In his embrace, leave this life, leave this place

Waking to the feel of sweat upon my brow, I was overly warm from the blanket I was cocooned in. I caught the sight of hazel eyes staring back, and the body that lay beside me. Although my mind was a still a little groggy, I could make out a simple smile spread across Will's face, and so I smiled back. He wiped the beads of sweat from my brow and then held my cheek. His musky scent so close filled my lungs with every breath I took, bringing me back to better days between us. My mind began to clear of its haze as I pulled myself upright, slowly unwrapping myself from the damp blanket and sheets.

"Morning, gorgeous," he greeted, languidly sitting up with me. He was still in his white button-up shirt. His black tie loosened since I last saw it. His hazel eyes held its beguiled expression. They were filled with relief and excitement. His black wavy hair was bunched to one side, and if I had to guess, was due to sleeping on only one side. Without thinking, I reached out and tried to comb it down with my fingers, but they would not behave and so I decided to leave them for now.

"Good morning," I replied. I was certain that my own appearance left something to be desired. Fully aware of morning obligations that needed attention, I excused myself, "Pardon me."

He reached for me, grasping my hand in his when I slid my legs off the side of the bed, and pulled me back to him. I wrestled off his grip and shook my head disapprovingly. He shied back, lying atop the bed, resting on one elbow. I steadied myself as I stood and walked away somewhat disoriented. My whole body felt different. I couldn't place it but it was as though I felt renewed and trying out legs for the first time.

The bathroom to my quarters was a bit cramped even for me but it provided everything I needed. I began by washing my face, and then moved on to brushing my teeth, all the while staring at myself in the mirror. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for in my reflection other than to say it was me staring back. As I brushed my hair, I noticed how smooth my hands and forearms were. They were a fleshy pink and smooth. No signs of injury or scarring. I then brought them up to my eyes for a closer inspection. The mirror had not deceived me. Pulling down the neckline of my shirt to inspect my chest confirmed, that indeed, I was healed. No more scars. No more reminders of the dark days!

Warm tears welled up then ?owed down my cheeks. Finally being released, they became a steady stream, originating from a dark valley within, spilling onto my shirt and hands. After collapsing onto the floor of the bathroom when my legs gave out, I began laughing to myself hysterically.

A knock came from the bathroom door.

"Maddy, are you okay? Can I get you anything? Tell me you're okay, gorgeous." Will's voice was anxious. He was worried about me but it didn't detract from the overall euphoria I was feeling.

"No, thank you, Will. I'm fine. More than fine. Just give me a minute please," I cried out. My voice was erratic from laughing and crying through the words. I wasn't sure if I was even coherent. At any rate, I was elated as I sat, thinking about everything that had happened to get me here.

* * *

Yesterday, Nicholas and I ?ed from a raid of two dozen heavily armed agents. Nicholas and I were on the run. Nicholas Mardan was the love of my life, my rock through the entire calamity that was my existence. With the dawn came a renewed sense of hope. It coursed through me and my outlook on our situation was not so grave, better than what it was yesterday. I pulled away from his embrace upon waking, arching my neck back in order to see his face. It was relaxed. I couldn't help running my fingers along his face as he lay beside me, serene and content to see me wake. I hadn't expected him to still be beside me in bed. This was something unexpected, something we were both determined to avoid. There were boundaries that we set for ourselves, and separate beds were one of them. I suppose with my breakdown last night, the need to comfort me overruled propriety; his sense of chivalry allowed it.

I looked into his deep blue eyes as though I was seeing them for the first time. "Nicholas?"

His eyes ?lled with tears as he kissed my head, tightening his arms around me. His expression was one of relief, of joy, of love.

"Maddy." His smile fixed in place as he continued to stare down at me. He sensed in me an awakening of my former self, because I sensed the same. The dream lingered because it was no ordinary dream, it was a memory, the memory of our last day together before I became lost. The little girl he first loved didn't come back to him right away. He had to come get me, and now we were reunited.

"I remember our last day together," I whispered softly, confessing the obvious truth to him.

Reflecting on that memory brought me a moment of sorrow. I was a bright shiny penny once, so naive to the world and its machinations, but somehow along the way that penny acquired a suit of grime and grease, and became stuck to gum on the bottom of someone's shoe.

Able to read my mind, Nicholas said, "Underneath it all, you still shine for me." He always knew the words that helped put things in perspective. I thought about that too, he was able to read me and so everything else, the clothes, the frame, the face, came secondary to what he saw first in me. He was able to see beneath it all, to the real me, the girl he first fell in love with.

I took a deep breath, and then considered what our next course of action should be. We were on the run, hunted by a secret government agency that saw me as a threat to national security. They've managed to coordinate their objective with their allies in the US, so there was probably an arrangement in place with my capture.

I now understood. The building I tore down, with no casualties to my knowledge, labeled me a threat. And yet the incident never made the news. It never made it to any newspaper or news broadcast. Now there was the cover-up of all cover-ups. Newsworthy or not, it was poetic justice for trapping, drugging, and experimenting on me. So now, I was scarred for life. The physical scars were everywhere. The incisions wrapped around my chest and torso. My hands and forearms were riddled with cuts where they cut me open, and third-degree burns. They pushed past the limits of my ability to heal myself. They were a constant reminder of the hospital that did all but heal.

"What should we do?" I whispered timidly.

We were a team now, and we were going to have to continue as a team. It was a fleeting thought but I had entertained the idea of splitting up and escaping separately but he wouldn't hear of it. It would have increased our chances of getting away, or at least ensuring the freedom of one of us, and preferably him. I don't think anything could hold back my rage if anything happened to him. I wanted to protect him from all the forces that would do us harm, the very forces that had hurt me. He had the same intention for me. I suppose we would do well to look after each other.

"Are you ready to return home now or are you still debating between China and Canada?" He spoke, slowly emphasizing the locations. His voice was solemn. His smile has all but faded away. The affection shown earlier disappeared, and in this instance there was no room for humor. Time had run out....