Beginning Again

2

The days ticked by and soon she found her place within the group. After weeks of agonizing meetings with everyone as the building was made completely operational she noticed that when one would approach her others would back away. She knew they knew her secret then but it didn't matter all that much. She could ease into her days better. The freedom of being virtually invisible was there. She saw the looks when she was having a bad day. They were figuring out out to deal with her on their own terms and she was surprisingly letting them. She knew she did have to work with them.

"Which one of you told?" She said one day as she walked in the smaller conference room. Four members of her original team were sitting there eating as they were apt to do most of the time.
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked as he looked her over. She had put on some much needed weight in the past month. The guys all took notice that she was eating again. She wasn't so nervous walking out of the building. She was coming back to herself. She may never be back all the way but it was a relief to see her and the light behind her eyes again.
"Which one of you told the rest of them about my past?" She said as she sat down.
"I did, sweetheart. They needed to know." Aaron said.
"Why did they need to know?" She asked as she tilted her head.
"Because we didn't want to see you regress. You had made leaps and bounds in Progress before coming here. That first meeting was painful to watch you and You caught all their eyes. I told them to keep them at bay so they wouldn't push you into something you aren't ready for. I left out the details of course, but they did need to know." Aaron said as he looked her in the eyes. The two had a special bond that went far beyond friendship. She had taken a bullet meant for him that would have been fatal if it had reached the intended target. Instead she pushed him out of the way and it had gone through her shoulder. It was just another scar to her but it sealed the fate of the two people. He had seen her that day. He was the one who argued with the doctors to keep her alive. He couldn't live without her.
He was the one who turned and walked out of the hospital when she was finally stable enough and gave the one who did this the thrashing of a lifetime. Aaron still wished he had finished the job. He would have gladly killed the other man if she would be spared from the rest of what she went through.
"I guess you are right." She said with a sigh as she leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. "Next time just tell me as well."
"Has anyone said anything to you?" He asked softly. She had shied away from human touch for so long it was a relief to have her this close.
"No." She simply said. "Everyone seems to be considerate enough not to bring it up but it was just there being so out in the open."
"I should have told you." Aaron said still soft and unlike him.
"I think I am getting better." She said.
"You are." He replied, "just like I said you would."
"Aaron I can't thank you enough." She said soft so only he could hear her. With that he dared to move his arm slowly around her sides and gave her the first hug she received in five years from a male or from anyone really.
"Thank you sweetheart." He said equally as soft in her ear.
"For what?" She asked.
"Coming back to us." He whispered. "Come on we have to get to the meeting."
For some reason the hair on the back of her neck rose. Instantly she knew something was going to happen. She wanted to hide again and she didn't know why. She looked up i to Aarons's face and he saw the flashes of fear in them.
"What?" He asked.
"Something isn't right." She said shaking her head trying to get the building adrenaline to stop flowing through her veins.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I don't know but something is just not right." She said.
"You're safe here." He said quickly, "no one can hurt you here. Even if they got past me and bear do you think the other guys would let something happen to you?"
"No." She said as she started to calm down. She knew what he said was true. Here she was safe. Though the others didn't know her well like these guys they did try to stay within her boundaries.
She walked with the group. Aaron's arm still around her shoulders when they walked into the larger room. Their boss now the acting boss of the five groups saw them enter and his eyes flashed as he saw the contact between the two. Aaron nodded to him and his smile grew. She was getting better and moving on with her life.
The meeting went over by an hour as the others rushed out for the evening she stayed to finish up her paperwork. Every once in awhile someone would poke their heads in to tell her to have a nice weekend or something similar she would smile and wave them off. She heard the footsteps before she looked up to find one of the other team members standing outside her door. He was looking at the wall next to the door. "Nice flowers." He said as he noticed she was looking at him.
"Flowers?" She asked as she stood and started walking over to the door.
She got to the door and he moved closer to the bundle almost blocking her view.
Her intake of breath was enough to have her spin just in time to catch her as she began to crumble to the ground. He lifted her easily and brought her back into her office. He called security to see if someone had been let into the building for a delivery for her. He had a name.
She blinked her eyes open and he was sitting in a chair facing her. His fingers steepled together pressing against his chin. "What happened?" She asked.
"You fainted my dear." He said softly. "I have a few questions for you if you don't mind."
She nodded and then waited. "I have a feeling it is either you or someone else asking them so go ahead."
"Does the name Scott mean anything to you?" He asked as she turned white and nodded her head. The tears that she refused to shed where burning her eyes. "I thought so."
"What does that mean?" She asked trying to turn her fear into anger.
"Easy there my dear." He said with a grin that brought her back to the edge of her sanity. "I take it that was you ex-husband?"
"Yes." She said as she tried to sit up.
"No need to rush. It is just us, princess." He said softly.
"He found me again?" She asked no one. The question hung in the air.
"It seems he did or someone wants you to believe he did." He said.
"What do you mean someone would want me to believe he did?" She asked now sitting but leaning backwards looking at the ceiling.
"You have made some Excellent progress even in the few months we have been here. Today I gathered that something remarkable happened the this. The timing is just to perfect for it to really be him. I know it is hard but take a step back and look at the situation again." He said as he sat there watching her. He didn't want to be the voice of reason as he looked at the small woman in Front of him. He wanted to be her friend and he knew talking openly to her he might push her away.
"Something remarkable?" She asked meeting his eyes that seemed to be aglow in the low light of her office.
"For what I overheard that was the first time you have allowed someone to touch you willingly beyond a handshake." He said as she focused on his face. She nodded.
"You're right."
"Often more times then not I am. It is my job to observe things." His smile flashed and for some reason her heart started to beat faster. "That is the thing that bothers me. The timing is too perfect. Unless he was hiding here all along I have to wonder if someone does not want to allow you heal completely. Bettison said he stalked you in Real life and cyberly?"
"He did. At least I thought it was him." She replied following what he was saying. Now that she had a reasonable voice other then her own in Her head she could see the difference. "But that means it is someone here."
"Exactly." Mitsuhide said as he looked at her as the realization hit her hard.
"They know where I live." She said now afraid of going home.
"I thought that was classified." He chuckled.
"Really it is supposed to be. On paper I live on base and not just here. The same time I left it was set up that I popped up on five other bases throughout the country." She said.
"Impressive. So I do not think that this was your ex, princess. This was definitely someone here wanting you to be afraid of your shadow again like a mouse." He said as she sat back and watched her emotions play out in her face.
"What do I do?" She asked quietly. "I don't want to go back to being like before."
"And you shall not. You have made great strides. I think with more help you could return to almost the way you were before. You just have to trust in someone." He said plainly.
"Who?" She asked.
"Right now, me of course." He said as he watched her again. She was processing the words and thinking of different outcomes, "if the person who did this knows where you live, mouse, this weekend could be torturous for you."
"You're right again. So I should go to a hotel or something?" She asked.
"I was thinking of playing a game of cat and mouse." He replied again keeping his tone low and plain.
"How so?"
"We need the cat to show himself mouse. Then we can all react but until then what would drive this cat insane?" Mitsuhide leaned forward and met her eyes, "for some reason they want you to live in fear and to be alone. What if we take both of those options away from the cat?"
"I don't follow." She said as the confusion in her mind was taking over.
"Mouse, who ever did this waited until the moment was right. You had a major break through and they wanted to snatch it away. You need to take the horns and keep it. The way to needle the cat and keep you safe if for you to make another major breakthrough." Mitsuhide was hoping that he was not pushing her to hard to fast but she did need to see it.
"What other major breakthroughs Akechi?" She asked.
"I assume that you have not gone out with any other male since the incident?" He asked.
"That is correct." She replied.
"Then Go out with me tonight." He said.
"What?" She asked.
"If the mouse finds another cat to mess with That cat becomes the target. Let me be the target, princess." He said.
"You want to be the target?" She asked.
"Want to be is not really the case. I do wish you could have peace." He said softly, "I will gladly take being a target for that."
"Why?" She asked with widened eyes.
"That is simple, mouse. I like you. I think you have a strength you shouldn't need to have but the thread holding you together needs help getting stronger. Let me help you." He placed out his hand and she looked at it. Touching Aaron was different he had been there from the beginning. He was like a brother to her. She knew he would never hurt her. This man was a virtual stranger but here he was offer to help her even more. She glanced at his hand again and then looked into his eyes. She knew this hand would never harm her either. She placed her hand in his. Everything had shifted as his hand was warm around hers. When he flipped it so the back of her hand was facing up he brought it slowly to to his face as his lips touched it she felt shivers down her spine.
"It seems, my dear, that our fate is sealed now." His words echoed through her mind as he helped her to her feet.