The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
| ART OF THE DARK BY SHADY & CABBIE ESQ. |
CHAPTER 12 |
PART TWO
"We're running out of time," Todd says, ignoring the intrusion. "She's with Shelton - who kidnapped my daughter, who kept her from me. Now he's got Tea...and my boys. I'm TELLING YOU...Roseanne knows where they are."
The music has gotten louder, thanks to the door being opened...the scent of cologne, perfume, cigarette smoke pours in. The hurt in Todd's voice is palpable, it's real...it's so...open. RJ asks the bouncer, "Who is it?"
"It's about the new liquor account...the big one, you know."
"Yeah."
Todd says, "RJ, please...it's MY kids out there. It's Tea. We have to give it one more shot. I'll be all right, I promise you."
Rock and a hard place, RJ thinks to himself. Todd is unpredictable, he's like fucking nuclear energy - good when controlled, good when monitored...but if something goes wrong in the process...well, the analogy is self-explanatory. He breathes in, sniffles noisily, snapping his fingers nervously...pacing.
The bouncer asks, "Boss? You want to see him or not?"
"No...I can't. Not right now, I got business to attend to. Tell him I'll call him," RJ replies, firmly, and relief washes over Todd - he knows he's gotten cooperation. Yeah...cooperation.
Once the bouncer splits and the door is closed again, RJ swings around and stares right at Todd. "You blow this...and so help me, I will NOT bail your ass outta there. You'll be stuck, Manning. STUCK...do you get me??"
"I got you...I totally got it."
Within minutes, Todd and RJ are headed back to the Llanview Correctional Facility...walking through the club's crowd once more. RJ follows his friend, follows the swift walk, the way he glides amongst the people and hits the smack of cold once outside. Unaffected, unmoved...he's got one thing on his mind: to get to the prison, to get to Roseanne.
RJ looks up at the night sky, at the stars, pulling out his cell phone. He's got a contact at the prison, a woman who'll get them in this late. It'll work. He thinks. He knows Tea is most likely seeing a morning sky by now. More time lost, RJ shivers when he's done with the call. Yanks his coat tightly around him before he gets into Todd's truck.
Todd has started the engine...loud, angry punk rock scraping out of the speakers...and RJ winces at its ugliness, catching Todd giving him a sidelong glance. He smiles..."We've got her - she's going to tell us where they are. It's gonna work."
And it's in that smile that RJ has a second thought on all this...but what he sees, he can't explain.
Back outside the club, the bouncer had watched his boss leave with Mr. Manning...a bouncer from humble beginnings. He had a grandmother - Louisiana's best - she always told him to watch for the devil, saying to him in that scratchy voice of hers, "He comes in black, boy, not like you and me...he wears it on the inside. You can see it shining through his eyes brighter than the sun - you can feel it, boy, in the dead of winter ... you can feel it on your skin sure as if you were lying flat out on a desert floor."
Yeah...he did. He felt it.
******************
Brendan and Evan amuse themselves in the makeshift playpen their mother's designed for them...a couple of blankets laid out on the living room floor, surrounded by pillows. Tea sits on the floor with them, leaning up against the couch...just watching them, listening to their happy babbling, which almost sounds like a conversation...Evan makes a noise of some sort, and Brendan replies...back and forth, back and forth.
"What're you guys talking about, huh?" she asks, moving in closer to play with their feet. The boys both look at her, quieting down...as if she'd just busted in on some secret discussion. Tea laughs a little.
"Ohhh...I see. No girls allowed? Classified information?" she says, but the twins are silent. Happy to see her, as always, but silent...and Tea sighs, reading into it. Even though she realizes how ridiculous it is, she can't help but feel like they're talking about her. They've observed her behavior over the last few days, and now they're comparing notes...determining between the two of them, whether or not she's completely lost her mind. Judging her.
And why not...why shouldn't they?she thinks, looking at Brendan with guilty eyes. Brendan, the oldest by a minute, youngest wise man in history...who looks back at her with Todd's eyes...all colors and none.
"Aiii, mijo..." she breathes as she picks him up, laying him on her legs to face her. "...you do know...how sorry I am about all this, don't you?"
Brendan, of course, just stares at her, squirming a little. Tea smiles back at him, sadly.
"Well, if you didn't...I'm telling you now. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I took you away from home...I'm sorry that...that we can't be with your father. I'm sorry that you're not in your own bed. I'm sorry that it's cold in here...I'm sorry about everything," she says, sniffling as she kisses his hand. He tries to grab her nose, and makes some unintelligible, babbly noise back.
Evan pipes up just then, getting annoyed at being left out...so she puts Brendan back down next to him.
"I just hope you guys know how much I love you. I'll do anything to keep you safe...and if that means that...that we can't be with your dad for a while, then...that's just how it's gonna have to be. I don't like it, and I know you don't either, but...I don't know what else to do...not right now, anyway. I'll figure it out, though...I promise. We'll be okay," she whispers, then sits back up, taking a deep breath.
"We will," she affirms, to herself...then stands up. She hears Dean's car pulling up outside, finally. She looks at her watch and sees how late it really is. Then she picks up the boys, one by one, sitting each of them in their seats on the couch. Then she covers them with a blanket, anticipating the chilly wind that blows in as the door opens.
Dean steps in, and quickly shuts the door behind him. Tea straightens up, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"Hey."
"Hey...sorry I'm so late getting back," he replies...and as usual, an awkward silence settles in. Still awkward, even after the night before, when she had cried herself to exhaustion in his arms. Tea rubs her neck nervously, remembering it...remembering how quiet, and patient, and...kind...he had been, letting her cry...then walking her back to her room, and sitting with her until she fell asleep. And sleep she did...when she woke up, it was light out, and he was gone again. She breaks the silence with a sigh, then putters around, picking up the blankets and pillows. Dean watches her for a moment, remembering all the same things...then clears his throat to get her attention.
"Umm...could you do me a favor?"
Tea looks over at him, curious...then shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. What?"
He smirks as he walks over and picks up the babies' seats, gesturing for her to follow him into the bedroom. Tea makes a face, then follows behind, carrying all the blankets. She dumps them on the floor as he sets the boys down on the bed.
He turns to face her, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I need you to stay in here for a little while. Can you do that?"
She immediately does a take, wary now. "Why? What's going on?" she demands, and he cracks up.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just..." he starts, then shifts around uncomfortably. "...I, uh...I have a surprise for you."
Tea's brow knits up tight at that...and he laughs again, looking away, a little embarrassed.
"Look, I just need you to stay in here while I...go get it," he gestures, toward the door. Tea opens her mouth to speak, but is still baffled.
"Uh...ohh-kay," is all she manages to say. Dean lingers on her lovely, confused look...then grins again.
"Just give me fifteen minutes...twenty at most. You'll hear me making noises out there, but DO NOT COME OUT until I tell you. Got it?"
Tea stares at him for another moment, then shrugs. "Yeah...I guess."
"Alright," he replies, then leaves the room. Tea sits down on the bed with the boys, making the same confused face at them.
Five minutes...ten minutes...fifteen...
Tea sets Evan down in the crib, after changing him and his brother. The boys hang together, going back to their mysterious conversation as she watches. She shakes her head...then turns her head back toward the door when she hears more noises...clunking, clanking, clinking. She walks over, putting her ear to the door, listening closely.
She makes a face...if she didn't know better, she'd say he was doing dishes. But other than coffee mugs and a couple of plates, there really weren't any dishes. She pushes away from the door, and goes back over to the bed...falling back on it with a heavy, 'I give up' sigh. Then she dozes off...for how long, she's not sure...but the next thing she knows, there's a knock on the door.
She lifts her head, to see Dean peeking in. He cracks up at her being sprawled out on the bed.
"Am I interrupting?"
Tea half-laughs, pulling herself up with some difficulty...then she cocks an eyebrow at him.
"Can I come out now?"
He hesitates, drawing out the drama...then he nods. Tea stands up, stretching...then checks on the twins. Dean stands there in the slight opening, waiting for her to walk over to him. When he won't move out of the way, Tea makes another face at him. He looks back at her with a definite glint in his eyes, amused at knowing something she doesn't. He opens his mouth, starting to say something...then he shakes his head, and simply steps aside, opening the door all the way. Tea steps back into the living room, not seeing anything unusual at first...then her eyes catch the light to the side of her, and she turns toward it.
Her eyes nearly pop out of her head at what she sees. "Ohmygod," she whispers, taking it in as Dean steps up next to her.
"Thought you might be tired of the same old same old," he says, gesturing toward the fireplace area, which has been transformed. In front of it, the coffee table is dressed up for dinner...a nice tablecloth, two place settings, and a few candles. Tea's mouth drops open, stunned...and she isn't sure what to do. She looks over at him, gaping...and Dean holds her gaze for a moment, knowing what she's thinking; but he shrugs it off, looking away. The two of them stand next to each other in silence for a moment, uncomfortable all over again...especially Tea, who's at a loss. She's touched by his thoughtfulness, and bothered by it at the same time. There's something inherently wrong about the whole thing, and yet...it lifts her low spirits.
Finally, Dean sighs. "Look, it's just dinner. I just thought after last night, you...I dunno," he says, still avoiding her eyes. Tea sighs too...her apprehension warming into something more gracious, and accepting.
"Thought maybe I'd like some decent food?" she finishes, making an effort.
Dean cracks up at that. "Hell, if anything, *I* could use some decent food...fuckin' hate this country."
They both crack up then...and finally have the nerve to look each other in the eyes. Dean studies her face for a moment, then grins.
"Hope you like Chinese."
****
Dean sits back from the table about an hour later, letting out a satisfied sigh. He grabs his bottle of Chinese beer and leans back against the big chair, looking over at Tea...who's right behind him, polishing off her last forkful of noodles. She chews with her eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying it.
"Mmmm..." she hums, as it goes down. Then she licks her lips as she plunks her fork down and looks over at him.
"Wow."
He nods, as she wipes her mouth. "God...it feels like years since I had a real dinner."
"I hear that," he replies, finishing his beer. He lets out another contented sigh, then moves back in toward the table, pushing dishes away to lean on it. Tea automatically starts tidying up, stacking the takeout containers and plates.
Dean makes an amused face. "Y'know, you're not the maid."
Tea freezes, suddenly realizing how much time she spends cleaning up...how much time she spends trying to fix things. She half-laughs at herself, embarrassed.
"You're right. I'm not," she replies, putting everything down and leaving it. "Sorry...it's just a habit with me."
Dean laughs a little at that...then he stands up, grabbing everything. Tea listens as he carries it all over to the sink and dumps it in. She hears the fridge open and close...then she turns to see him in the bedroom doorway, two beers in hand, checking on the twins.
"They alright?" she asks...and he nods, lingering on them a bit before walking over to the chair that's become his official spot. He hands Tea one of the beers before sitting down.
"They're asleep again," he says, leaning forward to pop the beer cap on the edge of the table. Tea does the same thing...the cap flies off with a psst-clink, then it gets quiet again. From her spot on the floor, she looks over at him, curious...watching him stare thoughtfully at the bottle in his hands. Another moment of silence passes before he says anything.
"Listen, Tea..." he starts, finally looking at her. "...um...we need to talk."
She tips her head, even more curious now...but she just shrugs casually, waiting. Dean takes a swig off the bottle, then gets down off of the chair, back onto the floor. He brings his knees up and lets his elbows hang on them.
"Umm...I'm...not really sure how to do this," he continues...more to himself than her. Tea tucks her legs under her, leaning forward a bit, waiting as he hesitates...taking another moment before looking at her again.
"I think you...already have some idea what it is I'm actually DOING out here, right?"
Tea wags her eyebrows. "I have my suspicions, yeah."
He nods, avoiding her eyes. "Well. You still have every reason in the world to hate me...and...we're not bound by any kind of agreement, so...there's nothing to stop you from ratting me out to the local cops once I tell you all this. But I'm gonna tell you anyway... 'cause time's getting short...and you need to know, and...because I trust you," he says, finally looking back at her.
She takes that in, the words hitting her and leaving that weird, contradictory feeling she always gets around him. Dean breathes deep, taking another swig...then putting the bottle on the table, and settling back down with another, heavy sigh.
"This is...hopefully...my last job."
Job... the word suddenly makes Tea very sad...or disappointed, that her suspicions are correct. She looks down at the floor, just listening.
"Well, it's not just me, I mean...it's a team of people. But hopefully, if all goes the way it should, we'll be in and out of there in less than twenty minutes...just real quick, bam-bam-bam. Hit and run, and make off with a fortune...and hopefully...disappear."
"You keep saying 'hopefully,'" Tea finally says, looking up. Dean tips his head from side to side.
"Yeah...well, I mean, you can't exactly take these things for granted. There's always a chance things'll go to shit, no matter how well you prepare."
Silence...and Tea bites her lip, feeling all the comfort of the evening going right out the window. The brief calm had passed; and now the dark clouds were rolling in again, threatening to rain down. It angers and scares her all over again...that sense of powerlessness rising to the surface.
"And what happens if...things DO go to shit? Where does that leave ME?" she asks...and Dean sighs, moving in a little.
"Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you. It's not fair for me to keep you in the dark about all this. It affects you, too, so I think...WE...need to figure out a plan," he says, pointing at himself, then at her.
"There is no 'WE,'" she fires back, automatically.
Dean does a take at the change in her tone...then he rolls his eyes, realizing. "I wasn't saying it like that."
"Really? Then what WERE you saying it like?!" she says, giving him an acidic, accusatory stare. Then she gets up and walks over to the bedroom, closing the door so the babies won't hear the fight that's about to break out.
She turns back around, as he stands up. "I can't believe you," she says...and all he can do is shrug.
"Can't believe WHAT?"
"I can't believe that you brought me here when you KNEW you were gonna be doing this!"
Dean stands there for a moment, stunned...then he walks over to her. "I BROUGHT you here...because you needed help, remember?" he says, trying to keep his voice down.
She laughs humorlessly, as she gestures around the place. "You call THIS help?? God...why couldn't you just leave me ALONE?!"
With that, she starts storming around...wanting to leave, but knowing there's nowhere she can go. Dean just continues to stand there, blindsided. It takes him a moment to get his thoughts together...then he turns to find Tea, who's back in the fireplace area, pacing.
"Y'know, you accepted the offer. I didn't force you into anything."
She stops pacing to glare at him...furious, but unable to come back at him. She watches him look away for a second, taking a deep breath; and keeps her eyes on him as he then approaches her, slowly...stopping a few feet away, respectful of her space. Then another silence falls; but this one is deeper than all the others, as each of them realizes that they've come to a turning point, of sorts...or a crossroads. A place where truths must be told, about what has been, what is...and a decision made about what will be. Dean takes another deep, deep breath, then breaks the silence.
"Look, I told you before, I'm not gonna bullshit around with you. This is a weird, super-fucked-up situation for BOTH of us..." he starts, noting the slight twitch in Tea's eyebrow at that.
"...it IS! Oh, y'know, if you think I'm just perfectly comfortable with all this, you're dead wrong, okay? I never know what to say to you, or how to act around you, or---"
"Well, you don't seem to have any problem KEEPING things from me," Tea interrupts, finally...and Dean runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek at that.
"Yeah, well, not to be a prick, but...seems to me you already know how *I* make a living."
Tea's eyes flash...and she hauls back, letting her hand fly; but Dean is quicker, catching her wrist before she can slap him. They stand there frozen for a moment, staring daggers at each other, before Tea wrestles her arm out of his grip and pushes him away...then she half-laughs.
"What did you think was gonna happen here, huh? Did you actually think that I would dump my husband for YOU??"
And out it comes, plain and simple. Another silence fills the room, increasing the stress on both of them. Dean stands there, suddenly feeling like he's trapped under a hot spotlight. He feels the heat in his face, the rush of embarrassment and humiliation...and he sighs.
"I don't know. I don't know what I thought," is all he can think of to say...and Tea just lets out another halfhearted laugh.
"Uh-huh...this, coming from the man who 'doesn't have time to bullshit around,'" she says, mocking his voice, and making little quotation marks with her fingers. Dean takes the hit, looking down at the floor, without a word. Tea folds her arms as she takes a step toward him.
"Well, if you pride yourself on HONESTY so damned much, why don't YOU...start being honest with ME?"
He looks back up at that. "I HAVE been honest with you. I just haven't told you everything."
Tea tips her head back a little, clearly dissatisfied with his answer; but he holds her gaze, unapologetic...and she shakes her head.
"So you wait until NOW...when it's TOO LATE for me to do anything."
"Oh, like I did that just to mess with you. You were TRAUMATIZED, Tea...so when WOULD have been a good time to tell you? Huh? Why can't you just accept that I'm not out to get you?"
"Maybe it's because you're LYING."
Now it's Dean's turn to shake his head...and he laughs to himself as he throws his hands up. "Okay. Fine. You got me. This was all a BIG, elaborate plan on my part," he starts, moving in closer to her.
"I TRICKED you into coming out here, to the middle of nowhere, just so I could have my way with you. Just so I could fuck you...up, down and sideways, in every room of this godforsaken house, in every way imaginable. I sprang the trap, and you fell right in. Oh, yeah, and I get off on torturing women with kids, and small animals, too."
Tea backs up as he approaches...getting a few inches from her face and stopping. He waits for a response, then shrugs.
"Did I miss anything? I mean, that's what you wanted to hear, right...what a monster I really am?"
She hesitates, not sure how to respond. All she knows is that she's about to start crying...and she isn't exactly sure why. It unbalances her, and she just stands there, gaping slightly, as he continues:
"You want honesty? Fine, I'll give you all the honesty you want. Day after tomorrow, I'm gonna be providing cover and security for a crew pulling the biggest bank job London's seen in years. And IF nothing goes wrong and I DON'T die, my end should be somewhere around three and a half million...minus what I had to give up in order to get you here, of course. So IF nothing goes wrong, you'll be free to go wherever you want, with half a million in your pocket...and you'll never have to see me again."
Tea blinks slowly, as those last few words sink in. Before now, it never occurred to her that he would have had to pay for her and the boys...that he had given up some of his promised take, and was planning to give up more. Sidetracked by minutiae, she says:
"Well, I'll pay you back." ...and he steps back, folding his arms.
"I don't give a shit whether you pay me back or not! That's not the fucking point!" he replies, insulted. "Get it through your thick head, Tea, I don't WANT...ANYTHING from you! It's not ABOUT that!"
She stares at him, feeling utterly lost...then she shrugs, weakly, her eyes misty. "Then what IS it about?" she asks, in a whisper.
That same heavy silence returns for a moment, before Dean sighs. Tea watches him try to form a sentence, a word, anything...but he can't seem to force it out, so he just shakes his head and walks away from her, into the kitchenette.
"I already told you...I want to help you. What ELSE do you want me to say?" he asks, leaning on the counter with his back to her. Tea stares at him, through him, feeling his guilt and confusion...or perhaps it's her own guilt and confusion she's feeling. Or perhaps...it's both.
"Honesty...no bullshit. That's all I want. Just tell me...how you feel...about me...about all this...about...US," she whispers, as her tears fall, streaking down her face.
Dean has to shut his eyes at that. He grips the counter with all the strength he has, trying to squeeze the anxiety out. She sees him shaking his head...so she starts walking toward him, slowly.
"I know I just said...there is no 'us.' But that's not really true, is it?"
Still no response...Tea looks up, trying to keep from bawling outright; but the tears don't stop, so she sighs, giving in.
"Help me out here, please...'cause I'm so confused. I don't understand how this happened...and maybe you do. I don't understand why I feel so...conflicted...when it comes to you. I should HATE you. Todd hates you," she says, with a small, sad laugh, suddenly seeing his face in her mind...and not laughing at that so much, as she is at the whole fucked-up situation.
"Todd...y'know, I love him. I do. I've loved him ever since I met him...and through every awful thing we've been through, I loved him. I loved him when I left...and right now, right this very minute...I love him."
She stops for a moment, to wipe her face. "I love him...and that SHOULD be all there is to it, right?" she asks, shrugging at him even though he can't see her.
"So...why am I crying right now? What am I so upset about? Why do my insides feel so...torn up?"
Dean's head turns at that, slightly...and Tea takes a few steps closer. "I always wondered...where you were, what you were doing. Why? Why did I agree to come here? Why do I...worry when you leave? And why am I so relieved when you come back? Why don't I worry when you're holding Evan or Brendan? And why..." she trails off, as he finally turns around to face her.
"...why am I so worried now...that something's going to happen to you?"
The heavy silence returns for a moment...then Tea shrugs, weakly. "Because I care about you...I guess THAT'S why."
Dean just stands there, stunned again...but only because she's just managed to explain everything he's been feeling, too. Tea shuts her eyes after a moment, after enough time has passed for her to realize what she's just done.
"Ohhh...shouldn't have said that..." she mutters, as she covers her face.
Before he can talk himself out of it, Dean moves over to her. He takes her hands, and gently eases them down. They get a good look into each other's eyes; and they see each other, plain as day now, at their most vulnerable...no bullshit.
Quickly...but not too quickly, Dean moves in and kisses her, cupping her face with his hands. Tea freezes, sucking her breath in, and shutting her eyes...more reflex than anything else; but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she lets him linger, and allows herself to feel it...that unique, intoxicating feeling one can only get from a good kiss. It warms her inside...relaxes her, whether she wants it to or not; and when he finally pulls back, he takes her breath with him, coming out in a soft sigh.
Dean keeps his hands on her face, holding it up gently. Everything had just happened so fast, he almost doesn't remember doing anything. Almost. Oh, god...I just kissed her, didn't I...? he thinks, as he searches her face for a reaction. But all she does is stare up at him for a moment, with a slightly drunken look in her wet eyes. His face softens at that...and he's about to say something, when she finally stiffens up, and pulls out of his grasp. Her unreadable reaction stops him from doing or saying anything; and all he can do is stare at her, waiting, bracing, as she studies him for a moment.
Then, without a word, Tea simply turns and walks away from him. She opens the bedroom door and goes in, closing it behind her, without a hint of emotion...just a soft latch, like any other night.
Like nothing had happened at all.
**************************
2002 Copyright by Shady & Cabbie Esq.
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