It was all he had ever known, and it was hard to synthesise that information into a coherent thought that was palatable to someone who had no idea what it was like. He couldn’t recall a time when he hadn’t known what the life he and his family had been born into, and he wasn’t entirely sure what anything outside of it looked like anymore. Never the less, he knew that he had to find her and somehow explain everything. But not there, it was too dangerous now, with the sounds of sirens threatening at any moment to burst into the night, he knew he had to leave. He’d promised Isaak to meet at the rendezvous point, and he wasn’t going to be late, and give his brother another reason to worry. Eyes scanning the outdoor area one last time, he gave up before hurrying towards the driveway that led towards the exit path. It was the sound of footsteps on the gravel that caused him to reach into his jacket for his weapon before he realized who it was, and his hands were out to steady her.
This was not how he wanted to see her again, and in a moment, the look in her eyes confirmed what he had been dreading. He didn’t have time, Isaak’s words were ringing in his ear now, the location, the time allotment he had to be there, the knowledge that it was only getting more and more dangerous with each passing moment he stood there, but time seemed to somehow stop, and in the darkness of that particularly warm evening, all he could hear were their panted breaths slowly easing. “I know, I know, let me explain, let me explain everything,” he was glancing around, not sure what he was trying to find around them. “I’ll explain everything,” his hands were closed tight around her shoulders, his eyes glancing down into her as if willing her to understand. “The lake, tonight, I’ll wait for you. I’ll be there at the lake.” He knew he had to go, there weren’t many words left that he could utter. “I’m sorry, fuck, I’m so sorry, I have to go,” he was letting go now, stepping around her but nervous. A second thought. He didn’t know if it would scare her, but he knew he would feel better, and reached into his jacket, unloading the weapon from its holster. “Elena told me you have one so I assume you know how to use it. Don’t think, just point and pull,” he was pressing it into her small little hands now, and it seemed wrong, as if the two images just wouldn’t compute. “Get out of here,” he uttered urgently, backing away down the driveway. “The lake,” he hissed, not wanting anyone else to hear. Just in case. “I’ll see you there.”
For the woman that usually had a lot to say, looking up at the man that had been on stage, with a knife pressed to the throat of a woman before him --- it was like she was looking at two very different parallels of the one man that had taken ahold of her head and heart. And yet she couldn’t so much as even begin to find the words to respond to him, shock taking a hold of her tongue as he stared down at her. It was only when he was placing his pistol in her hands that she found the nerve to speak. “I can’t, I don’t---.” Her protests futile, as she watched him back down the driveway. All she could do was offer a nod. Unsure if whatever she had just agreed too, was going to be her downfall. But before she could even consider the possibilities, she was moving once more, gun held tight in her grasp as she took off running toward the road.
The drive to the lake had to have been one of the most excruciating 30 minutes she had experienced. Wiping hastily at the tears that had yet to stop slowly cascading down the side of her cheeks, knuckles curled white as she clutched at the steering wheel in an attempt to not turn around, to flee back to the comfort of her apartment and ignore the dismantling of reality as she knew it. Turning down the long gravel road that would take her to the quaint carpark beside the lake, their lake --- the one that had been home to so many memories; it was like a kick to the chest and her heart began to suddenly beat that much faster. Pulling up next to his car, green hues flickered from the empty drivers seat to the silhouette of a figure stood down by the lake front. For a split second she considered if agreeing to meeting him at such a secluded location had been the brightest of ideas. Nevertheless, in her mind it was the only one she could make. Because as much as the idea of getting answers scared her; the need to have them, to know the whole and full truth, was so much stronger. Inhaling a deep breath she collected herself and she reached over to pluck the pistol he had given her from the passenger seat, before stepping out of her car. Doing her best to remain calm, she took a few steps toward him. “You know, a lot of people would think I have a death wish coming out here to meet you.“ The blonde remarked, voice quiet. “But for some stupid reason a part of me still trusts you, or wants too. So please, don’t make me regret this.“ She added, the hilt of his gun gripped tight in her dominant hand at her side as she tentatively made her approach.
Only when he turned, did she flinch, immediately drawing the gun to point it in his direction, both hands beginning to shake as they clutched the hilt of the weapon. With the full moon high in the sky above, there was but enough light to make out the familiar lines and features of his face. “Were you ever going to tell me?” She questioned, tone mildly more assertive as she stared back at the man. Beyond whatever he had kept hidden from her, a part of her, a very small part understood it. Why would anyone want to drag someone else into a life in the shadows, a life of such violence and crime. It explained the way in which he had been when they were together all that time ago, from the secrets to the random disappearances. It made sense. However, it still didn’t take away the sting or shock of being lied to. “Would it have mattered to you--” she paused “--if I had been sat there next to Gabe and Julia?” As she should have been being the best woman. “Would you have even cared?“ She drawled, voice breaking if only for a moment as her hands continued to shake. The cracks in her partially calm façade beginning to show. “On second thought, don’t answer that. I want the truth Vas, all of it. Lie to me and I swear to god, I’ll shoot...“ An obvious lie from the way her voice hitched; the blonde completely ignorant to the safety that remained on. And unbeknownst to him, he was the last person she could ever comprehend hurting no matter how much anger or betrayal he evoked from within her. The paramedic merely intended to make it clear, they were now at a crossroads. All or nothing.
