Bianchi: Dark Knight

1:16

The camera flips and on the other side is a bright salad with more toppings than I have ever seen. "Look, now that's a masterpiece." She giggles while adding Italian dressing.

"You're truly a Picasso. Now let me see the best work of all, your face please Ms.Klein"

She flips the camera back towards her and props the phone on something.

Tentatively she eats her salad, sneaking glances at me, "you can eat Lennox."

"I know what I can and can't do, thank you very much." She shoves a full fork of salad in her mouth. I take her distraction as an opportunity to drink all of her in. Her hair is pulled back in a neat but messy way. Her suit she ditched for a lounge set and fluffy slippers. Best of all, she looked relax, content. "You can quit watching me creep."

"You look beautiful Lennox, it would be sinful for me to stop watching you." I settle into my own room, propping my phone on the nightstand.

"Too bad I can't say the same about you." Her eyes run up and down my figure. Her bright pink tongue darts out unconsciously licking her plump lip.

"Lying is a sin Lennox."

"I'm in politics, it wouldn't be my first."

"First lie or sin?"

"Both. Now tell me, is Genevieve alright? I was really worried when Zaviano told me." There are so many ways to answer that, but many of them I won't. "She'll be fine, no need to worry."

"Truthfully I wasn't worried just about her." She shifts her position on the couch. "I know how much you love your family, you're naturally a protector. Which also means you internalize all of the family complications by nature, the longtime plight of the oldest child. All that to say, I worry about you too. I-sorry am I overstepping?" I shake my head not being able to find my voice.

Lennox has been many things since I have met her, but this gentleness she displayed. I never accounted for that, especially not tonight. Here, I thought I would be the one checking on her, not the other way around.

"Thank you for...thinking of me but I'm fine I promise Lennox." I could feel my face heating.

"It's really funny watching you squirm Fabian. I mean you're always checking on me, trying to save me but me simply thinking of you turns you red. How funny."

"Lennox."

"Fabian."

"You just like to tea-" A knock on my door interrupts us. "Go on answer it."

"Who is it?" Someone makes unintelligible noises. "I have an early morning so it's best if I get to bed. Tell everyone I said hello, and..have a goodnight."

"Have a goodnight Lennox." The screen turns black, the couch, the wine, and her all disappearing.

"Come in." I try not to grunt out the words to whoever is on the other side of the door. It's not my fault I couldn't contain my gruffness. Anything dealing with her always does.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Amara strolls into my room without a care in the world. I doubt she even meant the words she was saying. "Just informing you that I'm leaving. I'll be back in a couple hours-well Gian and I."

"Where are you going?" She looks at me with a perfectly arched brow. I guess this is another thing I'm supposed to remember. I'm not a fucking calculator, I have business dates, openings, campaigning dates all stuck in my head. She rolls her eyes and smacks her lips together.

"Of course you forgot." This is why she is named the Ice Queen. No one would dare try to measure up to the expectations of Amara. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, just that you've been a little preoccupied as of recently." She shrugs her shoulders while walking around my room. I know what she's getting at but I won't dignify it, I won't have this conversation with her. But I will grill her on her own relationship. "The same way you have been occupied with Niklaus? Hmm."

Her brown eyes narrow before she opens the door. "That's cute Fabian, but pointing out my shit doesn't absolve you of yours. At least Niklaus has asked me to be his girlfriend." She winks slamming the door.

Boyfriend? Me and the little brat will talk about this further. Part of what she said is true, Niklaus and her did seem to be stable, if they weren't I wouldn't be so comfortable with them dating. Meanwhile I haven't even built the courage up to ask my Little Lennox on a date yet.

In the beginning I thought her personality just piqued my interests. Once I realized I felt more for Lennox I didn't have the opportunity to tell her, I have been traveling and handling business, it has not been easy. I didn't want to make work things awkward, though that speculation does not really concern me. Lennox is a grade A compartmentalizer, she never would let work life and personal life interfere with one another. The true question is whether or not she would accept my invitation. She feels the connection that I do but I'm not sure how much that actually matters in this scenario.

Is it even worth it? There are risks to everything and my concern is if the risks outweigh the reward. Not because she is not worth it but because it wouldn't be worth losing her as a whole. That's just not an option for me.

"Wait-" I rush out of my room to make sure she has not left yet. "You never said where you are going."

"To the airport, you know we have a calendar for a reason." She squints her eyes then points her finger at the door. "Can we leave now?" I nod, giving her cheek a kiss and a quick hug to my brother.

Fuck. Everything is happening so quickly, time seems not to even exist anymore. I rub at my face, maybe that will wake me up, maybe then I can remember all the things I've moved out of my brain to make space for Lennox.

Zaviano sits at the kitchen bar, his pajamas neat and perfect. "The Kids of the World charity gala is tomorrow. All of us will be there to attend but the little devils are going to some party with Maleek after. Milo has requested a meeting-" I cut Zaviano off.

"No, I have enough going on if I'm around that lying pest I may actually kill him." He's not the first that has ever tried me but for some reason he irks me the most. His heightened charisma bores me.

"I understand Fabian but in order for this plan of yours to work you have to comply with the rules that you set." I turn from his accusing eyes, I hate it when he is right most of the time.

"How was Lennox when you went to the office?"

I can already feel his smirk without even looking at him. "Hmm, surprised she didn't tell you during your phone call." I'm going to kill Geno. "Stop glaring at the cup or you're going to break it."

"I'm older than you. Now, stop stalling."

"She was under her desk, before you go all hulk man she wasn't crying, no one has touched her. I made sure of that myself."

If anyone had dared touch her, I would rip their hand off and feed it to the wolves while they watched.

I nod for him to continue on, or my thoughts would. "She seemed spooked when I found her. Not upset, more like she saw a ghost."

She told me she had secrets. One's that I wouldn't be able to handle which is very unlikely but something she believed. She's in politics, works for affluent families, and comes from an affluent family of course she had things she wanted to bury. Having ghosts, secrets so tormenting that they haunt you, I wasn't expecting that.

What could still be haunting her?

"Get Pietro tell him I need a favor."

"Are you positive this is the best route? If she finds out she might hate you."

"I would rather her hate me and have her sanity." The excuses I have been giving her, giving myself, those have run out. If Lennox wouldn't let me help her I would just have to force her to.