He Stole My Cab (Benedict Cumberbatch Fanfiction)

Chapter Fifty Two

Feathers from the strewn pillows fluttered down all around me and I felt too hot. Far too hot. My eyelids took a long time to reopen after each blink and my brain felt sluggish and slow. The curtains flew in the wind from the now shattered window. The ends of the curtains were tinged black and burnt, no longer neatly cut but frayed and dishevelled. My legs were too heavy to move and throbbing uncontrollably, in fact I couldn’t feel them at all. Panic began to serge through my body, trying in vain to wake up my sleepy brain, to get me to stand up and move, do something! I turned my head to the side and felt something crunch against my cheek followed by the warm trickle of blood. Glass shards littered the floor, mixed with broken wood and ornaments. My hearing slowly returned but muffled and subdued as my head began to feel heavy, strong fumes clouding my already foggy head. Turning my head to the other side I sore a body, only feet away from my own, with an arm outstretched towards me. As I trailed my eyes up the arm I saw something that made my stomach turn, knotting itself and pulling tight. An ever-growing pool of blood surrounds the body, as if they were swimming in the deep, crimson liquid. I had never had a problem with gore or blood but I guess that changes when it belongs to someone who saved your life.

2 Hours Earlier

“Good morning” I muttered sleepily, stretching my arms wide and traipsing one arm around Benedict, cuddling up against his bare side. “Morning?” He laughed, kissing my forehead and putting down the morning paper “I think you mean afternoon, my love” As he looked down at me his glasses slipped to the end of his nose. Looking over his shoulder I saw that he was right as it was approaching 1 O’clock. “I don’t think I have slept that long in a long time”

“Well you did have an exhausting evening” he said, trailing a hand over my thigh causing my cheeks to blush as heat spread throughout my body.

Too busy thinking of lasts night’s activities to think of a witty response I just giggled into his side until I caught sight of the deer stalker on the bed post causing me to erupt in laughter. He followed my eyes and soon was joining in with me, he beautiful deep laughter filling the room and my heart.

“Breakfast?” I asked, beginning to climb out of the bed but before I could make it very far I was pinned beneath Benedict, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine, I could feel as each hair stood to attention waiting, longing, for his touch. His lips were soft and gentle against mine, the kind of kiss that makes you smile and keep smiling for the rest of the day, warming your very soul. As he pulled back, his nose touching mine, I couldn’t help but take a second to stare into his eyes with their magical golden flecks and the whole beauty of him, the situation, us was just overwhelming. His bushy brows pulled together slightly as he noticed my eyes beginning to glaze over and I just smiled up at him and relished in the way that my smile made him smile, and that was all I needed.

Leaning against the kitchen counter I hugged the coffee mug close to my chest as the air had a crisp coldness to it (That and the fact I was only wearing one of Benedict’s t shirts) How he wasn’t cold, only in his boxers, I had no idea but hey I wasn’t complaining. He whistled to himself as he served up the full English breakfast, the smell of crackling bacon and deep, roast coffee filling the room. We sat in silence as we ate and it gave me a chance to think. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, quite the opposite. Benedict was reading a script and I respected him and his profession enough to know that he needed the time to think and I enjoyed just taking it all in. It’s amazing all the subconscious habits people have. People watching was always one of my favourite things to do and its surreal how much more enjoyable it is when you notice things about someone you thought you knew all about. As I watched Ben I realised how he moved his lips ever so slightly as he read the script and would re-read certain bits after shaking his head, or furrowing his brows because he didn’t like the way he had recited it. Occasionally his tongue would rest on the top of his upper lip whilst he decided how he wanted to stress a certain paragraph or get an emotion across. But my favourite habit was his hands. Constantly moving, touching each other, using them to emphasise certain words.  My phone vibrated on the table and we both looked down as I read the text, my forehead creasing. “What is it?” he asked softly. “Someone called Olivia just texted me wanting to meet for lunch in like 30 minutes”

“Who is she?”

“I’m not sure to be honest, actually maybe it’s someone from my old work.” I left my phone for now and Benedict went back to his script.

“More coffee dear?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck from behind and placing a light kiss on his cheek. His hand rested on my arm, his thumb trailing circles on my hand, “Yes please” he said, his faint lisp coming through in his distracted state. It was then that three large knocks came at the door. Not the kind of knock from a postman or passing visitor but the kind of knock that demands to be heard. I stopped and turned to Benedict, who was slowly rising from his chair. “Who do you think...” but his words were cut short by three more thuds at the door.

In a few long strides Benedict was at the door having thrown on his dressing gown, he had merely turned the handle when it was thrown open. “We haven’t got long. We haven’t got long at all. I need you to listen to me I-”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Benedict asked, his voice not aggressive but authoritative. His blonde hair had grown a little longer, the tan gone from his skin and he was a lot thinner than when I had last seen him, being whisked off into a hospital ward.

“No, please, you have to listen to me. We haven’t got time-”

“No James, you listen to me. How dare you storm into my house like this-“

“Please you must listen to me-“

“- Do you have any idea the strain-“

“He’s crazy, you have no idea please”

The noise in the kitchen kept building, the sounds echoing off the walls and building. Benedict’s chest was rising and falling heavily, his face reddening slightly and his body shifted to mask me from Jamie.

“Guys!” I shouted and they both were silent, their heads turned to face me, looks of concern mixed with surprise on their faces. “What is going on?” I said, too tired of this constant strain. “Theresa you can’t seriously” Benedict began, a look of disbelief on his face but I raised a hand and he fell into silence once more. Raising my eyebrows at Jamie he began “We don’t have enough time, wait Theresa you’re not meant to be here, he said you wouldn’t be here, he promised me he said you wouldn’t be here” Jamie kept repeating pulling at the ends of his hair.”

“What are you talking about James” I said, using his full name in an attempt to bring him back to reality, his eyes darting wildly around the room before he stared at his watch repeating those few words over and over.

“He’s mad Tess, we need to take him to hospital”

“Hospital? No no no there is no time please” it was then that things began to happen and happen fast. My brain responded in slow motion my head turning to the hallway where  a dull hissing noise began, followed by a distinctive smell. The whole room began to look hazy, colours blurring together like everything was melting together. A hand grabbed mine and then we were running, my legs tumbling over each other as if I was only just learning to walk. The air was now thick and tasted all wrong. My brain repeated that over and over but didn’t process it as I gulped in more trying to replenish my oxygen. My head was feeling too heavy for my neck and it kept falling to the side as my eyelids closed for too long at a time, it was as if I was moving through slow strobe lights only catching glimpses of my own movement before the darkness fell once more.

Voices were shouting at me pulling me through the house, up the stairs, down the corridor, through the door and then over to the window. I felt the cold air for a split second before I was pushed to the floor and my head felt even heavier and warm, my hair sticky. More shouting, more heat, more pain and then it was simply all too much.

(Not my best at all I know and sorry for ridiculously long wait time, I've had a lot on at the moment and I got bronchitus (aint nobody got time for that) so please just stick with me :) )