Fandom:
Iron Man (movieverse)
Rating: PG-13 (may change later)
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Summary: It will not be long,
love...
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong
to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, NBC, and
other
entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement
is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others
belong to me, especially Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you
have to ask me first.
Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.
Cincoflex and
Laura27md--couldn't do this without 'em.
*********
Tony was getting absolutely sick of trees.
He had nothing against them in general, but at that particular moment
he would happily consign them all to toothpicks if doing so would give
him a clear view of the ground. He had been flying a grid pattern
over the forest near the kidnappers’ lair for hours, with very
little result.
“How many deer have we found again?” he asked Jarvis
grumpily.
“Twelve.” The AI was imperturbable. “And
two bobcats.”
Tony had naively assumed that a human would be easy to pick out of the
wilderness using thermographic sensors. He hadn’t realized
just how many living things there were down there--nor how many had
signatures similar to humans. He’d startled more wildlife
than he had ever seen in a month, let alone a day, as well as
surprising quite a few campers and hikers.
None of the latter, however, had seen any trace of Pepper.
It had taken hours to get the search started. First the kidnapper
had refused to speak until he had a lawyer; then he’d grudgingly
revealed that the third member of their team had gotten away.
Finally learning that two of the kidnappers had chased Pepper
unsuccessfully into the woods had at least given Tony and the agents
someplace to start. But the search and rescue teams had taken
three hours to show up despite Jarvis’ initial ETA. Tony
had started his own sweeps, keeping abreast of developments via the
radio chatter--SAR arriving, volunteers coming in, scent dogs setting
off.
But the dogs had halted at the river, and been unable to pick up a
trace on the other side. The local Sheriff’s office had
contributed nearly twenty searchers who knew the ground. But it
was slow going, and so far...
...So far, there had been nothing at all.
“Are you sure bobcats
won’t bother her?” Tony demanded again.
“Bobcats tend to avoid humans altogether,” the AI repeated
patiently. “Cougars, on the other hand, have been known to
prey on humans, though rarely.”
Tony’s spine, which had begun to relax slightly, tensed up
again. “Great.
And how many cougars are there out here?”
“Probably very few.” Jarvis’ tone was just this
side of lecturing. “Prey recognition is learned behavior in
cougars; in this area a large cat is unlikely to consider Pepper a
target.”
“What about bears?” Tony had never heard of a bear in
the region around Malibu, but cataloging local wildlife wasn’t
exactly one of his interests.
“We are outside the range of native bear species,” Jarvis
assured him. “Pepper is more at risk from exposure and
injury due to falls than from animals.”
“That’s so
reassuring.” Tony kept to his search pattern despite his
aching muscles. He sometimes wore the suit for two days at a
stretch; this was nothing.
The trouble with the suit, though, was that he couldn’t rub his
eyes when they started to blur. “Up the resolution, Jarvis,
I’m having trouble seeing the ground.”
“That’s because the sun has gone down, sir.”
Tony blinked, and realized the AI was correct. “Fuck.
How long have we been searching?”
“You have been scanning for approximately five hours. The
SAR teams began returning to the base point almost forty minutes
ago.”
And we have nothing. It was
unbelievable. Pepper seemed to have vanished completely.
Unless, whispered the
dark voice in the back of his brain, she’s
already dead.
A corpse would be cold, which would keep Tony’s sensors from
spotting it; though, he supposed, the searchers on the ground would be
just as likely to find that as to find a living person.
Given the roughness of the wilderness, searchers had only expanded
about four miles out. Tony supposed that Pepper could have gone
back up to the road at some point and hitched a ride, though hitching
didn’t sound like his practical PA at all.
Or those two scumbags could
be lying, and they shot her and left her somewhere, or even buried
her.
Or hit her without realizing it, and she’d fled into the woods to
die of blood loss under some fucking tree--
“Sir, your blood pressure is abnormally high,” Jarvis said,
breaking into Tony’s macabre train of thought.
“Perhaps it is time you took a break.”
“Pepper’s still out there,” Tony retorted.
“And I can see in the dark.”
Before Jarvis could reply, Rhodey’s ringtone sounded in
Tony’s helmet, and he sighed and answered the call.
“Yeah.”
“You need to come in, Tony,” Rhodey said tiredly.
He’d been out searching too. “It’s getting dark
and Pepper’s probably holed up somewhere to wait for
morning.”
“If she’s not hurt,” Tony shot back angrily.
“Even if she is.” Rhodey’s voice was
firm. “Tony, you’re not going to do her any good if
you pass out. And before you tell me that you’ve stayed in
that thing longer, you haven’t slept in over a day and you
haven’t eaten since this morning. And you puked up most of
that.”
“Low blow,” Tony muttered.
“You know I’m right, though.” Rhodes
didn’t sound smug, only weary. “Look, just come back
and take a break for a while. You’ll do a better job
searching if you get a little rest.”
Tony closed his burning eyes briefly. “All
right.”
It was defeat, even if he knew he could go out again soon. Rhodey
was right, Jarvis was right, but it was bitter to have to turn
around. Tony kept his eyes on the sensor readings as he sped back
to the temporary base at the kidnappers’ building, just in
case. But there was nothing.
Rhodey met him as soon as Tony landed, holding a paper cup of steaming
coffee. Tony flipped up his visor and took it gratefully.
“Anything?”
Rhodey shook his head, his expression bleak. “We would have
called you, man.”
Tony grimaced, and swallowed coffee. The parking lot was full of
people, searchers mostly and a few members of the press. They
milled around, talking or lining up at the big coffee urns someone had
brought in. Tony spotted the tall form of Agent Donovan across
the way, giving orders to someone. Donovan was still technically
in charge of things even though Pepper was no longer captive, but Tony
decided to avoid the man for the moment. Time spent arguing with
Donovan would be search time wasted.
“The Sheriff got someone to bring in food,” Rhodey said,
waving at the coffee tables. “Better get some before
it’s all gone.”
“Yeah.” On some level, Tony knew he was hungry, but
the thought of food held no appeal. Still, the sooner he ate, the
sooner he could get back into the air.
Pepper.
He tossed his empty cup in a nearby trash can and tramped over to the
tables, which held plastic trays of pre-assembled sandwiches.
There seemed to be a bit of a line, but as Tony neared it dissolved,
civilians and deputies alike melting out of his way. They shot
him wary or curious glances, and under other circumstances Tony might
have turned on his charm and attempted to put them at ease, but right
now he just didn’t have the energy--or attention--to spare.
Instead, he stripped off one gauntlet and picked up a couple of
sandwiches, then retreated back to where Rhodey was leaning against the
building’s front wall.
Arms crossed, Rhodey looked asleep. Tony knew that the colonel
could in fact sleep standing up--a skill picked up in basic
training--but as Tony thumped closer Rhodey opened his eyes a
fraction. “You really need a stealth mode for that
thing.”
Tony stuffed half a sandwich in his mouth and tilted his head.
“What makes you think I normally move that slow?” he asked when his
mouth was clear enough.
“I’m still wondering how you piss.”
The banter was easy, almost comforting. Tony swallowed another
mouthful and smirked. “Do you really want to know?”
“No, probably not.” Rhodey closed his eyes
again. “How much longer can you stay suited up
anyway?”
“Whaddya want to know for?” Tony eyed the second
sandwich suspiciously, but picking out the watery tomato seemed like
too much effort with only one bare hand.
Rhodey snorted. “The only reason Donovan hasn’t tried
to arrest you is because I promised to keep an eye on you every second
you’re on the ground. So either you let me drive your
armored ass home when it’s time, or you let me know you’re
leaving so I can follow.”
Tony regarded his friend. “Sorry about that,” he said
eventually, grudging but sincere.
Rhodey shrugged without opening his eyes. “Can’t say
as I wouldn’t have done the same thing under the same
circumstances. But stay away from him, okay? I don’t
want to have to arm-wrestle him about who out-ranks who.”
“Yeah.” Tony scarfed the last of his food and glanced
back over his shoulder. Donovan was nowhere to be seen, and there
was no one at the snack tables. “I’m going to go get
some more coffee.”
He filled a cup and drank it down, then refilled it and sipped, feeling
the weight of his armor despite the technology that bore it for
him. The caffeine and food were replenishing his energy, but he
was still appallingly tired. The world seemed unmanageably huge,
when Pepper was lost somewhere out in it.
I can fly halfway around the
world by the seat of my pants and blow up a truck with a flick of my
hand, but I can’t find her.
What good were genius, money, or power, when none of them applied to
the problem at hand?
Come on, Pepper, give me a
sign. Where are you?
He crushed the cup and tossed it, and slipped his gauntlet back
on. Out of the corner of his eye Tony saw a figure approaching--a
slender young woman with a notebook in her hand.
A reporter.
Tony flipped down his visor and stalked away.
Virginia woke as dawn was just starting to lighten the sky. She
was stiff with chill and felt unpleasantly grubby, but it was good to
see the forest starting to come into focus around her, and she sat up
with a groan and a shiver, shedding damp leaves.
She had spent a restless night, never slipping very far into sleep;
each nearby sound would start her awake, wondering what might be
lurking in the dark. Intellectually she knew that there were very
few animals out there that would come anywhere near her, let alone
threaten her, but logic held less sway once the sun went down.
But nothing had joined her in the leaf hollow, and Virginia stood up
slowly and stretched. All her muscles hurt, and she felt bruised
from head to toe from banging into rocks; the cuts on her feet stung
madly, and her stomach was hollow with hunger.
And I’d kill for
coffee, even that sludge they were serving me back there.
Sighing, she relieved her strained bladder next to a bush and went back
to gather up her precious possessions, wondering if there were an
easier way to carry them. The leather strap left over from her
deconstructed purse gave her an idea, and after a lot of work she
managed to fashion a more permanent pocket out of the front of her
smock, using the strap and some pins from her sewing kit. It was
neither elegant nor wonderfully secure, but at least it left her hands
free.
Dawn gave way to morning, and Virginia looked around carefully. What are my choices?
She could go back into the river, but that really didn’t appeal;
she didn’t want to spend another day in the water. I could try to go downstream along the
shore, but...
It was really too rough; in many places the brush and trees came right
down to the water, and she would have to detour around them.
Progress would be slow.
“I guess I’ll have to follow the ridge,” she said out
loud, and coughed to clear her dry throat. It seemed to parallel
the river, at least at the moment, and downstream did seem the most
logical direction. Going back the way she’d come was
certainly not the best choice.
Reluctantly she slithered back down the hill for another cautious
drink. She swallowed just enough to take the edge of her thirst
and wondered sourly how long it took for a water-borne illness to
manifest.
Regaining the ridge at least warmed her up somewhat. She set off
doggedly, slipping slightly with each step and sardonically aware of
the irony of someone who could run in stilettos
so hobbled by her footgear.
It’s better than bare,
Virginia, so don’t complain.
By her best estimate, it took her over an hour to walk a mile.
She kept her eyes open for any sign of human life, but aside from a
soda can that was old enough to have had a ring pull-tab, she found
nothing.
She had to sit down to rest at the end of that mile. Her entire
body hurt from walking so awkwardly, and her hunger was starting to
make her dizzy. She leaned back against a handy tree and looked
upward, staring through the needles and leaves above her to the blue
sky.
Standard wisdom when lost is
to stay put so that you can be found more easily. But I
don’t even know if anyone’s looking for me. Anyone
who’s not trying to kill me, that is.
That wasn’t quite true; she was sure Tony was searching for her,
by this point, or at least harassing the police into searching.
But she didn’t know if he had any idea where to even start.
And either way, she didn’t relish holding still and letting her
pursuers find her.
Eventually Virginia forced herself back to her sore feet and resumed
plodding. The river was still nearby, she could hear it, but the
ridge had been leading her away from it and she could no longer see it
through the trees.
The trail appeared so gradually that it took her some time to realize
it was there, but eventually she noticed that the ground under her feet
was free of larger plant life. The path was narrow but relatively
straight, and she lifted her head and pushed herself a little
faster. There was no way to tell if the trail was made by humans
or animals, but--
It ended abruptly in a small clearing that housed a bright green dome
tent and a fire-scored ring of stones. Hope and relief made
Virginia’s heart sing, and she sucked in a breath. “Hello?”
There was no answer. She stepped closer to the tent, and realized
that despite its color it was battered and sagging, at least one line
pulled loose. The fire circle was full of wind-blown leaves and
the scratched cooler sitting on the far side of the tent was
dirty.
Disappointment hit her so hard that she had to sit down again. It’s abandoned.
She swallowed back tears of frustration and rested, letting her aching
legs relax somewhat, but then climbed back to her feet.
“Signs of civilization,” she muttered. She had to be
within walking distance of a road.
Curious beyond her disappointment, she bent to look in the front door
of the tent. The mesh bug screen was zipped up but the door flap
itself was not, and she braced herself in case the tent’s owner
was in fact still there, but there was no corpse within--just a few
bundles and a sleeping bag.
She wondered suddenly if there was any food.
She wasn’t about to open the cooler, but she unzipped the mesh
and entered the tent cautiously. Wind and dirt had obviously made
their way into the front of the tent at some point, but it didn’t
look as though any animals had followed suit, and the sleeping bag was
dusty but undisturbed.
Feeling guilty but resolute, Virginia started investigating the
bundles. Clean clothes in one bag--men’s clothes; dirty
clothes in another; and the third--
Jackpot.
Power bars, beef jerky, nuts, dried fruit, candy, all sealed in plastic
bags. The mere sight made her mouth water, and she unzipped the
nearest bag and dumped the power bars into her lap, barely remembering
to check the expiration date. Unwrapping a bar, she made herself
eat it slowly rather than finishing it off in three bites the way her
stomach demanded.
As she ate, she kept investigating. A daypack propped against the
tent wall turned out to hold toiletries and a six-pack of bottled
water, and that last was almost as precious as the food. She
twisted the cap off one and drank, slowly and savoringly. It was
warm and tasted of plastic, and it was
wonderful.
I feel like Goldilocks.
After the bar and some fruit, she stripped off her makeshift shoes and
stretched out on top of the sleeping bag. It smelled musty, but
it was dry and softer than the ground, and she closed her eyes.
There’s got to be some
way to find out whose tent this is...
When she woke, Virginia felt much better, if still sore. She
didn’t think she’d slept more than a couple of hours, but
the food had worked its magic, and her head was clearer.
She ate another bar and some of the jerky and drank another bottle of
water, then went through the tent’s contents more
carefully. There was no wallet or identification, nothing at all
that could be used to find out who had left his campsite behind.
She sincerely hoped that the owner was not lying dead somewhere in the
woods. Maybe he had an
emergency and had to leave in a hurry.
Under the daypack, however, she found a bonus--a pair of sneakers,
well-worn but definitely useable. They were too large, of course,
but the bundle of clean clothing included some thick socks.
It felt weird dressing in what were essentially stolen clothes, but
practicality trumped propriety. The jeans were actually long
enough, if too large around the waist, and the t-shirt was baggy but
clean. Virginia wished she’d snatched up her pen before
she’d fled captivity; without it there was no way to leave a
note.
Though it doesn’t look
like he’s coming back.
She drew the line at taking the man’s toothbrush, however; going
a few days without brushing her teeth wouldn’t kill her.
She loaded the daypack with the remaining water and the food as well as
her own possessions, though after a moment’s thought she left her
trash behind.
She debated over the sleeping bag, but in the end decided not to take
it; it was old-fashioned and bulky, and she couldn’t figure out
how to carry it so that it didn’t get in her way. Stepping
out of the tent, she zipped the mesh closed again, leaving it the way
she’d found it.
The trail that had led her to the campsite seemed to continue on
further. She settled the pack on her shoulders and set off,
glancing back once at the spot of brighter green among the more natural
shades.
Thank you, whoever you are.
Tony woke with a start. For an instant he thought someone had
spoken, but his bedroom was silent, filled with the cool light of
dawn. He sat up.
“Jarvis. What time is it?”
“It is six-thirty-two a.m. The weather is--”
“Skip the weather. When are the SAR teams going back
out?”
“Approximately twenty-eight minutes from now. Colonel
Rhodes wishes to speak with you at your earliest
convenience.”
“I bet.” Tony slid out of bed and rubbed at his
aching shoulder. Doing an aerial search wasn’t as
physically demanding as an actual fight, but it did mean long hours
holding himself in basically one position. Getting only a few
hours of sleep didn’t help; he’d spent half the night after
their return to the mansion struggling to come up with a better search
algorithm, without success.
Tony didn’t bother shaving and only pulled on jeans and a
sweatshirt; he would soon be changing into a fresh suit liner
anyway. But the house was quiet as he made his way to the
kitchen.
Rhodey was making a huge pan of huevos rancheros at the stove, barefoot
and dressed only in his boxers. Tony scrubbed a hand through his
hair. “Flashing the feds, are we?”
“They’re gone,” Rhodey said, peering down at his
pan. His eyes were dark-ringed; he’d gotten little more
sleep than Tony, the past couple of days. “Packed up and
left just after you crashed.”
That made sense. Pepper’s abduction had been solved; her
whereabouts now fell under a different heading. Rhodey poked at
the skillet’s contents with a spatula.
“Donovan’s team is still heading the search, though.
Apparently they’ve run this kind of thing before.”
“Do those people actually ever do what’s in their job
description?” Tony headed for the coffee machine. He
wanted to get moving as soon as possible, but his stomach was trying to
devour his backbone and he knew he needed to eat. “Jarvis,
I want to set up food for the SAR teams up at the search point.
Use whoever caters the Stark Industries conferences and don’t
skimp.”
“Very well.” Jarvis paused. “Shall I go
through Cedric?”
Tony closed his eyes for a moment. “Yeah, do
that.”
Jarvis was very flexible, but some things were beyond him, either in
terms of programming or of legality. Normally the task was just
the sort of thing Pepper would handle, and the fact that she
wasn’t there to do it was a prod in an open wound.
But while her assistant Cedric wasn’t used to interacting with
Jarvis, he was almost as efficient as Pepper herself and would no doubt
cope.
“Maybe I should hire some more people to search,” Tony
said, half to himself, and cradled the mug in his hands, grateful for
the warmth.
“Don’t think so. Donovan said that they have a good
number now.” Rhodey turned off the burner.
“Grab some plates, will you?”
They ate quickly and silently; Rhodey made good breakfasts, but neither
of them had time to savor the food. As soon as they were done,
the two men rose to change, leaving the dishes where they sat.
Tony was halfway back to the expanding search area, the landscape
flowing by beneath his suit and Rhodey long since left behind to
follow, when Jarvis spoke. “Sir, there are reports of Stark
Industries weapons being used by terrorists near Farkar.”
It was the first time Tony had received such news and not wanted
to deal with it. Afghanistan was a long flight away and he
didn’t want to leave the search until Pepper had been
found.
“I never thought I’d say this, but can it wait?” he
muttered.
“Regrettably, no,” Jarvis replied. “It appears
that the terrorists are using human shields.”
Tony let out a long breath, his heart aching more than his body.
“Who taught you to use military jargon? All right, get me
Rhodey.”
“What’s up?” the colonel asked as soon as Jarvis made
the connection. “I lost sight of you five minutes ago,
but--“
“There’s a situation in Afghanistan,” Tony broke in,
slowing his forward progress to a hover far above the ground.
“They have hostages.”
“Damn.” Tony couldn’t actually see
Rhodey’s face, but he could picture the sympathy hinted at in the
one explosive word. “You’d better go,
then.”
He knew that, but... “I don’t want to,” Tony
admitted lowly. “Not until she’s safe.”
“She’ll understand,” Rhodey said, his voice equally
soft. “This is
Pepper, man. If there’s hostages--she’d be pissed if
you didn’t.”
Rhodey was right. Pepper might have started out upset with Tony
for putting himself in harm’s way, but she had quickly come to
understand his thinking, and while Tony suspected she had never quite
reconciled to his taking risks, she did care about the people he
saved.
And she would definitely demand that he put hostages first.
Tony swallowed. “Don’t let them stop
looking.”
“Never,” Rhodey replied, softer yet. “Now get
going.”
The connection clicked off, and Tony clenched his jaw.
“Let’s go, Jarvis.”
It felt like a betrayal.
Virginia half-expected the path to peter out again, but instead it kept
going, a narrow trail that went up and down hills and meandered gently
back and forth. She didn’t always know why it bent into
curves, but it was still easier than shoving through brush, so she
stuck to it. Sooner or later
it has to come to a road or something.
I hope.
She nibbled on her purloined supplies as she walked, trying to
gradually make up for a day without. She didn’t want to run
out of food too soon, but it was a trade-off--she had to feed herself
if she wanted to keep going at a decent pace.
“I wish I knew where I am,” she muttered to a bluejay that
eyed her snack assessingly. “For all I know I’m
heading away from
civilization.” But she had the trail, and that at least was
something.
The roar of a jet had her stopping around noon and craning her head to
peer through the leaves above. She just made out the glint of a
plane far overhead, a silver cross pulling its sound behind it as if on
a long tow, and found herself grinning foolishly at this sign of
humanity, as far away as it was. She kept walking in a better
frame of mind than she’d had in three days.
The food and the better shoes, and the path to follow, gave Virginia
more time to think beyond the immediate. Her good humor ebbed a
bit at the recollection that there were probably several people frantic
by now at her disappearance.
Not to mention the mess
I’m going to find when I get back. I doubt Tony has made
any of his appointments--and I don’t even have my BlackBerry any
more--
Well, as soon as she reached a phone, she would call.
“Happy, you’d better be okay,” she sighed, trying to
comb her ragged hair back out of her eyes. “If Tony
hasn’t been taking care of you--”
But she couldn’t really imagine her boss not doing so. Tony
was oblivious a good part of the time, but when matters were brought to
his attention he did the right thing, in spades. The man was
insanely generous, and Virginia knew that if Happy had survived his
encounter with her kidnappers Tony would look after him.
Tony. She could
just imagine how he’d feel about this whole fiasco.
Furious, no doubt; and she was willing to add frightened
to that. After all, she knew Tony’s primary motivation in
going after Stane with an inadequate chest piece and no recovery
time. Rhodey had made sure of that.
Tony was protective.
There had been a stalker a few years back, some poor woman obsessed
with him, and she’d made threats against Virginia, perceiving her
as something more than an employee. Tony had hired two bodyguards
for her and brooked no argument until the woman had been
arrested.
Not to mention checking up on
me about six times a day. Irritating, but endearing.
She wondered abruptly how he would manage if she didn’t make it
back. Not that she expected she wouldn’t, but-- I’m not out of the woods yet,
she thought, and snickered at the pun.
But the image of him alone in that enormous house made her throat
ache.
Excellent personal assistants weren’t easy to find, but they
weren’t impossible either, not at the salary Tony could
offer. But a new PA wouldn’t know all his little quirks,
the fact that he was allergic to bananas, the vigil he held on the
anniversary of his parents’ deaths, the reason Obadiah Stane was
a forbidden subject.
They wouldn’t know when to bully him into eating, and when to let
him alone, though Virginia supposed they could learn. They
wouldn’t know Tony--not
the way he needed to be known.
He’d told her once that he didn’t have anyone but
her. Which wasn’t true--there was always Rhodey--but
she’d understood what he meant. Jim Rhodes’ loyalty
was to his nation before his friend; that was the nature of the oaths
he’d sworn. Virginia’s loyalty was solely to
Tony.
It could be argued that it was paid for, but she knew--and knew Tony
had realized too--that it went deeper than that.
When I took this position I
never planned on ending up this way.
She didn’t have words to define their relationship--not just a
job but an unspoken sort of friendship, laced with those looks he gave
her sometimes that made her flush the way his innuendo never did.
It was a living thing, delicate and sometimes, she thought,
dangerous.
And changing, in ways she couldn’t define either but that often
alarmed her.
Virginia wished for a watch to monitor her slow progress more
precisely. She had to stop and rest every so often; her stamina
was low after the recent stresses, and anyway she wasn’t used to
walking all day at a constant pace. Hell, I’d settle for a
pedometer. At least I’d know how far I’ve come.
By afternoon, she realized too, her new shoes were giving her
blisters. She sighed, adjusted the thick socks, and kept going,
reminding her stinging toes that the sneakers were much, much better than her previous
footgear.
It was while she was staring down at her feet that she realized that
the trail had widened. She looked up, and halted in
surprise.
Some fifteen yards ahead, the trees thinned and parted, framing a
parking lot.
It was small and empty, but that didn’t stem the surge of
joy. I have never been so happy
to see asphalt in my life. She hurried forward, scanning
the edges of the lot for some sign as to her location.
Aside from a couple of handicapped-parking signs, there were no
labels. Disappointed but not daunted, she crossed the lot in a
beeline for the entrance.
It was a simple two-lane road, with a double yellow stripe down the
center, and Virginia bit her lip as she considered which way to
go. The view was the same in both directions--slight curves
vanishing into the pines, with nothing more than a speed-limit sign in
sight.
But the road to her right sloped downward. She hitched her pack a
bit higher and turned that way, on the mostly-spurious grounds that
Malibu, or at least the coast, had to be downhill somewhere. It’s not like I can stay here, after
all. It could be days before someone came by.
The smooth road was a little easier on her poor feet. She stayed
on the narrow shoulder--such as it was--knowing how fast some people
tended to drive on lonely roads, and settled into a steady pace.
The lowering sun was getting in her eyes by the time she found the
picnic area. She considered the eyestrain a good sign despite its
annoyance; it meant she was headed west. But it also meant she
had to keep her face down, and she almost missed seeing the gravel
turnoff on the other side of the road.
Her legs ached too much to run across the road, and she was practically
limping thanks to the blisters, but Virginia picked up speed as she
crossed. Not a single car had driven past since she’d found
the road, but nonetheless she hoped desperately that there was
someone--anyone--there.
But the handful of picnic tables were all deserted, their crude
barbecue grills standing cold and empty. She sighed and sat down
at one, shrugging off her pack and dumping it on the table to roll her
shoulders and take out the kinks from the bag’s weight. Dammit.
She drank some of her carefully hoarded water and looked around the
area from her seat. It wasn’t just picnic tables; there was
a small brick building not far away, clearly a restroom. Good, hopefully I can get some more
water--and wash up.
She felt grubby and sticky despite her new clothes, and the faint odor
of river rising from her skin wasn’t helping.
When she felt a bit more rested Virginia stood, picked up her
bag, and went to investigate. The restrooms were about what she
expected--utilitarian and reeking of disinfectant, and as clean as one
could reasonably expect. She made use of the facilities with
relief.
The image that confronted her in the mirror above the sink made her
grimace back at it. Her face was red with sunburn and her hair
was tangled as well as ragged; the too-big shirt made her look as
though she were playing dress-up. She stuck her tongue out at the
woman reflected back at her and scrubbed her face and hands, then
cupped up handful after handful of water, drinking until her thirst was
utterly sated.
When she reemerged, she looked thoughtfully at the reddening sun. It’ll be dark soon.
The decision was easy to make, and fortunately the restrooms had
lighting. Virginia went back inside the women’s side and
stripped off shoes and socks, shivering as the cold floor met her sore
toes. She pulled the scrub top from her pack and used it as a
makeshift sponge to bathe her feet, wincing over the blisters, and then
eyed the sink uncertainly.
It was one thing, after all, to sit half-naked on a rock in the middle
of a wilderness river. It was another to bathe in a public
facility that anyone might enter. And I wish they would.
In the end, though, the desire for cleanliness won out over
caution. She sponge-bathed all over, reasoning that she would
hear a car’s engine outside should one arrive, and regretfully
decided not to wash the socks on the grounds that they were too thick
to dry by morning.
“Now what?” She pulled her clothes back on and
contemplated herself in the mirror again. “I would give one
of Tony’s outrageous bonuses for a clean toothbrush right
now.”
She ate a bit more, and went to look outside again. Night had
fallen while she bathed, and Virginia didn’t feel like plunging
out into the dark to find someplace to sleep. The restroom lacked
anything as solid as a door, but there was at least a roof.
Here’s hoping the
wildlife stays outside.
There wasn’t a lot of choice in the restroom, but she finally
selected what seemed to be the cleanest corner and settled down into
it. The floor was hard and cold, and even with the bottles
removed her pack made a poor pillow.
But it’s better than a
hole full of leaves.
Virginia wrapped the scrub pants around her shoulders in lieu of a
blanket, tried to find the most comfortable position, and closed her
eyes.
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