Note: Hey Everyone! This is a little shorter than usual but I needed to introduce you to Sparrow. I promise more Peyton and Mason next time. I hope you enjoy anyway. These two may be cold but this is gonna be fun. ; )
Chapter 13
Law looked out of the dusty windows of the abandoned mansion. Most of them where still boarded up but he’d managed to pry the board off this one. He’d studied the frayed opulence throughout the house while he’d camped out in the mansion for the last two days waiting for Sparrow’s arrival. People outside the Safe Zones couldn’t afford to live in places like this anymore. They cost too much to maintain and he could personally attest to the futility of heating something so large.
They’d thought Sparrow would be here yesterday when the dark rainclouds had started dropping their heavy burden, but she still hadn’t reappeared. He had extra winter clothes, blankets, and medical supplies at hand. He remembered the way Peyton was after she’d come out of the Temporal Warp. Law shook his head, he’d just as soon call it lightning but Wolfram insisted it wasn’t the same. It would be far worse for Sparrow, now that it was mid-December. The rain kept up its steady downfall, “Lucky me,” Law thought to himself. The stupid mansion was right next to the Willamette River. It was freezing outside. It wasn’t much better inside, but at least he had protection from the wind and the rain.
Sighing, he went to put on his coat so he could check the perimeter before sunset. He’d eat later. He’d just bent down to pick it up off the ragged French style couch when he felt it. That hair-raising feel of electricity filling the air, traveled up his body, and his hair stood up on end. It was just as Logan had described to him. He cursed and ran back to the window just in time to see a bolt of purple blue lightning touch down.
He saw her perfectly outlined in the lightning, as time seemed to slow. Her naked body stretched low over her right foot. Her left leg pointed gracefully in the opposite direction of her body with her toes facing forward. Her outstretched palms hid her chest. Her fingertips touched together forming a triangle as he watched her through the window.
Law knew it was a Martial Arts stance of some sort but he didn’t know enough to name it. She was graceful and lovely. The slowing of time stopped and resumed its normal pace. She stood from her crouched position as the temporal residue seeped into the earth, leaving no trace behind. Straight raven black hair lashed at her face in the wind and rain. Shock registered in her eyes before they rolled back and she collapsed in a heap on the wet leaves covering the stone patio.
Law grabbed a thermo blanket and rushed out the back door. He reached her in moments but she was unconscious. He quickly wrapped the thermo blanket around her and gently picked her up. She was small; it didn’t take much effort on his part as he took her back inside. He had to warm her before hypothermia set in.
Once he had her inside, he set her down on the French style couch he’d been sleeping on, tucking her small frame into the covers for warmth. He grabbed the thick beanie he’d brought and tucked it over her head. She started shivering before her eyes opened, automatically trying to sit up. Law pressed her back into the covers.
His touch was gentle but firm, matching his voice, “Don’t get up. Your body has just been exposed to extreme cold. I have coffee. It’s still warm. I’m going to lift your head so you can drink. We need to raise your internal temperature.” Sparrow looked up at him through big brown eyes before they scanned down his torso and back up. He got the feeling it was more to assess his threat level than it was to check him out. He pulled the small rusty side table closer and poured the coffee into his cup. “Drink this,” he ordered.
She was shivering more now, but kept her mouth closed stubbornly, “N… no!” She managed to force through clenched teeth.
“I’m a Doctor. You’ll die if I can’t get you warm. Drink the damn coffee!” He could see her shivering getting worse even with the blankets he had her under wrapped close.
She glared up at him. Her tan skin had an ashy tint from the cold. Her face was soft curves and gentle angles. She had the kind of features that prevented one from knowing her ethnic background, as if she inherited all the good parts from her mixed ancestry, “Your b… b… bedside manner s… s… sucks!” She flung out her hand and knocked the cup from his hand before grabbing his sweater and pulling him closer, “I n… need body heat!”
Law cursed as she made so many sudden movements, “Fine, we’ll do things your way but you need to stay still. Moving like that sends the cold blood in your limbs back to your heart and drops your core temperature and I don’t have the tools to deal with that here.” She nodded and continued to shiver as he took off his shoes and sweater leaving his t-shirt on and started to get under the blankets with her.
“Jeans…” She didn’t say anything else but Law heard the command in her voice.
His jaw clenched, but he took those off too, thanking Logan in his mind for reminding him to wear thermal pants under his jeans. “Happy?” he asked sarcastically. Sparrow nodded and he climbed under the blankets, gently wrapping his arms around her. She in turn clung to him as if he was the last source of heat in the universe. He turned them to press her into the back of the couch to prevent loss of heat on the other side of her body.
Gradually, bit by bit, her body began to warm and her shivering became less violent. Unlike Peyton, Sparrow didn’t fall asleep. Instead, she started drilling Law with questions, “Who are you?” She asked as she snuggled deeper into his arms.
“I’m Doctor Lawrence Parker, but I prefer to be called Law.” He said, trying to keep his voice and breathing even.
She chuckled, “Alright, Law, why does my house look so neglected?”
“It’s been abandoned for thirty-nine years.” He felt her hands moving down his back and jerked when he felt her icy hands move under his shirt.
“Yeah, and my name’s Marilyn Monroe.” She said as her hands roamed up his back.
“I thought you preferred to go by Sparrow, or are you really Jane Smith?” He felt all her movements stop. Law wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or regret about at that, maybe both.
She must have been feeling better than she let on because he suddenly found himself on his back with her straddling him and a knife at his throat, “Who the hell are you really?”
Law held as still as he could, “Where did that come from?”
She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair before tugging it back and leaning down close, “Oh this? I have these little security measures stashed all over the place.” She gave him a sweet smile before dropping it and turning serious. “Now answer my question.”
“I am one of the few men on this planet that won’t turn you into the Government. You’re out of your depth here. It’s not 2020 anymore! It’s the year 2059, and I need your help to save my sisters and the other women of this planet from a fate worse than death.” He knew he should try to be cajoling but his words came out in a pissed off growl. No one had ever treated him this way.
She shifted on top of him, making him swallow hard as their blankets fell exposing… everything. He couldn’t help his reaction. Sparrow noticed and a wicked gleam sparked in her bright brown eyes, “You’re pretty. It’s too bad for you I don’t do crazy.”
Anger sparked within him and he pressed himself against the blade, “Cut me if you have to, but you’ll only be hurting yourself. You have been brought to the future, and it’s not a pretty place.”
She studied him intently, gauging his sincerity with the edge of her knife steady against his throat. His movements hadn’t cut him yet but with a flick of her wrist, she could change everything, “Prove it.” She finally said quietly, as she pulled the knife away from his neck.
Law closed his eyes with relief. He couldn’t afford to die. He got a poke in the ribs for it, and his eyes flew open, “Have you ever seen a helicar?”
“Is that some kind of helicopter shaped like a car?” She asked tilting her head to the side. Her dark hair finally fell over her shoulder, blocking the view, as he shook his head no.
“I brought clothes for you.” He blurted out.
“Why? Do I make you uncomfortable?” She smiled, clearly enjoying the thought of making him uncomfortable. Then she frowned, “Do you have a girlfriend or something?”
“I don’t have time for either.” His voice was short and irritated.
She shrugged nonchalantly, “Where are the clothes?”
He pointed to his black bag of clothes and she slipped out from under the covers and grabbed the bag. Law found his eyes following her every move. It wasn’t everyday he saw a beautiful naked woman. She had a tiny sparrow tattooed on her upper left cheek and goose bumps dappled her skin.
“Stop checking out my ass.” Sparrow scolded him, not even turning to look behind her.
He shook himself and got dressed too. “The Helicar is around back. I’ll show you that first.” She made a gesture for him to go first and he did. However, in the back of his mind two words played repeatedly, “Icy shower… icy shower… icy shower.”