I'm baaaack! :) Sorry it's been so dang long since I posted last :( Posts will come regularly from now on! Enjoy! :D
Genevieve ran through a field of tall grass with Crispin hot on her heels. She was sure she would feel his hand on her back any second now and he would shout 'you're it'. But soon his steps became softer and softer until everything grew quiet. Genevieve looked around and saw she was completely alone; Crispin had fallen behind. She suddenly heard someone call her name but it sounded so far away.
Genevieve awoke but didn't open her eyes when she heard two men talking. One was definitely Desmond and the other sounded like the man she had seen in the hallway. They were speaking in hushed tones by the fireplace in Desmond's room while she lay on the bed under the covers.
"What did you say to her, Stephan?" Desmond asked for the second time that day.
"I only told her that she reminded me of her father," Stephan replied innocently. "Which she does, I must say. She looks exactly like her mother as well. Why won't you let me tell her?"
"You saw what happened today," Desmond snapped. "Telling her too much at one time may only make her worse. It's just better if she doesn't know the truth until everything is done."
"And then what?" Stephan asked. "Will you just keep hiding the truth from her just to keep her safe? If Claude ever finds out-"
"Why is everyone so worried about Claude finding out?!" Desmond demanded. "He won't find out, everything will go as planned and no one is going to get hurt."
"Except you."
"That's a chance you and I were willing to take."
Genevieve turned to see it was her father who was calling her name. She started running for the house when she stopped short at the sight of strangers with her father. She didn't know all of her father's friends but from the look of things they weren't friends at all. Suddenly one of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed her father in the back.
"Daddy!" Genevieve screamed.
Genevieve jumped awake and found she was in her own room again. She heard a tapping on the window and turned to see Paul. Even with his mask on she could still tell it was him by the eagle on his mask. She got out of bed and threw a robe on before opening the window.
"You, my dear, are late," he said as he took off his mask. "Did you over sleep?"
"Something like that," Genevieve muttered. "Give me five minutes." Paul nodded and told her to meet him outside the gate. Genevieve closed the window and tiptoed to the door. She found it was locked and assumed that meant Desmond was in bed. She kept playing the night's events and her dream over and over in her head but couldn't decide what to believe. She knew the older man knew her somehow but she couldn't remember what that word 'nipote' meant, only that she had heard it before.
She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. She thought about the Raven as she dressed for the night and felt anxiety welling in her at the thought of his reaction to her being late. She made her way out to the gate just as easily as she had the night before and saw Paul waiting on the other side. She climbed over and landed right next to him, but the man didn't flinch in the slightest. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Is he angry?" Genevieve asked and she knew Paul understood who she meant.
"A little disappointed, I think," Paul said honestly, "but, no, I wouldn't say Raven is one to get angry about something like this." He probably had no idea that Genevieve would rather have someone yell at her than tell her they were disappointed. Whatever the Raven thought she would take it. It was her fault she was late, whether she wanted to blame it on the celebration or not. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped before sidestepping into Paul. The Raven stood behind her but, as always, she couldn't read his expression.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to be late but I-" She cut herself off and shook her head. "No, I don't have any excuse, but I won't be late again."
The Raven seemed surprised by her answer but simply motioned for her to follow him. She looked at Paul but he had already started off after the Raven. She followed the pair down streets and allies before coming upon a large estate. Genevieve recognized the mansion immediately as the Edmund estate. She thought she was thinking of another estate but there was mistaking the large eagle and crossed swords on the front gate symbolizing the family crest.
"Yes, we did steal from here before," Paul told her, reading her expression. "But Rav- I mean, we forgot to get something there and we're going to finish the job."
"What is it?"
"A painting," Paul replied, "A very old and expensive painting."
They moved to the eastern side of the estate where Paul's wife, Caroline, was waiting. As they drew nearer to her, Genevieve realized Caroline looked like she had been in some sort of fight and lost...badly. She had a large bruise on her cheek and blood running from her bottom lip. Genevieve gasped when she saw her and rushed passed the Raven to give her aid.
"Caroline? What happened?" Genevieve said worriedly but Caroline simply smiled at her.
"I'm fine Genevieve," she assured her. "None of this is real, well, the blood is real but it's not from my lip." She held up her left index finger which had a small bandage on it. "Oh, the sacrifices I make to be a thief." The Raven rolled his eyes at Caroline's theatrics and Paul smiled before trying to kiss her but she put a hand over his mouth. "You'll mess up my makeup." Genevieve wanted to ask what all of this was for but she imagined she would find out sooner or later. They made their way to the northeast point of the estate and Genevieve looked around the corner at the two guards standing by the large gate.
"Be safe," Caroline whispered to Paul and he said the same thing before Caroline darted around the corner towards the guards. She started to cry and say she had been attacked. The guards stiffened in hesitation at the strange woman but didn't raise their weapons. She ran into the arms of one of the guards and begged him to save her. When the guard tried to push her away, she snatched his hat and ran off. The guards shouted angrily at her and gave chase, leaving the front gate completely unguarded.
"The Edmund's might be rich," Paul commented, "but they have horrible taste when it comes to security." Genevieve smiled as the Raven handed her a dark green mask with a white symbol of a swan across the left side of it.
"Thank you," she said as she placed the mask on her face and secured it behind her head with a green ribbon. The mask was shaped exactly like Caroline's with only the right eye and mouth uncovered. Genevieve felt a little better about being a thief again with a mask on in case anyone should spot her. It wouldn't take much for someone to recognize the duke's wife, even with the way she was dressed. Paul gave the Raven a leg up and he climbed up the wall surrounding the estate before helping Paul up. The both reached down and pulled Genevieve up and over the wall to the ground on the other side before jumping down themselves.
Swiftly, they crossed the grounds to the mansion that stood out against the clear night sky. They moved to the side of the building where Paul whispered there were excellent hand and foot holds to scale to the second story where the painting was hanging. The Raven made a motion for Genevieve to climb up first and she looked at him as if he were crazy. When he motioned again she simply did as he asked. Climbing the wall wasn't easy but it still took them no more than a few minutes to reach the second story window.
Unsurprisingly, the window was locked. The Raven took out his knife and slid it between the doors before moving it up until the latch was pushed open. The windows, thankfully, made no noise as they opened and Genevieve slipped inside. Before the Raven or Paul could get inside they heard someone outside the room and froze.
"Hide!" Paul hissed before shutting the window. Genevieve looked around the room and found she was actually in a bedroom. Since hiding under the bed seemed the only logical place to hide at the time that is precisely what she did. She had just managed to pull her legs under when the bedroom door opened. Genevieve peeked out from under the blankets that hung to the floor and saw a maid walking around the room. She placed clean clothes back in the closet, started a fire in the fireplace and made sure things were nice and tidy. Genevieve stayed under the bed for a few minutes after the maid left the room to make certain she didn't come back. She slid out from under the bed and went back to the window and was glad when Paul and the Raven were still there.
"That was close," she said as they climbed into the room.
"Trust me, we've had worse," Paul told her.
"Worse how?" Genevieve asked.
Paul smiled.
"Try being chased by an entire army of guards and still managing to get away with, I might add, everything you've taken. But we can reminisce later. Right now we need to get that painting and leave before someone finds us." Genevieve looked at the Raven.
"Where is it?" she asked.
The Raven pointed to a painting over the fireplace. Genevieve's eyes widened as she stared at it. It was huge! How did the Raven think they were going to get back to the hideout, let alone out of the room without anyone seeing them?
"If we can get it out of the mansion the rest will be a piece of cake," Paul said. "No, it won't!" Genevieve looked at him and realized when she found him glaring at the Raven that he had been translating for him. "This painting has to weigh a ton. We would need at least one more person to help us." As if on cue, there was a knock at the window that made them all tense. Genevieve turned a relaxed when she saw it was only Crispin but then grew curious as to why he was here. She pulled off her mask and opened the window for him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him as he climbed in the room.
"You told me to meet you by the statue but you were walking away when I got there so I followed you here," Crispin said with a smile but he looked stunned as his attention turned to the other men. "You're in league with the Raven?"
"Somewhat," Genevieve said. She looked at the two men and motioned towards Crispin. "This is my brother, Crispin. He'll be more than enough help with this painting if you let him stay." The Raven seemed to ponder the situation and nodded without any reluctance in his eyes.
"We're stealing a painting?" Crispin said and paled slightly as he looked at the fireplace. "That painting?"
"Yes, this painting," Paul said with a slight smile. "Don't look so worried, boy. We are professionals." Crispin didn't look convinced but Genevieve knew he trusted her enough to go along with it. Paul and the Raven were able to get the picture off the wall before Genevieve and Crispin helped them move it to the window.
"So are we just going to toss it out and hope for the best?" Crispin asked and the Raven sent him a bewildered look as Paul and Genevieve smiled. "Or not...So what are we going to do?"
The Raven climbed out the window with Paul and motioned for the other two to hand them the end of the painting. It took quite a bit of effort for them to get the painting out of the window and down to the two men without dropping it. The Raven and Paul took hold of it and slowly lowered to the ground before resting it against the wall. Genevieve had Crispin climb out the window first and had intended to climb out right after when the bedroom door suddenly opened. She spun around to see a man who looked like the butler staring at her in disbelief. Genevieve inwardly leapt for joy that she had remembered to put her mask back on.
"Who are you?" the man demanded. "What are you doing here?" He advanced towards her and Genevieve took a few quick steps back and caught her leg on the window sill. She let out a yelp of surprise as she tumbled out the window. She braced herself for the painful landing against the unforgiving ground when all she felt was strong arms surrounding her.
"Nice catch," Paul said, a little stunned as he motioned for Crispin to help him with the painting. Genevieve found she had her face buried in the Raven's shoulder as her shaking hands gripped his upper arms. She looked up into his face and noticed, even though she could only see his right eye, there was fear and concern there.
"I'm okay," she said as he set her on her feet. "Thanks to you."
"I knew it!" they heard the butler yell and looked up to see him glaring at them. "Come to deepen the wound, Raven? Guards, GUARDS!" When no one came the butler cursed and withdrew into the mansion once more. The Raven motioned for all of them to head back to the gate. Paul and Crispin climbed onto the wall and lifted the painting over, with Genevieve and the Raven's help, before setting it down on the ground. The Raven pointed towards the north east and Paul shook his head.
"I can't leave you here," he argued. The Raven glared at him and made a few quick signs before Paul sighed. "He says they are only after him. If he leads the guards away it will give us a better chance to escape." He then turned to Crispin and added, "Come on, boy. You're going to have to come with us unless you want to see the inside of a prison." Crispin nodded and he and Paul began to make their way north, towards the hideout but Genevieve didn't follow them. The Raven pointed in the direction Paul and Crispin had taken but Genevieve shook her head.
"They are only chasing us because the butler saw me," she protested. "I'm coming with you." The Raven turned her towards the north and gave her a small shove, telling her to leave now. With a small sigh of disappointment, Genevieve started to run back towards the hideout. She was just a few feet from the corner of the mansion's gate when a large guard stepped in her way carrying a huge axe. She skidded to a stop as the guard smiled evilly at her and raised the axe.
"Not today, little thief," he told her. He swung the axe straight down towards her as someone tripped Genevieve. She fell onto her back with a gasp as the Raven caught the upper part of the axe's handle. He slammed the bottom of his right foot into the guard's chest sending him flying onto his back. The Raven dropped the axe and turned on his heel while grabbing Genevieve's hand. They ran to the opposite corner of the mansion and took off towards the east. They ran without stopping for a few minutes all the while hearing the guards looking for them. They began to draw closer and closer to the edge of a small river and Genevieve thought they would stop until the Raven's hand tightened around hers. They jumped into the river and Genevieve had to force herself to not gasp from the cold. The water was freezing! She came up gasping for breath and felt the Raven tugging on her hand to pull her underneath a bridge and out of sight.
He put a finger to where his lips would be behind the mask and Genevieve nodded. The voices grew steadily quieter but still rang out that the guards were hot on the heels of someone other than them. A gun shot rang out before everything went quiet once more. Genevieve realized she was now shaking from the cold and the only thing that kept her from turning blue was the warmth coming from the Raven's body. He had his arm wrapped around her as the other still kept a firm grip on her hand. Genevieve felt something warm soaking into the back of her shirt and looked up at the Raven.
"You're bleeding," she whispered but he didn't move. After a few more moments of silence he moved them to the edge of the river and out onto the bank. Genevieve noticed his hand and part of his forearm were bloody. "We need to get you back to the hideout, now." The Raven only nodded and she knew he had to be in horrible pain. They took alleys and back roads to avoid any attention. They eventually made it back to the hideout where Paul was waiting just inside the cellar door.
"You're all right," he sighed with relief.
"More or less," Genevieve told him as Paul's eyes landed on the arm the Raven had clutched to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding. "I would go with less." They helped Raven into the hideout and into one of the bedrooms.
"What happened?" Paul asked the Raven but he couldn't sign with his injured arm and hand.
"He saved me from one of the guards," Genevieve replied for him, feeling guilty. "He took an axe to the arm." Paul helped the Raven remove his glove before gently rolling up his sleeve.
"You're lucky you didn't lose your arm," he told him. "The cut is not deep and will not need stitches. But why are you two all wet?"
"The Raven-" Genevieve began but the Raven stopped her. He signed to Paul who smiled.
"He's says you can drop the 'the'. It's just Raven," Paul informed her and Genevieve smiled.
"I can see you are not injured enough to stop ordering me around," she told Raven. "Fine, Raven, threw us into the river to avoid the guards. They didn't find us, but we heard a gunshot not far from us. I think we only got away because they found someone else to chase." Raven nodded in agreement but shook his head when Genevieve asked if she knew who.
Paul found blankets for both of them, so they could keep warm while Caroline, who looked slightly exhausted from being chased by guards, found dry clothes for them. Paul started to clean the wounds but remembered he needed to go get bandages.
"I can take over while you're gone," Genevieve offered. Paul thanked her and left. Genevieve took the wet rag Paul had been using and began to clean Raven's wound. "Can I ask you something?" Raven stiffened and she knew why. "It's nothing personal, just something about your work." Raven relaxed and nodded. "Is it like this every time you steal something?"
Raven seemed to ponder that for a minute before shrugging with his left shoulder and nodding as if to say, 'more or less'.
"You're crazy," Genevieve said with a weak smile and Raven nodded, seeming to smile too. When the wound was clean Paul returned and handed her the bandages before leaving, seeing she had everything under control. "I used to have to tend to all of Crispin's wounds when he was little. He got into all sorts of trouble." After the wound had been clean and dressed, Raven made to get up but wobbled slightly and sat back down. "You need to rest. I'll go see if Caroline has your clothes." She worked her way through the hideout until she found Caroline with clothes for both her and Raven. Genevieve changed out of her soaked and bloody clothes and into her new clothes.
"We'll have these clean and dried before you return tomorrow night," Caroline said about her stained clothes. Genevieve thanked her for everything and returned to Raven's room. She was glad to see he was still sitting on the bed and not trying to move around. She placed the clothes on a chair next to the bed and turned to find Raven had already taken off his shirt.
"Have you no shame?" Genevieve hissed as she turned away from him, feeling blood burning in her cheeks. She was sure Raven was laughing inwardly at her shyness. She never heard him move to stand right behind her. Suddenly she could feel his naked chest against her back as he wrapped his arms loosely around her. She covered his hands with hers and gasped when his lips brushed the top of her shoulder. She wasn't sure what shocked her more. His sudden kiss or the fact that he had actually taken his mask off! All she had to turn her head slightly to see his face...and yet...who did she think she would see? She didn't know.
Raven planted another soft kiss on the side of her neck and moved steadily upward towards her jaw. He then gently placed an ungloved hand over her eyes as his lips reached hers. Her fingers tightened around his hands as his lips moved over hers. She knew this was wrong. She was married for goodness sake! She was married to someone who actually cared for her...at least a little. But even so, in this moment nothing else seemed to matter except her and Raven. She suddenly heard someone walking towards the room and felt Raven quickly pull away from her. She turned and found him securing his mask and throwing on his shirt.
Paul walked in a few seconds later. He saw how red Genevieve's face was and could probably feel the unrest in the air. He looked suspiciously at both of them before settling his sights on Raven.
"We need to talk," he told him before looking at Genevieve and smiling. "You were amazing tonight, Genevieve. You should probably go before someone notices you are missing." Genevieve nodded wordlessly before watching the Raven and Paul leave without another word. She sat down on the bed feeling as though she had been hit by a load of bricks. What was she doing? She was married and had just kissed a man she barely knew; she hadn't even seen his face! She mentally shook her head to clear her thoughts as Crispin came in to ask her if she was ready to go. She needed to go home and sleep, maybe then she would be able to think clearly about this.
* * *
Paul and Raven walked in silence outside the hideout. Both of them knew the conversation they were about to have would be much safer in no one else was around to hear it. They went to the statue of King Charles I. Raven knew he had been sighted there a few times but that also meant that people avoid the area at this hour.
"You still haven't told Genevieve your secret, have you?" Paul asked. When Raven didn't reply he only assumed the worst. "What are you so afraid of? She can't possibly hate you forever!" Raven glared at him and Paul just shrugged before falling into a silence Raven knew would only last thirty seconds at the most. "You love her, Raven. I can tell. You look at her the way I look at Caroline."
"I thought when we first met you told me you were a man of your word," Paul continued quietly while Raven just stared up at the moon. Paul sighed before a small smile curled his lips. "So refresh my memory old friend, is Desmond La Croix a man of his word?" Paul watched his friend's back stiffen before he pulled off the black mask to glare at him.
"I also told you to never say my name aloud," Desmond snapped. When Paul just smiled at him he sighed and relaxed. "As for my word...I'll tell her before the night is over." Or so he hoped.