The Perfect Weapon: Chapter 2015: Part 1

[camillecarelli]

Chapter 2015: Part 1

"Get me out of this!" Judy exclaimed, although her voice was muffled by the folds of fabric encasing her. Thank god she'd only had to wear it a short time and not for the entire length of their circuitous journey here.

Dave laughed softly as he and Sark pulled the burka from Judy’s head. "Hey, watch out!" Dave suggested as Judy’s flailing arms knocked him in the chest. He took her hand and held on to it, while smiling down at her. "We’re trying to help."

"My god, I thought I was going to suffocate in there!" Judy stared at the pile of blue fabric on the floor and took one deep breath and then another, as her words tumbled out in a burst of freedom. "And looking out of that grill! It was like being in prison, one you wear and..." She unknowingly stepped a little closer to Dave.

Sark nodded. "It is somewhat claustrophobic, as I recall."

"It's a living prison," Irina's husky voice came from the shadows of the hallway. Her staff was under strict orders to keep silent about her whereabouts and her life, but one could not take chances with the guests in the house whose loyalties were uncertain. She looked from Dave to Judy. Hmm. Their body language was saying something new. Hmm. She looked up as Jack came down the hall and winked at him. He looked at Dave and Judy as Judy stepped abruptly back, then smiled back at her. They nodded at each other. Well, let's see how this plays out... She'd leave Dave to Jack and take Judy. She pointed toward a narrow doorway to Dave's left.

"Here is your room, Dr. Barnett." Irina paused inside the doorway as Jack led the men toward the yellow room to eat.

"Judy..." she corrected absently, as she looked around the blue room. "It's...blue..." Judy noted, her eyes wide as she took in the intricate tile mosaic work that covered the walls. The workmanship was astonishing, but almost overwhelming.

“Blue is Jack’s favorite color,” Irina offered.

“You did it for him. The bathroom in your old house writ large?” Judy surmised.

“Yes, there’s an elaborate bathing room behind the wall. Jack is very good in the water-“ Irina began to explain when she saw Judy’s wide eyes.

Judy had gasped at the sight in the middle of the room. "That bed!"

Irina smiled as she walked toward it and wrapped her hand around one of the intricately carved posts. "I believe in providing my guests with the very best."

"Yeah, but wow..." Judy blinked as she too walked forward and gingerly smoothed the brightly colored coverlet with her hand.

Yeah, but wow? Irina stared at Judy. When did she talk like that? Was the unfamiliar environment opening Judy up, relaxing her? Or...She peered more closely at her. She looked as though she’d had a good- Hmm. Irina stifled a grin Judy would not appreciate it. That much she knew. "It's a gorgeous bed, isn't it?"

"It's huge!" Judy looked up at the pointed canopy overhead. "It's almost a shame..." Did they have whipped cream in Pakistan?

"To be in it alone? Well, that's your choice..." Irina shrugged. She smiled when Judy colored slightly. "If you change your mind, Dave is next door."

"Oh?" Judy turned around and spied her case on a carved bench. She walked toward it, keeping her back to Irina. The woman was still alive due to her ability to read others, so keeping her back to her was her best option. She reached for the zipper and idly began opening and closing it.

"Here's the connecting door, in fact." Irina ran her fingers along a path of vertical tiles and pointed to a slightly-darker hue of blue. "If you press here - “ A large door began to swing silently open. “As you see it’s easy - just press and you'll have a man--"

Judy began to chuckle. "Yes, they are that easy, aren't they?"

"Are we speaking generally or of a specific man?" Irina asked quickly, pushing the door closed. Easy, yes, she bet Dave had been easy given how long it had been. She walked toward Judy. She looked and acted very relaxed. Just how many times had Dave been easy?

"Oh, just generally." Judy shrugged.

"I'm sure." Irina took Judy's arm and pointed toward the door. "My servants - the trusted ones, keep in mind that only the trusted ones are in this wing and even those think Jack has...issues -"

"He's keeping up the deception even in the private wing of the house?" Judy asked, her mouth pursing.

"Yes. But he's fine, Judy. I think he's actually enjoying it. Yelling here and there..." Irina shrugged. "It's inconsequential, as you'll see. But for now, the servants will have some food set out in the room everyone hates. But me. I'll be interested to see your reaction to it."

“Personally or professionally?” Judy asked. “Because it’s really quite unhealthy to replicate a home to which you chose not to return.”

Irina sighed. “As I’ve been told. I have to buy new tiles. Perhaps you’d like to accompany me to the market when this is all over?”

“Shopping? I wouldn’t say no to shopping.” Judy smiled broadly before beginning to chat about the textiles she would like to purchase for her sewing hobby.

“Apparently you didn’t say no to anything else last night,” Irina muttered as Judy continued talking.

"Hey, Dave. You look quite...relaxed," Jack noted with a twist to his lips as they sat down at the table after selecting some food from the sideboard.

"Shut up, asshole."

"I’m just making an innocent, general comment," Jack protested.

"Liar," Irina countered as she walked up. Judy was in the bathroom. Hiding? Irina smiled. "What occurred on the trip here, Dave? Judy looks remarkably less uptight than usual."

"I have no idea as to what you are referring," Dave said, then shoved a date into his mouth, regretting it immediately. Blech. He was sick of dates. An orange would be good. Apple. Or one of those disgusting snacks Weiss liked, fruit roll ups. Ding-dongs, they were as good as he’d remembered.

Sark snorted. "Allow me to elucidate-"

"Do not even think about it, Julian Sark-" Dave growled at Sark who sat next to him.

Sark smiled. Dave was more bark than bite. "How I nearly suffocated by smothering myself with a pillow in order to prevent my virgin ears from being sullied by-"

"The only thing that's virginal about you," Sydney interjected as she and Weiss joined them. "Is your intelligence, which has gone unused your entire life."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Sark rolled his eyes.

"Good one, I thought." Weiss nodded at Sydney.

"Speaking of good ones..." Sark spread his napkin carefully on his lap and waited, having heard Vaughn speaking in the hallway to Judy. Timing was everything. "I have a bit of news I need to convey to you, Sydney."

"So? Go ahead." Sydney poured a cup of tea for herself, then sat down.

"It's...private." Sark popped a date in his mouth. He nodded absently when Dave took the dates from his own plate and placed them on Sark’s. He stared at Dave’s four fingers and suddenly remembered Dave sneaking him and the other children portions of his own food.

"What's private?" Vaughn asked as he walked in, Judy preceding him. She blinked at the brightness of the room, shook her head, then went over to the sideboard and began picking from the fruit selection.

“A bit of information I need to convey to Sydney. I will do that at a more...propitious time.” Sark picked up his cup, while inclining his head toward Sydney, ignoring Weiss’ snort.

“What does that mean? A more propitious time?” Vaughn asked suspiciously, looking from Sark to Weiss. Okay, they both looked amused. Not a good sign. His eyes settled on Irina and he nodded absently at her.

“More conducive to the business we need to conduct. Propitious. Opportune. Auspicious. ” Sark nodded into his tea cup, enjoying Jack's short choke of surprised laughter. Good, Jack had found that mimicry amusing. Maybe he was starting to like him. Surely he'd like him better if he prodded Vaughn along too.

“Did you swallow Jack’s thesaurus, Sark?” Vaughn asked, ignoring Jack’s harrumph. “Just tell me-“

Sark smiled smugly. Quite too easy. What was the phrase? Shooting fish in a barrel. “Private. There a word with two syllables. Can your meager brain handle that?”

Vaughn frowned. “I assure you, you smug little...monkey, that I can handle anything you can dish out-“

“Well, Shar-pei, why don’t you retreat to your doggie dish and leave the table to those of us who can act like men and stand on two legs and make decisions-“

Sydney relaxed back into her chair and picked up her cup of tea. She looked around the room, noting how everyone’s eyes were moving back and forth watching the tennis match before them. She sighed. She would owe Sark something for this amusement. Not that she’d tell him that. But really, it had gone on long enough. “Okay, boys.”

“Yes. Boys.” Irina looked from Sark to Vaughn, who had been too aggravated by Sark to seem to notice that she was in the room. Or at least to have a negative reaction to her presence anyway. But it was time to move along. When the snack truck had rolled in and they'd gotten word that Sloane was in the village marketplace, they'd estimated no more than an hour. She glanced pointedly at Sydney, her eyes then going to the door. “We should probably go into the courtyard and review our positions.”

Sydney and Sark looked at Dave and nodded. She stood up and began to walk toward the door, wondering who would follow her. “Let’s go.”

Vaughn grinned as he stood and walked quickly to catch up with Sydney. “Yes. And Sark should probably wear his burka again. Poor baby. But then again, he’s built like a prepubescent girl, so that disguise is no problem for him.”

Judy looked at Dave and they both shook their heads. Sydney stopped as she caught the undercurrent of casual intimacy between them and looked at Sark. He nodded and mouthed, ‘Later’. Sydney smiled. Vaughn frowned again.

“Come, Dave.” Irina stood up and urged him toward the courtyard. “We have a surprise for you.”

Dave shook his head and dragged his heels. It was hot and dusty out there. He’d had enough of hot and dusty. Jack had told him that Judy’s bathroom was an exercise in sybaritic pleasure. He needed a bath. Yes, he did. “Unless it’s Arvin already strung up so that I-“

“You?” Irina shook her head. “Oh, I think not. I’ll kill him-“

“You?” Jack shook his head as he joined them near the doorway, where he and Irina would stay for the moment. “I believe I called dibs on death.”

Nia rolled her eyes and swore as her lashes caught on the fabric. Her father had told her so many times of how different Uncle Jack had been before his wife had died and while she had vague memories of a laughing man with dark curly hair, they had long since faded. Now she looked up and saw him again, the shadows all but gone from his eyes, a man walking in the sun once again even when in darkness, at full power.

“You!” Jack yelled loudly and suddenly. “Get back into your cell! If you think you’re going to escape...” He started forward and the slight small figure scuttled away.

Dave looked over his shoulder at Jack, then back into the sunlight. He shielded his eyes with his free hand as two figures detached themselves from the fountain in the center of the courtyard. They looked familiar, one taller than he recalled, but no, it couldn’t be- They walked into the light and... But it was! He had never thought, but...here they were. Dave cried out, "Arezou! Yasmina!"

He started forward eagerly, barely remembering to use his cane. Damn just in case cane. "I...how.." He looked back at Sark, who was close on his heels.

"Surprise," Sark said quietly, seeing the joy in Dave’s eyes. He recognized it now. He had seen it in Dave’s eyes looking at him. How...remarkable. Quite.

"You...." Dave’s mouth opened and closed. “Thank you.”

"It’s a gift from Irina. And me. And Sydney. We helped her devise a lesson plan on the way here after rescuing you--" Sark told him, then stepped aside as the two women came closer.

"Daoud!" Arezou exclaimed, running toward him. She clutched his arm, noting how much thicker it was now. "Daoud! How I have missed you! You are bigger!" She gave him a hug and stepped back, only now noticing that Justin Case stood there. She smiled at him too. Good. She had missed him, had much to say to him, many questions to ask. His yellow hair was interesting. She would like to touch it, but knew she was not supposed to touch men who were not of her family. But...if Daoud viewed him as a son and she viewed Daoud as a member of her family, then surely it would be permissible. Yes. She would ask her mother.

Yasmina followed more slowly. She nodded her head, still growing accustomed to having her head free as she’d been told was permissible in this compound. "Daoud. David. You look...healthy." She grinned, showing her chipped tooth. "Not so pale, like the underside of a maggot."

"Yasmina, my old friend." Daoud grinned back at her. Had he ever seen her uncovered outside of the privacy of the cave or her tent when he'd been sick and half out of his mind? He didn't think so. She looked younger with the extra weight she’d gained smoothing out the premature wrinkles caused by wind and sun. He changed from English to Afghani. "How..."

Yasmina shook her head. "Your English. We must practice. It is the language of the box, which contains much I do not understand."

"The box?"

Arezou answered, eager to tell Uncle Dave. "The computer. It has much information. The tutor instructed us and we can use it ourselves too. We are impressed." Arezou smiled. She had learned many new words.

"As am I. You two are using computers!" Dave grinned again and felt deep gratitude that Irina had provided Arezou with the opportunities she deserved. And Yasmina had proven as interested in the outside world as she’d always been. Arezou had inherited her curiosity.

"As is the little one. She likes this game, hearts. But my husband..." Yasmina held her hands up in exasperation and shook her head. "He refuses. Stubborn man. But I am well. As are my daughters. They learn much. So do I." Yasmina sighed with happiness. It had been hard, learning to read more than the rudiments Daoud had shown her, but the tutors Memsahib Bristow had provided had been patient. And she and Arezou were determined.

"They are Arezou and Yasmina?" Judy smiled as she watched the two tiny women chatter at Dave. It was hard to believe that Yasmina was young enough to be Dave’s daughter; the years had not been kind to her. "Dave must be thrilled beyond measure to see them again. He spoke of them so often."

"Oh, you spent time talking?" Irina asked, careful to keep within the deep shadows the doorway, before sliding around to the interior side of the grilled panel.

Judy groaned. "Of course. We spent hours on that plane. With others. It limits--"

"Weiss and Sark prevented you two? No, that is ridiculous. The airplane bathrooms are not too small. In my experience." Irina smiled behind the grill.

"Tell me, Irina, is any place too small for you?" Honestly. Judy glanced back at the grill. The woman should write her own manual.

"Not if one is determined. And neither Dave nor you are as tall as Jack and I and if we could manage--"

"I...what? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know."

"Neither do I!" Sydney exclaimed as she walked around her mother to go outside. She wanted to see Arezou again and ask Sark about this piece of information while Vaughn and Weiss were conferring with Nia about the snack food business and checking the sightlines from the roof.

"But I really should convey to you the possibilities. Mother to daughter, our own manual-" Irina teased.

Judy held up her hands. "I certainly don’t need to witness this. I’m too innocent--"

"You’re a coward!" Sydney laughed as Judy smiled and walked away, her curiosity about Arezou and Yasmina obvious.

"Dave..." Judy said softly as she came up, hesitant to interrupt the lively conversation Sark was watching.

"Judy..." Dave smiled down at her. "You must meet Yasmina and Arezou.” He introduced the three women formally, careful to use Judy's title to intrigue Arezou. He added with a smile at mother and daughter, “They are two of the main reasons I am still alive today."

"Ah, you saved him from his own foolishness?" Judy asked slowly, but with a smile of her own as she tapped Dave 's hand holding the cane with a fingertip.

"Ha!" Dave snorted and touched her fingertips with his own.

"Can anyone save a man from his own foolishness?" Yasmina responded, looking from Dave to Judy and back again. How very comfortable they were with each other. This was good. Dave needed a wife. But how old was this Jooo....deee? Too old, perhaps, to give him children. Ach. That was oookay. He had Justin Case.

"I seriously doubt it," Sydney agreed as she walked up.

"I'm sure you do, given just who your boyfriend is," Sark noted. He smiled when Sydney tilted her head back and laughed.

"What..." Vaughn peered down over the roof. "Was Sydney just laughing at something Sark said?"

"Oh brother." Weiss rolled his eyes. "This is so pathetic."

"What's pathetic?"

Weiss used his binoculars to watch Sark and Sydney. Ha. Sark was telling Sydney about Dave and Judy. "It's the oldest ploy in the world, man. And you're falling for it. No, wait. Give me a sec and I'll push you--"

"C'mon. If some guy you hated were flirting with Susan--" Vaughn broke off as Sydney winked at Sark. Damn it.

"He's not flirting!" Weiss exclaimed. Couldn't Vaughn see that Sark and Sydney were like brother and sister? Geez. But no, he couldn't. "You know what. Your problem is that you want something you don't have. So put a ring on her finger. Ask her to marry you. Make a commitment. Reverse that order, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah..." Vaughn nodded and turned around. "C'mon. We need to be on the lookout for rats."

This was most inappropriate. Unrelated men and women in company together. And the blonde woman, that was the word, blonde. An English word, that language Arezou and Yasmina insisted upon practicing. Practicing for what? To become like that woman or that Soroya? Both women were uncovered. A new world, Yasmina said. She kept saying it every time they would look at these skinny boxes with the pictures. So much new... Bah! The old world had been fine for him. And Yasmina and Arezou and the rest. They had been fine. And what was that woman doing now? She was... She was touching Daoud with her fingertips on his hand! Whore, he spat. Whore. At least Daoud knew better, he was removing her hand. Where was Arezou, she should not be seeing this whore acting... No! Allah, what should he do?

Arezou pointed at Judy’s blonde hair and then at her blue eyes. "You are Justin’s mother or no?"

"No." Judy shook her head and sat down gratefully on the bench that encircled the lazily-splashing fountain. It was very hot and dry here. She smiled when Arezou sat down next to her and Sark's eyes followed her movements. "Blonde hair and blue eyes are not uncommon in other parts of the world, Arezou."

"Where is his mother?" Arezou looked over at Sark and tilted her head. What was in his ear, that little...button? It was in Soroya’s ear too.

"Unfortunately both his parents are dead," Judy said softly. Dave had been right; Arezou seemed incapable of going more than a minute without asking questions. Judy smiled inwardly, wondering what query would be next.

"I see. I will pray for them. Now, you. Do you have a family?"

"If you mean, do I have a husband and children, then, no."

"Ah. good. Then you and Dave can be Justin’s parents and everyone will have a family." Arezou nodded. "Uncle Dave loves Justin and Justin loves Uncle Dave and Uncle Dave...." Arezou tilted her head and smiled until a dimple appeared. "I see the way he looks at you. I think he will love you. You - I cannot tell."

"Arezou!" Judy blushed.

"Ah, now I can tell." Arezou smiled again. "You should speak to your father. He can arrange a marriage for you."

At the sound of a muffled snort, Judy’s head snapped around. Sark looked back at her with a blank expression. "Are you eavesdropping?" Judy asked him.

"Of course. How else would I learn the best tidbits of information?" Sark shrugged.

"Your logic is...inescapable." Judy rolled her eyes.

"You do something, Doc...tor Bar...nett?" Arezou asked. She rubbed her fingertips together.

"Do something?" Judy watched Arezou’s fingers. Money, is that what she meant?

Sark interrupted. "Dr. Barnett, I think she means, do you have a job?" Arezou had probably heard tales from Dave and then with the computer at her disposal. Culture shock, but she had only seemed to gain more curiosity from it. A strong young woman.

Judy nodded. "I am a doctor. A healer. As Dave was. In our world he is Doctor Caro. But I am a doctor too. First, for Jack--"

"Jack? He is sick?" Arezou asked, concerned. It would be very bad if Dave lost his brother after waiting for him for so long.

"He is...I am his doctor for..." Judy pointed at her head, then her chest. "His mind and his heart."

Arezou nodded. "Ah. They are connected. If the heart is sick, then the mind will be also. I knew this, but Dave told us about his brother Jack, that his heart and mind were sick for a while. He is better now?" She had heard of his yelling, but had not seen him. That was okay, the yelling. Sometimes she wanted to yell too. It felt good.

"Yes." Judy’s eyes went back and forth between Arezou and Sark. Did she and Dave exchange those little glances? Good lord. No wonder everyone seemed to know that they were...interested in each other.

"But luckily she is kept busy healing the rest of us." Sark took another step forward.

Arezou nodded and turned her back on him, flinging her black hair over her shoulder. Pretending he was invisible, she asked, "But is Justin’s heart sick?"

"He is sad and lonely and...feeling lost." Judy looked over Arezou's head and met Sark's eyes. He looked startled, then nodded before glancing away. He bit his lip, then moved back to listen to Dave, Yasmina, and Sydney talk about reading.

Arezou nodded and looked pensive for a long moment. Then she looked up and smiled. "You wait for me to find the words?"

"I will wait." Judy nodded and relaxed, listening to Sydney suggest some relatively easy books for Yasmina and Arezou.

Arezou dipped her fingers in the bubbling water and flicked them back and forth before finally shaking them. "I was...thinking of how I felt when I came here. So...strange. So many new...things to learn. My father, he was upset. He is upset, still. My mother.... None of us were at home yet. I don’t think my father ever will be. And Daoud - when he was Daoud - in the beginning, he was lost too. So I feel..." Arezou pointed at her head and then her heart, leaving a damp spot on her lightweight outer robe as she looked at Sark. "So I feel like him. A little."

"You understand. That is a good start." Judy smiled. Arezou was so innocently transparent in her interest in Julian.

"I will ask my father to arrange my marriage," Arezou confided. "To Justin."

Judy’s eyes goggled. "Excuse me?"

"What is this... excuse me?"

"It means...I am startled by your words and have trouble understanding them."

"I think it is simple. I want to marry him. He is mine. He needs me."

"He does?" Judy asked, hiding a smile.

"Yes. He is lost. If he cannot find his way, the right way, I will tell him."

Judy grinned. “You know, I think that would be best.”

"Good! I will do what I do best. According to Uncle Dave. I will be bossy. Thank you for speaking with me. Now, please to go away, Miss Doctor. Please?" Arezou looked at Judy and winked as Dave had told her that people in his world did when they had a private joke.

Judy stood up, covering her smile with her hand. Arezou turned to face Sark and smiled. Sark smiled back. Arezou put her hand on the now-vacant seat next to her and patted it. When Sark did not move, she patted it somewhat more ostentatiously and smiled a little brighter. Sark walked toward her.

Judy stood up and moved towards the others. She looked at Dave out of the corner of her eye, then back at Arezou and Sark. That slight smile on his face deepened his smile lines and made her want him to look at her like that. She tentatively reached out and touched his arm, then dropped her hand. He looked down at her and they both sighed. Catching the knowing look in Yasmina’s eyes, she moved toward Sydney. She had never thought of herself as tall until now. She felt like a giant next to Yasmina. Sydney, who was so much taller, still, was stooping down to Yasmina, must as Dave did to talk to her.

Why were all of these women so tall? It could not be natural. Then again, the way they acted was not natural. They talked to men not their husbands or brothers and in ways that were far too familiar. And that one with the yellow hair. The worst of all, leaving that hair uncovered. Blonde hair. And that boy of Daoud’s, Justin Case, with his yellow hair. Arezou was too interested in him, even if he were Daoud’s boy. He rubbed damp hands on his loose pants. What had been wrong with all of the other men he had offered for Arezou? - The men Yasmina had rejected, waiting, she had said. Wait for the right man, she had insisted in that way of hers that pretended to placate but which he saw was merely a cover for the kind of bossiness Arezou did not even both to hide.

“Arezou. You remembered me?” Sark asked, trying not to loom over her as they sat next to each other, but not too close. It would be improper in her culture to be so close. And she was so tiny that... He straightened his shoulders.

Arezou shrugged and tipped her head back to look into his eyes. “It would be hard, no. Diff..i..cult, difficult not to.”

“Difficult? Did you use that word because it was longer?” Sark smiled, glancing toward Jack’s shadowed length in the corner of the courtyard where he stood watching.

“Yes. I like the longer words.” Arezou nodded. He had noticed what she had said. Daoud said she should only marry a man who listened to her words. Her mother had smiled sadly when Daoud had said that and she, she had noticed how often her father ignored her mother’s words and how her mother had to find ways around him. That she did not like. It was illogical. The straight path was shortest, after all. Although...she looked up into Justin’s blue eyes. She would like to look on him longer, so a...what was the word...detour would be fun too.

“Ah, well, then you should spend more time with Dave’s brother, Jack. He too likes the long words.” Sark nodded down at Arezou. She had cleaned up well. Remarkably well. And those eyes of hers...almost black and...the way they looked, so hard, so deeply. She missed nothing, he would bet, just as he would bet she would want to know everything. Her curiosity was fascinating. “Did you know they have a book of longer words? It is called a thesaurus.”

“Really? I would like to see such a book!” Arezou clasped her hands together eagerly. She forced her palms to open and put them in her lap. Perhaps in Justin’s culture, men did not give gifts to women. She bit her lip uncertainly. Seeing him here, this close, so...different, she realized that perhaps she did not know all. But were the ways between men and women different? She had seen that Soraya...Sydney and Justin were trying to make that other, pretty, man jealous. That had worked given the frustrated look on his face she’d as she’d glanced up at the roof before the bigger man, who had looked as though he ate properly, had pulled him away. Justin needed to eat more, she decided.

“I will find you one. I am sure Memsahib Bristow has one in the house or...no. I will give you one of your own.” Sark promised himself that he would. She would probably be more honestly excited by a thesaurus than the women he had known had been over diamonds or drugs.

“I will wait for it. Thank you, Justin...” Arezou moved her gaze from his lips back up to his eyes. His accent was different than Daoud’s, which was different than Doc...tor Judy or Soroya or that other woman, Jack’s wife, whom she had not yet seen. The servants whispered that she was dead.

“My name is Julian, actually,” Sark corrected. He would like to hear her accented voice say his real name. Although...if this lovely young woman with the sharp eyes wanted to call him Justin, he might be persuaded to allow it. He leaned forward.

Arezou smiled and moved slightly away. “I will call you Justin. It sounds same, but is better.”

“My name is Julian.” Sark smiled again and inched forward. Jack was right. Even on this most innocent of levels, there was nothing more fun than the game between a man and a woman.

“I like Justin.” Arezou put her hand down between them on the stone surface of the fountain surround. “Jus...tin... I like the way it sounds on my lips.”

Sark licked his lips and looked down at her hand. So close, but... He felt eyes on him. Arezou’s culture would forbid even the slightest touch. He put his own hand down between them, careful to keep it far enough away that no one could object. He smiled. This game was fun. Fun? Wait...But she was waiting for him. It was his turn to throw the ball back. “But Julian is my real name, Dave just-“

“Ah, of course. You are correct.” Arezou dipped her head and looked down into the water bubbling below. She glanced back up with a sly look. “Justin.”

Sark burst out laughing, then laughed harder when Arezou’s giggle joined his. He looked up startled, to meet Dave’s gaze. Dave nodded at him with a knowing glance and Sark blinked down at Arezou’s delighted face. He smiled slowly. They had shared laughter, about nothing, really. But...it had been something. A moment like he had really only shared with...well, the others here. His...family, now. Is that what this collection of people were? A family?

He watched from the shadows as his youngest raced out to greet Daoud, as if he were her father. He frowned as Yasmina laughed at something the little one said, her face tipped back. Her face, which should not be seen by the others. He growled. This compound was full of immodesty. There was only one who had a proper sense of modesty. The short one who stayed covered and in the dark corners, scurrying out of the way whenever anyone approached or lately, when that Jack yelled at her to go to her place. As was proper. After losing his wife a second time, Jack must have learned the importance of keeping a wife in her place. That new wife, he had never seen her face or her arm. As was proper. Now that one. That one was a proper wife. Lucky man who had her. Unlike...Yasmina, who was uncovered. Again. And talking to Daoud. Daoud. He had never thought to see him again. Daoud. Who was David. A name from the infidel's book. David. Who was much taller than he had remembered. Then again, he had not seen him standing straight very often. Lying flat or sitting, he had been much shorter. This Daoud, taller and heavier, was a surprise. He was very tired of surprises. He liked his old life, where everything was the same except the sand that moved constantly.

"Damn it!" Arvin swore as his tires skidded on the sand whipping across the poor excuse for a road. He braked abruptly and drove the jeep into a ditch. He slid out of the jeep and began to make his way along the edge of the road. He was almost out of gas and leeway in making his approach anyway. Querencia lay ahead. The locals had been helpful when he’d told them he was selling goods. Apparently Irina often had foreigners visiting, ‘selling’ goods. They had given him directions, told him the name of the estate. Querencia. Italian. Laura had always loved when Jack had spoken Italian. He remembered. But safe haven? What a joke. What had that woman been thinking? Had she honestly believed that this estate of hers would be her and Jack’s retirement haven? Did Jack remember that had been their plans, his and Laura’s? Or was he so lost in grief that he could remember none of that? What memories could he use, if necessary, to obtain access to Emily? He heard the sound of hooves and crouched down. Carefully touching his gun, he peered over the embankment. Just a local, turban and horse in place. Damn backward backwater, he fumed, waiting until the man and horse walked slowly - so damn slowly - around the bend before starting forward. The man and horse stopped immediately and the man pulled out a high tech communicator unit.

"What is that look on your face?" Jack asked, leaning toward Irina as they both stood in the shadows. Regardless of the dim lighting, he recognized it from decades before. Some things truly did not change and his wife's possessiveness remained the same, regardless of her name.

"What look?" Irina prevaricated, glad the darkness hid her anticipation at the game they were about to play.

"Relief. You’re looking at Dave and Judy and for reasons that elude me, you look relieved."

Irina shrugged and said nothing. Jack's bland tone of voice presaged a spate of teasing. She knew that. She had known that thirty years before. He really should devise a new m.o.

"Are you relieved that Dave seems to have found someone? Or...are you relieved that Judy seems to have found someone? Now, why would that-"

Irina shrugged nonchalantly. She wasn’t truly possessive, after all. Not any more. "I’m happy to see that Judy might have found an appropriate person. She deserves someone special. Do you agree?"

"So she does." Jack crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed against the wall, his eyes scanning the area for any possible trouble.

"Well, then you agree."

"Of course. She’s a special person." 1, 2, 3...

"She’s a..." Irina vowed she would not grind her teeth. "You admire her."

"Yes, I do. She has many admirable qualities or else I wouldn’t have applauded when the kids pushed her and Dave together before I could do it. But she’s my therapist." Jack smiled hopefully and reached a hand out to tug on Irina's hair.

Irina sniffed. As if that sop to her possessiveness was going to work. She dropped her voice and deepened her accent. "The two of you have a wonderful rapport."

Rapport? In that accent of hers, Jack would like to have some rapport on a couch with his wife. Then again, the wall was right there. Propinquity counted for...What would her accent do to that word? How could he get her to say it? Hmm. He shrugged, unable to think of a way at the moment. "Rapport? I hope so, given that she’s my therapist."

"She’s...attractive. If you like that type."

"She’s a blonde. And she’s my therapist." Jack grinned. If they didn't have time for sex, they had time to tease each other in other ways.

"I know that," Irina said irritably. Then she sighed, blowing her breath upward to loosen the damp strands of hair sticking to her forehead. Even in the interior darkness, it was warm.

Jack picked up his wife’s hand and kissed the palm, before giving her a glance and flicking his tongue across it. "We can irritate you because you’ve allowed us to know you well enough to know how to press your buttons. You allow that because you enjoy the teasing that results or you wouldn’t have done so. Just as you know us-" He licked between her fingers.

"I do not-" Irina protested absently and tried to pull her hand away. That tickle of his tongue was almost indecent...

Jack laughed and dropped her hand. "Give me a break. How about when you came back?" he asked lightly. Didn't she know?

"From where?" Irina asked curiously. What was he talking about? Wait. Jack often revealed important truths in little moments. Often after they’d made love, but then again, for Jack the teasing was just another way to make love.

"Out there. When you were in that cell, with that...attitude."

"What?" Irina asked calmly, although her heart had begun to race. What was Jack going to reveal? If she were careful, that was.

"That damn arrogant placidity on your face, spewing that...shit about how I’d once been a warm and loving man, but that had all changed," Jack griped, then pulled back. He hadn’t meant to show any anger, but... Great, now she looked pleased. There was something slightly twisted about her enjoyment of his anger, he decided as he scanned her and noted the flush to her cheeks. He would not look down at her chest, he would not...

"Yes. I did gain a direct hit from that tactic, didn’t I?" Irina licked her lower lip and watched Jack watch her, his eyes changing like quicksilver from muted anger to muted desire.

"I didn’t know whether to strangle you or throw you up against that glass wall and..." Jack grabbed Irina by the waist and pushed her backwards, trapping her between him and the wall.

Irina ran her fingertips down the front of Jack’s shirt, looking over his shoulder. Time was up. Too bad. "And you wonder why I want to make you angry?"

"Keep trying." Jack picked up Irina’s hand and kissed her palm again. He had heard the soft footsteps too. "I find myself amused at your attempts."

“Amused? That is not the result I wanted...” Irina began to move her hand down toward Jack’s belt buckle.

Nia cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I’ve spoken with my-"

"Some relative," Jack interrupted, turning around. "Sorry, Nia, but we probably don’t have time for the recitation of your family tree."

"You’ve obviously mistaken me for my father." Nia smiled. "In any case, I’ve spoken with one of my cousins. The one going up and down the road all day. The target is moving within range and should be here within the fifteen minutes."

"Ah." Jack looked at Irina and smiled grimly.

Irina touched Jack’s cheek. “Well, my sweet prince. ‘The play’s the thing, in which we’ll capture’-“

“The rat king.” Jack nodded and spoke into his communicator. “Places, everyone.”

TGC at Chapter 2015: Part 2