"What?" Clarissa whispers, unable to stop the fear creeping into her voice.
"It's not a hard question," Baines tuts, looking around the room, "Who would you save? Your loving husband...or your right-hand man?"
Her hands begin to tremble at her sides, a cold chill running down her spine. She is certain that they do not know her true relation to Peter, which is putting her at a disadvantage in this current predicament as they are expecting her to pick a servant over Daniel, rather than her godfather.
"Why are you doing this?" George gasps, struggling to break free, but Lestrade deals a harsh blow to his head and he falls silent, groaning.
Clarissa looks from Daniel, blood trickling out of the gash in his stomach, to Peter, slowly turning blue as his windpipe is crushed. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her knees feel weak. She racks her brains, searching for an idea, a plan, anything to help her. Her gaze falls on the pistol and the man holding it, his hungry and manic eyes fixed on the duke, raving over every inch of him, drinking in his pain. Her heart sinks as a single thought pops into her mind. She knows what she could do, but she doesn't know whether she has the strength to see it through.
"So who will it be?" Baines taunts, snapping her attention back to him, his finger hovering around the around trigger as he points it at Daniel, "Him? Or him?" He swings in Peter's direction.
"Cut the shit," She says harshly, taking a threatening step forward. The room falls deathly still as everyone turns to look at her with expressions of alarm and shock. She takes another step towards Baines, her hands held up to signal her surrender, "What is your endgame?"
"What?" Baines frowns, his aim faltering as he watches her out of the corner of his eye, the pistol still trained on Daniel.
"You have done all of this to hurt him," Clarissa says, glancing at her husband, "You killed Grace, you killed Jack, you have us in your grasp, so what is our ending going to be? Are you going to kill him? Are you going to kill me!? How does this end?"
Baines snarls as she draws level with him, "It doesn't matter how it ends, you've lost!"
She nods, "I know that, but perhaps I can make a bargain for a fate that could be much worse,"
His eyebrows draw together in disbelief, "You'd bargain for yourself?"
"As you said, it's never been about me..." She murmers, turning her back on Daniel, "But what if I could help you hurt him for the rest of his life?"
"What?" Baines sneers, "What are you talking about?"
"You've done so much to hurt him, why not make the pain last a lifetime?" Clarissa says softly as she steps in front of the pistol, "Don't you want to make it burn forever?"
"No Clary!" George screams but Lestrade elbows him in the stomach and covers his mouth.
Peter and Daniel both start shouting but Baines's focus is completely fixed on her, his gun now pointing directly at her forehead. He bares his teeth, his hand beginning to shake as Clarissa stand quite still, holding her breath and hoping that his curiosity will get the better of him.
"How?" He croaks, peering over her shoulder to glare at Daniel.
She swallows thickly, managing to keep her voice calm and level, "If you let all three of them live, then you can have me, and you can use me to hurt him for the rest of his life." Her emotional words are completely captivating as she keeps the spotlight on herself.
She clenches her first to control her shuddering breathing, "You don't need to play this game, because if you take me then you have won forever. As you said, he loves me, and what greater pain is there than having the one you love taken from you and stretching it across a lifetime?"
"No, Clary," Peter chokes, pleading with her, "Don't...you can't..."
"He loves me, and he won't ever stopping loving me," She continues, a tear running down her cheek, "As long as they live, I won't fight you, I won't run, I will be completely yours and there is nothing he will be able to do about it and that will destroy him.....because....." The words catch in her throat,"....because it makes him weak,"
Baines inhales, a sickening grin curling his lips.
"Clarissa, I am going to kill you," Daniel bites out, but she ignores him, putting on a poker face as Baines studies her.
At last, he lowers the pistol to his side, and she breath a small sigh of relief. Staring death in the face is not something she would like to repeat.
"You can't!" Lestrade hisses at Baines, dragging George with him as he steps forward, "You promised me The Strand!"
A ripple of anger rushes through her but she resists the urge to spin around and slap the slimy weasel. How dare he think he can have The Strand? Baines casts a look towards his friend, indecision flickering across his face, before refocusing on her.
"Why would you give yourself up?" He asks.
"Because I want George and Peter to stay alive as much as you want Daniel to pay,"
"And him?" He jerks his head at Daniel.
"What about him?"
"I could just kill him,"
"But you won't, you want him to hurt," She tilts her head, wearing a sad smile, "Killing him would be considered mercy, and he doesn't deserve that," She pauses, "So, are we agreed?"
"Baines!" Lestrade growls.
Baines whips around and shouts at him, "You will still get what you were promised, now be quiet!"
Lestrade wisely shuts him both and shrinks back like a rejected puppy, shooting daggers at Clarissa as he goes. She enjoys the moment more than she should given her situation but then Baines calmly turns back to her and smirks.
"It's a deal," He says, sticking his hand out.
George yells, fighting to get free but he cannot break Lestrade's hold. Peter claws at Tom, trying to loosen his hold but further pressure is applied to his throat and he starts to gasp. Seeing her friends at the end of their roads intensifies her determination and she holds out her hand.
"Clary..."
A weak cry utters from behind her and she halts, not daring to turn around. She can only imagine the look of anguish on Daniel's face and it flooding her senses with a rush of conflicting emotions. She shakes her head to clear it and grasps the offered hand.
Baines grips her tightly and takes advantage of their handshake to seize her wrist and pull her against him. She stumbles into him, his pistol resting in between their chests as he leers down at her. She feels his hot breath on her neck and it makes her stomach coil, the stench of sweat hanging around them.
"Thank you," He mutters, "I am going to enjoy this,"
"I am going to kill you," Daniel vows darkly, attempting to get up, but his injury causes him too much pain and he falls back to the floor. Baines's eyes flicker towards him, clouding with murderous intent.
"I am yours," Clarissa whispers quickly, placing a hand on his chest and diverting his attention away from the duke, "I am yours,"
His anger seems to dissipate at the contact and he blinks, his grip on her wrist tightening, "We should leave,"
She nods, "Yes,"
He takes a minute to think and then address his prisoners, turning her with him and pressing the pistol under her chin, "If any of you try to attack us as we leave then I will not hesitate to shoot Miss Lenoir here,"
He receives a defeated silence in response, with Peter and George swapping silent looks of misery and fear. He then turns to his men, "Release them when I am out of the door and then follow us out," He gives George a scathing glance over, "Cavendish here can help his brother out,"
George turns his head away, unwilling to show his true feelings. Baines starts to walk towards the stairs but Clarissa resists, digging the heels of her boots into the floor.
"Let me say goodbye to him," She pleads.
"What?" He growls.
"I might not love him the way he loves me, but I still care," She says, trying to move towards Daniel, "He is my husband and I deserve a goodbye even if he doesn't,"
Baines laughs and yanks her into him, his snarling voice just for her, "You deserve nothing, you are nothing but a little girl playing dress-up, and it's time to grow up,"
He shoves her onto the floor and she falls hard onto her knees, wincing as her palms connect with wood. A vicious kick to the bottom of her spine forces her to collapse forward as she blinks through the pain. She looks up at her new master and his pistol is aiming straight at her back.
"You have a minute to say goodbye and then we are leaving," He instructs.
She nods and starts to crawl forward, but her skirts get caught on her boots and there is a sharp rip around her waist. Lestrade cracks up as she falls onto her elbows, groaning. She clambers up, the material tearing even more as she manages to crawl forward and reach Daniel. She brushes her hair from her face and his bright eyes find her violet ones, he tries to speak but no words slip from his lips. She glances down at the gash across his stomach; it's deeper than she would like, but the blade hasn't knicked anything life-threatening and the bleeding is slowing down.
"Hey," She cups his face, forcing him to look at her, "I love you too in my own way. Do you remember that afternoon outside my house, after you spoke to my parents?" She lets out a watery chuckle, "You were so charming, you caught me off guard...." He tries to interrupt but she places a finger to his mouth, silencing him.
"And I vowed to never bow to you. I will still never bow to you, but I don't mind admitting that I will miss you," She looks away, fighting back the tears, "Because....it could be so much worse, we could be so much worse,"
And then she leans forward and presses a sweet kiss to his lips. His eyes widen as his lips move against her, encouraging her embrace. She leans in further, relishing the feel of his free hand fluttering down her back and coming to rest on her waist, tugging her onto his lap. His fingers play around her hipbone and she melts against him, his presence calming her mind but racing her. Their kiss isn't a fight for control this time, it's a desperate attempt at communicating those things that can't be said with words.
"That's enough!" Baines orders, "ENOUGH,"
He strides forwards and seizes Clarissa by the hair. She yells as his fingernails dig into her scalp, dragging backwards. She meets Daniel's gaze and she freezes; there is a flame in silver eyes, a dark look overpowering his features. George and Peter are both shouting at Baines as he still attempts to drag Clarissa away but their shouts are soon overpowered by a howl of pain that viciously cuts through the air.
The hand in her hair vanishes and Baines looks down at his leg where a knife has been plunged deep into his right thigh. His eyes widen as Daniel grips the knife tighter and slams his whole body weight on top of the blade, slicing it through Baines's thigh. Clarissa lunges at him, taking advantage of his pain and shock to steal his pistol out of hand. She spins around and prays that she can still shoot straight as Baines lets out an inhuman cry of agony and collapses onto his knees, bone clearly visible.
BANG!
Lestrade is dead before he hits the ground. George jumps out of the way of the body and hurries over to Daniel, whose strength has drained from him and is slumping to the floor. Clarissa then turns the weapon on Tom. He looks from the dead man to the man clutching his leg and he pales, removing his arm from her godfather's neck. Peter shrugs him off and for an extra measure punches him, and he crumples to the floor, cradling his jaw.
"Get out of here," Peter spits, kicking at his ribs. Tom wastes no time in jumping to his feet and scurrying towards the stairs.
"Stay with me," George mutter to his brother, trying to keep him conscious as he rips up his jacket to help staunch the bleeding. Peter strides over to help them but Clarissa has a different priority.
Baines lies a few feet away, his hands at the knife in his leg, rocking on his back and crying in pain. She stalks over and grabs him by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him away from the others. He cries out as she jostles his leg, screaming all kinds of curse words at her. She ignores him, dropping him to the floor and reaching down to pull the knife out of his leg. Blood immediately begins to spurt out of the wound in thick streams and Baines's eyes roll into his head as he starts to fall unconscious.
"No no no no," She murmers. She chucks the pistol out of reach and places him into a sitting position against one of the wooden support beams. She knows she only has minutes.
"Look at me," She orders, slapping his face lightly. His eyes flicker open and they find her. Hate and anger fill them and he tries to say something but it comes out garbled. She seizes his chin, forcing him to look straight at her.
"You've lost," She says gently.
He snarls, spit flying.
She grimaces but doesn't pull away, "You're dying, and there's no one who can save you now,"
Panic ensues him and his hands clutch at his leg trying to stop himself from bleeding out. She leans forward so that her lips are level with his ear. "But I have a secret for you before you go," She pauses and then says, "I would have let you kill him,"
She feels him stiffen in surprise, and she relishes the shock on his face. She pulls away, triumph in her expression, "I was going to let you, after all, I could have had everything if you had killed him, I never needed him,"
He makes a gargled sound, his skin turning grey. His blood has now soaked all down his trousers and covered his hands. It's bathing the floor around them, including Clarissa's shoes and dress but she doesn't care. This moment is too sweet to be bothered about anything else.
Her voice turns hard and grating, "But you fucked up when you killed Grace,"
She leans on his injured leg and he gasps as the pain intensifies. The grin that rises onto her face is animalistic and deranged, "You hung her up for the world to see," She whispers, "And now I am going to do the same to you,"
One of his blood-soaked hands rises to her throat and he tries to squeeze but he has no strength left and it does little more than rest around her neck. He scans her face as though he is trying to remember every detail, and she stares back, letting him hold her. It only takes a minute before the life drains out of him and his arm goes slack, falling to his side. She holds a finger to his neck and grimaces when she feels no pulse. She closes his blank, unseeing eyes and sits back on her heels, touching her throat. She winces as she feels his sticky blood covering her skin. She clambers shakily to her feet, her body feeling broken and exhausted. All she really wants now is a cup of tea and a nap.
Someone approaches her shoulder.
"He's dead?" Peter questions gruffly, kicking the body.
"Yes," Clarissa replies, swiftly turning away and picking up her discarded pistol. She looks down at the weapon, her thumb running over the smooth wood and metal. How quickly the tables turn when you hold the power in your hand.
"You should do it if you want to," Daniel says, his voice travelling around the room, "Shoot me and it's all yours,"
Peter inhales sharply and George's hands freeze over the wound as they all turn to look at her.
She turns to face the duke, the pistol held at her side, "What?"
"I know you are thinking about it," He continues, ignoring his brother's looks of utter panic, "It would cross my mind too, angel,"
Clarissa doesn't say a word, the pistol feels too heavy to raise it.
"Clary...." George says warningly, holding up his hands in surrender.
Daniel smirks, "You should kill me if you want to Clary, lord knows you won't get another chance," He points to his chest, right above his heart, "Just here,"
Her arm flies up and she aims directly at his head.
He chuckles, his silver eyes full of daring, "Or there, that will do it,"
"Clarissa, what are you doing?" Peter cries, alarmed, "You can't kill him,"
She flicks the pistol and laughs mirthlessly, "Oh I can,"
Daniel smiles, "Of course she can," His golden hair falls across his face and he blinks up at her, "The question is does she want to?"
Clarissa's heart is thundering in her ears, both George and Peter start to shout at her but she doesn't hear a word. All her attention is on Daniel and the lazy smile on his lips. He studies her face and the corners of his mouth twitch.....BANG!