Post by Icon Lord Leon Corbin on Aug 20, 2011 4:19:27 GMT -6
Sunlight filtered through the thick clouds, offering brief moments of warmth amongst the gloom. It did little to ease the overall chill that had descended though. As if to prove a point a crow calls out from the overgrown woodland, cutting through the silence all too suddenly. It does nothing to startle the lone man stood on guard though. His back to the manor house Eva Hikari called home, his gaze was constantly moving. Naturally it didn't take long for him to spot the figure heading in his direction. There was a sense of urgency in the way the figure was walking, a male figure at that. It became obvious just who that would be given the situation. Bag over his shoulder, the Grand Slam champion starts jogging towards the hired meat head. Already on his radio, he makes a point to step in front of the gates. Not that he could open them from here anyway....
Guard: If you don’t stop there I can and will shoot you! Private property is this....
Lord Corbin: Listen mate, I have more right to be here than you do, now get out my way. I have to see my wife.
The wall of muscle opens his mouth, but thinks better of it upon hearing the voice is his earpiece. Stepping aside the gates open behind him.
Guard: Go around and through the back.
He didn’t bother offer an explanation as to why, but his tone implied that being shot at would have been the least of the man worries. With a quick nod, Leon passes, making his way in the direction advised to him by the guard. He enters through the back. Almost immediately another wall of muscle rises from behind the table he’d squashed himself up to. The small blonde “guard” beside him grins.
Daniel: Leon!
Looking from the boy to the dishevelled looking man the security guard nods. Speaking into his walkie talkie he beckons Leon to follow him.
Security: Eros has landed, taking him to see Nem. Apollo is with me. Over.
Lord Corbin: What the fuck?!
Sighing, the Corbin male shakes his head, following the security guard. Looking down at the five year old, Leon smiles. Some normality?
Lord Corbin: Hey you...
Marching along with the air of importance only a job such as this could lend a five year old child, Daniel looks up, for the first time looking at his uncle.
Daniel: Did you win your fight? You don't look like you woooon...
Lord Corbin: The fight was stopped. I'm feeling okay though. How are you and Lucy? How is Evalyn?
Daniel: I’m good. Evvvva let me choose the call names and be a guard. This is Chris, he’s a guard toooo. There’s lots! Lucy will be happy to see you, shall I call her? She’s Theia.
Lord Corbin: Are we heading in her direction?
Daniel: Hmmm maybe? She’s with Mama and Dave. He’s another guard, though we call him moose cause he looks like one!
Lord Corbin: That's not nice, Daniel...Who else is with them?
Not wanting to ask directly if the newborns were there as well, he fishes subtly, though it was lost on the child who simply shrugs his shoulders. Racing ahead to the row of doors, he opens one seemingly at random.
Daniel: In there, through a door. Evaa will let you in if you knock.....maybe. We got to go carry on...um...guarding...Shall I tell Lucy you’re here?
Lord Corbin: Go on then. Tell her to see me in the same room Evalyn is in.
Already making ghost noises into his radio the little boy nods. He’d follow the guard back to their “base” before bringing Lucy back here. Smirking as he watches the boy resume duty, he heads for the door, lightly knocking it first. He gets no reply, just like the little boy had said, maybe it would open. No one had dared to find out if the door was indeed locked, or whether it was just the lady of the house in one of her foul moods that was keeping people out. Tipping his head, he tries the handle, turning it to find no resistance at all. Pushing the door, he opens it, looking inside to find an office in disarray. Papers littered the floor and piled on the ornate desk. It was almost as if a hurricane had raged through the usual uniform neatness Eva insisted all of her work spaces had with them. The woman herself was seated on the carpet, her gaze lost on the pages in her hand. He stood there dumbfounded. Got to be a dream, right? From where he was standing he could see no sign of recent events, just a woman more distracted by the paper surrounding her.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn...
Offering him a brief glance she exhales heavily. She’d done well to recover as much as she had, and true to form the things that weren’t entirely fixed were well hidden. He usually saw through the layers of makeup and falseness, and she couldn’t deal with anyone else making a fuss over her today.
Eva: Leon? You look....well....you’re here?
Lord Corbin: Yeah...
Shaking his head, his mind was doing its best to process what was happening. There were questions but none that could form themselves into a coherent sentence to be asked. He drops his bag, closing the gap between them and kneels beside her. All he could do at that moment was embrace her, glad she was conscious. It was the closest anyone had been allowed since she’d discharged herself from the care of her doctors, yet it takes all of her self control to avoid flinching away from him. Paranoia seemed to rule a lot of her choices these days, though she allows him the embrace as brief as it was.
Eva: Did Will call you?
Lord Corbin: Yes. I came as quick as I could.
Nodding as if taking this in she turns her attention back to her papers, before looking back up to him.
Eva: Want me to call Lucy? She’s playing guard...It was MIB yesterday....
Lord Corbin: No?! I mean...no, Daniel is doing that already. Evalyn, what are you doing?
Eva: Attempting a new filing system, what’s it look like I’m doing? I’m looking for a stupid bloody paper that isn’t where I left it...
Lord Corbin: What paper? And where are the babies?
Using the desk to pull herself to her feet she folds her arms across her chest, her papers falling to land on the carpet.
Eva: The one that says I’m legally Lucy’s mother. Will knows where it is but he’s not here. And the kids are next door, sleeping.....No one can get in there without going through me and the bloke.
Lord Corbin: Why are you looking for that and...
Something didn't compute. He knew his wife was all for denial and pretending things she didn't like didn't happen but she surely couldn't in this case. He pushes himself up to his feet, an ever so slight wince flashes his face as he does. Resting her weight against the desk behind her she simply watches him. Her expressionless face giving away little if anything at all.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, I'm confused...
Eva: By what? You asked questions and I gave you the answers.
Lord Corbin: Why are you looking for that paperwork? And how are you actually feeling? Aren't you moving on too quickly?
Eva: Doesn’t matter and too quickly?
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, what happened? Why do you seem so distant right now?
Standing in front of her, he was all she could see and surely it would be harder not to answer him then? Staring at him as if she was willing him to explode, she eventually sighs. The realisation that those powers still eluded seemed to depress her. Or was it something else?
Eva: What do you want from me? If you came to see the kids, they are in there just be bloody quiet. The bigger kids can be summoned, but I’m all out of patience and the desire to grin and play the victim. So just....leave me alone.
Moving away from him she moves towards the open door of the adjoining room. Left there stunned, he can barely move. He needed that brain power to try and work out just what happened then. Why the reaction? He'd done all he could with a side order of worry.
Lord Corbin: What have I done?
She’d vanished into the other room, but stops and turns back at the question.
Eva: What do you think happened? How do you think I landed in hospital? Why do you think William, the poor bastard was put in a position where he had to choose them or me?
Lord Corbin: I don't know! All I know is you had an accident and no one could tell me anything more than that. I don't know what caused you to go into hospital but not a fucking moment has gone by that I don't blame myself! Then tell me what happened, Evalyn?
She was leaning against the doorframe now, one side of her entirely thrown into shadows as she shoots a glance into the makeshift nursery.
Eva: What happened...... Your crazy little desire not to rob your daughter of her mother almost cost my children the chance to know theirs.
Lord Corbin: What are you even talking about?
Eva: You asked what happened. Do you want me to spell it out for you? Do you really need me to say that somewhere, somehow you’ve given that bitch enough false hope for her to believe that you wanted her? That me and the kids were just a minor inconvenience forced upon you, that someone needed to remove?
Shaking her head she stands up straight, no longer leaning on anything for support as she stares at him.
Eva: Or maybe it was all your idea. Maybe you put the idea into her head to come to “talk”. Why else would you have placed her in my home? Why else would she be so determined that your real family was her and Lucy?
Lord Corbin: I can't believe I am hearing this. Are you seriously implying this is actually my fault? Really? I kept you away, safe from harm that comes with being too close to the business. Did you forget that you had to get checked out constantly, that you were passing out from exhaustion and the rest of it? How is that some elaborate plan? For your information, Davina was there because it was an emergency. Everyone was concerned for you and the babies and we needed to keep the situation out the public eye while we prayed to any fucking bastard god that would listen to keep you three safe!
Returning her stare, he was outraged, hurt, genuinely gobsmacked at this reception from his wife.
Lord Corbin: You're the love of my life and all four of the kids are my kids, not one or the other, all.
She doesn’t even bother to respond to him, a dismissive shake of the head is all she offers before turning into the room where the newborns were. It was bittersweet to hear them breathing softly, to see them tucked up warm and safe in their cribs, surrounded by the most state of the art security money could buy. Only to be hit by the realisation that even that hadn’t been enough to protect them. She hadn’t been enough.... Her bad mood wouldn’t fade any time soon, it seemed to be strolling along just fine with her paranoia for the time being. Looking up at the ceiling, his eyes glaze. Maybe it was the journey taking its toll or maybe he was just dumbfounded and speechless. He presses his thumb and index finger into his temples for a few seconds before slowly heading in the same direction of the former HKWF champion. Entering the very same room, his eyes immediately home in on the cribs. The infant in the crib nearest to the young woman had started to stir. Though for now there was no crying, just movement indicating on incoming tantrum. He’d set off his sister if he got the chance to wail properly.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn?
Picking the baby up with the practised skill of someone who had been doing this all night she looks up at him.
Eva: Hm?
Lord Corbin: You don't know how relieved I am to see you all, that you're okay.
Eva: Too stubborn to be anything else.....
Lord Corbin: In that case it's a lifesaver. In the instance you are keeping me at bay right now, it's not. You can't think that I have had anything to do with your accident. That's absurd, Evalyn. We are here, with all our family, together and you'd rather suspect me of trying to sabotage that?
Eva: You keep saying that word....accident implies no harm was meant. That woman tried to kill them, Leon. She tried and I just stood there. I just let her attack me because as always when it comes to her she backed me into a corner.
Shaking his head, he stands there stunned.
Lord Corbin: Are you implying Davina did this? I know you can't stand the woman, lover but this time you're going too far. She was in Hong Kong when I was getting the messages from William that something happened to you.
Eva: Of course she was, and she just mysteriously managed to get back to London the very day I ended up in hospital. Pestering Will about the condition of the kids, the kids she had screamed at me to get rid of. I’m also fucking awesome at multitasking these days too, cause while I was laying there bleeding I managed to smack myself so hard I left the imprint of a boot on my stomach. I didn’t even realise I was flexible enough to kick myself like that , guess all that not being able to reach my feet lark was for shits n giggles.
Moving past him with her son in her arms she picks up one of the bottles from her desk. They were still warm, heated just enough by her own former nanny.
Eva: You don’t believe me though that’s fine. Though I’m curious to hear your theory then, love? Since there’s nothing but medical records, photos and a missing security video to back up mine.
Lord Corbin: How about the fact there was no trip to England in that time period on her passport. I'm telling you, it wasn't her. She never showed me but I saw. All it shows are that the trips made before we left for England was the one to Hong Kong weeks before when we all arrived, Sweden before that. She's done nothing but try to help and if I am honest, I've been glad to have her there. The fact she doesn't panic about anything and kept me from losing it altogether on numerous occasions isn't about to go unnoticed either. What actual proof do you even have it's her when there could be several people out there responsible for this? Why her, Evalyn?
Eva: Because it WAS her. If you’re struggling to accept that, since she’s such a rock for you and all then maybe you should go see her. After everything, and I mean everything we’ve been through do you really think I’d lie about something like this? Do you really think I’d so readily admit weakness in myself? How the hell do you think it makes me feel to know that she almost killed the only people who ever really needed me?
Taking a seat and attempting to keep the bottle steady was a task, but she manages it with only a slight noise from the child.
Eva: Why is it so important for you to believe that she wouldn’t do this? You’ve never been so quick or adamant that I was innocent of anything. I guess it’s easier to believe I’m the lying whore than it is to believe your BFF is capable of hurting me eh? Fuck it, I don’t care. Believe what you like, Leon but she isn’t coming near me or any of my children. That includes Lucy, and my security will shoot her as a trespasser should she even breathe near the boundaries of my land.
A brief knock on the door silences her for the moment, she almost seems to tense and her harsh stare moves from him to the intrusion. A small balding man in a grey suit pushes open the heavy door, it was a wonder he could move it at all and still balance his tray, yet he does. Offering him a thin smile Eva waits for him to set down her tea and leave before continuing.
Eva: She has NO rights over any of them, not legally, morally or any fucking thing else. And before this new found sense of conscience decides to tell you she should see her kid, let me remind you that my record’s clear. Fuck with me in any way on this, try anything to get that whore near me or mine and I will take myself and my babies somewhere you and that fucking mole your dad employs will never never find us. I failed to protect them once, she’s never getting the chance to hurt them again.
Her tone though soft enough to avoid disturbing the boy she was attempting to get to burp without throwing up on her, was still tinted with enough malice to leave no doubt to her words.
Lord Corbin: What has gotten into you?
Strolling towards the crib, he looks in at the baby girl, resting a hand that engulfs her entire skull effortlessly. Hand still on his second daughter, he turns his head to look at his wife.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I am not trading you in, I'm not taking sides, I am not going to be letting ANYONE disappear. You are my family and right now it isn't me that is forgetting it. And if you are so bloody adamant, then talk. Tell me exactly what happened, bit by fucking bit, tell me. Because until I have solid proof, Evalyn, I can't do a fucking thing and I can't afford to get this one wrong, understand?
His tone was low yet deadly serious. An implication that he had to be right first time for a reason on the matter. Swearing was alright when they were this small wasn’t it? Eva hoped so.... Standing up with more speed than her battered body had allowed her for some time she couldn’t help cringing as she moved the place the baby back in his crib. Safely out of the way she slips out of the dry clean only, one of a kind shirt the boy had just shared his dinner with. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, yet the warm rush of half digested milk hitting her never failed to make her gag. Luckily it hadn’t soaked through to her Zombie Killing vest.
Eva: Leon.....feed your daughter.
Leaning against the wall she eventually slides down it, her eyes closed as she sits on the floor. Looking back into the crib, he strokes the miniature head of his little baby girl then scoops her up slowly with a hand under each armpit. He rests the child against him, closing his eyes as he cuddles her before wandering over to the same table Eva took a bottle from. Snatching a filled bottle, he brings it with the baby over to where Eva was sat, joining her on the floor. With a brief glance at his wife, he cradles the child in one arm, removing the cap from the bottle with his free hand. He sighs, looking at the baby as he encourages the teat into her mouth. Her eyes had opened when he’d sat down, and she’d been watching him since. The girl was always the more difficult of the two. It was almost as she felt she had to make up for her size with how much trouble she could be. Yet he seemed to be managing okay with her now. For a moment he could block out everything else, concentrating purely on the task ahead of him. He smiles at the sight of the baby suckling.
Lord Corbin: Hey baby? Is that nice? Yeah, that's it, good girl...
Eva: Well, you are doing better than I thought you would. We’ll see how you manage with nappy changes next.
Lord Corbin: Doesn't bother me. Lucy was still only a one year old when I got her. If I wasn't wiping the arse of GZW, I was wiping it for Lucy.
Eva: Hmm...
Her eyes were closed again as she listened to him
Lord Corbin: Evalyn. Tell me what went on. Tell me the events of that day...
Eva: Is there much of a point?
Lord Corbin: There is every point. Down to every last detail.
Eva: I got the kids up for their classes.....both had karate followed by dance. I spent the entire night before trying to find Danny’s belt.....He found it the next morning, god knows where but he had it around his head when he came down for his breakfast....
Exhaling heavily she opens her eyes, though she was staring ahead of her. Focus lost on heaven knows what.
Eva: They ate their breakfast then William came to pick them up. I couldn’t drive, so he did it all for me. He’d also relocated everything in the kitchen so I didn’t have to reach or climb, and so I could tidy up properly. I’d make him breakfast to say thank you.....stupid really but he never asked for anything else. He even avoided drinking his coffee around me.....he was running late that morning. There was an accident somewhere I think. Before he got back there was a knock at the door and stupidly I answered it. It was her.....I thought she wanted to talk about Lucy. She hadn’t spent any time with her in months, but she didn’t.
A sound from the crib draws her attention momentarily; pulling herself to her feet she crosses the small room. Her voice was low, but still audible.
Eva: She wanted to know what kind of game I was playing. Why I’d trapped you with children you didn’t want. Why I wouldn’t get rid of them, why I kept trying to tear him away from his real family. From her and Lucy.....
Stroking the little boy’s hand with the back of her finger she smiles as he moves, grabbing part of her hand with his own and holding tight.
Eva: She was so...angry, and all I could do was back away. She told me to get rid of them as she was leaving and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.....She flew at me. The attack itself is a blur. I remember her punching me...and kicking me. I remember picking up a plate she smashed over my head and trying to stick it in her throat.....but I couldn’t give you a play by play.
He doesn't say a word. Could he have been wrong? Maybe it wasn't just the attack that was a blur? How could Davina have possibly been in two places at once? Could she really have been that cold to play along as if nothing had happened in the very same home his wife was accusing Davina of almost killing her? Something somewhere wasn't adding up but what real reason would she have to fabricate this story? So many questions and none that seemed to answer themselves. He stared hard at the child in his arms, the child finding it easier to take in the mouthfuls of her formula than he could take in the words of his wife that moment.
Lord Corbin: If this is true, how do you explain her passport? If she was that angry, why would she go as far as ensure I am alright and that we do all we can for you as well? She was genuinely trying to help. Are you absolutely sure it was her, Evalyn?
Eva: Because she’s above falsifying documents? She cares about you...when she was screaming at me it was all about how I’d ruined your life. If she genuinely believes that, if she genuinely thinks her stepping into my role in the family is what you want she’s likely to be nice and helpful to you, isn’t she? She wants you on side, and to think I’m crazy.
Lord Corbin: Don't you think that would be counterproductive, Evalyn? Taking the ones a person loves is not the way to win someone's heart and certainly not mine. Even she wouldn't be that stupid to think she could get away with that.
Eva: Then you speak to her. I’m not trying to paint her in a negative light. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my kids. I told you what happened and if you don’t want to believe me that’s fine, but don’t question me anymore if you’re not even going to entertain the things I’m telling you.
Lord Corbin: It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I really don't want to believe that. You finished, baby?
Moving the bottle away from the baby, he sits her up and holds her close with a reassuring hand on her tiny back.
Lord Corbin: I'll need to speak with her. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to take sides. I just need to see what she has to say.
Eva: Go for it, but do it in London.
Lord Corbin: For the sake of you all, I want minimal contact with anyone outside of the family, so yes, I'll go to London.
Eva: With my hired goons you’re lucky if family get through my barriers.
Lord Corbin: I noticed. I feel better about that, honestly...
Eva: They are people I trust, people who can’t be bought. It’s a rarity in this world....Plus there’s cameras every bloody where. I don’t do technology so I manage the muscle.
Lord Corbin: I'm surprised you're able to manage anything at all right now. Especially this quickly. What did the doctors say?
Evasive as ever when it came to doctors and things, she mumbles something incoherent about “fine”.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn? What's the verdict? I watched you lay there, lifeless and inches from death...they'll have had something to say...
Eva: Nothing important though....once my brain stopped swelling they pretty much figured I was fine. It was really no worse than some of the matches I’ve been in....
Lord Corbin: I find that hard to believe. I know what I saw, Evalyn...
Eva: Hmm....Lots of bruising, a few broken ribs, concussion, lacerations and my body freaking the fuck out that my blood was gone. I’ve felt worse, I’ve probably looked worse, but for now I can manage. I was told to take it easy and given painkillers.
Lord Corbin: How about the little ones?
Eva: For now they are doing well, but we won’t know if any real damage was done until they are a bit older. By the time we actually got to the hospital they assumed they were a lost cause....
Lord Corbin: My god...
Cradling his daughter, he exhales heavily.
Lord Corbin: You know if this happened to any other woman, I don't think her or her children would have survived. You're an amazing woman...
Eva: Stubborn woman......though I think years of getting my arse handed to me and never quite knowing when to quit might have helped.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn...what did you see...
Eva: Hmm?
Lord Corbin: There were times when you completely out of it...like...I don't want to say it...but you looked dead. And no, I'm not being a funny bastard because you're pale and all that shit but I've seen you unconscious...this was different. Did you experience anything in that time?
Eva: Everything....and nothing all the same time. Hayden was with me.....and Mam....
Sitting down beside him she ran her hands over the carpet, picking at the fibres. Watching her, he rests his hand on hers. It was a hell of a lot warmer than the last time he felt it.
Lord Corbin: Your mother? What was she like?
Eva: Quiet, calming....she reminded me of your mum.
Lord Corbin: What did she say to you?
Eva: Lots of things, mainly not to fall asleep.
Lord Corbin: I'm glad you listened...I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to you or the babies. I can't even think on it.
Eva: She didn’t give me a choice...
Child in one arm, he edges Eva closer so she rests on his chest as well, holding both against him.
Eva: Are you alright?
Lord Corbin: I have you back...I feel a lot better...
Eva: Really? Cause you look like crap....just sayin’.
Lord Corbin: Hard day at the office shall we say...
Just then, the door opens. In comes both Daniel and Lucy, the boy still talking into a headset while his cousin grins from ear to ear once she looks at both parents together.
Lucy: Daddy!
Lord Corbin: Hey pumpkin! Come here...and you, Mr Security Guard.
Daniel: Mama....erm Hera said you need fooood.
Lucy rolls her eyes at the boy, skipping with enthusiasm over to the couple and her younger sister. Kneeling in front of them, she grins broadly. Talking into his radio to tell Constance they’d be there soon he sits down next to his aunt.
Daniel: Where’s Lucan? Is he in time out?
Eva: Slee-
She doesn’t get to finish speaking, a sudden buzzing from the boys walkie talkie startles the baby enough to cause wailing. Standing up with a sigh she retrieves the screaming panda attired child.
Eva: He WAS sleeping. Come on, you can say hello to your cousin now you’re back from the land of nod.....brief as that trip was.
The baby in Leon's arm is startled at the sound of her twin and begins wailing in unison with him, Lucy and Daniel looking at one another as if speaking in unspoken word "let's run for the door". Rocking the baby, Leon hushes it. It wasn't just in the business the man had the Midas touch as the baby settles eventually. They both eventually settle down, though Daniel loses his walkie talkie privileges for his part in waking them.
Lucy: Daddy. Why are Lucan and Georgia so small? Mummy said it's because they arrived early.
Lord Corbin: Well...well, yeah, that's technically what happened. They're still growing, just like you are. You were that small once as well, you know. Even Grandpa was, believe that or not.
She looks at him as if he was ridiculous. Grandpa? Don't be silly.
Daniel: Mama wasn’t! Will said she...she’s the last survivor from the dinosaurs. He said she bitchslapped a tyrannosaurus for lookin’ at her funny. You haveta be big to beat up a dino...
This was no time for being amused but there was no adult present who wasn't desperately trying to hide their smirking.
Lord Corbin: I tell you what. How about you don't repeat after the adults and come here. We'll sit here for a while together until it's time to eat, alright?
Daniel: Awww, okay!
The man clearly had a lot to deal with. He’d have to find out if what his wife told him was the truth but that could wait. For now, though, he was glad to just have his family alive and in one place with him and he wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of that.
Guard: If you don’t stop there I can and will shoot you! Private property is this....
Lord Corbin: Listen mate, I have more right to be here than you do, now get out my way. I have to see my wife.
The wall of muscle opens his mouth, but thinks better of it upon hearing the voice is his earpiece. Stepping aside the gates open behind him.
Guard: Go around and through the back.
He didn’t bother offer an explanation as to why, but his tone implied that being shot at would have been the least of the man worries. With a quick nod, Leon passes, making his way in the direction advised to him by the guard. He enters through the back. Almost immediately another wall of muscle rises from behind the table he’d squashed himself up to. The small blonde “guard” beside him grins.
Daniel: Leon!
Looking from the boy to the dishevelled looking man the security guard nods. Speaking into his walkie talkie he beckons Leon to follow him.
Security: Eros has landed, taking him to see Nem. Apollo is with me. Over.
Lord Corbin: What the fuck?!
Sighing, the Corbin male shakes his head, following the security guard. Looking down at the five year old, Leon smiles. Some normality?
Lord Corbin: Hey you...
Marching along with the air of importance only a job such as this could lend a five year old child, Daniel looks up, for the first time looking at his uncle.
Daniel: Did you win your fight? You don't look like you woooon...
Lord Corbin: The fight was stopped. I'm feeling okay though. How are you and Lucy? How is Evalyn?
Daniel: I’m good. Evvvva let me choose the call names and be a guard. This is Chris, he’s a guard toooo. There’s lots! Lucy will be happy to see you, shall I call her? She’s Theia.
Lord Corbin: Are we heading in her direction?
Daniel: Hmmm maybe? She’s with Mama and Dave. He’s another guard, though we call him moose cause he looks like one!
Lord Corbin: That's not nice, Daniel...Who else is with them?
Not wanting to ask directly if the newborns were there as well, he fishes subtly, though it was lost on the child who simply shrugs his shoulders. Racing ahead to the row of doors, he opens one seemingly at random.
Daniel: In there, through a door. Evaa will let you in if you knock.....maybe. We got to go carry on...um...guarding...Shall I tell Lucy you’re here?
Lord Corbin: Go on then. Tell her to see me in the same room Evalyn is in.
Already making ghost noises into his radio the little boy nods. He’d follow the guard back to their “base” before bringing Lucy back here. Smirking as he watches the boy resume duty, he heads for the door, lightly knocking it first. He gets no reply, just like the little boy had said, maybe it would open. No one had dared to find out if the door was indeed locked, or whether it was just the lady of the house in one of her foul moods that was keeping people out. Tipping his head, he tries the handle, turning it to find no resistance at all. Pushing the door, he opens it, looking inside to find an office in disarray. Papers littered the floor and piled on the ornate desk. It was almost as if a hurricane had raged through the usual uniform neatness Eva insisted all of her work spaces had with them. The woman herself was seated on the carpet, her gaze lost on the pages in her hand. He stood there dumbfounded. Got to be a dream, right? From where he was standing he could see no sign of recent events, just a woman more distracted by the paper surrounding her.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn...
Offering him a brief glance she exhales heavily. She’d done well to recover as much as she had, and true to form the things that weren’t entirely fixed were well hidden. He usually saw through the layers of makeup and falseness, and she couldn’t deal with anyone else making a fuss over her today.
Eva: Leon? You look....well....you’re here?
Lord Corbin: Yeah...
Shaking his head, his mind was doing its best to process what was happening. There were questions but none that could form themselves into a coherent sentence to be asked. He drops his bag, closing the gap between them and kneels beside her. All he could do at that moment was embrace her, glad she was conscious. It was the closest anyone had been allowed since she’d discharged herself from the care of her doctors, yet it takes all of her self control to avoid flinching away from him. Paranoia seemed to rule a lot of her choices these days, though she allows him the embrace as brief as it was.
Eva: Did Will call you?
Lord Corbin: Yes. I came as quick as I could.
Nodding as if taking this in she turns her attention back to her papers, before looking back up to him.
Eva: Want me to call Lucy? She’s playing guard...It was MIB yesterday....
Lord Corbin: No?! I mean...no, Daniel is doing that already. Evalyn, what are you doing?
Eva: Attempting a new filing system, what’s it look like I’m doing? I’m looking for a stupid bloody paper that isn’t where I left it...
Lord Corbin: What paper? And where are the babies?
Using the desk to pull herself to her feet she folds her arms across her chest, her papers falling to land on the carpet.
Eva: The one that says I’m legally Lucy’s mother. Will knows where it is but he’s not here. And the kids are next door, sleeping.....No one can get in there without going through me and the bloke.
Lord Corbin: Why are you looking for that and...
Something didn't compute. He knew his wife was all for denial and pretending things she didn't like didn't happen but she surely couldn't in this case. He pushes himself up to his feet, an ever so slight wince flashes his face as he does. Resting her weight against the desk behind her she simply watches him. Her expressionless face giving away little if anything at all.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, I'm confused...
Eva: By what? You asked questions and I gave you the answers.
Lord Corbin: Why are you looking for that paperwork? And how are you actually feeling? Aren't you moving on too quickly?
Eva: Doesn’t matter and too quickly?
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, what happened? Why do you seem so distant right now?
Standing in front of her, he was all she could see and surely it would be harder not to answer him then? Staring at him as if she was willing him to explode, she eventually sighs. The realisation that those powers still eluded seemed to depress her. Or was it something else?
Eva: What do you want from me? If you came to see the kids, they are in there just be bloody quiet. The bigger kids can be summoned, but I’m all out of patience and the desire to grin and play the victim. So just....leave me alone.
Moving away from him she moves towards the open door of the adjoining room. Left there stunned, he can barely move. He needed that brain power to try and work out just what happened then. Why the reaction? He'd done all he could with a side order of worry.
Lord Corbin: What have I done?
She’d vanished into the other room, but stops and turns back at the question.
Eva: What do you think happened? How do you think I landed in hospital? Why do you think William, the poor bastard was put in a position where he had to choose them or me?
Lord Corbin: I don't know! All I know is you had an accident and no one could tell me anything more than that. I don't know what caused you to go into hospital but not a fucking moment has gone by that I don't blame myself! Then tell me what happened, Evalyn?
She was leaning against the doorframe now, one side of her entirely thrown into shadows as she shoots a glance into the makeshift nursery.
Eva: What happened...... Your crazy little desire not to rob your daughter of her mother almost cost my children the chance to know theirs.
Lord Corbin: What are you even talking about?
Eva: You asked what happened. Do you want me to spell it out for you? Do you really need me to say that somewhere, somehow you’ve given that bitch enough false hope for her to believe that you wanted her? That me and the kids were just a minor inconvenience forced upon you, that someone needed to remove?
Shaking her head she stands up straight, no longer leaning on anything for support as she stares at him.
Eva: Or maybe it was all your idea. Maybe you put the idea into her head to come to “talk”. Why else would you have placed her in my home? Why else would she be so determined that your real family was her and Lucy?
Lord Corbin: I can't believe I am hearing this. Are you seriously implying this is actually my fault? Really? I kept you away, safe from harm that comes with being too close to the business. Did you forget that you had to get checked out constantly, that you were passing out from exhaustion and the rest of it? How is that some elaborate plan? For your information, Davina was there because it was an emergency. Everyone was concerned for you and the babies and we needed to keep the situation out the public eye while we prayed to any fucking bastard god that would listen to keep you three safe!
Returning her stare, he was outraged, hurt, genuinely gobsmacked at this reception from his wife.
Lord Corbin: You're the love of my life and all four of the kids are my kids, not one or the other, all.
She doesn’t even bother to respond to him, a dismissive shake of the head is all she offers before turning into the room where the newborns were. It was bittersweet to hear them breathing softly, to see them tucked up warm and safe in their cribs, surrounded by the most state of the art security money could buy. Only to be hit by the realisation that even that hadn’t been enough to protect them. She hadn’t been enough.... Her bad mood wouldn’t fade any time soon, it seemed to be strolling along just fine with her paranoia for the time being. Looking up at the ceiling, his eyes glaze. Maybe it was the journey taking its toll or maybe he was just dumbfounded and speechless. He presses his thumb and index finger into his temples for a few seconds before slowly heading in the same direction of the former HKWF champion. Entering the very same room, his eyes immediately home in on the cribs. The infant in the crib nearest to the young woman had started to stir. Though for now there was no crying, just movement indicating on incoming tantrum. He’d set off his sister if he got the chance to wail properly.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn?
Picking the baby up with the practised skill of someone who had been doing this all night she looks up at him.
Eva: Hm?
Lord Corbin: You don't know how relieved I am to see you all, that you're okay.
Eva: Too stubborn to be anything else.....
Lord Corbin: In that case it's a lifesaver. In the instance you are keeping me at bay right now, it's not. You can't think that I have had anything to do with your accident. That's absurd, Evalyn. We are here, with all our family, together and you'd rather suspect me of trying to sabotage that?
Eva: You keep saying that word....accident implies no harm was meant. That woman tried to kill them, Leon. She tried and I just stood there. I just let her attack me because as always when it comes to her she backed me into a corner.
Shaking his head, he stands there stunned.
Lord Corbin: Are you implying Davina did this? I know you can't stand the woman, lover but this time you're going too far. She was in Hong Kong when I was getting the messages from William that something happened to you.
Eva: Of course she was, and she just mysteriously managed to get back to London the very day I ended up in hospital. Pestering Will about the condition of the kids, the kids she had screamed at me to get rid of. I’m also fucking awesome at multitasking these days too, cause while I was laying there bleeding I managed to smack myself so hard I left the imprint of a boot on my stomach. I didn’t even realise I was flexible enough to kick myself like that , guess all that not being able to reach my feet lark was for shits n giggles.
Moving past him with her son in her arms she picks up one of the bottles from her desk. They were still warm, heated just enough by her own former nanny.
Eva: You don’t believe me though that’s fine. Though I’m curious to hear your theory then, love? Since there’s nothing but medical records, photos and a missing security video to back up mine.
Lord Corbin: How about the fact there was no trip to England in that time period on her passport. I'm telling you, it wasn't her. She never showed me but I saw. All it shows are that the trips made before we left for England was the one to Hong Kong weeks before when we all arrived, Sweden before that. She's done nothing but try to help and if I am honest, I've been glad to have her there. The fact she doesn't panic about anything and kept me from losing it altogether on numerous occasions isn't about to go unnoticed either. What actual proof do you even have it's her when there could be several people out there responsible for this? Why her, Evalyn?
Eva: Because it WAS her. If you’re struggling to accept that, since she’s such a rock for you and all then maybe you should go see her. After everything, and I mean everything we’ve been through do you really think I’d lie about something like this? Do you really think I’d so readily admit weakness in myself? How the hell do you think it makes me feel to know that she almost killed the only people who ever really needed me?
Taking a seat and attempting to keep the bottle steady was a task, but she manages it with only a slight noise from the child.
Eva: Why is it so important for you to believe that she wouldn’t do this? You’ve never been so quick or adamant that I was innocent of anything. I guess it’s easier to believe I’m the lying whore than it is to believe your BFF is capable of hurting me eh? Fuck it, I don’t care. Believe what you like, Leon but she isn’t coming near me or any of my children. That includes Lucy, and my security will shoot her as a trespasser should she even breathe near the boundaries of my land.
A brief knock on the door silences her for the moment, she almost seems to tense and her harsh stare moves from him to the intrusion. A small balding man in a grey suit pushes open the heavy door, it was a wonder he could move it at all and still balance his tray, yet he does. Offering him a thin smile Eva waits for him to set down her tea and leave before continuing.
Eva: She has NO rights over any of them, not legally, morally or any fucking thing else. And before this new found sense of conscience decides to tell you she should see her kid, let me remind you that my record’s clear. Fuck with me in any way on this, try anything to get that whore near me or mine and I will take myself and my babies somewhere you and that fucking mole your dad employs will never never find us. I failed to protect them once, she’s never getting the chance to hurt them again.
Her tone though soft enough to avoid disturbing the boy she was attempting to get to burp without throwing up on her, was still tinted with enough malice to leave no doubt to her words.
Lord Corbin: What has gotten into you?
Strolling towards the crib, he looks in at the baby girl, resting a hand that engulfs her entire skull effortlessly. Hand still on his second daughter, he turns his head to look at his wife.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I am not trading you in, I'm not taking sides, I am not going to be letting ANYONE disappear. You are my family and right now it isn't me that is forgetting it. And if you are so bloody adamant, then talk. Tell me exactly what happened, bit by fucking bit, tell me. Because until I have solid proof, Evalyn, I can't do a fucking thing and I can't afford to get this one wrong, understand?
His tone was low yet deadly serious. An implication that he had to be right first time for a reason on the matter. Swearing was alright when they were this small wasn’t it? Eva hoped so.... Standing up with more speed than her battered body had allowed her for some time she couldn’t help cringing as she moved the place the baby back in his crib. Safely out of the way she slips out of the dry clean only, one of a kind shirt the boy had just shared his dinner with. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, yet the warm rush of half digested milk hitting her never failed to make her gag. Luckily it hadn’t soaked through to her Zombie Killing vest.
Eva: Leon.....feed your daughter.
Leaning against the wall she eventually slides down it, her eyes closed as she sits on the floor. Looking back into the crib, he strokes the miniature head of his little baby girl then scoops her up slowly with a hand under each armpit. He rests the child against him, closing his eyes as he cuddles her before wandering over to the same table Eva took a bottle from. Snatching a filled bottle, he brings it with the baby over to where Eva was sat, joining her on the floor. With a brief glance at his wife, he cradles the child in one arm, removing the cap from the bottle with his free hand. He sighs, looking at the baby as he encourages the teat into her mouth. Her eyes had opened when he’d sat down, and she’d been watching him since. The girl was always the more difficult of the two. It was almost as she felt she had to make up for her size with how much trouble she could be. Yet he seemed to be managing okay with her now. For a moment he could block out everything else, concentrating purely on the task ahead of him. He smiles at the sight of the baby suckling.
Lord Corbin: Hey baby? Is that nice? Yeah, that's it, good girl...
Eva: Well, you are doing better than I thought you would. We’ll see how you manage with nappy changes next.
Lord Corbin: Doesn't bother me. Lucy was still only a one year old when I got her. If I wasn't wiping the arse of GZW, I was wiping it for Lucy.
Eva: Hmm...
Her eyes were closed again as she listened to him
Lord Corbin: Evalyn. Tell me what went on. Tell me the events of that day...
Eva: Is there much of a point?
Lord Corbin: There is every point. Down to every last detail.
Eva: I got the kids up for their classes.....both had karate followed by dance. I spent the entire night before trying to find Danny’s belt.....He found it the next morning, god knows where but he had it around his head when he came down for his breakfast....
Exhaling heavily she opens her eyes, though she was staring ahead of her. Focus lost on heaven knows what.
Eva: They ate their breakfast then William came to pick them up. I couldn’t drive, so he did it all for me. He’d also relocated everything in the kitchen so I didn’t have to reach or climb, and so I could tidy up properly. I’d make him breakfast to say thank you.....stupid really but he never asked for anything else. He even avoided drinking his coffee around me.....he was running late that morning. There was an accident somewhere I think. Before he got back there was a knock at the door and stupidly I answered it. It was her.....I thought she wanted to talk about Lucy. She hadn’t spent any time with her in months, but she didn’t.
A sound from the crib draws her attention momentarily; pulling herself to her feet she crosses the small room. Her voice was low, but still audible.
Eva: She wanted to know what kind of game I was playing. Why I’d trapped you with children you didn’t want. Why I wouldn’t get rid of them, why I kept trying to tear him away from his real family. From her and Lucy.....
Stroking the little boy’s hand with the back of her finger she smiles as he moves, grabbing part of her hand with his own and holding tight.
Eva: She was so...angry, and all I could do was back away. She told me to get rid of them as she was leaving and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.....She flew at me. The attack itself is a blur. I remember her punching me...and kicking me. I remember picking up a plate she smashed over my head and trying to stick it in her throat.....but I couldn’t give you a play by play.
He doesn't say a word. Could he have been wrong? Maybe it wasn't just the attack that was a blur? How could Davina have possibly been in two places at once? Could she really have been that cold to play along as if nothing had happened in the very same home his wife was accusing Davina of almost killing her? Something somewhere wasn't adding up but what real reason would she have to fabricate this story? So many questions and none that seemed to answer themselves. He stared hard at the child in his arms, the child finding it easier to take in the mouthfuls of her formula than he could take in the words of his wife that moment.
Lord Corbin: If this is true, how do you explain her passport? If she was that angry, why would she go as far as ensure I am alright and that we do all we can for you as well? She was genuinely trying to help. Are you absolutely sure it was her, Evalyn?
Eva: Because she’s above falsifying documents? She cares about you...when she was screaming at me it was all about how I’d ruined your life. If she genuinely believes that, if she genuinely thinks her stepping into my role in the family is what you want she’s likely to be nice and helpful to you, isn’t she? She wants you on side, and to think I’m crazy.
Lord Corbin: Don't you think that would be counterproductive, Evalyn? Taking the ones a person loves is not the way to win someone's heart and certainly not mine. Even she wouldn't be that stupid to think she could get away with that.
Eva: Then you speak to her. I’m not trying to paint her in a negative light. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my kids. I told you what happened and if you don’t want to believe me that’s fine, but don’t question me anymore if you’re not even going to entertain the things I’m telling you.
Lord Corbin: It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I really don't want to believe that. You finished, baby?
Moving the bottle away from the baby, he sits her up and holds her close with a reassuring hand on her tiny back.
Lord Corbin: I'll need to speak with her. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to take sides. I just need to see what she has to say.
Eva: Go for it, but do it in London.
Lord Corbin: For the sake of you all, I want minimal contact with anyone outside of the family, so yes, I'll go to London.
Eva: With my hired goons you’re lucky if family get through my barriers.
Lord Corbin: I noticed. I feel better about that, honestly...
Eva: They are people I trust, people who can’t be bought. It’s a rarity in this world....Plus there’s cameras every bloody where. I don’t do technology so I manage the muscle.
Lord Corbin: I'm surprised you're able to manage anything at all right now. Especially this quickly. What did the doctors say?
Evasive as ever when it came to doctors and things, she mumbles something incoherent about “fine”.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn? What's the verdict? I watched you lay there, lifeless and inches from death...they'll have had something to say...
Eva: Nothing important though....once my brain stopped swelling they pretty much figured I was fine. It was really no worse than some of the matches I’ve been in....
Lord Corbin: I find that hard to believe. I know what I saw, Evalyn...
Eva: Hmm....Lots of bruising, a few broken ribs, concussion, lacerations and my body freaking the fuck out that my blood was gone. I’ve felt worse, I’ve probably looked worse, but for now I can manage. I was told to take it easy and given painkillers.
Lord Corbin: How about the little ones?
Eva: For now they are doing well, but we won’t know if any real damage was done until they are a bit older. By the time we actually got to the hospital they assumed they were a lost cause....
Lord Corbin: My god...
Cradling his daughter, he exhales heavily.
Lord Corbin: You know if this happened to any other woman, I don't think her or her children would have survived. You're an amazing woman...
Eva: Stubborn woman......though I think years of getting my arse handed to me and never quite knowing when to quit might have helped.
Lord Corbin: Evalyn...what did you see...
Eva: Hmm?
Lord Corbin: There were times when you completely out of it...like...I don't want to say it...but you looked dead. And no, I'm not being a funny bastard because you're pale and all that shit but I've seen you unconscious...this was different. Did you experience anything in that time?
Eva: Everything....and nothing all the same time. Hayden was with me.....and Mam....
Sitting down beside him she ran her hands over the carpet, picking at the fibres. Watching her, he rests his hand on hers. It was a hell of a lot warmer than the last time he felt it.
Lord Corbin: Your mother? What was she like?
Eva: Quiet, calming....she reminded me of your mum.
Lord Corbin: What did she say to you?
Eva: Lots of things, mainly not to fall asleep.
Lord Corbin: I'm glad you listened...I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to you or the babies. I can't even think on it.
Eva: She didn’t give me a choice...
Child in one arm, he edges Eva closer so she rests on his chest as well, holding both against him.
Eva: Are you alright?
Lord Corbin: I have you back...I feel a lot better...
Eva: Really? Cause you look like crap....just sayin’.
Lord Corbin: Hard day at the office shall we say...
Just then, the door opens. In comes both Daniel and Lucy, the boy still talking into a headset while his cousin grins from ear to ear once she looks at both parents together.
Lucy: Daddy!
Lord Corbin: Hey pumpkin! Come here...and you, Mr Security Guard.
Daniel: Mama....erm Hera said you need fooood.
Lucy rolls her eyes at the boy, skipping with enthusiasm over to the couple and her younger sister. Kneeling in front of them, she grins broadly. Talking into his radio to tell Constance they’d be there soon he sits down next to his aunt.
Daniel: Where’s Lucan? Is he in time out?
Eva: Slee-
She doesn’t get to finish speaking, a sudden buzzing from the boys walkie talkie startles the baby enough to cause wailing. Standing up with a sigh she retrieves the screaming panda attired child.
Eva: He WAS sleeping. Come on, you can say hello to your cousin now you’re back from the land of nod.....brief as that trip was.
The baby in Leon's arm is startled at the sound of her twin and begins wailing in unison with him, Lucy and Daniel looking at one another as if speaking in unspoken word "let's run for the door". Rocking the baby, Leon hushes it. It wasn't just in the business the man had the Midas touch as the baby settles eventually. They both eventually settle down, though Daniel loses his walkie talkie privileges for his part in waking them.
Lucy: Daddy. Why are Lucan and Georgia so small? Mummy said it's because they arrived early.
Lord Corbin: Well...well, yeah, that's technically what happened. They're still growing, just like you are. You were that small once as well, you know. Even Grandpa was, believe that or not.
She looks at him as if he was ridiculous. Grandpa? Don't be silly.
Daniel: Mama wasn’t! Will said she...she’s the last survivor from the dinosaurs. He said she bitchslapped a tyrannosaurus for lookin’ at her funny. You haveta be big to beat up a dino...
This was no time for being amused but there was no adult present who wasn't desperately trying to hide their smirking.
Lord Corbin: I tell you what. How about you don't repeat after the adults and come here. We'll sit here for a while together until it's time to eat, alright?
Daniel: Awww, okay!
The man clearly had a lot to deal with. He’d have to find out if what his wife told him was the truth but that could wait. For now, though, he was glad to just have his family alive and in one place with him and he wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of that.
