PRIVATE Multi-Muse

“What I wanted? Are you kidding me?” Ropes bind tight against the both of them as he presses his back against hers, attempting to free himself. A lost cause, it seems. Their captors wait close by, paying not the least bit attention - no doubt lulled to a false sense of security. Good, Indiana can work with that.

Frustration rises like bile along the back of his throat as the archaeologist gives another jerk, head craning to see over his shoulder. “If this is what I wanted, I can guarantee you they would have gagged the both of us too.” Impatience draws to a close as he inhales, heart thudding softly in his chest. Wrists ache where they are tied, a dull throbbing - and Indiana briefly wonders if they tied Marion as tight. He hopes not, despite what he says in anger. 

She’s beautiful, framed in the moonlight and he can’t help but act on instinct, moving forward in two long steps. Lips crush against hers, fingers weaving through hair as if urging to pull her closer, to grip her tight to him until their bodies become one.

“ And what is a doctor doing chasing rumors? ” It was true her curiosity had piqued with him and her mood shifted ever so slightly. She was aware of the concern from the citizens. The supernatural ran rampant in their parts and strangers could very well be part of that. These men may not be what they said they were. The fact that they’re interested in the rumors made her suspicious. “ 

My family has been handling these rumors for generations. And you think you can just show up and put an end to them as you put it? ” She nearly chided the man, a scoff ever present. “ Do you even know what you are up against? ” 

 She couldn’t imagine just what rumors were circulating London. Word of mouth was easy to manipulate. Hell, even Dracula could spread a rumor in his favor. Anna would have to take his word with a grain of salt. “ My name is Anna Valerious. I suggest you relinquish any weapons you may have. The citizens are not as kind as I have been. ”

He leans heavy on his cane, ignoring the way both it and shoes squelch into ground, mud sliding over the tops as if a creature alive in itself. Holmes is no doubt creating more trouble than necessary, no doubt ruffling feathers that John himself will have to later soothe ... and here he is left, facing down what could easily turn into an angry mob. A loud neigh of a frightened horse sounds behind him, followed by a crash that makes the doctor wince.

Why him?

One palm lays flat over the other as he leans forward, tongue pressing to the inside of one cheek. “We came to help. My colleague - “ Another wince. “ - my colleague and I are simply intrigued by what we’ve heard. I assure you, the rumors that have reached London are more wild than you can possibly imagine.” His disbelief is certain in every word, each syllable showing that John Watson is a man of science, unbelieving of anything supernatural. He’s exasperated with the whole situation, tired of being stared at like some lion in show at the zoo, but John still moves, preparing to hand over his gun. 

A loud screech reverberates through the town as the doctor grabs at the brim of his hat, blue eyes flickering from Anna’s face to the sky. “Holmes - “ Head turns to glance over his shoulder, voice rising as if trying to find some sense in what is currently staring him in the face. “Holmes!” Sword is drawn from cane, brandished at once even as expression steels itself, brows rising in the woman’s general direction. “I don’t suppose this is a welcoming tourist trick?”

There it was. She had no issue admitting what she felt. She cared about him, enjoyed being around him. She’d even go as far as admit she’d thought about what kissing him would be like. The last relationship she was in ended because they couldn’t handle her traveling and forced her to make a choice. Nel had no problems with long distance but others seemed incapable of it and she’d rather not enter into something that could only end in disaster.

“ Of course I do. ” She let out a heavily sigh, looking down at her feet. “ I’m not going to pretend that there isn’t something here. But why would I start something when I’m leaving in a couple weeks? Why would I put you through that? ” If she thought he could handle something of a lower commitment, things would be different. She was a loyal person, but distance wears on others differently than it did for her.

“ You’re an amazing person, Derek, but let’s be realistic. It won’t end well. People can’t handle the traveling. I’m sure you’ve had problems with your surgical hours in the past, right? Don’t you understand more than anyone? ”

Her argument is valid, one he should have expected, but Derek finds himself shaking his head before she’s even done, fists jammed in coat pocks as blue eyes roll skyward and teeth raking across a chapped bottom lip. He’s used such logic before, given excuses as to why his job, his very existence, doesn’t allow time to date .. but this, this is different. Did he really deserve to have it thrown back in his face? “I’m a grown up, Nel. An adult. I think I’m capable of deciding what I can and cannot handle.” 

The meaning is evident in every word. He’s Derek Shepherd, doctor Derek Shepherd .. he can handle anything, he’s proved it to himself and others countless times. One doesn’t become a god in the operating room by allowing oneself to give up, to admit defeat ... and this situation is no different. A scoff passes through him at her words, huff of laughter leaving on a breathless exhale as if to blow away her hesitation, her reasoning behind why they should stay. 

“ I wait weeks, sometimes months, for patients to heal, I’ve waited years to find someone like you ... I don’t give up easily. You have your passion, your job - I get that, I do .. .but you can’t ignore what’s standing right in front of you.” Its me, he longs to say. “I won’t ask you to stay, I never would... I’m just asking you to come home at the end of it all. To here. To me.”

Her throat was raw from screaming. Everything that happened was a blur. She moved in slow motion, as if everything she did was not enough. Flailing arms and crumbling rubble, dust accumulating until all vision was impaired. When the dust settled, she was no where to be seen as fellow crew members slowly rose from where she tossed them. Some scrambled, digging with their bare hands while others rushed the phones. She awoke in a helicopter, rushed by pain that seemed to pump through her veins. They had to restrain her as she screamed, trying to fight the IVs and the hands that held her steady. Her neck was stabilized, arms strapped down and her legs… she couldn’t feel her legs. Head pounded to the beating of the blades and her vision blurred. “ Seattle Grace.. Please… Seattle Grace… ” The nurses watched the news in horror, Eleanor’s picture plastered on most news stations hailed a hero. The call of an airlift coming in came next and they kept speculating it was her, that she was coming home. Their words traveled fast until every nurse on each floor spoke of what she’d done. Postcards pinned to nurses stations were passed around in remembrance as if she died.

“ Patient is a 34 year old female with multiple injuries due to a collapsed structure. Lacerations to the head, and upper extremities. Left leg crushed and multiple contusions to the legs and abdomen. Signs of broken ribs and fingers. Page neuro and ortho. Someone needs to meet her at the helipad. ”

@meisanimam​ for derek B)

Every day without her starts the same - a deep ache in his chest that reminds him of what he’s lost, what he’s missing. A void he’s tried to fill with some cheap dates, taste of wine heavy on his tongue as bleary eyes blink against the reflection of her that appears in his glass. A ghost of an angel that he can’t chase away, no matter how hard he tries. His last date from the night before had been a disaster. Half-drunk he had shown Addison a horrible time, doing his best to ignore the words that tumbled from her lips.

“You’re in love with someone else, Derek.”

No. He wasn’t. Now, leaning against the nurse’s station he flips through charts, pushing pain aside for the means through which to do his job, to be the savior that so many count on him to be. Knuckles pop, gaze purposely ignoring the feeling of gazes against the back of his neck. The tv is blaring, cutting into his thoughts like sharp edged scalpel and Derek feels frustration rising along the back of his throat, one hand flipping the chart closed, brows furrowed. “Can we maybe save the three ring circus for when we’re not trying to work?”

Those gazes he had felt are back, and as grey hues flick to the screen, he feels his breath catch in his throat. That face, that beautiful face ... for a moment the floor lurches and he’s thankful for the counter he leans against ... words on the screen blurred and sound making no sense. He’s trying to understand, trying to convince himself its not true - its a bad dream, its another woman, its not Eleanor. Not his Eleanor.

He’s on his way to the heli-pad before anyone can stop him, long legs eating up the stairwells. Seattle Grace offers many things, but fast elevators are not one of them. Nothing is fast enough, the only thing he can count on are his own two feet - so he takes the steps three at a time, ignoring the burning in his chest. Nel, no. Please, no.

Does he believe in God? It’s a question Derek has been asked many times. More often than not, he gives a blase answer, something to head off whatever patient or family member is asking .. but now he finds himself muttering prayers he didn’t know he remembered, casting off names as if someone up there might listen. Wind blows through his hair as he finally opens the heli-pad door, squinting against the bright light. He joins the two other doctors and nurses who have made it before him, throat tightening up as one places a gentle hand on his arm.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be here, Dr. Shepherd.”

He tosses such an idea aside. Eleanor needs the best and he is one of the best. Hands clench and unclench into fists at his sides, knuckles popping as if getting ready to save the woman he loves. Has always loved. Soon, she’s unloaded, conscious but in amounts of pain that Derek can only fathom ... he’s not even sure he’ll be recognized but he steps forward anyways, letting one thumb brush the barest edge of skin around her eyes as he used to, voice low and soothing. “Its okay, Nel. You’re here. I’m here. You’re gonna be okay.”

I’m not gonna lose you. Not again. Not like this

Now, blinking against the blood that drips from his brow to his eye, the knight of Arthur’s court stands proud in the mists, gaze taking in the woman before him. She exudes power, exudes beauty, but he fights against such charms ... holding true in his heart for his one and only queen’s sake. This is none but an impostor, a bringer of death and destruction - and if it is to his death that he walks, then so be it.

“Those who came with have died, or deserted.” The words fall like stones between them in the fog, voice hoarse and heavy. “But I’ve come to think you already have that knowledge.” His king’s realm is falling apart, the last hope they have is something desperate and unseen .. and most of all, Lance must protect her. “They say you know why people come to you for aid. They say that all who do are foolish .. but look into my heart, my lady, and you will see my wish, upon all things,  is favorable.”

        Maybe he was right. She’d be damned if she’d admit as much out loud, but still… maybe he was right. Too bad stubbornness had always been Marion’s fatal flaw, and she wasn’t about to change that up now, not when Jones was attempting to boss her around as if she was just Abner’s little girl all over again.

        Marion stood a little taller, shoulders squared and a look of determination burning in her eyes. Clearly, she was ready for a fight. “ And you don’t? ”  she shot back indignantly, digging her heels into the ground as though that would make any difference. If he really wanted to get her to leave, he could make it happen, but she wouldn’t go without a fight. “ I’m not goin’ anywhere, Indiana Jones. Not without you. ”  Whether that was because she needed something from him, or because she genuinely cared for his well-being, was difficult to discern.

For a moment he’s ready to argue ; mouth opens as if ready to shout but no words tumble out to land at the dirt between them and instead Indiana simply stares. There’s time for admirin’ her later, but he can’t help but let his gaze wander over raven hair and that stubborn expression .. some things never changed ... she was more like her old man every day.

In one fluid motion he’s pulled his prized fedora off of his own head, fingers deftly placing it atop her own. “Have it your way - “ Tone is one of frustrated annoyance but the smile flitting about his lips gives the truth of it away. Before she can do a damn thing like comment on it, Indiana wraps fingers around her wrist, dragging her behind him. “I’ll distract ‘em, you head for that cantina over there. And Marion - “ The archaeologist stops for a moment, growing serious as he turns to face her, leaning in ever closer until words ghost over the shell of her ear. “Don’t lose my hat.”

She doesn’t realize she’s leaning into his touch until her eyes flutter close though the heat from his knuckle is fleeting. Nel sucks in a shaky breath before biting her tongue and casting her eyes down… that is until he speaks again. For a moment, she thinks he’s going to say something profound, something that’ll sweep her off her feet and eyes widen expectantly… hopeful. She can’t hide the disappointment when it’s not what she wants him to say. 

He moves away and her heart sinks. Maybe she’s wrong. He must not feel the same way she does. If he did… A sigh escapes her and she turns away from him. Surely he’d say something. He’s the type who speaks their mind. But isn’t she the same? Nel doesn’t want to force her feelings on anyone. Better to just swallow them whole and forget that they leave a heavy sinking pit in her stomach. 

“ Tomorrow morning… ”  So soon does she ship out, though it’s not forever. Half a year is still a long time and the idea can be daunting to most. She’s been doing this for years now and the thrill never seems to fade. She can only assume it’s how he feels about surgery.

“ Do you work tonight? ” A part of her wonders if he’d be willing to spend the last night with her… Would that be too much to ask? “ I’ve already said goodbye to everyone else… It’d be a shame to spend the evening alone. ” Please, touch me… hug me… something… 

Nel looks back, signature smile fitting her face. They’re just friends and she needs to accept that. This is a normal friendship… They’ll miss each other because of that and that alone. Maybe it’s easier to convince herself that he doesn’t want her.

The wind picks up, a sudden exhale of the earth that blows dark bangs into his eyes despite how furiously fingers work to free them. Derek Shepherd has never been one much for regret ... and yet .... One thumb slides over the back of an index finger as he flexes his hand, shoving fist all the deeper into his coat pocket. It’s strange, being on this end of such a conversation. How many times has he wanted to beg someone not to leave, not to follow their dreams? 

Just the one.

His face falls at the mention of tomorrow ... so damn soon ,,, but Derek tries for steel determination, brows pinching as he does his best. Its so strange, to be standing in the cold Seattle sun, watching a dream he hadn’t realized he held so tightly slipping through his fingers like sand. He’s a neurosurgeon, he’s God in the operating room, the savior of families ... and yet here he stands, stuck with nothing to show for it. “Eleanor - “ Steps close the distance between them, fingers leaving his coat pocket to instead tuck a stray piece of windblown hair behind one of her ears. Lips perk up at her question, eyes lighting up at the idea that they can steal some more time together before ...

No Derek. Don’t think about it.

       There was nothing reassuring in the Sheriff’s response, but Morgana truly hadn’t expected anything less. This was a man who clearly enjoyed his rule by fear, who took pleasure in the intimidation of others, who cared naught for the thoughts of others. But some lone voice in the back of her mind begged caution; where she challenged Uther regularly on the cruelty of his rule, she was certain that the same leniency would not apply if she began doing the same to her new host.

       Still, his suggestion for putting her to use did prompt a raised brow. “You would have me charm him?” Even after the man had just declared that this so-called outlaw’s presence was unbecoming of her welcome? He certainly had nerve, and the proposal begged an equally audacious response. “Are your men – your master of arms – incapable of bringing a wanted thief to justice on their own?”

Oh she’s a feisty one, ever intent on popping off when she should remain silent ... and for am moment the sheriff can do nothing but stare, tongue playing with loose jeweled tooth. “Careful you don’t lose your tongue with questions like that ... “ Fingers raise between them as he sticks out his own, miming a cutting action. There’s not a lot that Vaisey expects from Morgana Pendragon - but what he does require, he will get.