| Subject: Chapter 222 - Part 2 (16 and above) (end of chapter 222) |
Author:
KatherineG.
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Date Posted: Wednesday, February 15, 07:00:44am
In reply to:
Katherine Gilbert
's message, "Dreams in the Dark (chapters 221--?)" on Monday, February 13, 07:24:07am
She managed to pull herself back just as Madeline began discussing the details, still seeming as businesslike as ever to the tutor; she had no intention of allowing this woman into her many inner fears. "Do you have plans for making this work?" her opponent prodded, leaving Adrian to sigh imperceptibly. If only any of this were as easy as that sounded.
Still, she had thought this through, could see what needed to be done. America wasn't at war yet; with current sentiment and general disinterest in European affairs, it might take awhile before they were. The U.S. Army, therefore, was out. "Several countries have already declared war. If we say he's interested in protecting his 'native' land, it could seem reasonable."
Mm, yes--Madeline pondered. Nikita's supposed birthplace being England made it easier as well, would allow the public to understand her support. The tutor joined in the planning. "France puts him too close to the front lines." She remembered that too well from the last war. She *did* want him back in one, basic, piece.
Adrian nodded. "I was thinking a bit closer to home."
Ah. The tutor smiled. "Canada?" It was difficult not to laugh. She understood some part of the treatment the actor would have received in the true country of his birth, knew it must still plague him--although he would never have spoken of it, if it did. Sending him there would be unpleasant for him--at best--would be an appropriate sort of punishment for his willful decision to side with his misbegotten wife. It would keep him closer to home, too; in case the U.S. entered the war sooner than she expected, they could easily call him back. And it would deepen his suffering--his disgust with his wife--if he had to endure so much, while she found another lover, had another man near her, while carrying his child. A divorce would be unavoidable, Michael finally giving her up. And if Nikita were childish enough not to go along with her plans? Her smile grew. It wouldn't matter. Newspaper reports could do all the damage of a "Dear John" letter on their own.
"I'll see what I can do to get this started," Madeline nodded, coming back to the conversation at last--ready to begin. It would be a little difficult to swing the press favorably toward him in a country which was generally apathetic about the war, but his--and Nikita's--supposed nations of origin would help matters greatly. Paul, too, would be none-too-pleased about this, when he was told of it, but she would find a way to bring him around; she always did. All she really needed was to find a place to start, a rumor to circulate. That was all they had to do to begin the inevitable.
Lord. This was the part Adrian had dreaded--the fact that she had come to Madeline first, that she was involved with this plot at all, rather terrible. "Don't rush too much. It needs to seem natural."
Ah. The tutor's eyes turned toward her, her smile spreading further by the second--slithering along her features like a snake enjoying the view of its prey. "They don't know about it yet." Her eyes were laughing quietly, in the way they always did when someone else's pain was involved. "You haven't told them." And neither, apparently, had Jones.
Her opponent didn't answer, knowing there was no need for confirmation; she changed topics. "You need to secure Shears first. Then, we can move on." That way, the poor couple were given at least a little more time with each other; she just managed to keep the sadness out of her eyes. There were only so many more miracles she could provide.
The lack of concession did nothing to lessen Madeline's pleasure in this victory--her plans taking a new, and deadly, form once again. "I'm happy to see that you know who to come to for help," she smiled. Adrian's very vague nod, before she turned to go, only added to her triumph. "Do be certain to come to me, if you need me again."
This was the typically cruel twist of the knife which the actress had expected, left little impression on her, as she finally left the fetid atmosphere she always felt around the woman. Besides, the tutor's jibes were nothing compared to the protests of her own heart and soul; the breath she took to fortify her was deep. Still, there was no way out, the couple's safety entirely in her hands. Without this intervention, they would have died three nights ago; her heart sank. All she could do was try her best to keep them alive from now on.
Extra note: You might remember Andy (or, here, Andrew Shears) from the episode "No One Lives Forever." He was the man in the bookstore who wanted to take Nikita to the ballet.
[End of Part 222]
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