Not What You Expected

In My Own Little Corner, In My Own Little Chair

Amy wasn't sure when she'd fallenasleep, she hadn't even realized she had until she felt a foot nudgeher leg and heard a sharp voice telling her, "If you drool on mycouch I will make you sleep on the floor." She blinked her eyesopen, disoriented at first as she took in the unfamiliarsurroundings, but then she remembered where she was, and and withwhom.

"I was barely even asleep," shegrumbled squinting up at Francisco, "and if you think you can makeme sleep on the floor you've got another thing coming asshole," Shestruggled to sit upright, her injuries making her body feel stiff andclumsy.

Francisco rolled his eyes at herretort, "Yes yes, I'm sure you'll try to strangle me again orsomething equally as juvenile," he said, "in the meantime get up,you're not sleeping here,"

Amy remained seated, "If I'm notsleeping here, then where the fuc-"

"I didn't say speak, I said getup," Francisco cut her off, "if you do as you're told you won'thave to ask stupid questions like you were about to, now on your feetbefore I actually do decide to have you sleep on the floor,"

Amy snarled at him, jumping to astanding position, which she immediately regret doing as her bodyradiated with pain. But she grit her teeth and kept her remarks toherself, merely asking "What now?" in a hoarse pained voice.

Francisco didn't say anything,instead he turned and began walking towards a door that Amy hadassumed to be a closet on first glance. He produced a pair of keysfrom his pocket and unlocked the door, which led to a small narrowhallway, the end of which dark with shadows. Without pause he wenton, the sound of keys jangling on the other end as he unlockedanother door, then there was a soft 'click' and light flooded thelittle hallway from the other side. Amy stood in the doorway peeringacross at the other with apprehensive eyes, it wasn't until she heardFrancisco's voice snap at her, "Come here will you?" that sheshuffled through the small space into what looked like anotherapartment altogether.

"What is thi-" Amy started.

"I own the entire floor,"Francisco cut her off again, "this was originally a guest suite toaccompany my apartment, but I had no use for it so I intended to turnit into a closet or something, but seeing as how I now have a 'guest'to put up with, I'm making use of it," he gestured around to thepre-furnished space, "all of the furniture in here technicallybelongs to the building, but nobody has come to take it so do with itwhat you will, as for a your sleeping arrangements, there is adisassembled bed over by the windows that you'll have to sort out onyour own if you want to use it, otherwise I can have Puckett comeretrieve it in the morning," he handed her one of the keys from hisset, "this key will open your door only, so if you're feelingparticularly tempestuous go on and lock the door, but I will bekeeping a spare, and you will not be getting a key to the door on myend, so if I become bothered by you I can lock you out of my sight,any questions?"

Amy looked around at the space shehad just been given, then back at the man who had given it to her,and the only thing she could think to ask was "Does this suite getwifi?"

Francisco blinked at her for amoment, his fist clenching around the keys in his hand "I'm lockingyou in for the night, so best make yourself comfortable, I'll comeback when I've figured out what to do with you,"

He turned to go, but Amy called backto him "Why?"

"Why what?" Francisco askedwithout turning around, "why am I locking you in? Because youirritate me-"

"Why are you giving this to me?"Amy said, cutting him off this time.

At this Francisco paused, placinghis hand against the door frame he turned his head to glance at herover his shoulder, "I'm not giving you anything Warren, I'm puttingyou here for safe keeping. We may have led Puckett to believe we'rehaving intimate relations, but I'm not the type of man known to enjoydomesticity, not to mention the fact that if Zoom should send one ofhis dogs to my door I don't want you're scent in my home, plausibledeniability and all that," faced the hallway once more as he added,"now get some rest, or don't, I couldn't care less," and withthat he was gone, the sound of a lock sliding into place as the doorshut on the other side.

Amy sighed and looked around herselfagain, there was a sofa and a chair, a small coffee table and abookshelf, but aside from those few items and the bed parts by thelarge wall of windows the place was empty, the walls a bland lifelesswhite to match the black furniture. "At least you don't have to beclose to him the whole time," she told herself, and with anothersigh she headed for the bed, hoping it wouldn't be too hard toassemble.

On the other side, in his own room,Francisco sat on his bed and stared at the wall, the one he knew hisroom shared with the one he'd put Amy in. 'You're a foolFrancisco, she's either going to kill you or get you killed, andyou're keeping her next door like a little pet, idiot' thevoice in his head hissed to him, making his hair stand on end,'Stupid little Francisco, nothing but a little pet himself,under Zoom's thumb, following orders, but won't master be angry whenhe finds out what you've done, hmmn?'

"He's not going to find out," he muttered, his eyes unfocused ashe argued with his subconscious.

'Oh but he will, Zoom always finds out, Zoom always knows,'

"Well he hasn't shown up yet, so clearly he doesn't knoweverything,"

'You're willing to take that chance? Willing to wait until hecomes for you?'

"If he comes for me,"

'And what will you do then? Have your little pet protect you? Shecan't even make a spark, she's useless to you,'

"I can teach her, show her how to harness her powers here,"

'And why should she listen to you? She doesn't even like you, whatmakes you think she wants you to teach her anything?'

"She will," He blinked his eyes then, focusing them again as hestood up, "she will learn from me, she doesn't have a choice," hedeclared. He stripped down and got under the covers, stealing onemore glance at the shared wall before settling in to go to sleep. Hehad a long day ahead of him tomorrow, starting with convincing her tolisten to him instead of running her mouth, but he would teach her touse her gifts in the end, he had to.