#reveary

The wind that rushed through the windows of the bulky pickup truck twisted through locks of red hair, sending them whipping into the air before falling back around the young woman's face. 

"Would ya tie up your hair? I'm gonna go blind if it keeps hitting me in the eye." The formidable blonde man beside her finally whined. 

Sophie McReary sat with her back against the arm of her right hand man, Liam Foley, as they drove through the outskirts of Boston, her eyes intent on the words of the book she was reading before she glanced through the window, silently complying with his request.

In the bed of the truck three more men sat, laughing loudly every once in a while as they joked with each other, clearly at ease. This run wasn't anything to be wary of, though they were always on their guard. This was just a small enterprise to help the Four Points recover more quickly from the war that was still too soon behind them. 

As the landscape turned to cityscape, Sophie closed her book, leaning her head back against Liam's shoulder. A long scar travelled from the side of her neck and disappeared into the collar of her dress, a memento from a close call a few months back. 

"You think this'll be worth it?" Liam asked after a moment, the truck slowing to a halt a half a block away from an unimpressive looking cafe which was their goal.

"So long as we're smart and follow the side roads back, I don't see why not. Anyways, if not, don'tcha miss gettin' shot at?" She asked with a grin that didn't reach her eyes. "Stay here you louts!" She called into the bed as she and Liam climbed out, receiving hoots and whistles in response.

"Buncha lunatics." She muttered, leading the way. Here in Boston, her red hair wasn't uncommon, nor was the way she dressed, men's boots, stockings, and a pale blue dress beneath a baggy coat. She'd missed Boston, though she wasn't so sure about her companion.

When they said the magic word to gain access into the speakeasy, they were led through a false door in the back of a deep freeze which opened up into a much more lively environment. A girl resembling a Ragdoll took Sophie's coat from her as they entered and she had Liam wait at the bar while she went to the bartender. 

"Knuckles sent me!" She called over the din. She didn't have to wait long before she was escorted to another small, nearly unnoticeable door down a hallway off to the side, past a kitchen and a bathroom. 

A strange ringing filled Sophie's ears as she stood, staring blankly out the window of the apartment. Colin's apartment.

What had been Colin's apartment. 

The letter crumpled as she squeezed her hand into a fist and turned back to look at the now barren apartment. The furniture was still there, but everything else, everything that made this place his home, was gone. Her eyes roamed over the shelves that had held pictures of him and his friends, knickknacks  the spot on the back of the chair that he'd always thrown his jacket. It was all gone. 

He was gone. 

Of course, she understood what he said in the letter; how he couldn't be very specific, because of his father. He promised to ring around once things settled down, but even on paper the words felt empty. He was on the run, and not just from his father. His best friend had died in this place, the other had lost her mind and nearly killed him.

No, the farther he got from Montford, the better, and though it pained her, she couldn't really blame him. 

She turned and looked around the apartment one last time, as if hoping to wake up from this confusing and painful dream.

"Goodbye, Pretty Boy." She whispered to the emptiness before turning and heading out the door. There was no reason for her to hang around here anymore. 

There was no way Sophie was going back to the McReary household just yet, especially not after discovering what she had. With that thought in mind, she went to the only other place that felt like home, during the early hours before dawn the day after her return. 

She easily found her way back to Colin's hospital room after she was through with Aidan and slipped back in through the window. She'd have to remember to tell Warren or Cliff to lock it when she wasn't there; if she could sneak in this easily, anyone could. 

As she slid the window closed she froze, hearing a small shuffling behind her. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she heard Colin moan softly in his sleep and could tell, even by the pale moonlight filtering in through the curtains, that his coloring was better. She waited until he settled before moving into the chair beside his bed, noting that he'd clearly had visitors already, though whether he was awake was another story. 

She sank into the chair and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bed and  running her hand gently along his arm, intertwining her fingers with him.

"I swear, I can't leave ya alone for a minute..." She whispered sadly. 

Sophie kept her head down, the cap covering her eyes and hiding her notable hair as she moved through the white halls of the clinic. For such a seemingly bright place, she couldn't help but feel as if the place had a rather hopeless feel to it, as though, inevitably, the end would always find you here. 

As she approached the room Jessie had told Liam, she slowed, spotting an exhausted looking Warren dozing in a chair set up beside the doorway. When she touched his arm, he jerked awake and looked at her confusedly before she lifted the bill of her cap a bit and understanding crossed her face.

"Wasn't sure you'd come."

"How is he?" Sophie asked, though the look on his face was more than enough answer.

"He's still not awake. He got outta surgery a couple hours ago. The doc says he's stronger than he looks."

"Don't we know it."

Sophie slipped quietly into Colin's dimly lit hospital room, hesitating as the door clicked shut behind her. It was as if all noise had suddenly been cut off and even the sun seemed to shine less brightly as it slipped lazily through the shades. 

She pulled off her cap and shrugged out of the jacket as she approached cautiously, her eyes on Colin's still form. Well...still, save for the minimal movement that gave away his breathing. 

Sophie was surprised, save for being paler than Death, he looked the same as always. She had been anticipating the utmost worst from what Liam had warned her, and as she rounded the bed, she saw the reason why. 

Colin did look relatively normal, but there was a strange lump over his abdomen where his blanket bunched up some. She put her things down and turned back to him, carefully touching his cheek, her eyes roaming over his face as she searched for a reaction which she didn't receive. After a moment, her curiosity got the better of her and she pulled down the blanket just below the bandages and stared for a long moment. She'd been stabbed before, nothing serious, but she recognized the wrap, though didn't understand the amount. She pulled up the corner of the lump of bandage and her face instantly went blank. 

Stabbed, that's what she had gathered. But Colin had not been stabbed. 

Gutted, was probably more accurate. 

After a moment of calm inspection, and seeing the stitched up wound that traveled evenly across his stomach, she returned the bandages to their original spot and backed away from the bed before the bile rose in her throat and she was rushing to the small trash in the corner. 

A few moments later, she rinsed her mouth with water from the bedside jug, spitting it into the trash before she stared at Colin for several moments. After a while she went to sit beside him on the bed, taking his cool hand in hers and hugging it tightly to her, her fingers running gently over his face, tracing his features as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

This was her fault. She knew that she wasn't the one that laid open his belly, but that also wasn't the blame she was taking upon herself. 

Colin had been alone. If it wasn't for a series of fortunate events, he would have died alone. That was her fault. If she hadn't laid blame on him when there was none to be given, he might have even been with her, in Chicago. 

Well, perhaps not, but he wouldn't have been alone. He should never have been alone. This was her fault. This was her fault. 

The words repeated over and over in her head as she clutched his hand and prayed for his recovery, knowing she had no right to ask God for a damn thing after all that she'd done. But Colin did. He deserved all the help he could get. He was kind and good. He deserved to live. 

Sophie couldn't say how long she'd been sitting like that, stroking Colin's face and wishing he'd open his eyes, but after a while voices outside alerted her to a nurse or doctor who needed to come in and check on their patient. She'd have to remember to thank Warren later for the head's up. 

Quickly, she slipped from Colin's bed, pulling open the window before she hesitated, looking back at Colin before making a split second decision. After all, what with their lives, nothing was promised, and she might not get another chance. 

Placing her hands on either side of Colin's cool face, she pressed her lips gently to his.

"Wake up, Pretty Boy. I don't want to do this without you."

Sophie hadn't yet been able to do much more than change out of her ruined dress and into a pair of slacks and a shirt when Liam was knocking on her door, telling her someone was at the front door for her.  She took one glance into her mirror and ignored the soot that still covered her face as she peered out the window, recognizing the figure below immediately. 

She slipped downstairs as inconspicuously as she could, walking past the front door and into the empty den before sliding open the window and pulling herself through. She stumbled slightly as she landed heavily but used the wall to right herself as she drew Colin's attention and gestured him out of the light of the front porch. 

::Grins, glancing up from the ground, gauging Sophie's reaction.::

Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're blushing, Soph.

*Scribbles out a line and sighs*

Sophie had been standing on the front porch of Colin's apartment for a good few minutes as she pondered once again why she was there. What had happened to her the night before had shaken her, but it was something she had come to anticipate. Still, there was a sense of listlessness that pervaded her senses and dulled her to the cleanup that had been going on in her home since the previous evening.