The Favoured, The Fair and Ms. Vérité Claire

2 Beauty And The Beast

"Siddown!" Julia's hero commanded in a low, unexcited tone. The madman spit on the floor and swore. The passenger barked again with impressive authority. "I said. SIT. DOWN! Take your crap to the back of this train or so help me I'll knock you there myself."

The subway braked for the next stop and as the doors opened the crazed man staggered out of the car seething in defeat. When Julia felt safe enough to turn her attention back to the passenger who had defended her, he was already behind his newspaper again.

She was desperate to see his face. What kind of man could be so courageous and then so blasé? Page after page she stared, willing him to make eye-contact, admiring the stranger while no one else watched. At last, seemingly uninterested in crosswords, the paper came down. Julia looked away quickly as was becoming her habit.

He had startling hawk-like features; a sharp nose, a pointed but strong jaw line, small dark eyes and dark, careless facial hair. A touch of madness himself. It was not an ugly face but unattractive in its fierceness. She attempted to give him a thankful smile when their eyes finally roamed each other's way. His response was a slightly pained grimace.

Julia decided then he had a ridiculously short neck.

When the train started to brake again, he shifted and rose. Julia was positive an expression of gratitude was unwelcome, but since she knew she'd regret not trying she thought, to hell with it, and followed him out of the train two stops before her own.

He made for the stairs, climbing at an average pace with a wide shoulder waggle as though he was carrying a yoke. Julia hustled and caught up to him on the last stair.

"Excuse me?" she said cautiously.

He turned a corner and stopped to buy another paper at a news stand. She assumed he hadn't heard her.

"Excuse me?" She thought better of tapping his shoulder.

He turned, his tongue running over his teeth under a curled lip, but then recognizing her, he gave up his severe expression and exhaled heavily.

"Yes. Hi. I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for me in the subway. "

The stranger's face then drained of any expression at all. Julia pressed on regardless.

"It was very brave, considerate of you, and especially when no one else - "

"Yeah, okay."

"Well..." Julia was stumped for a graceful exit. His indifference was a dismissal but still he was staring at her, waiting for her to wrap it up.

"Could I buy you a coffee or something?"

It was an empty gesture, but one which would prevent a feeling of guilt later. To her shock, he shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay."

He made a check mark with his chin in the air, pointing out the nearest exit. They passed a small station coffee shop on the way out. Julia recalled warnings of going to the second location but she voiced no objection despite her instant regret. Mercifully, back above ground, the stranger jutted his chin out again at a corner doughnut shop and said, "Here." He ordered her with a pointed finger to step in ahead of him, a strategy which insured he would not have to hold the door for her and that she would be first in line to pay.

What had she gotten herself into, she wondered? A volunteer hostage! And her, a self-taught escape artist!

She ordered a small, weak looking coffee. It was all she deserved. The counter person not serving Julia asked her stranger what he would have. "Tall, dark Columbian. Lady's paying."