This is going to be an interesting chapter :) hope y’all enjoy!
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Reunited
Blaze
I was let out of the hospital two weeks later. My vision still swam like I was in a washing machine if I stood up too quickly but that was bearable. My stab-wound pain was a completely different story. The doctor said that by the time it was healed, there would be just a thin, white scar line from the injury and that the pain would diminish over time. Over time by butt… the pain was so acute I mentally thought that the doctor was on crack when he said that. He gave me pain killers too, although I made a mental promise to myself to use them as little as possible. I didn’t want to become dependent on them, you know?
Mr. and Mrs. Davenport came to pick me up. My parents and Genette were also there but only to bring my suitcase… okay suitcases of clothes and everything else I might need. I knew my mom packed because she and I had the same mindset when it came to packing. We were sensible about it. My brother and father though? God, every time, it looked like a nuclear bomb went off in their suitcases when they packed.
My mom brought me my favorite pair of blue sweat pants and a white camisole with my favorite pair of flip-flops to wear. Have I ever said how much I love my mom? I put the outfit on and shuffled to the door where everyone was waiting. There was a wheel chair waiting for me but I insisted I was perfectly fine to walk, even though my stomach was hurting. Reluctantly they agreed. When we got the Davenports’ car (which happened to be a Porsche Panamera), I hugged my family goodbye before getting into the car. My brother had already loaded my suitcases into the car. Mr. Davenport then started driving home. I fell asleep on the way there; my dreams were of Rald and Bailey and me punching the living daylights out of both of them. It was quite gratifying.
It took a little under an hour to arrive at the Davenports’ home. I woke up just as we were pulling into the garage. Right when I stepped out of the car, my leg was hugged by a little boy with blonde hair.
“Auntie!”
“Jackson!” I exclaimed, picking him up and hugging him. I couldn’t believe how much he’d grown. It was incredible. And he could talk!
“Hey, Blaze,” Melissa said cheerfully. “Your room is all set up. Jackson was demanding you take the room next to his.”
I laughed. “That is perfectly okay.”
Mr. Davenport lugged my bags out of the car and to my room, something I graciously thanked him for.
“Nonsense! I wouldn’t hear of you carrying your bags to your room!” he declared. I gave him a hug and set Jackson down but he refused to leave my side. Melissa tried to persuade him to let me have some alone time but I insisted he was fine to stay in my room. So after I put in a Scooby-Doo movie, I set to packing while he watched the TV. I’ll admit I might have stopped to watch the movie too because who doesn’t like Scooby-Doo?
I put my clothes in the dresser drawers, separating out shorts and pants in one drawer and shirts and camisoles in another, with socks and such going all in another drawer. I’m OCD when it comes to organizing things like that. Afterwards, I plopped down gingerly on my bed (to avoid irritating my stab wound was itching maddeningly).
The movie finished right as supper was ready. I turned off the television and while Jackson raced downstairs, I took my time because my whole body was sore from Rald kicking me repeatedly. The doctors didn’t know how I didn’t have any broken ribs; truth be told, neither did I. However, the bruises were still severe enough to cause me pain when I walked.
Dinner consisted of simple steak and garlic mashed potatoes with bacon, but it was delicious nonetheless. Mrs. Davenport even made an apple pie which half of it was gone after everyone had had a helping. Jackson started to crash after dinner so Melissa went and gave him a bath before taking him to bed. After much prodding on my part, I was allowed to help clean up the table and help wash the dishes but Mrs. Davenport wouldn’t let me do anything and insisted unyieldingly that I go upstairs and get some rest. I gave in because I knew I wouldn’t win the argument and I also was too tired to argue. Apparently getting stabbed really takes it out of you. Who knew?
I trudged upstairs and was about to go into my room when I looked across the hall. There was Chopper’s room. Making sure no one was going to suddenly pop up out of nowhere, I stepped in quickly to his room and shut the door. It looked the same as the day I had last been here, which had been sometime in early November. I looked at all his posters. Some were of the Aurora Saints, some were of the Del Fuego Cowboys, and some were of the Amarillo Broncos. He had multiple posters of fighter jets and supercars. A poster of a supercar I recognized as one that Genette had given to him for one of Chopper’s birthdays. I looked on his nightstand and in somewhat shock, saw that Chopper had kept an address book, completely filled with names and numbers. Mine was in the very beginning, starred and highlighted. A few others, including his parents, Grimm, Nagase, Genette, Cassie, and Melissa were also starred and highlighted. I figured that meant we were important numbers. He also had Jensen and Jared’s numbers in there (if you don’t remember them, they were the two guys that were talking to me when I was visiting in November. Jensen was hitting on me… a lot…).
There was a picture of me and Chopper right after everyone had found out he had asked me to marry him. I was showing the ring to the camera and grinning like a buffoon. Chopper was kissing my cheek.
“Blaze?” Melissa’s voice floated from the doorway. I whirled around guiltily.
“I was just, uh, I was, uh,” I stammered. I couldn’t get a sentence out. She just smiled at me.
“We left it the way it was. Nothing has been moved or changed,” she said softly, looking around the room.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on anything. I just… I don’t know, I guess it’s a sort of closure.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t an all our truth. There would never be closure for me, not where Chopper was concerned.
“Feel free to come in here as often as you like,” she told me sincerely. Melissa walked over to me and looked hesitant. “Blaze, I’ve been wondering. What really happened to my brother? Genette didn’t go into much detail because I was already in hysterics from crying but I think I can handle it now. I want to know. It’s still too sore of a subject with my parents but not so much for me. Please, I want to know.”
I sat on the floor and leaned against his bed. She sat next to me.
“We were doing a flyby over November International Stadium upon request by Vice Principal Appelrouth. We were armed in case we were attacked but we were so far inland none of us had the slightest inkling that would happen. It was the first time I didn’t have a plan in case we were attacked. We went through the flyby with no difficulties. We executed it with perfection. Afterwards, we flew around, listening to the speech, and it was just a little after the crowd started singing Journey Home that I got the first hit on my radar. Nagase, Grimm, and Chopper had it on theirs too. I panicked immediately. I ordered us to stay in pairs. It was me and Chopper as one pair and Nagase and Grimm as another. Our AWACS had told us that reinforcements were on the way but they never came. Chopper was getting an enemy plane off Grimm’s tail. I hadn’t even noticed he had stopped trailing me. I should’ve known. I should’ve been able to stop that plane but I wasn’t. The hit was severe but it didn’t seem like it at first. At first, his controls were working fine. Near the end of the mission, his plane started going haywire. Nagase, Grimm, and I had been begging him to bail out over the stadium but he didn’t want to until most of the people had evacuated. His decision probably saved lives but it cost his. My decision to not have a backup plan cost him his life. Chopper… died quickly. The crash was fast so I don’t think he suffered,” I explained. I had spoken fast, wanting to get the whole story out in as little time as possible.
“You know why my brother loved you?” Melissa queried. I looked at her and shook my head. She wasn’t looking at me but I could see the tears in her eyes. “You were always looking out for others. You hardly ever stopped and thought about what was best for you. He tried to get you to do it but you were quite obstinate whether you realized it or not.” She gave a half sob, half chuckle. “And you were like him in so many ways. You two had the same beliefs, you shared the same humor. God, he loved you, Blaze. More than I can ever hope to explain. One morning when you were still asleep, he had gotten up early and I had been up because of Jackson. He and I had a long talk and all he could talk about was you. So I asked him what his intentions were with you and his immediate response was he was going to ask you to marry him, and soon, too. Of course, I didn’t know he meant the next day at the party. He told me he was worried sick about you, that you weren’t getting enough sleep and that you were constantly waking up in the middle of the night. I told him you were the captain of a fantastic squadron and you probably just had a lot of things on your mind. He dropped the subject after that.”
“You were right. I did have a lot of things on my mind, and they were things that I didn’t want to tell anybody. I still don’t,” I admitted.
“Just know, that even though by blood you’re not related to us, you will always be family,” Melissa assured with a smile. I returned it.
By unspoken consent, we both stood up. I walked to my room and said goodnight to Melissa. I picked up my phone before going to bed. I had one missed call from Genette. I hit the send button and waited for him to pick up.
“Hey, Blaze. How are you?” Genette asked after the second ring.
“Tired beyond belief. Sorry I missed your call. What did you need?”
“I wanted to let you know that you have to go to court in two days at zero-eight-hundred to testify against Bailey and Rald. Henry already testified against Rald so Rald’s looking at two or three life sentences with no chance of parole.”
“How is Henry?” I inquired instantly.
“He’s fine. Now get some sleep. You need it. Night little sis.”
“Night big bro.” I hung up my phone, turned out my light, and fell asleep almost right away.
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Two days later…
I got up at six to make myself look decent. I curled my hair and applied makeup. That took about forty-five minutes. Dressing took another fifteen because I could barely lift my arms without my muscles and bruises screaming in protest. I put on a blue dress that was semi-loose so that it didn’t push or rub against my sensitive stomach. Melissa was waiting for me downstairs. She was my ride to the court in Oured. I hadn’t taken a pain killer before I left and I had forgotten to put them in my purse. I was hoping that my wound wouldn’t bother me too much.
The ride comprised mainly of me and Melissa jamming to Rascal Flatts. We were both in love with their songs. It took under forty-five minutes to get to the court, which was good because it gave me time to get inside the courtroom. Genette had already hired my attorney. It was our family’s attorney and he was one of the best in the country. When I walked in, Bailey was in an orange jumpsuit. She gave me a murderous glare which I returned. I had the strongest urge to go punch her; I resisted, but only barely.
I took my place behind the desk and stood up with my attorney, Mr. Simpson.
“All rise,” the policeman said. Everyone did as told as the judge swept into the room. He was a man in his late fifties, I guessed. The wrinkles on his face told me he loved to laugh, or at least laughed a lot.
Bailey and I swore that we would tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Then we were seated. I was called up to the witness stand and was ordered to give an account on all the offenses Bailey had committed against me. Earlier, I had panicked about what I should say when she tried to kill me with the letter opener so I called Harling and he told me I was completely fine to tell the story, that the judge knew who I was. So I told about how I had found out Hamilton and Bailey were spies for Belka and that while my two friends took on Hamilton, I took on Bailey and she tried to kill me with a letter opener. I then explained what happened when I was being held prisoner by Rald and how both he and she had been more than happy to inflict injuries upon me. Some of the bruises on my face were actually from her slapping me. I concluded my story saying that she was a traitor to Osea. I could tell the judge was on my side. As I was walking up to my desk, Bailey hissed at me, “It was so gratifying to see you mourn Chopper, to see you hurt.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned to her and said nonchalantly, “It was also gratifying to me when I killed Hamilton. I can never convey to you how elated I was.”
Bailey lunged at me. Her attorneys grabbed her before she could hurt me and my attorney grabbed me before I could strangle her. Mr. Simpson did, however, forget one thing. My legs. I kicked with all my strength, knocking Bailey on the side of the head. She went down and out. I struggled to kick her some more but more men grabbed me and escorted me out the court room. They brought me to a private room where I was allowed to calm down. The minute I was out of the court room, I had given up the fight because I had twisted my stomach to kick and afterward my stab wound was creating so much pain that I swore my body was trying to murder me.
I wasn’t sure how long I was in the room before Genette came in. I thought he was going to be mad that I had lost it but instead he gave me a grin and a congratulatory remark. We left the court room, having been given permission to leave, and headed to Chick-fil-a. I had a twelve-count of chicken nuggets with a Diet Dr. Pepper while Genette had the same thing except with a chocolate milkshake.
Once we had finished our meal, he brought me back to the Davenports’ house. It was two in the afternoon by now and Jackson was down for his afternoon nap. Melissa was sacked out on the couch and Mr. and Mrs. Davenport were out on some errands. I slipped quietly upstairs and changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt. I also took a pain killer because my stomach was still aching from earlier. I didn’t mind that the pain was from kicking Bailey though. The pain was well worth it.
I went back downstairs and out the door, heading to the hammock. I was feeling too claustrophobic in the house. It took me a few minutes to find a sitting position that felt secure enough that I wouldn’t fall flat on my butt before I actually risked lying down. Once I had that sorted out, I allowed the soft breeze and rustling leaves of the aspens to put me to sleep.
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Grimm
Chopper was going insane not only from being cooped up in Versailles, but also from the fact that Blaze had been just a few blocks away from him and he hadn’t been able to see her. I felt awful that we had to keep him away from her like this but it was what had to be done. All of us knew that Blaze was too fragile right now, whether she would admit it or not. She had just been tortured, stabbed, and given a concussion. No telling what would happen if Chopper suddenly appeared before. I knew Blaze was bottling everything in, and seeing Chopper, who was supposed to be dead, would only make her think she’d finally lost her sanity.
“How is she Genette?” Chopper asked immediately when Genette had barely taken a step into the room.
“She’s fine. Kicked the fire out of Bailey, knocked her unconscious,” Genette replied.
“Bailey kicked her unconscious?!” Chopper roared.
“No, Blaze kicked Bailey unconscious.”
Chopper instantly calmed down. “That’s my girl.”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer before you can see her. She’s been itching to see you again… of course, she has no idea it’s you,” Genette said.
“How’s my family?”
“Good from what I can tell. They were insistent when they offered for her to stay with them. In fact, they wouldn’t budge no matter how much Blaze said she didn’t want to intrude. Apparently Jackson was demanding Blaze stay in the room next to his.”
Chopper laughed. “I can’t wait to see the little tyke and my family.”
“They’re going to be so ecstatic to see you that I can’t even describe it,” I said. He smiled at me. At that moment, Nagase and Cassie came walking in. They both gave Chopper hugs which he gladly returned.
“Genette, please, give me a guesstimate,” Chopper pleaded. I had never heard him sound so desperate. I wasn’t used to it, nor did I like it. I missed the quirky, witty, sarcastic Chopper I used to know.
“A guesstimate on what?”
“Blaze. When can I see her?”
Genette’s jaw clenched and unclenched, making it clear he was trying to come up with an accurate answer.
“A week at the minimum but no sooner.”
Chopper sighed and nodded.
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Blaze
Melissa was the one who woke me up five hours later. Apparently they had already eaten dinner and had saved some for me. I felt awful that I had missed dinner with them. I hurriedly walked back to the house and apologized profusely for not telling them I was home. All of them said it was absolutely fine, that I needed as much rest as I could get. I smiled apologetically at them before I heated up my dinner and scarfed it down. It was tomato soup, one of the best I had ever had. I didn’t stay up long after that. The pain killer, besides seriously working wonders on taking away the pain, also made me tired. I didn’t know why but I also figured the fatigue was from the pain my stomach had caused. Again, who knew stabbing could take so much out of you?
The next morning, the sky was overcast and there was a steady drizzle but nothing too bad although the news forecasters suspected it was going to get a lot worse. I didn’t really believe them, I mean, come on, they’re newscasters. They say it’ll be bright sunshine and the next thing you know you are hiding in your basement because there’s a tornado roaring through your town… okay, that might be an exaggeration but you get my point.
Nagase decided to come over along with Cassie. I was overjoyed to see both of them. It had been too long. Jackson tried to stay with us “pretty girls,” which was his name for all three of us. Nagase, Cassie, and I laughed. I love little kids. They say the cutest things sometimes. Melissa told him that the adults needed to have some alone time. He pouted as she brought him out of the room.
“He’s adorable,” Cassie mused.
“Isn’t he?” I said. “So how is everyone?”
“They’re all fine. Geller has been catching up on sleep and we hardly ever see him because he’s asleep so much. Grimm and Genette are fine, just watching sports and whatnot and worrying about you.”
“They don’t need to,” I commented.
“One is your brother, one is like your brother, they’re going to worry about you whether you like it or not,” Nagase pointed out with a laugh.
“You have a point,” I muttered.
“Harling has been unusually absent,” Cassie informed.
“He better not have been kidnapped again,” I moaned.
“Nah, he hasn’t, he’s just been in his office a lot. He’s working on something, I’m sure of it.”
“What about Rald Jr.? How’s he?” I queried.
“Once his testimony is taken and you give your speech to let him out, there’s no doubt that he’ll be let free with no charges against him,” Cassie assured.
“And what about Henry? Is he staying at Versailles?” I reached the subject I had been most eager to talk about. For some reason, my friends and family were very oblique in their answers about him. It was quite irksome.
“Yes, he’s at Versailles. He’s fine. He’s glad you’re okay,” Nagase told me.
“Has he found his fiancée?”
“Yeah, but he hasn’t seen her yet.”
“Why not?”
“Hasn’t gotten a chance.”
“Y’all need to let him go see her! Do you know how happy she’ll be when she finds out he’s alive?!” I scolded.
“Yes, we know but with everything-”
I cut Nagase off. “But with everything no! He needs to be allowed to see her!”
Nagase and Cassie looked at each other, a somewhat guilty look on their face.
“What’s going on you two?” I demanded. “You act weird every time I bring Henry up, so does my brother and Grimm and everyone else. What is going on that I don’t know about?!”
“You’ll find out soon. We have to get going. Genette and Grimm are taking us out to dinner and we need to go get ready,” Cassie said. I sighed and said ‘fine’ and after hugging them, I lay back down on my bed.
The rest of the day, my mind was preoccupied by Henry, and the more I thought about him, the more I itched to see him.
The rain had steadily gotten worse and by the time I was in bed with my light turned off, it was thundering and lightning. My mind steadfastly, still, remained on Henry. Why wasn’t he allowed to see his fiancée? Was there something my friends knew about his fiancée that was making them purposefully prevent him from seeing her? What if she was cheating on him and they didn’t want him to find out just yet? I mean, that would be the icing on the cake for him. He’s had a rough past six months being imprisoned in the Belkan prison in Anfang. I would personally slap her if she did that to such a kind guy. Maybe they were keeping him at Versailles because he hadn’t told them everything? Or maybe they didn’t trust him and were keeping him trapped in Versailles because they believed he was lying about being on our side and that when he saw me again, he intended to finish the job that Rald Senior had started?
My mind was running away.
And that was when I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw off my covers and threw on a long-sleeved, gray sweater dress with some black leggings and black flats. I was walking out of my room when it suddenly dawned on me that I had no way of getting there without waking up the Davenports. If I wanted to take the car, I’d have to take it from the garage and that would mean I’d have to open the garage door which would create quite a racket. Uh, don’t think that would work. I couldn’t walk because I’d probably die from being struck by lightning. I’ll pass on that. I’ve had enough near-death experiences thank you very much.
Hell… this wasn’t looking good.
Suddenly, another thought dawned on me. I could call someone to come pick me up, and I had someone in mind that might be willing to do it for me. I crept to Chopper’s room and turned on his lamp. I skimmed through his address book, found the number I was looking for, and after shutting the lamp off, headed all the way down to the basement where I called the number.
They picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” Jensen shouted. The background noise was loud, telling me he was either at a party or he was jamming to music.
“Hey, Jensen, it’s Blaze… Chopper’s fiancée,” I greeted shyly.
There was silence.
“My god! The Davenports told me you were dead! Holy hell! What’s going on?”
“If you come pick me up and drive me to Versailles, I’ll explain the whole thing to you on the way there,” I bargained.
“You got a deal. I’m bringing Jared because he just heard this whole conversation and is curious as hell. We’ll be there in five!” Jensen said.
“Thank you so much!”
We hung up and I tiptoed upstairs to my room where I left a note for the Davenports where I said I had to leave on urgent business to Versailles and that I didn’t know when I’d be back and that I had left early and hadn’t wanted to wake them. I put it on my pillow, grabbed my badge that would allow me to enter Versailles, my phone, made my bed, and headed back downstairs. When I opened the door, Jensen’s black Impala was waiting for me outside. The engine was off but the headlights were on. I hadn’t heard them come up so I guessed they put the car in neutral when they pulled up. I locked the door with the spare key under the mat before getting into the car.
“Y’all are so amazing that I don’t know how to thank you!” I exclaimed when I got in. I shut the car door quietly as Jensen put the car in reverse. Like I had guessed, he didn’t use the engine until we were a good distance away from the house.
“No problem. Now you have a lot of explaining to do, starting with why you look like you’ve been beaten up. Whose ass do we need to kick?” Jared declared. I laughed before diving into the story, although I avoided the subject of me being in the Razgriz as much as I could. They rarely interrupted me; it also seemed that they understood that I was unable to say certain things because of the confidentiality of it.
The story took the whole trip to explain and right as I finished, they pulled up to Versailles. Most of the lights were off, but a couple were on, my room included, making me instantly suspicious. Who was snooping through my room?
“I have a feeling you’re not really supposed to be here,” Jensen mused. “Are we going to be arrested or something for driving you here?”
“Your assumption would be correct, I really shouldn’t, but it’s not illegal if that’s what you’re asking. Don’t worry, if they do come a-knocking on your door, I can get you out,” I assured.
“You have a lot of power in the capital, don’t you?” Jared queried.
“You have no idea,” I replied drolly. “Thank you again for the ride!”
“Do you need a ride back?” Jensen inquired.
“No, after my brother gives me a good scolding, one of which I will tune him out entirely, he’ll drive me back to the Davenports’. I’ll see you two soon!”
“Bye, Blaze!” The two brothers shouted after me as I ran through the pouring rain and to the safety of the overhang at the security booth. Alex was there, playing what looked to be solitaire on the computer. He looked at me, looked at his sign-in book, and did a double-take on me.
“Good lord, Blaze!” he exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing here so late at night?”
“It was the only way my brother wouldn’t kick me out of the palace and the only way I could see Henry. I have my badge and everything,” I told him hurriedly, taking out my badge and showing him that I was allowed to be here. He knew I was but it was still a mandatory action. He swiped my badge in a machine which said I was in the palace. He handed it back to me.
“Be careful, Miss Blaze,” Alex admonished gently.
“It’s me! I’m always careful!” I joked. He snorted. I winked at him and walked up the sidewalk and into Versailles. Right as I shut the door, the lamps that had been lighting the foyer went out. Great… power outage. The generator wasn’t even working because it had been vandalized by some mechanical whiz or something and the people fixing it were having a hard time figuring out how to fix it.
I stumbled my way blindly up the stairs and onto the second floor. I went up to the third floor so I could see if I could possibly find out who had been in my room. I vaguely wondered as I padded softly through the halls if my brother and friends were here. It was probably unlikely. Genette was probably with Nagase at her house, Grimm was probably at Cassie’s. All the better for me. Then at least if I did see Henry, who I was pretty sure was here, we wouldn’t be interrupted.
I was trying to find the way to my room but it became impossible because since I was in an interior hallway, it was pitch black. The drapes in the windows were closed so that didn’t help me find my way either.
As I was approaching to what I was almost positive was my room, I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around, holding my breath. Who would be walking around this time of night? It was rumored that Versailles was haunted and I sort of believed it… now I certainly did. Or maybe I was just losing it. That would probably surprise me less than Versailles being haunted. The footsteps continued; I did something either very brave of very foolish, you decide, but I called out, “Who’s there?”
The footsteps immediately stopped which was accompanied by heavy breathing. I was wondering if I had just allowed some psychopath killer to know where his next victim was (a.k.a. me.) “Blaze?”
Relief washed over me, along with an excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time. I knew that voice; I had grown accustomed to talking to the person of which it belonged to when I was imprisoned by the Belkans. “Henry,” I breathed.
“Where are you?” he asked, sounding urgent. “I can’t see jack without any light.”
“That makes two of us. Uh, I think if you walk forward, we should run into each other… literally.”
I walked forward, reaching out with my hands. It only took a few seconds before my hands connected with Henry’s chest. I let out a little gasp from surprise; he jumped.
“Please for the love of God tell me that’s you touching me,” Henry said drolly.
“That’s me… I’m pretty sure,” I answered sheepishly. I stepped forward and threw my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped themselves around my waist. “God I’ve been going nuts not being able to see you.”
“Same here. Are you okay? How’s your stomach?” he inquired worriedly.
“Fine. I took some pain killers so I can’t feel much right now. What about you?”
“Fine now that I can actually talk to you in person. It’s good to talk to you again, Blaze.”
His use of my callsign made me realize something. “I never told you my callsign.”
“Your friends and family used it a lot when they were talking about you. I guess I got used to hearing it so much that now that’s what I call you when I refer to you,” he explained.
“Ah, okay. That makes sense.”
“Hey, Blaze, after that bastard Rald stabbed you, he whispered something to you. What was it?”
I contemplated briefly on if I should tell him, although it wasn’t much of a big thought process. “He told me he had planned on breaking me and that he had. So when he turned around, I grabbed a gun that had been knocked off the shelf and shot him. Then I mouthed to him that I would never break.”
“I saw you shoot him. Nice aim.”
“Thank you. Was that you I heard asking him where I was?”
“Yeah. I broke away from the rescue team and went to get you because I knew where you were. I think I was running so fast that they lost me because they didn’t follow me down into the basement.”
“Thank you. You saved me you know. If he had finished up bandaging his hand, I’m pretty sure he would’ve finished me off.”
“I didn’t save you. You still got stabbed and nearly died. I’m still beating myself up over it,” Henry mumbled ashamedly.
“Don’t be,” I told him firmly. “I’m alive, and that’s all that matters.”
Surprisingly, he kissed my cheek, making my stomach do flip-flops.
It made me semi-flustered and I was about to suggest we find our way to the living room (the casual one- there’s four in Versailles: two informal, two formal) when the lights flickered back on. I looked up in surprise, glad that I could finally see again. Henry suddenly flinched away from me, making me look at surprise in him. What I saw surprised me more than I could ever express with words. Despite the bruises on his face, the dark circles under his eyes from sleepless nights, the whiteness of his skin from being held in darkness for so long, and the thin, malnourished physique, there was no denying in my mind who he was. I stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the men I had known to be Henry. It wasn’t Henry. Before me was standing someone I knew for a fact was supposed to be dead.
In front of me stood Chopper, my dead fiancé.
He looked frightened; whether by my appearance (because I’m sure I looked horrible with my bruises and partially swollen eye) or by the sheer fact is was me, I wasn’t sure, but when he started to say my name, I reacted instantly.
____________________________________________
Chopper
She kneed me… hard.
I had started to say her name and she had reacted by kneeing me. I grunted as I fell to the ground in pain. Blaze bolted down the hallway. I forced myself to stand up even though my body was practically immobilized. I compelled my body forward, stumbling from the pain, in pursuit of Blaze. She had turned down a corridor and I heard a door open and slam shut. I was able to figure out which one she had gone into mainly by the fact that the decorative drapes were still moving from her running past them.
I opened the door. Blaze was rummaging madly through a drawer. When I ran into the room, she pulled out whatever it was that she had been looking for.
It was a gun.
I skidded so much to a halt that I literally fell on my butt and scooted away from her. Blaze’s face was red, her eyes petrified. Now I knew why Genette and the others had been keeping me away from her. They had been right. I could just tell by the look in her eyes and on her face that she truly believed she’d lost her mind. Not seeing me had been the one thing that had kept her sane.
I wasn’t sure what was going to happen (although I was seriously wondering if I was going to make it out of this alive), but I knew one thing for certain.
Blaze had finally broken.
____________________________________________
Blaze
I stared at Chopper… or Henry. I couldn’t decide. If it was Henry, I had just found Chopper’s ultimate twin. If it was Chopper, I had just lost my complete sanity. My belief went with the latter of those two.
He had come running into the room and when I pointed my gun at him, he stopped so abruptly that he fell backwards. He scooted away from me, clear panic and fear on his face.
“Blaze-” Chopper began.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped angrily. My hand that was holding the gun was trembling but I had no doubt that I could still shoot on target.
“Please, let me explain,” he pleaded softly.
“You’re supposed to be dead!” I cried. “I saw you crash! There’s no way anyone could’ve survived that! Tell me the truth! Who are you?!”
Chopper slowly stood up, his hands in the air as a sign of surrender and of peace. The gesture still didn’t make me put the gun down. “It’s me, Chopper. Alvin Henry Davenport. I’m twenty-seven years old. My birthday is April 1, 1984. My parents are Carter and Allison Davenport; I have an older sister named Melissa and a brother-in-law, her husband, named Jeff, and her son, my nephew, named Jackson.”
How did he now so much about Chopper?
“Blaze, listen to me; it’s me.” He enunciated ‘me’ very carefully, but I still couldn’t believe him. I had watched him crash into the stadium. It was impossible that he was here now. I wondered if the ordeal I had gone through in Anfang was making me think irrationally, but at the same time, my rationality was saying it was impossible for him to be here.
“I said don’t call me that!” I growled at him.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Would I be pointing a gun at you if I did?” I pointed out bluntly.
“Please, put the gun down.”
“No, I will do no such thing,” I told him firmly. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there but I noticed that the pain killer was wearing off. I couldn’t stand on my feet for much longer. Between the shock of Chopper and the rapidly increasing pain in my stomach, I felt weak and faint, something that annoyed me very much. It was a feeling I was quite unfamiliar with.
Chopper must’ve seen the sudden change in my attitude because he boldly took a step forward, asking me, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, lifting the gun up higher since it had lowered significantly when a sharp stab of pain went through me.
He halted his approach, his hands still in the air, but kept talking. “Is it your stomach?”
I could only nod, in fear of being sick.
“Do you need to sit down?”
That question brought me briefly out of my daze and I replied hotly, “No, I’ve been through worse.”
He gulped. “Let me prove to you that I’m Chopper.”
“You have no right to say his name!” I declared fiercely. He took another step towards me. I screamed, “Stay away from me!”
It halted him again. His eyes were begging me to understand that it was truly who I was wishing him to be, but I couldn’t let myself. Such luck didn’t happen to me. Fate wasn’t kind to me.
“Let me prove to you who I am,” he beseeched hopefully.
I stared at him, expressionless, pondering on what he could do to prove to me that he was actually Chopper. It suddenly clicked in my mind, and I grinned superiorly, knowing that Chopper and only Chopper could answer the question I was about to ask. “What was your nickname for me, that only you called me?”
He gave a reminiscent smile and said, “I whispered it to you before you were loaded onto the helicopter. I told you to be careful my Blazing Star.”
I instantly lowered my gun.
Now I knew for a fact that it was truly Chopper standing before me. No one knew Chopper’s nickname for me except me… and Chopper.
He stepped towards me and this time I didn’t stop him until he was within reachable distance. Then I slapped him good and hard on the chest. He jumped and I cried, “You bastard!”
“Blaze?!” Chopper tried to console me but I was on another rant.
“I cried for hours after you died! You left me! I thought you were dead! Now you just show up and expect me to believe you’re alive?! My god! Damn you Chopper! Damn you, damn you, damn you!” I ranted, pounding my fists as hard as I could against his chest, knocking him back each time. I realized afterwards of saying it that it didn’t make much sense but I didn’t care. His arms enveloped me into a hug and that’s when I lost it. I let loose the tears I had been holding in for so long. They were tears of pain, anger, loss, hopelessness, love, and joy. I couldn’t decide which one of those emotions were the most prominent but it didn’t matter. It felt good to cry and Chopper just stood there, holding me tightly as if he were never going to let me go. I would’ve suspended time right then and there if I had the power.
I think it was a good thirty minutes before I was able to look at him without going into another sobbing fit. He wiped some tears off of my face with his thumb.
“I’m so sorry, Blaze. You have no idea,” he whispered, kissing my forehead. My heart jumped at the contact. He was about to say something else but I cut him off with a kiss. His shock was brief, only noticeable by how he went rigid for a second or two before he willingly returned it.
“I love you, Blaze.” I smiled at the words.
“I love you, Chopper. Come on, let’s go get some sleep. We’re both exhausted and I need to lie down or else my stomach will murder me.”
I grabbed his hand and was going to lead him to my room but he swept me up into his arms bridal style, making me laugh gaily. He carried me to my room where he gently set me on the bed before plopping down next to me on my right side. I wasn’t sure if it was coincidental or not that he knew I liked having him on my right side, but I didn’t care. I snuggled up to him, being as close to him as was physically possible. Chopper turned off the lamp and rested his head on mine. I shut my eyes and I was almost to the part of sleep where I would slip into the realm of dreams when Chopper whispered, “Would you have really shot me?”
I chuckled. “No. The gun was on safety.”
I felt him shaking, which told me he was laughing.
“Goodnight, my Blazing Star.” He kissed the top of my head as I told him goodnight.
And then, for the first time since he died, I got a full night’s sleep.
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And they reunite! What did you think of Blaze’s reaction? I actually really enjoyed writing that part. I’ve been wanting to for so long! Please review! Next chapter should be the last one but I’ve been known to change my mind. I will probably write a sequel which will be Blaze and Chopper’s wedding and any other weddings you might want to read about. I have a good idea of what will happen at Blaze and Chopper’s wedding. The sequel will also include the reveal of the Razgriz to the public and an interview of the Razgriz with a reporter or reporters. Haven’t decided which yet. Speaking of interviews, I need interview questions, so this is for all my reviewers, I need questions that any of you might think a reporter would ask or if there was ever a time where you wanted to know what someone else was feeling at the time when the POV wasn’t that specific someone, let me know. I’ll give you credit in my author’s note for giving me the questions. Please review!