Falice

Wounds

•••

Alice heard harsh knocking on her door late in the evening. It startled her to the point that she dropped the plate in her hands.

She wasn't expecting anyone. Her daughter was with her boyfriend and she would have just let herself in when she came home. She walked around the shattered bowl and made her way to the door. She peeked through the peephole. She was able to see quite the familiar man but there was something unsettling about it. She yanked the door open immediately. "FP, what happened to you?" Alice was genuinely concerned. She touched his face. He winced at the touch. The wounds still stung.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. I just...didn't have anyone else to go to."

"We have to clean these up before they get infected." Alice grabbed a hold of his arm and led him into the kitchen. "Be careful. Don't step on that." Alice pointed out the bowl on the floor. "By the way, you owe me a new one for the scare you gave me."

"I'll put it on the shopping list." FP leaned against the island and took his jacket off, tossing it aside. He waited for her to attend him. He knew she would know what to do. Alice wet a rag and began to wipe the blood off of his forehead first. He shut his eyes. "What in the world were you doing?"

"Doesn't matter," He grumbled.

"Forsythe," Alice gave him the look. He opened one of his eyes slightly to see it. "What did you do? You look like you could have seriously gotten hurt."

"A group of Gargoyles ganged up on me in an alley when I was out investigating."

"I'm very concerned with what you're getting yourself into. What if something terrible happens to you?" Alice's face softened.

"It's no different from when I was leading the Serpents." FP tried to reason with her.

"Exactly," She softly said. "You just switched sides." She gently cleaned his cheek but her eyes didn't leave his. "Don't you care about what happens to you?"

He didn't say anything. He turned around. He began to unbutton his long sleeve in the silence. He pulled his undershirt off from the hem to expose his back. "Is it bad?"

Alice ran her fingers across the big scrapes. She walked to the sink to clean the rag. FP trailed behind. He stood behind her. She bumped into him when she turned. He took a step back to give her some space. "Turn around." She ordered. He leaned his arms on the counter. "If this stings I'm sorry."

"O-" FP felt the many scrapes with the touch of the rag. "-kay." He held back a scream.

"Maybe next time you shouldn't be getting involved with those crooks."

"Gee, Al, thanks. Next time I'll just politely ask of them to not pound me."

Alice smacked his shoulder with the rag. "FP, if you're not going to take me seriously..."

"I'm sorry. It's just not like I can't do my job."

"I know," Alice sighed. "You just have to be more careful. Today it was the Gargoyles. Tomorrow it could be the Ghoulies. Look my point here is that one of these days you're not going to be lucky that it was just a couple of fists coming your way."

"Why are you so concerned, Alice?"

"Why is it that you came here instead of going to your wife?"

FP turned around to face her. She avoided his eyes. She stared ahead at his chest. She continued to wipe any of his visible wounds. She could feel his heart beating against her hand. "They aimed at your heart."

"It's broken anyway." He looked down at her. She knew he was looking at her. "I'm sorry to hear that," She nonchalantly said. He grabbed her hand to stop her from what she was doing. He wanted her to look at him. "What are we doing, Alice?"

"What are you doing?" Alice chucked the rag onto the counter and tried to walk away. FP reached for her. He stopped her from getting too far. "It's not my fault, FP. So don't pin it on me when it's you who caused it."

"Don't walk away." He shook his head. "Don't walk away."

"And why not?" She crossed her arms.

"I can't keep letting you walk out of my life so easily."

"You push me away," Alice croaked away. "Every. Single. Time." She pursed her lips together. She fluttered her eyes to keep the tears from staggering down her cheeks. "It's what you always do. You never know what you want."

"I'm a fool."

"A coward," She corrected him. "You're a coward."

"Okay, I'm a coward." FP admitted. "But I know what I want."

"Do you really?"

"Yes"

"Prove it. Prove it right now."

"Alice, you know I'm crazy for you."

"Then why don't you love me?"

"But I do love you."

"You chose her just like you chose that one vixen back then."

"You're wrong," He shook his head.

"I'm wrong?" Alice scoffed. "You blew me off for another woman."

"Then why am I here?"

"I don't know, why are you?"

"Because I care about you. You're the only one I can trust. I've always trusted you."

"If you cared so much about me why did you break me? Why did you continue to destroy me?"

"Those weren't my intentions."

"But it is what you did."

FP ran a hand through his hair. "I never wanted to hurt you. I'm used to being hurt. And I know, I know, that is no excuse." He began. "I didn't even know what love was until I met you. You taught me to love," His face softened for her. "You taught me that good things can actually happen to a guy like me. If it weren't for the strong woman you are I wouldn't have been set straight. I wouldn't have realized that I can't keep being an idiot if I want you to love me."

"I do love you, that's the problem."

"It's a problem?"

"Yes. The more I love you the more you break me, hurt me."

"I don't want to break you," FP told her. "I want to love you."

"Then love me." She pleaded. "Love me."

"I do," He assured her. "I love you, Alice." He opened his arms hoping she would run into them.

"Then promise me you'll always love me," Alice accepted his welcoming arms and embraced him.

"I don't need to promise. I always have." She tilted her head up and he kissed her. He still held her close to his heart. "And I'm sorry for the pain I caused you."

"Shh," She hushed him. She just wanted to enjoy this moment with him. "Don't talk. Love does it for us."

He smiled and shut up. He just wanted to hold her in his arms all day long.