Raising the Stakes; Zelink Coffee Shop AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

Chapter Fifty Five

He brought me inside and sat me in a booth. My booth. I was clinging to him so tightly my arms ached. My breath came and went in bursts.

His hands moved up and down my back. He kept saying, "You made it," and "You're safe now."

I hadn't told him what happened. I couldn't, I was too busy struggling to breathe in between hysterical sobs.

I hadn't told him how someone... probably two someones had died. How horribly my plan had gone wrong. I did not want bloodshed, I'd wanted blackmail. But Ronan was more ruthless than I'd thought... If he thought he could 'deal with' my friends and not get into trouble for it...

I didn't know whether my mother would shoot him or not... But she hadn't hesitated to shoot Cole.

Was he dead? Did it even matter?

I eventually stopped crying... when I fell asleep.

~*~

I woke up to sunshine and the smell of fresh coffee. I blinked a few times, but the scenery didn't change. I was in Link's room.

I understood his being able to put me in the car and drive me back to Third but... How in the name of Lorule had he managed to get me up that staircase?

I sat up and stretched, then walked to the bathroom. One look in the mirror said I looked terrible. But I didn't actually care. One side of my jaw was bruised, my eyes were red still from staying up so late and sobbing for who knows how long, and my hair was a ratted nest.

By the time I left the bathroom, I had managed to partially detangle it and put it into a ponytail. The makeup smudged on my face was a little harder to get off, but thankfully my bag was still in the bathroom and I managed after a good bit of scrubbing. I decided it wasn't worth the effort to put back on.

Farore met me outside the door, rubbing against my legs. I picked her up and nuzzled my face against her head as I walked into the kitchen.

"Didn't you say you were allergic to cats?"

I scrunched my nose and sniffed. "I am."

He smiled as he walked over and kissed me over the cat. Farore did not like having two people crowding her and wriggled out of my arms. Arms now free, I threw them around Link. "We made it," I said, my eyes squeezed shut and my smile wide.

He picked me off the ground and twirled. "We did."

"Oh goddess put me down," I said with a breathless laugh. "That's not nearly as gentle as it looks in the movies."

"Sorry," he said quickly.

"It's fine, dummy," I replied as I put my hands behind his neck and pulled him close. I touched my nose to his and closed my eyes. "I love you."

He kissed me, hands sliding to my waist. "I love you too."

I kissed him right beside his mouth and then leaned back. My eyes searched his face. "Is there anything on the news?"

"I haven't turned the TV on."

Waiting for me to tell him... I pressed my lips together.

"Tell me later..." he said quietly.

I nodded a few times, then took in a long breath through my nose. "Coffee. I can smell it. I want it."

He started to laugh. "I'm glad you chose me before the coffee at least."

I didn't have breakfast because I'd woken up just in time for lunch. I was still shaken from the day before. So very shaken. I didn't even know if they were alive or dead... I didn't know if it was truly over.

Cold trickled up from the base of my spine. I couldn't stand not knowing. I took out my phone and opened up the news.

There. There it was...

"Shooting at the Governor's residence. Ronan Harkinian and one of his staff found dead early this morning. Police had nothing more to say on the issue, investigation to follow."

Headline after headline... A dead governor sure did give the news something to report on.

"Do you want to see the news... Or have me tell you."

Link paused as he opened the fridge. "I'm sure the news doesn't know what actually happened... But I can look it up if you'd rather I do that."

I shook my head and took a deep breath. "It... didn't exactly go according to my plan... But they're both... they're both..." Another steadying breath. "Dead."

His eyes widened. "Did you-"

I shook my head quickly. "My mother shot them..."

He set down the food and walked around the counter to put an arm around me. "Will she be okay?"

I shook my head again; was that all I was going to do? "I have no idea... But they were terrible people, and Cole was about to shoot me. With the evidence... I really hope she won't be convicted. Still, I only gave her the gun... she chose to use it."

"About to shoot you?" His fingers tightened on my shoulder.

"Yeah... not to kill me though... Apparently, my father took great offense to the blackmailing scheme. He'd probably have me shot somewhere I'd survive and then have gone and killed all my friends... so..." I looked down and fiddled with a button on my flannel. "Thank you mother." I'd failed so hard. If she hadn't... if she hadn't shot them...

He grabbed me tight. "But it's all over now?"

I still had some trauma to get over... but...

I was free. It was over.

I could live my own life.

And I'd already chosen who I would live it with.

I nodded and put my entire weight against him, making him hold me up as I leaned out of the chair. "It's over now."

~*~

We left soon after lunch and drove back to the family house. There was a fair bit of snow on the ground, but we managed to get in safely. Urbosa nearly crushed my ribs and demanded to know what had happened. I said I would tell her another day. It was Christmas after all.

Colin was extremely excited to see me, which I wasn't surprised about, but it still made me happy. I did politely refuse to play any games. I'd already promised Link I would go out and build a snowman with him.

The snow clothes were bulky and made funny noises when I moved and the material rubbed together. It did keep me nice and warm though. I was surprised they had a suit to spare with how many of us had gone outside.

The eventual snowball fight was vicious, and I was glad when I wasn't expected to participate. I just watched as my family pelted each other.

Link was eliminated about halfway into the match, but he didn't seem all that disappointed when he took my hand and led me away from the others.

We stepped together into the gazebo and sat along the edge, in the same place we had only three days before.

Only three days. I couldn't believe it had only been three days...

I sat on Link without any hesitation and his arms held me steady as I looked at the icicles formed along the edge of the roof. Then I looked at him. His eyes were so pretty... but then they closed, and my lips found his.

"Link get back here, we're starting another game!"

"Play without me!"

It was the first Christmas I'd ever had with a family, and it certainly would not be my last.