Topic: All Hail The Returning Idiot

Dominic Granger

Date: 2015-05-04 07:53 EST
The sound of the panic alarm going off in Maple Grove Manor was usually a sign that someone had arrived in the panic room below and not managed to reach the button to turn it off in time. Most of the time, it meant that person - that cousin - was either injured, or it was their first trip to the panic room in the first place. Either way, it got the same reaction every time. This time, it was Jon who hurried down into the basement, leaving Vicki to collect the children, hurrying herself toward the study to leave them in Humphrey's hands. It might only be a false alarm, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Elle followed suit, herding Daisy into the study with the other children. There was no time for questions right now, though she assured her daughter everything was fine and that she'd explain later. Once the children were safely settled, Elle let Vicki see the worry in her eyes. She had no way of knowing for sure just yet, but she had a bad feeling about that alarm and had a pretty good idea who it was that might have just arrived in the panic room below them. "It's Dom," she told the other woman, as matter-of-factly as if she was sharing the time of day.

Leaving the children with Humphrey was easy enough; the Old Man knew his job was to keep them entertained until whatever was going on below was sorted out, and he had Cosmo to help him. Vicki smiled as she drew the study door closed, meeting Elle's eyes with the same concern. "I think you may be right," she agreed with a nod. "Come on, Jon might need a hand." That, and Vicki wasn't about to tell Elle that she couldn't come downstairs and see what a mess Dominic had gotten himself into. Whatever was going on there, the redhead had a feeling he was going to get yelled at when he was ready for it.

"Idiot," Elle muttered under her breath. They'd been over it a few times since he'd brought her here to Maple Grove, and while she appreciated what he was doing for her, she was afraid he might have vastly underestimated the danger he was involving himself in. This wasn't a movie - he wasn't Indiana Jones, and she wasn't Marion Ravenwood or any of his love interests, for that matter, though she certainly wouldn't deny the attraction, however one-sided it might be. "If he's not dead already, I'm going to kill him myself."

"He's a Granger, of course he's an idiot," Vicki agreed quietly. The only reason she could say this was because of Jon's vampire hunt when they had first got together, something she didn't often allude to these days. She lead the way down into the basement, toward the panic room. "Just ....don't yell at him until he's feeling better, okay' They don't deal well with being told off when they're not feeling very well."

Elle arched a slender brow at the other woman, who she was slowly starting to trust. It had been a long time since there had been anyone she considered a friend, but over the last week or so, she had allowed herself to open up enough to trust these people who had taken herself and her daughter into their home, hoping that trust had not been misplaced. The fact that they were both English didn't hurt their chances of friendship. "He better hope he's feeling better bloody well soon, then." Though on the outside, she appeared calm, albeit worried, on the inside, Elle felt the tension coil up inside her like a tightly-wound spring.

"Easy." Vicki laid a hand on the other woman's arm gently. "He wouldn't have done any of this if he didn't feel something for you. Try not to let being angry overwhelm that." It was easier said than done, as she knew perfectly well herself, but it bore repeating. Pushing open the door, the redhead sighed at what was waiting for them. Dom was a bloodied mess, emerald shards sticking out of his swollen cheek, clearly unconscious after a severe beating.

Elle frowned back at the other woman, taking her advice to heart, her guard lowering enough that her expression softened and Vicki could see the concern in her eyes. She didn't want the other woman to know that she was starting to have feelings for the man who had insisted on white knighting her, despite all his claims to the contrary, though she truly wondered if it was for her sake or for Daisy's. She knew Vicki well enough to not have to explain that she was only angry because of her concern for Dominic. The truth was she wasn't sure what she'd do if something bad had happened to him because of her. Thankfully, she couldn't yet see past Vicki to the bloody mess that was Dom just beyond the doorway.

"Bloody hell ..." Vicki sighed, stepping smartly into the room to move over to the console, slapping the button that would switch off the alarm. "Did you call for the healer, love?" she asked her husband. It was unnerving, to see Dom so still and bloodied, but a relief, too, that he was breathing enough to make the blood bubble at his lips. She glanced back to Elle, more concerned about her than about a beating that was easily healed right.

Jon was bent over his cousin, administering to him as well as he could, not nearly as covered in blood as Dom was. Though from the looks of it, Dom seemed in a bad way, Jon hadn't been able to find any major injuries, but then, he couldn't be too sure whether his cousin had suffered any internal injuries that weren't obvious to his untrained eye. "She's on her way," Jon confirmed without looking up at his wife. He was busy staunching the flow of blood from the more serious-looking wounds, but without the proper training or equipment, there wasn't much more he could do. "It looks worse than it is, I think, but I can't be sure," he said, more for Elle's benefit than Vicki's.

Elle's face had blanched, drained of color so that she looked nearly as pale as the wounded man. "Oh, Dom," she whispered quietly, almost forgetting she wasn't alone, blinking back the sting of tears before they got the best of her. "What have you done, you stupid man?" She resisted the urge to rush to his side and gather him into her arms, afraid she'd only hinder the first aid needed to save him. He was certainly going to get a dressing down, if he survived.

"Here." Vicki tossed Elle the med kit - she knew exactly what it was like to see a man you could easily fall in love with wounded and unable to fend for himself. Having something to busy her hands would help, at least a little. As for Vicki herself, she moved to help support Dom as he coughed, his head lolling a little. "He looks like he didn't even try to defend himself."

"Of course, he didn't," Jon remarked, as he pressed a bloodied cloth to a particularly nasty-looking cut on his cousin's cheek. "He gambled on the ring bringing him here before things got out of hand." It was obvious enough to Jon that whatever it was Dom had done, he'd had it all well-planned out in advance, but Jon also knew the best-laid plans had a way of going awry. He lifted his head to meet Vicki's gaze, as if to exchange unspoken words. "He was lucky."

"Like hell," a female voice with an English lilt broke in, catching the med kit and going straight to work. "He was stupid. Brave, I'll give him that, but stupid and stubborn." She didn't mean stupid in the way that Dom hadn't used his head or planned well, but stupid in that he had taken such a huge chance with his own life all because of her. He had once told her that he wasn't a white knight, but despite that claim, here he was bleeding all over the place, simply because he'd had to be the hero. Her hero, though she couldn't deny he might have done it in part for himself. They'd been after him, too, because of his connection to her. "Stupid, bloody man," she murmured under her breath as she went to work on him. She said nothing more, mostly for Jon and Vicki's sake, but the anger was slowly fading, replaced with something that left her feeling far too vulnerable for comfort.

Vicki met Jon's gaze, understanding what he said as much as what Elle wasn't saying. There was a certain amount of humor in her eyes as she looked at her husband, though - they'd both seen worse than this and knew the victim had survived. So they both knew Maple Grove was going to ring with furious words in a few hours, when Dom was healed and awake again. The redhead bit her lip to hold down the smile, not wanting to offend Elle with her amusement, glancing up as Rebecca, the familiar healer who always seemed to end up being called out to the Grove, stuck her head around the door.

"Well now, doesn't he look a state?" she commented, moving inside to join them. "I hope you've got a bed somewhere for him, he'll be sleeping this off for a while."

Dominic Granger

Date: 2015-05-04 07:54 EST
She wasn't falling in love with him, Elle told herself. There was no way she was going to let herself fall in love with him. What she was feeling was just gratitude, she tried to tell herself. That's all it was. She couldn't deny she was physically attracted to him. What red-blooded straight female wouldn't be? But that was all it was. Gratitude and an understandable amount of sexual tension. If he got out of this alive, he'd be lucky to get a slap from her, rather than be rewarded with a kiss. Hazel green eyes flashed a look at the healer, almost possessively, despite her conflicted feelings. She was busily picking emerald shards from his face, while Jon helped to stanch the blood.

Realizing who the newcomer must be, her look softened, and she found herself asking a question that surprised even her. "Will he be all right' He won't scar, will he?" she asked, surprised to find herself actually concerned for him, her heart aching to think he might suffer some permanent injury because of her.

Rebecca smiled reassuringly, taking Vicki's place as the redhead eased out of the way. Practiced fingers skimmed over Dom's chest and stomach, tendrils of magic diagnosing what she found. "Well, it seems as though whoever was hitting him didn't hit hard enough," she assured Elle, knowing Jon and Vicki would accept whatever she said. She'd patched them up often enough, after all. "He'll be fine. A little achy, and definitely in need of a sleep, but the worst is easily dealt with." Underscoring her words, she laid her hand on the only unblemished skin she could find, closing her eyes to concentrate on the wounds Dom bore, both seen and unseen.

Though reluctant to let the other woman so much as touch him - another feeling that surprised her - Elle relented, reminding herself that this woman was a healer - the equivalent of a doctor in her own world. "Oh, trust me, he hasn't seen the worst of it yet," she remarked with a wry smile. So long as he was going to live, she thought she'd like nothing better than to make his life miserable for at least five minutes upon his wakening. Elle let her hands drop to her lap, content to let the healer do her job without her interference, but found her hand creeping close to tangle her fingers with the unconscious man's.

Jon, too, backed away to make room for the healer, exchanging a knowing glance with his wife. He was astute enough to see what was going on between Dom and Elle, even if they couldn't see it themselves, just yet.

Leaning into Jon, Vicki didn't even try to hide her smile this time, murmuring a promise to let him tell Humphrey only if she could watch the reaction. As Rebecca seemed to slip into something deeper than a trance, slowly the swelling that marred Dom's face and limbs began to recede. The dull crack of ribs setting themselves right once again made him jerk, a low groan of pain escaping his lips as he grimaced at the unexpected sharpness.

As the color flushed back through his skin, his fingers curled about Elle's unconsciously, holding onto the delicate hand he'd come home battered and bruised for in the first place. With a rasping breath, he raised up, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the cold floor as he coughed. "Bloody hell ..."

"You can say that again," Elle murmured at Dom's remark, watching with wonder as he was healed of his wounds right before her eyes. She imagined something similar must have happened to her at the hands of the healer when she'd broken the coin in half to end up in the panic room herself, not more than a few weeks ago, a bullet wound in her shoulder. She hadn't thought much about it when she'd awoken, too busy worrying about her daughter's safety, rather than her own, but it struck her in that moment that this was something the two of them might have in common - the courage and willingness to put their own lives at risk in order to protect those who they cared for, but did he really care for her or was he only doing what he thought he must because it was the right thing to do' Whatever his motivation, she felt a flood of relief that he was going to be all right, and despite herself, her fingers remained tangled with his, perhaps even tightening their grip a little.

"Easy now ..." Rebecca helped to ease Dom up onto his knees, letting him sway there as Vicki moved to help her onto her feet.

The big man swallowed what was in his mouth, making a face at the copper tang of blood that no doubt stained his teeth, gingerly opening his eyes. "Elle ..." Despite his own newly healed wounds, he could move startlingly fast, his own relief at having done what he set out to do palpable in the way he reached for her. One arm wrapped about Elle's waist, pulling her in close as he buried his face against her neck. "You're safe," he promised her. "You're both safe."

Jon moved to help wherever he was needed, first to Dom, then to Rebecca, staying as close as possible to Dom, in case the man decided to collapse, judging Elle was likely to go down with him.

"Of course, we're safe, you stupid man," Elle replied, reprimanded him gently. She was far too concerned for him to be angry just yet, though the anger would likely return later, when she was sure he was well and wholly healed. Her heart wrenched inside her as he wrapped an arm about her waist, though she was unsure if it was only because he was so unsteady on his feet. She felt his breath on her neck, and instinctively curled her arms around him to hold him close. "You are the stupidest, stubbornest man I have ever met, and I'm not sure if I should kiss you or kill you," she told him, turning her head so that she could whisper into his his, her words meant for him alone.

Whatever else the embrace was for, it wasn't for keeping him on his feet. He didn't lean even an ounce of his weight into her, even as he held her close, pressing a long, warm kiss to her neck. "Decide later," he told her with a flicker of a wry grin. "I need a shower."

"You need to sleep, that's what you need," Vicki pointed out, laughing as Dom removed one arm from Elle to gesture toward Jon.

"Carry me to bed, Jonny, and I promise I won't come downstairs naked until after the children are asleep."

Elle wasn't quite sure what to make of the kiss, unsure if it was merely his state of mind that had made him do it or if it was something more. Though she wondered at it, she didn't remark on it just yet or argue about it, knowing what he needed right now was to rest. "I'd offer to give you a bath, but I think you'd enjoy it too much," she said with the faintest of smiles, letting him make of the threat what he would.

"I've had better offers," Jon teased, relieved Dom was feeling well enough to show his sense of humor. He grunted a little as he slid an arm around his cousin to take some of his weight. "If you try to kiss me goodnight, I'm going to slug you," he warned with a grin.

"Stud muffin, if you slug him, I refuse to hold Daisy back when she unmans you for it," Vicki told her husband affectionately, one arm wrapped around Rebecca's back as she supported the healer. The redhead nodded to Elle, encouraging her to go with Jon and Dom. "Should I let Daisy come and find you, or hold her back for a while?"

"No, I'd rather she didn't ..." Elle started, biting her tongue before she said too much. "Leave her be for now. I'll fetch her later," she said. There was no point in worrying the child, who she knew had become alarmingly fond of Dom. Like mother, like daughter, she thought with a sigh. What the hell was she afraid of, then" That she wasn't good enough for him, perhaps, or that he'd only hurt her, like others had in the past. "You don't mind, do you, Vicki? She's very fond of Humphrey and the children."

Dominic Granger

Date: 2015-05-04 07:55 EST
"Of course we don't mind," Vicki promised the woman, gesturing for her to follow as Jon and Dom made their unsteady way up the stairs. "She's a sweetheart, and just as susceptible to Frozen as my two are." She chuckled, guiding Rebecca with her. "Take your time, Elle. Nothing's going to go wrong from this point onward."

"I've tried to give her a good childhood," Elle explained, her sight growing hazy with unshed tears as she fell into step with the others to tread back up the stairs. She felt heartsick every time she thought of everything her daughter had had to endure because of her, and now someone else had been hurt, too, though Dom had made the choice to put himself in harm's way. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but not until he was well enough to do it without falling over. "You're too kind, Vicki," she told the other woman, wondering if she was a little naive, as well. She was not yet quite as convinced of her own safety and freedom as the other three seemed to be.

"No, I'm not," Vicki told her gently. "I'm your friend." She took a hand from Rebecca to squeeze Elle's shoulder in warm solidarity. "No second thoughts, okay' Daisy's safe, and she's in good hands, never more than a minute or two away from you. Dom's an idiot, but he's safe, and he'll be snoring soon enough. And you're safe, whether you believe it or not. We won't let anyone hurt you, or your daughter."

The blur of tears came again to her eyes, touched at the kindness of what were until only a few weeks past strangers. There was nothing more she could say to express her gratitude that she hadn't said already, and for a moment, she didn't trust her voice to speak, wishing she was brave enough to say what was in her heart. "I'd like to stay with him, if you don't mind. Just so I can be there to give him a lecture when he wakes up," she added, as if she needed a good excuse to remain by Dominic's side. Ahead of the two women, Jon was leading Dom to a guest room, where he'd be more than comfortable for as long as was needed.

"Stay as long as you like," Vicki assured her gently. "I'm sure no one will mind, least of all him. He'll be right as rain once he's slept a little - healing takes it out of you." She chuckled, glancing at the healer herself, who was leaning heavily on the redhead. "Go on, go and shoo Jon out of there. If you're not seen by dinner, we'll send something up for you."

There was a thump from inside the guestroom, accompanied by a groaning laugh that could only be from Dom. "Trying to have your way with me, Jonny?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dom, but you're not my type," Jon was overheard to remark, his type being female. Oh, there might have been a time when he'd swung either way, but those days were over and long forgotten, at least by him.

"Thank you, Vicki," Elle said with a smile and a rare hint of warm affection in her green eyes. "If you hear shouting later, don't worry. I promise to leave him in one piece," she added with the flicker of a playful sparkle in her eyes, despite the circumstances.

"If it stops suddenly, I'll know better than to come charging in with a crowbar to get you apart," the redhead grinned back to her, her own eyes sparkling with affectionate amusement. "Go on, shoo." She waved toward the room, turning aside to deliver Rebecca to a guest room of her own.

Elle joined the two men in the guest room just as Jon was getting Dom settled. Upon seeing her, he straightened and started toward the door to exchange places. "Call if you need anything. We're right down the hall," he promised, assuming Vicki had already given her these same instructions or something close to it. "He'll be all right," he added, as he reached the door. "Try not to worry." And with that said, Jon stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him, leaving Elle alone with her rescuer.

A rescuer who was sprawled on the bed, his boots left on the floor, already half-asleep. Dom heaved in a great sigh of breath, rolling onto his side as his eyes opened to gaze owlishly at Elle. His fingers twitched toward her. "Come here, Belle," he murmured to her. "I promise you're safe."

Left alone with him, she felt suddenly as awkward as a schoolgirl on her first date, though she had never been any such thing, nor knew what such a thing must feel like. What was it about him that made her equally nervous and at ease at the very same time" She arched a brow at the nickname he seemed to have bestowed on her, frowning as he insisted on assuring her safety for the second or third time. "You're drunk on magic," she remarked as she came closer, taking his hand between her own, despite her annoyance with him.

"Probably," he agreed with a smile on his lips. He looked down at her hand in his, stroking her long fingers for a moment, and quite suddenly tugged, fully intending to have her sprawl on the bed with him. He'd been through hell to make sure she was safe; he was going to see to the future of that safety personally, even if she castrated him in an attempt to stop it.

It would take more than a tug of her hand to get her into bed with him, if that's what he wanted. She needed to make sure of his intentions first and make sure it wasn't only the after-effects of the magic that was causing it, like a drunken schoolboy after the prom. The tug of her hand did, however, bring her closer - close enough that she suddenly hovering over him, her eyes meeting his. "You're an idiot," she told him, reaching to sweep her fingers through his hair, her words contradicting the gentleness of her touch.

"Yes, I am," he agreed, grinning up at her. It wasn't that he was going to press an advantage - he just wanted her where he could see and touch her, know perfectly well that she was safe. "Where's Daisy?" he asked suddenly, his smile melting into a worried frown. "She didn't see, did she?"

She felt an almost overwhelming temptation to kiss him, and yet she resisted that temptation, but whether it was for her sake or his, she wasn't sure. She frowned a little at the mention of Daisy, touched by his concern for her daughter and once again convincing herself that all of this was for her daughter, not herself. The realization of that wounded her far more than she'd ever admit, though she understood it. He had been deprived of a child, after all, and was likely to be still in love with his late wife. Despite her own feelings, she could not very well deny him that small happiness. "No, she's fine. She's in the study with the other children," she said, assuring him without quite realizing it that they were to be left alone for at least a little while. "You should rest," she said, settling herself beside him on the bed and finding herself reluctant to leave his side for the time being.

He relaxed, glad the little girl hadn't seen the mess he'd been in when he'd landed in the basement. "She'll be fine, then," he nodded. He had faith in his cousin's little family to look after Daisy better than most. As Elle settled beside him, his arm wrapped about her waist once again, pulling her close as he buried his face in her hair. "Thought I wouldn't get to do this," he admitted in a low mutter. "Good luck making me let go."

She was surprised once again, not only because he was pulling her close, but by the strength in his grip, despite his being half-drunk with residual magic. She was convinced it was the magic that was making him both say and do these things, though she couldn't be sure. If there was something between them, she wanted him awake and aware of his actions so that he couldn't deny them or make excuses for himself later. "Dominic," she started, frowning as she laid a hand against his chest and made a meager effort to pull herself away at least far enough that they could look each other in the eyes. "You really should rest before you say or do something you're going to regret," she warned him.

Dominic Granger

Date: 2015-05-04 07:56 EST
"I won't do anything you don't agree to," he murmured, blinking his eyes open to look at her. There was a haunted concern there, not for some ghost of his wife, but for the woman he was holding. "Belle, just ....just let me hold you, for a while" Please. I need to know you're safe and well."

She noticed the haunted look in his eyes and mistook it for something else. She wasn't Gwen; she couldn't replace Gwen; she could never be Gwen. Was it his wife that he longed for, or was there something in his eyes that told her otherwise" "I'm safe and well," she assured him gently. At least, for now. "Honestly, Dom, I don't know what to say. For a man who claims he's no white knight, you certainly know how to play the hero." Her hand still against his chest, her fingers curled into his shirt, the blood of his wounds still staining his clothes, though those wounds were no longer life-threatening.

He sighed softly, the hand not at her back rising to gently tease her hair from her eyes. "A white knight does what he does because it's the right thing to do, and no more," he said quietly, struggling to stay awake a little longer, needing her to understand this one thing. "That isn't why I did this. I did this because I want you to be safe; because I want to see you happy and healthy, in the life you deserve." Only the intoxication of the magic could have induced him to add in all truthfulness, "Because I want to be a part of that life, your life."

That slender brow of hers arched upwards once again, unsure the weariness in him was loosening his tongue enough that he was speaking his mind or he was so delirious he didn't know what he was saying. "You're mad, you know," she told him, finding she was enjoying his touch far more than she cared to admit. "You know nothing about me," she added, though that wasn't quite true. She had told him a little, enough to put him off about her, or so she'd thought. I'm not good enough for you, she thought to herself, not for the first time.

How could he judge what she deserved when he hardly knew her" But what about Daisy' What did Daisy want' What did Daisy deserve" She touched his cheek with gentle fingers, where she had only a short time ago been digging shards of emerald from his face, her bloodstained fingers proof that it had been real. "Go to sleep now," she whispered, leaning close to brush a kiss against that same cheek. "There will be time to talk when you wake up," she assured him, though she doubted he'd be quite so willing to tell her his heart when he was fully sober.

He nodded slowly, drawing her close enough that he could smell her on every breath. Her, not Gwen's ghost; he'd made his peace with Gwen a long time ago. "I know enough," he murmured to her, lips brushing against her temple as he wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to stay. But I'd like you to." His breath rushed against her hair in a warm yawning sigh as he relaxed, drawn down into sleep with her tucked into his arms. Where she belonged.

What could she possibly say to that' Drawn into his arms, into an embrace she wished would never end, she didn't have the heart to tell him no, nor in truth did she want to. She might not yet believe this was where she belonged, but deep in her heart she knew it was where she wanted to be. "I'll stay," she assured him, studying him silently as he surrendered to sleep. They had both lost so much, and yet, here they were being given a second chance, if only they could find the courage to trust in each other and to take a leap of faith. Or perhaps it wasn't even a leap this time. Perhaps all they needed was ....faith.

((Tough little bird, isn't she? Many, many thanks to my awesome writing partner!))