[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mps09cS.gif[/img] [color=gray][h1][b][i]Gunshots rang out.[/i][/b][/h1][/color][/center] [color=gray]Butterfly kisses melted into whiskered tickles. They mixed gently with relaxed breathing on his skin. It was the next morning. One that started off warmly enough, but he still managed to be on the wrong side of the bed. A foreign set of emotions rummaged around Nick's thoughts. It was the first morning. The next day after the literal start of a new life, but he was already contemplating escaping his newly wedded partner's fantast embrace. Thierry couldn't abandon him if he fled first, right? But he needed to act fast. Time wasted away as he laid there, somewhere between the sheets, Thierry, and a heavy amount of dread. There's no rest for the wicked, this was only temporary comfort. The sleepy haze broke awhile ago, but he kept his eyes closed. He stayed slack underneath the lovey cuddling as he pretended to be asleep. If Thierry could tell he was awake, he hadn't said anything yet... The minute his partner got up to go start his morning coffee routine, he'd hastily get up and slip out the window. Or would he? It sounded easy enough, but Thierry's weight kept a knot tight in his throat. Maybe he'd stay or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he was a dreamer too. [h2][i][b]Gunshots rang out.[/b][/i][/h2] The man's kick caused him to flip back and fall with a rolling motion. He fell from the top of the speeding HM branded semi-trailer and landed hard on the hood of a car. His future husband's driving was sporadically hellbent. Weaving in and out of traffic, playing chicken. The ultimate prize for such recklessness? The hereafter. Passersby would probably assume they were shooting an action movie. [i]Probably[/i]. Monsieur had just barely caught him from certain death with his Bentley Continental GT. And [i]just barely[/i] was equivalent to [i]perfect timing[/i] in this line of work. Nick promised he would curse himself later for damaging such a great way to blow 200k, as he haphazardly traded Monsieur for a FAMAS. The guy on the semi called for backup after realizing Nick had managed to take the artifact from him. A new sling of ammo meant new aim at the cars on either side of them. What highway were they on as Monsieur drifted the car into the opposite direction? [i]Fuck[/i]... he [i]hated [/i]roller coasters. Which country's laws were they currently breaking? Yet another dangerous Louvre mission would call for another massive cover up. Was this the true start of Nick's personal involvement with HiveMind? The incident that would lead HiveMind into sending him the job invite? Monsieur hadn't told him much about the artifact, but was still determined to acquire it. And of course, Nick was always happy to shoot now and ask questions later. [h2][i][b]Gunshots rang out.[/b][/i][/h2] He'd made damn good time getting to the auction house. Watching the Louvre-sponsored auction had become a bit of a hobby of his in between jobs. He never bought any of the trinkets for sale as he couldn't really afford it, but it was still interesting to see the various private collections and their collectors. He was surprised to make such good time with how bad the weather was that day. The rain and fog made the roads he traveled on exceedingly treacherous, but this only stopped the riffraff from showing up. The white floor squeaked under his wet shoes when he abruptly stopped mid-step. His current boss, [i]Monsieur de Villiers[/i], was coming down an elegant marbled staircase. The luxurious hallway was aided by the man's existence, or rather... the handsome man's conspicuous features transcended the beauty of the liminal space. Of all the days to wear [i]combat boots[/i]... Nick shoved aside personal feelings of self incongruity as they exchanged pleasantries. One particular stair must of been slick with excess water, causing Monsieur's knee to give. There were only a few steps between them when he slipped and then quickly none, as Nick readjusted himself to catch his boss. Interestingly enough, instead of reaching for the railing, Monsieur had reached out for Nick. They stood there with a silent gaze for an extended moment. What... just happened? In Nick's mind, this was the moment [i]Monsieur [/i]turned into [i]Thierry[/i]. ... [b]S'il [i]vous [/i]plaît?[/b] [b]J'ai besoin.[/b] ...[b]Mais? Pourquoi tu me fais la gueule?![/b]... [b]This is who I am. Who you were. Why are you arguing with me about this!?[/b] [b]Because I see you making the same mistakes I already have! HiveMind isn't owned by The Louvre[/b]... ...[b]Thierry[/b]... ...[b]No! I will not idly sit by and[/b]... [b]And [i][b]what[/b][/i]? Watch me [i][b]ruin [/b][/i]my life the way you have yours?[/b] [b]That's[/b], [i]Thierry paused then whimpered[/i], [b]not fair.[/b] The image seared deep into the very fabric of Nick's soul. Yet another self-inflected mortal wound. Thierry in tears. He didn't think he'd ever forgive himself for it, even if Thierry did. Dammit, why was he such an [i]asshole[/i]? He knew he would never deserve Thierry the way Sabrina did.[/color] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Q7SibmW.gif[/img][/center] [center][h1][b]Gunshots rang out.[/b][/h1][/center] Wait. You mean there's really gunshots? [i]Shit[/i]. He's [i]not [/i]just imagining the familiar sound in his slumbered state of mind. Nick tried to move, stirring just a little, but was incredibly stiff. The Hollow had taken a hell of a lot out of him. He tried again, but not much movement occurred. [i]Fuck[/i]. His brain seemed mostly willing, but his body remained dormant. The Hollow had taken damn near all of his strength. He could feel the chill of the chair, the course rope, the headgear. He internally grumbled to himself. [i]Now what?[/i] What was that sick bastard Galloes up to now? How long had he been out of it? Whatever it was that he'd been dreaming of, he didn't remember much of it, not that it really mattered at this point. But he pushed aside an odd remembrance of being upset with himself, as the sounds of gunfire grew closer to them. [b]"A lie?"[/b] He managed to mumble out, sleep still overwhelming his eyelids. That spray of bullets. It had to be in the hallway. With a bit more audible strength, [b]"[i]Aurélie[/i]?"[/b] Harsh sounds of an intense scuffle replaced gunfire. Whoever it was, they were right on top of them. Banging occurred from behind them. Then a familiar thrash of someone being thrown against a door and the door giving just a little. Aaron's screaming popped Nick's eyes open in terror. Aaron was still in the facility? With the Hollow? What the hell? Hadn't he left with Ramses, Stella, and Cosette? No. It- it sounded like... whatever was going on, whatever was happening to his little brother, was nothing short of torture. Point blank range of an electrical device of some sort and he was in direct contact with it. With the little bit of a head turn he could do, he saw Aurélie strapped to a chair in a similar fashion to himself. No. [i]No[/i]. This [i]asshole[/i], Von Galloes had to be stopped once and for all. It was one thing to attack The Louvre, any of the companies they competed with, himself, his brother, fucking Thierry de Villiers himself, but [i]a little girl[/i] that had literally no real connection to this stuff? Other than her fath... so [i]that's why[/i] Thierry was so hellbent on keeping Theo from being a field agent. He'd often wondered, but hadn't really questioned it. Suddenly a whole bunch of unasked questions were answered. The argument he'd had with Thierry just before leaving for this job. Thierry hadn't wanted him to go, but now that they'd found Aurélie and Cosette he was [i]almost [/i]glad he had. Happy for the girls, happy for Thierry, wondered if Theo would think of him in a different light now. And Sabrina? He still worried about his own place within the de Villiers family. The family felt crowded anytime he thought of himself as apart of it. He felt unwanted. But for now, he pocketed this [i]almost [/i]happiness as a tear rolled down his cheek. Aaron had finally gone silent, but the sounds of someone being half ass dragged soon replaced the tenor voice. Minutes went by in relative silence as Nick had nothing to say. Nothing to calm Aurélie, let alone keep his own whimpering at bay. At this point, he'd pretty much given up. He'd just watched in terror as Ramses appeared on the tipped CCTV monitor before them. The monitor that displayed Galloes, Cress and Thierry. He watched, unable to fully react as Aaron's limp figure was thrown to the floor and then as Ramses readjusted the baton in his hands. The same type of baton the drones behind Thierry were carrying. Shit, is [i]that [/i]what those things could do? Stun you to damn near death? Cress just sat there doing nothing but holding a glass of wine. He hated the Louvre, no, [i]loathed [/i]it. If he ever did manage to get out of here? Nick would be damn sure to burn The Louvre to the ground. Along with any other society that stood in his way. [i]Period[/i]. Even [i]if [/i]his actions ended in [i]divorce[/i]. At first he'd hated Ramses as well, but after seeing the two red eyes in the man's shadow, he knew he wasn't of sound mind. It wasn't Ramses' fault. Just another pawn in Von Galloes' sickly twisted game. Once the Hollow had control of you through your shadow, that was pretty much it, [i]as far as Nick knew[/i]. Nick figured the two of them had stayed behind for one reason or another, to try and get Aurélie. But why was Galloes after field agents? How many other field agents and which societies had he managed to collect from so far? What was his end game? Galloes must of been so damn [i]pleased [/i]with himself, surrounded by a bunch of broken agents. [hr] [center][h1][b][color=red]2:45[/color][/b][/h1][/center] Thierry sat there calmly, despite Galloes' 3 minute threat. No snide comments, no begging. No asking for a chance to [i]join [/i]HiveMind and forsake The Louvre. No begging for a chance of forgiveness. No reaction at all. Thierry sat there, numb. He was still mentally of sound mind, but unwilling to falter to Galloes despite the situation at hand. The man wanted to play a cheated game of Chess? Fine, but that didn't mean he had to play too. So he sat there calmly. That wasn't to say it wasn't uncomfortable to see his daughter caught up in this mess and his husband, well... If he ever [i]did [/i] verbally pick, he wondered if Nick knew it [i]wouldn't[/i] be him. Surely Nick knew, [i]surely[/i]. But then again... why would he choose Aurélie over Nick? Not because he didn't love his daughter, but because she hadn't had a life for the last 7 years anyways. She really didn't have much to go back to, but Nick [i]did[/i]. She was already as good as dead to the world, wasn't she? Perhaps. But was Nick even worth saving? He had one hell of a track record, that's for sure, as his moral compass dangerously swayed back and forth through the years. Instead of answering the Villain Of The Hour's demands, he closed his eyes with an inhale. Taking in the sounds around him and granting acknowledgement towards the sensation of his drying tears... [color=gray]It was the first morning. The room's air was chilled. It had snowed the night before, but he was warm and comfortable under the blankets. He'd cuddled up to his newly wedded husband for extra comfort. He was honestly surprised to find Nick still there with him. He was certain the blonde was going to escape in the dead of night while he slept. Because why not? He'd done it before. It seemed that just when he thought he knew what Nick would do, he'd throw a curve ball and sidetrack him. Always full of fire, always full of surprises. Was he... was he pretending to be asleep [i]again[/i]? Let yourself be loved, [i]you miserable little shit[/i]. My morning coffee can wait. Dammit [i]Nicholas[/i], this car cost me 300 thousand dollars. And now I have to get a new hood? The word [i]grace [/i]is nonexistent in your vocabulary, isn't it? Here. Take my FAMAS while you're at it... You've damn near taken everything including my soul anyways, so I don't need it since dead men don't need guns. Dammit! You're supposed to shoot at [i]them[/i] and [i]not [/i]my side view mirror! I needed that! He'd slipped on the wet step, causing his bad knee to buckle. They were silent for several minutes before he finally professed, [b]You have the most soul crushingly blue eyes, [i]mon amour[/i][/b]. Then pulled his future husband in for their first kiss. [i]Mon ange[/i]... [/color] Thierry continued to sit in silence. Completely disgusted with himself. Had he really just mentally chosen Nick over Aurélie? He'd been married to Sabrina for over 20 years and not once felt [i]this [/i]way about the woman. Sure, he cared about her general well being, but had it ever been love in a romantic life's partner type of way? No. She had a rather nasty habit of nagging him about his work, whereas Nick typically wandered off due to work himself. He didn't blame Sabrina, of course, but he didn't understand where he'd failed as a husband to her and as a father to his children. Sabrina may have wanted him around, but did she really [i]need [/i]him the way Nick did? He didn't think so and felt this was where he got hung up. [center][h1][b][color=red]1:09[/color][/b][/h1][/center] It was a strange teeter-totter of emotions. Why did he even have kids in the first place? He wasn't fit to be a father, was he? While he'd always had good intentions, his blundering with work had caused the three of them more harm than good... No. The stress of the situation was causing him to overthink and in a similarly negative way as Nick would. But the idea that maybe Nick had the right idea about pushing people away, wouldn't leave him alone. Thierry's internal battle was interrupted as Ramses came into the room. He wasn't thrilled to see Aaron be literally tossed aside like that, but didn't hate the Egyptian as he'd clearly been possessed by the Haollow. The two red eyes on the man's shadow made the hairs stand on the back of his neck. Somewhere along the silence, after seeing Aaron, he realized that picking Nick also meant that... Nick could help him beat HiveMind now and help save Aurélie later. It was a fresh lease on life, realizing he hadn't picked his husband over his daughter, while picking his husband over his daughter. He exhaled and looked away from the Haollow. Thierry turned to face Galloes again, [b]"Do you have [i]family[/i], Von? What's the rush? You've got all the cards."[/b] He questioned with a charming smile. Be still my heart. [center][h1][b][color=red]0:00[/color][/b][/h1][/center] [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycu7z4ZfGOc[/youtube][/center]