a while and we’re honestly getting tired of Brittles and Jeff, who is hiding in the closet still, fighting all the time.
…If there is something wrong, Annie, please call.”
Heyyyy Annie, how’re you doing? We have a major test on Friday, and wondered if you wanted to study with us, since you haven’t been around to take notes. Give me a call and we’ll go out sometime! Call me soon, okay?”
Annie! Hey! Look, we totally need you back, because Britta is going crazy and Shirley is hitting Pierce with her purse! Jeff’s not here right now to help, and Abed is filming again, this is going to make such an awesome documentary. Annie, I’m gonna start crying soon, please come back! We need our Annie!
Jeff hasn’t said anything since we figured out you weren’t telling the truth. His character development has hit a block, and we haven’t heard from you. I’m worried about your story arc Annie, the group’s cohesiveness is struggling to stay intact. And we can’t afford a spin-off series until season five…possibly. Help me Annie Edison, you’re my hope.
You donth want to talk to me…tha-sh fine. I wouldnth admit ith to anyone, but you are my Annie. Please leth me help you…I donth want to losesh you. I….I love you Annie…
I said some things that I shouldn’t have. And I know you’re protecting me. And I didn’t respect that. You know how I am. I’m too stubborn for my own good, and I wanted to help. For the first time in my life, my new life that is…I wanted to help. I’m…I’m just worried about you. Don’t cut us…don’t cut me out, because we…because I can’t lose you.”
The test went okay today. We barely pulled through. The group is…well, they’re themselves. But you were our heart…our true heart. Call me back, please.
……
……………please let me back in.
I can’t talk to loud. There’s a person looking around campus. Never seen him before, but Abed pointed him out. He’s so far the only stranger around here. Call me back, we may need help.
Elisabeta took a deep breath. She’d listened to the multitude of messages over the past week. The trail Jeff helped her find had produced wonderful results, and she’d had some of her contacts investigating Chicago and Salt Lake City for clues. Her suppliers had come through for her, providing her with the tools to survive any attack that may come her way.
Jeff’s messages hurt. She heard actual pain in his voice, and the emotional wall she’d hastily built back up was being knocked down with every call from her study group… no, from her friends… and him. One way or another, she needed to prevent them from being hurt by the assassins dogging her heels.
She wanted so badly to leave, to let them live the rest of their lives with her running off to Timbuktu and writing the occasional Christmas/Hanukah card. It would be so easy to cut them from her life. In twenty years, maybe she could come back to her home in the mountains. Perhaps make trips to the area for vacations, but as far away from Greendale as possible.
Her cellphone chirped for the hundredth time this weekend. Annie, call me back, please.
Elisabeta started making arrangements for her departure from Greendale.
Author: Christmas Pterodactyl
Rating: R/Mature for large amounts violence and implied sexual situations.
Word count: Part 4: 6,518 words
Disclaimer: The author makes no claims of ownership to any material that may be recognized by the public.
Spoilers: Up to and including 3x05: Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps
Summary: Implosion.
Notes: Back in the saddle again. Not much action at all, but a turning point in the relationship of our favorite intrepid couple.
Previously: Part 1a Part 1b Part 2 Part 3
Jeff barely made it to the large bed before his legs gave out on him. He’d neglected to hang the suit pants, or the shirt, or the tie. They lay strewn on the floor around the bed. He was too tired to care, too tired to want to care, too tired to think about anything. Sleep came within seconds, and he let out the first relaxed sigh since the attack.
It was the sleep of the dead; dreams of swirled reds, blues, and greens flowed around him. There were no nothing save for the color. At one point, he thought he felt something or someone wrap around him and hug against his body. But Jeff was too tired to care.
Eyes barely opened, Winger searched for some indication of what time it was. Somehow over the course of his slumber, a blanket had found its way on him, covering him for the coolness of the room. He felt warmth against his back, and the tall man slowly turned in bed, finding a mass of hair and alabaster skin. Annie mewed softly when he moved, snuggling further against him and into his chest. His bladder was urging him to make a trip, despite how warm and comfortable he was.
Extricating himself as slowly as possible, he slid out of the large bed onto the wonderfully cushioned rug and took care of his immediate needs. His eyes were starting their adjustment to the light when he looked in the mirror and realized he wasn’t nearly the man he’d been a month ago. He was supposed to be the worldly Casanova and she the naïve school girl. The role reversal was baffling, and this was one of the few times he was unsure what he could do to save his ego from going insane.
What I did, I did to protect you. Jeff was amazed at how quickly and handily she’d dispatched the attackers; at the same time, shocked by the brutality of her defense. He shook his head and splashed water on his face, noting it was time to shave his scruff back to the perfect length when his self-conscious side suddenly looked any punctures in his neck.
“I’m sure you taste wonderful, but I wouldn’t do it without your permission.” She was behind him, and he strived not to jerk in surprise. “I couldn’t get you to come back to bed for another hour or two, can I?” Annie yawned loudly, stretching her arms and rising on her tip toes.
“What time is it?” His voice muffled from the towel he was using to finish drying his face off and hiding the shock from her sudden appearence.
“Eleven in the morning. You snore.”
“Mind if I go for a jog first?” She nodded sleepily, pressing herself against his back. He felt two hard tips; and he wanted to see them up close, nibble on them. But he wasn’t ready for that yet, not without some explanations or reassurances. “I need a run. Go on back to bed.” Annie wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his back. He felt the silky hair, the warm softness of her cheek against the bare skin on his back.
______
When Jeff Winger ran, he had no destination in mind until it was time to return to his small apartment to get ready for classes or a date. When he ran, he was free from the constraints of his life. When he ran, he was just Jeff Winger, free of the childhood that haunted him and had shaped so much of his life.
The large bedroom she’d gifted him was slowing being stocked with clothes. He was amazed once more that she had been picking clothing in his size and preference, and the temperature was warm enough that he didn’t need any normal alterations to his running outfit save a pair of pants.
The trail was a challenge; it was loose gravel with inclines that tested his endurance. The first mile was always the toughest, after that the muscles stopped burning and his mind went into auto-pilot. He was avoiding the inevitable talk he was about to have with Annie later today. He was avoiding what he was going to say to her, what she would say to him. Winger didn’t want to judge her; there was the feeling in his heart that just wouldn’t let him. But what she’d done last night was nearly reprehensible.
But now his nipples were chafing.
She seemed to remember everything about him. His favorite clothes, food, likes, dislikes; but she’d forgotten the nipple guards.
Mile three over the terrain was enough for him to call it quits for the day. She had a well maintained trail, but his curiosity was getting to him about that last rise. He was tired, sweating, and the breeze was not helping him at the moment. But there was something on top of that hill that beckoned to him. Twenty yards between him and the top and his muscles were straining; they weren’t used to quick changes due to his being used to running flat streets with no hills, so they had no compunctions against complaining.
______
He hit the miniature plateau at the top of the hill. He wasn’t catching his breath very well, and his muscles ached more than they ever had. But the view was amazing. The snow capped mountains west of him were painted on a clear blue sky and to the east he could make out the faint shape of the skyscrapers of Denver. Annie had a house built into the large bluff where many would have it built on top of it. To make up for that, she’d put some large stones together for seating around a fire pit. But something caught his attention to the right of the circle; it was a polished stone plinth looking over the valley and base of the mountains. He sat on one of the granite benches, his breath returning to him now, and the low breeze cooling him. It was during this rest that he finally got a good look at the plinth’s side, reading the names save for two that were unfamiliar to him. He saw Janos and Elisabeta’s name carved in there, followed by four others with a year behind each one. The oldest were 1448, and newest was 1972.
It was the study group, he realized; or more to the point, the deaths of her friends over the span of centuries, including herself. Perhaps it was when she lost her innocence, or when she was turned. Annie (or maybe Elisabeta, he was not sure who she was anymore) looked at herself as a lost soul; the vivacious girl he was starting to really love thought of herself as being dead.
Jeff started thinking about Annie’s past though, and what she’d gone through. How long had she hid away those same feelings for a husband dead well over five hundred years? How had Annie Edison come to terms with what she was? Did she know what she was getting herself into that night under the willow? Was she really Annie anymore? She’d poured her soul out to him over the course of the month, but he was realizing now that there were so many unanswered questions about her life and the subsequent decisions.
Of all the times she had disappeared and reappeared, he wanted her now. Yet in the same instance Jeff honestly did not know what he wanted. He had fought the growing attraction since the debate. He slept with Britta to prevent such feelings, and when that fell through, he tried to shut off those feelings and convince himself there was absolutely nothing there. There was no “Annie of it all.”
He sat in front of the plinth, the memorial, for several minutes. What had he gotten himself into? Vampires didn’t exist in the real world. They were fictional creations used to sell horrible vampire novels about the undead that sparkled in the sunlight or seduced Winona Ryder. And he wasn’t supposed to fall in love…no, he wasn’t supposed to lust after a “just in her twenty school girl with a perky smile and perkier breasts.”
He couldn’t run away. That would require too much explaining to her and the study group; part of him didn’t want to run. With this new Annie, there was action and romance and excitement, and perhaps some adventure. Part of him, upon realization of what could be, didn’t want to go back to the doldrums of Greendale or being a lawyer for that matter. With Annie, he could go anywhere with her or do anything.
“Conflicted?” There she was, almost like clockwork.
Jeff looked up at the woman, chuckling. “Me? Conflicted?”
“It doesn’t take a mind reader. And you’re usually back from a run after twenty minutes.” He gave her his classic bewildered look. Annie sat down next to him on the makeshift bench and turned her head, soft eyes concerned about him. “Do you want to talk about last night?”
“I don’t know. Did I really see you kill two people?”
She nodded. “You did.”
“And what about the redhead?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, I haven’t had a redhead in a long time.” Annie said with a daring smile that heated his blood. “I’m kidding.”
“Wow. Okay. Little macabre.”
“I haven’t decided what I want to do with her yet.”
“I just have trouble seeing you doing what you’ve done. You’re…you’re Annie; you like purple pens and cardigans and....hell I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Then tell me what you feel.”
“I hate to admit this but I’m a little scared…. I don’t know, what do you expect me to feel?”
“I thought horrified, scared and disgusted.” She sighed, slumping down. “Jeff, I know I’m…different. I know this…is a…screwed up situation. So I understand if you want to walk away.” Neither of them said anything to each other for a time. Annie was right, he thought; he was horrified about what she’d done last night. He’d never seen an actual person die, let alone a person’s neck being ripped out in street fight against actual commandos. And he didn’t want to believe that she was capable of such things. He remembered what she’d told him though. She did it to protect him, and she’d certainly delivered on that promise. And over the past several weeks, he’d come to respect her strength and compassion despite a world that had chewed her up and spit her out.
The fact of the matter was he couldn’t leave her now. He was in love, though he’d never admit it. It was burgeoning, and it was something he’d felt starting to grow in him at one other time.
“What if I don’t walk away?”
“Then we’ll need to accept each other for who we are: I’m a bloodsucker who treats people as a food source and you’re an amoral lawyer who throws people under the train to get what you want. I’d say we’re the perfect couple.”
“You flatter me so.” He deadpanned.
“In all seriousness, I do want this to happen. But you may have to accept certain aspects of my life that you didn’t have to with other woman.”
“Will you give me time to come to terms?”
“Yes.”
“Am I going to be lunch?”
“Certainly not….” She shrugged. “Though I bet I could make it pleasurable.”
He was quiet for moments. It was dawning on him that there might be something salvageable with this woman sitting beside him. “I need to know a few things then.”
Annie shrugged, leaning against his shoulder. “Fire away. We’re not going anywhere…today.”
“Why is your name on this thing?”
“Because Elisabeta is dead.”
“No, she isn’t.”
“Please don’t make me argue this.” She whined.
“Full disclosure, or I tell Pierce you want to invest in Hawthorne Wipes.”
Annie’s eyes widened in mock outrage. “You wouldn’t!”
“I would.”
“God I hate you sometimes. Elisabeta died years ago. She died when they took her innocence and abused her to the breaking point, and still killed Janos.”
“Then who are you?”
“I’m Annie. I’ve used so many names over the years. I’ve come back to Anne though. My middle name, Anabeth, is the inspiration. Annie is fine at this time. It…it won’t change.”
“I like it.” He said quietly. “You’re going to have to kill again, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement. Jeff already knew the answer.
“If I have to, if push comes to shove. When I have to, I’ll protect the lives of myself and my friends and family. I never kill innocents; I haven’t made that mistake since the village. But any threat to me and mine will be dealt with.”
“Understood.”
She took a deep breath. “I know we can make this work Jeff. But you’d going to have to give me some reassurances.”
“What could I possibly give you?”
“Sex.”
“Well, that’s going be a tough one.” She slapped his shoulder.
“I want your promise that you’ll finish your time at Greendale.”
“Annie…” He stretched her name out with a whine behind it.
“It’s not negotiable. Not if you ever want to see the Ace of Hearts in a red bikini again.”
“You’re killing me Edison.”
“They do call it ‘the little death.’”
“Wow, that was original.”
“I’ll try harder next time. No, no more being lazy Jeff. I’ll…incentivize what I can, but in the end, you need to get serious about your education.”
“Fine, you win.”
“In the end, I always do.” It was his turn to roll his eyes at her self-contented smile.
“You’ve got a high opinion of yourself. My turn?” She nodded in ascent. “I help you find the people who have been attacking us-”
“No.”
“Yes, Annie. This one is my non-negotiable. They tried to kill me too, you know.”
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“I don’t care.”
“You are insufferable.”
“And she’s pulling out the big words.”
She took a few moments, he could see her arguing with herself. “You promise to follow everything I say when it comes to a fight.”
“I promise.”
“No Jeff, you have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Okay. What else?”
“Move out of Dildopolis.”
“I know. I’m moving in with you into your apartment.”
“Come again?”
“Later Jeff. I’m your protector now. You want to live dangerously then you announce that we’re a couple and have been hiding it for a while.”
He let out a rather large breath. “You’re going to insist on this, aren’t you?”
“You always said I needed to move out of that neighborhood. And honestly, I really need to. Even I have standards.”
Now he was struggling internally. “I…don…what am I getting myself into?”
The mischevious smile appeared again. “Me.”
“Nympho much?”
“Jeff, it’s been five centuries since I’ve had a lover. I can have a dirty mind on occasion. What you just said…well….”
“How can you live for so long and not have done anything?”
Leaning against him, he found that she was warm, and he didn’t mind the body heat on semi-cool day. “What I did in my attempts to save Janos scarred me for a very, verylong time, and I wanted nothing to do with sex.”
“What changed?”
“You. The minute I saw you in Spanish class the first day, I did everything I could to be near you without seeming too creepy. I had a cover story, with the original Annie’s obsession with Troy. But I wanted you. God I yearned for your touch again…for his touch; because at first, you were Janos to me. But then I got to know Jeff Winger. You looked like him, you acted like him when we first truly met, and like him you have so much potential.”
He shook his head. “We can’t have a simple conversation anymore, can we?” Annie smiled and nodded.
“We can, but we have to get through a lot of the clutter. Give it fifteen years.”
“I hate you.”
“I hate you too.” She smiled.
______
“So was it commandoes or ninjas?”
“Commandoes, they didn’t have the training to be lucky enough to lick the boots of a ninja.”
“And you would know?”
Her shoulders shrugged, going back to the wok. “I plead the Fifth Amendment.”
“Do you even have a legal status here?” She was a good cook, and she’d taught him quite a bit in their time together. He was desperate to order out this evening, but she reminded him that the nearest Thai restaurant was ten miles way and they didn’t deliver this far out.
She snorted. “With enough money, you can get whatever you need.”
“How about a new Lexus?”
“Don’t press your luck. No, these jokers were using stun guns and stun batons. They wanted prisoners, so they were more likely dressed up to intimidate us into following their orders.” She growled under her breath. “I am not amused by this.”
“Calm down there little lady.”
“This is me being calm.”
“Would electricity hurt you?”
“Probably. It’d take more than one zap though. But it’s all the same. Loss of muscle control, a lot probably pain. I don’t particularly like the idea of pain.”
“Does anyone?”
“I’ve met a few. Wonderful people they were.”
“I sense sarcasm.”
“I would hope so; I was laying it on pretty thick.”
“So what did happen to the redhead?”
“She died, blood loss.”
The blasé comment wasn’t lost on him. “Do we need to worry about the Geneva Conventions?”
“I’m not human Jeff. I don’t have to worry about that.” She semi-whispered in shame; and his fingers touched her chin and raised her head to his full-on glare.
“You’re more human than Pierce.”
Her trademark bashful gesture was in full effect. “Well, I’m also older, wiser, non-racist, and have a great rack.”
“Back on topic.” He couldn’t believe he just said that, with the partially buttoned blouse she wore at the moment. “What do we do now?”
“I’ve sent fingerprints to a friend of mine at the FBI-”
“Do I want to know how you made so many friends?”
“No, you don’t. They were also sent to Interpol. So I’m waiting on that. It’s a waiting game. And you’re impatient. You have a test on Tuesday in your Modern History class. I have the notes laid out for you, as well as additional information in case they do an essay portion.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. I told you that you were going to work on your classes, and it’ll keep your mind off the situation. If you do the work, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Like?”
“Like you get to see my tattoo again and the interesting positions you can see it in.”
“Insatiable much?”
“Five centuries?”
“Point taken.”
________
He was doing homework, but he was doing homework for her. The incentives aside, she had a point that he’d gotten lazy over the last few years. Greendale had sucked the life out of him, but it was the sudden change in work load that had thrown him for the proverbial loop. Before essentially being disbarred from the Colorado Bar Association (he held no illusions at this time that he was in fact disbarred) , he always had the facts ready to crush a prosecuting attorney into the ground. He loved the thrill of the win. And Jeff had only felt it twice since Greendale, after the debate and after the first year of Paintball. He wanted the rush again, he craved the rush.
So he was now deep in a cavern in one of Annie’s immaculately cared for libraries. Upon examination of the titles in the book shelves, he knew she’d placed in this specific room due to shelves upon shelves of political treatises and theory. She was going to make him work for it now. Even before the revelations of the last two weeks, she would have pushed him to study. And he would have blown Annie off with a witty remark and a lackadaisical smile. It was their agreement, and with her, he kept his promise.
It seemed inconsequential, all things considered. People wanted him injured or dead, beyond the normal scope of life. The attack at the diner, the attack at the restaurant; it would make a man consider staying home and cooking his meals for the rest of his days. And Annie had saved him on both occasions, which was a role reversal he’d never imagined. All things considered, did studying for classes even matter now?
Annie stood at the doorway, watching the tall man working with three books open. “I’ve only seen you really study once. You were in the study room, trying to beat Rich with pottery techniques.”
“I haven’t had proper incentive since then.” She picked up one of the worksheets she’d provided him, and matched the questions to the answer key in her mind. She’d had many jobs in the past. In one of her roles, she had been a school teacher, which many children depended on her for their education.
“Mastering knowledge is its own incentive.”
“Did you really just say that?”
“Too hokey?”
“You Britta’d the moment.”
“I don’t remember this being a moment.”
Jeff snorted. “And they say I’m not a romantic.”
“Actually, I’m a character archtype combination of the dark lady and the ingenue.” She put the back of her hand to forehead and swooned against desk. “For I have been cursed, tragedy having struck my life; and I struggle to fight my inner demons, and will languish for the entirety of human history!”
“Annie?”
“If only there was a knight in shining armor, someone to ride in on a trusty steed and save me from myself!”
“Annie?”
She fell to her knees, placing her hands together in prayer, and looked to the ceiling. “Oh, please! Let a reluctant hero save me from myself and from the terrible curse.”
“Now that’s pathetic.” Jeff chuckled and went back to the worksheets Annie had made him. She broke out in laughter, a sweet music that softened his heart. Holding one of the worksheets up, he chuckled at the entire situation. “You realize that I’m not in fourth grade, right?”
“You don’t like the way I’m helping you study?”
“I don’t mind the help.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“It feels so…elementary.”
“Sometimes the best ways to learn is to break everything down to a more simplistic level. I knew a man once who used flash cards for medical terms. He’s a heart surgeon in Las Vegas now.”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“No, you’re too lazy. You’re lucky I’m not asking for an essay.”
“You wouldn’t do tha-. Know what, don’t answer that.”
“I have you trained so well.” Annie looked over the desk at the piece of paper he was working, nodded at few of the answers, then pulled a chair up next to the desk. Placing her elbows on the table and bridging her hands to lean her chin on, she watched him work. Surprisingly, he had taken to this format of education. Simplistic as it may be, sometimes things like this would help the student retain more information; though there was the side benefit of making fun of Jeff.
“So I found out some information.”
He didn’t look up as he paged through a large hardcover of congressional journals. “Okay….”
“Our attackers, at least two of them, were from Eastern Europe.”
“And you have a gut feeling about it…”
She took a breath. “They’re from Romania.”
“Friends of yours.”
“These people know too much about me.” Looking off into an imaginary horizon, she was deep in thought and kicking herself for being so careless in her hiding.
“It couldn’t be another vampire, could it? God I can’t believe I said that with a straight face.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She was quiet again. “The one who turned me let himself die before the 1700’s. And by then, he’d lived for countless centuries. I’m the only one left.”
“So we have three dead mercenaries, probably the same people that shot up the diner, with no clue what their motive was.”
“Yes.”
“Not much to go on counselor. I’m just throwing this out there, so don’t get all yellow glowy eyed, but you mentioned cursing the couple that betrayed you.”
“I’ve been down that avenue already. There were no descendants of the Steopan line after 1663.”
“So Margarita-”
“Marga.”
“- didn’t have any children beyond the two that you know of.”
“Yeah.”
“What about the husband? She was seeing other people. He was out pillaging and plundering, which can include raping.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she looked up at him again while he closed the books on the table and flipped one of the papers for a scratch pad. “Janos never said anything about women frequenting Radu’s bedroll….”
“That he or you know of. If she was seeing men, he was doing women. Which means the Steopan line you were watching wasn’t on that side of the family tree. And I doubt most of those women weren’t willing.” In his career as a lawyer, one type of defendant was taboo to him. Rapists were bad luck, and there were others in the firm that would jump at the chance if the client had a lot of money. Granted, everyone man and woman had the legal right to their in court; but he knew how to read people, and he’d picked out who would be a bad apple.
“Jeff, I hunted down any associate of Radu or Marga’s. I slaughtered the village, and burned some of the country side…”
“That’s still a lot of ground to cover between your village and camp, and the other towns. And I’m not a math major, but isn’t there something like a cell dividing.”
“Geometric Progression. One to two, two to four, four to sixteen and so on. It makes sense. Even with infant mortality rates aside, that’s a lot of people.”
“But only one or two bad apples.”
“That is a lot ground to cover. Historical records don’t go back that far.”
“Which means the next step is to follow the money. It’s like a divorce case. Husbands and wives hide money all the time during nasty cases. Most banks in the US require all sorts of wonderful verification and identification to open accounts, and they keep track of that; so it’s all off-shore if you want to keep the money hidden. ”
“I tried that route.” She was lying. Jeff knew her tells now.
“But you didn’t use all your resources. How long has your ‘family’ had those accounts at the Swiss banks?”
“Going on two hundred fifty years, at least.”
“Which means you’re probably a high value customer.” Jeff was smiling now. He was on a roll with new ideas. And he was smiling. “Which also means the banks will probably bend over backwards for a very high value client if they were asked for some information.”
“Follow the money?”
“Follow the money. It doesn’t matter how many shell companies it goes through, there is always a paper trail.”
“When did you get good at this?”
“I was a lawyer. I may not have been on the right side of the fence, and I haven’t really thought about it until recently. But I know a lot of tricks where an honest person may falter.”
“Yeah. That’s right Jeff, Daniel Webster has absolutely nothing on you and your wonderful lawyer skills. You’re just so awesome.” Edison’s voice was dripping with playful sarcasm. Then the cyan irises softened and her wonderful smile crept out. “You really don’t know how sexy you are until you show initiative. That’s what I’ve always loved about you. And I know you love the thrill of the hunt.”
“I’m not a wolf.”
“You crave young flesh. Said it yourself.”
Jeff rolled his head towards his right shoulder in exasperation. “Yeah, well, I thought you were nineteen at the time.” He drawled out. Winger exhaled and his eyes closed due to the lack of sleep. He would blame his unfamiliarity with sleeping in a strange bed, let alone one that he shared with an “older” woman
“Technically speaking, I still am.”
He guffawed. “Yeah, whatever Little Miss Ingénue.”
“What? Do you want me to swoon again?” Her stood and walked behind him, then leaned her rather amble bosom over his shoulder until cleavage was clearly evident. “I can hardly contain myself. Shall I swoon again?” She had made her way around the desk, and fell into his lap. “Oh please allow this tender young woman to be devoured by the whole of your carnal needs. I am so in lust that I know not what I can do.”
Winger rolled his eyes when his brow was once more troubled. “Wait, who’s Daniel Webster?”
“You are such a heathen.” She pulled herself, went to a bookshelf and pulled out a hardcover. “Read it. I may test you later.”
“An-nie!” He whined when she threw the book at him.
______
They’d been at it for hours, tossing ideas back and forth between the downstairs library and her rather opulent bedroom. In between bouts of intelligent comments, snarky remarks and a healthy dose of innuendo (and an even healthier amount of gratuitous sex which neither complained about), Jeff finally laid a card on the table he was hesitant to use.
“We need Abed.”
“And why do we need Abed?” She looked up from her workstation while he went through files on one of her laptops.
“Because Abed is more observant than you or I could ever be. He’s a living computer. He pieces information together differently.”
“And what part of ‘I’m trying to protect you and the group, my only family,’ did you not understand? You do realize that the people who are trying to kill us will keep an eye on the group. And I have a feeling they’re not above kidnapping to draw me or you out.”
“We need him Annie.”
She was insistent on this point. “Jeff, we have to do without him. It’s bad enough you’re already in danger.”
“And here I thought this was a partnership.”
“This isn’t a partnership. This is a dictatorship. You follow my instructions.” Back off Winger! said that tiny voice in his head that he’d stop listening to years before. He didn’t know how to take that comment, and the pointed comment and direct response surprised him.
Thusly, Jeff said the first thing on his mind. “That was brutal.”
“It’s the truth. And we’ve already gone over this.”
“I told you I can take care of myself.”
“And I said you can’t.”
So he tried for levity. “Do you not see these abs? These guns?” He flexed his biceps. While not bulging, they were toned well and did in fact have power behind them.
“Oh I see them. I also saw your ass handed to you by the Fly Dancers. You must have been so proud.” Jeff bit his tongue, hard. The sarcastic side wanted so much to retort, but the new light shed on Annie’s character prevented him from the truly hurtful comments. The miniscule and oft ignored voice was screaming and making no progress.
“All right. If you’re going to be that way, I’ll be over at Dildopolis, with a big sign saying ‘Come and get me’.”
“No, you’re not. And I’ll restrain you if I have to.”
Winger, she’s holding back! Stop pressing the issue! It’s not worth it! Think of the damn tattoo and how flexib- Shut up! “Yeah, bondage, whatever. Get this through that head of yours: I’m not Janos.”
“You’re right, you’re not Janos. Janos could take care of himself. Do you think you can just go up to these people, talk them down with a Jeff Winger Speech then go to L Street and toss back a few McClellands? It doesn’t work like that.”
“And I’m sure you’re going to tell me how it works?”
“I am! Because here’s what you’re going to have to do,” Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him close to her face. “Because you’re going to have to kill people; and killing changes you! You don’t have near the amount of impetus that I did when I took all those lives. You can’t just walk up to a person and shoot them in the stomach, letting them die that long, slow death. You asked me if I had the guts to do it. I do Jeff. I’ve taken a lot of lives. Most, I’m not very proud of. And even when they did deserve it, a little piece of me died.”
“Dramatic much?”
“Shut up!”
“Not everyone is wired the same!”
“I know, and that’s why you lost your dinner after the scuffle in the parking light the other night. You’re not ready for something like that, and I’m doing my damndest so you don’t ever have to do that.”
“It’s my choice Annie!” The woman pushed him away from her as lightly as she could. She didn’t want to hurt him, and she knew that if she was mad she could lose control.
“Leave.”
“What?”
She pointed towards the door. “Leave. Take whatever you car want. Just…just leave and don’t look back.”
“That’s not happening.” Jeff was going to stand his ground, it was now principle. But Annie grabbed him by the front of his shirt again and pulled him up off his feet. Her eyes were burning an azure fire and she threw him out of the room with only some of her impressive might. He landed on his ass, having been thrown through the open doorway of the office and into the great room.
“I’ll tell you this right now.” She was suddenly crouched down in front of him, her lips brushing against his ear. He felt a hot breath. He felt her anger. “I love you too much to let you get hurt. But if you walk down this road, you will never, ever, see me again.” His eyes widened. “You can tell the group whatever you want about why I left. I won’t be joining you anymore at Greendale.” Annie exhaled slowly, knowing this was driving him insane. “And if you say one word, one word, about the real me, I will completely disappear after making your short miserable little life a living hell.” She stood and peered down at the tall man. Elisabeta was back in full force. The vengeful woman who had killed hundreds of people was now seething at the younger man. She whispered, her eyes glowing amber and her fangs bared. “Now get the hell out of my home.”
“Annie!” But she blurred out of existence, and the double doors to the office slammed shut and clicked. His buttocks was going to bruise; she had thrown him with enough force that he’d almost had the wind knocked out of him when he landed. But Jeff knew he’d hurt her emotionally and mentally. Whoever he was, whoever he looked like, he had no right to push her that hard. She may have lived for centuries, but behind the walls she’d built to protect her, she was still a young woman who was still trying to find her place in the world.
There was nothing more he could do.
______
Hi! This is Annie! Leave me a message and I’ll call you right back!
An-nie, I hope you are okay, we miss you so much! If you’re feeling sick, I can come over and make chicken soup and bring the brownies you like. Call me!”
Annie, Pierce Hawthorne. Haven’t seen you at the group in a while and we’re honestly getting tired of Brittles and Jeff, who is hiding in the closet still, fighting all the time.
…If there is something wrong, Annie, please call.”
Heyyyy Annie, how’re you doing? We have a major test on Friday, and wondered if you wanted to study with us, since you haven’t been around to take notes. Give me a call and we’ll go out sometime! Call me soon, okay?”
Annie! Hey! Look, we totally need you back, because Britta is going crazy and Shirley is hitting Pierce with her purse! Jeff’s not here right now to help, and Abed is filming again, this is going to make such an awesome documentary. Annie, I’m gonna start crying soon, please come back! We need our Annie!
Jeff hasn’t said anything since we figured out you weren’t telling the truth. His character development has hit a block, and we haven’t heard from you. I’m worried about your story arc Annie, the group’s cohesiveness is struggling to stay intact. And we can’t afford a spin-off series until season five…possibly. Help me Annie Edison, you’re my hope.
You donth want to talk to me…tha-sh fine. I wouldnth admit ith to anyone, but you are my Annie. Please leth me help you…I donth want to losesh you. I….I love you Annie…
I said some things that I shouldn’t have. And I know you’re protecting me. And I didn’t respect that. You know how I am. I’m too stubborn for my own good, and I wanted to help. For the first time in my life, my new life that is…I wanted to help. I’m…I’m just worried about you. Don’t cut us…don’t cut me out, because we…because I can’t lose you.”
The test went okay today. We barely pulled through. The group is…well, they’re themselves. But you were our heart…our true heart. Call me back, please.
……
……………please let me back in.
I can’t talk to loud. There’s a person looking around campus. Never seen him before, but Abed pointed him out. He’s so far the only stranger around here. Call me back, we may need help.
Elisabeta took a deep breath. She’d listened to the multitude of messages over the past week. The trail Jeff helped her find had produced wonderful results, and she’d had some of her contacts investigating Chicago and Salt Lake City for clues. Her suppliers had come through for her, providing her with the tools to survive any attack that may come her way.
Jeff’s messages hurt. She heard actual pain in his voice, and the emotional wall she’d hastily built back up was being knocked down with every call from her study group… no, from her friends… and him. One way or another, she needed to prevent them from being hurt by the assassins dogging her heels.
She wanted so badly to leave, to let them live the rest of their lives with her running off to Timbuktu and writing the occasional Christmas/Hanukah card. It would be so easy to cut them from her life. In twenty years, maybe she could come back to her home in the mountains. Perhaps make trips to the area for vacations, but as far away from Greendale as possible.
Her cellphone chirped for the hundredth time this weekend. Annie, call me back, please.
Elisabeta started making arrangements for her departure from Greendale.