The sudden sound of gunfire wasn't unexpected o surprising, but startling still. So much so, limbs wouldn't listen to the brain screaming at them to move. She had expected to feel pain; but from the bullet and not from being tackled out of the way. The weight and the male on her were strangers and she practically threw him off. She moved to take out her opponent, but he was quicker and a nicely thrown pair of link cuffs (though she never would admit that) were a success. As soon as the hand cuffs locked, they sent a powerful surge of electricity through the body, that promptly dropped to the floor.
“What the heck?!”
“Don't worry; he'll be fine. It just sends enough to knock 'em out.”
“Not THAT!!!”
“Oh I'm sorry. I really should have let that bullet hit you.”
His voice oozed sarcasm, and she wanted to take the billy club from his waist and pound him with it.
“I didn't need your help.”
“Yes, tu were CLEARLY dodging that bullet!”
“I'm not a damsel in distress! tu didn't need to save me!”
“Oh, bite me, princess!”
“Who'd want to?!”
They eyed each other for what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes. Her black, one-pieced costume contrasted to the blue of his fiery red uniform. But the supplies were más than standard police tools. The sound of police sirens snapped them from their observations long enough to get away. When the sounds had faded into the growing sunrise, they stopped again. Unlike the tense adrenaline filled silence before, this one was quite awkward and shy. Kicking a broken bottle, she spoke up.
“I....um, thank you....I suppose. For.....you know....earlier.”
“No thanks needed.”
His response was dicho in clear embarrassment and his eyes, which had been a stormy black earlier, were now a clear gray-blue like the color of mist on the open sea.
“So......”
They eyed each other again.
“Uh, I'm....Midnight.”
“I'm Sutur. Like-”
“-the Norse god of fire.”
He stared at her for half a beat.
“You're not as.....frozen as I thought you'd be.”
She smirked at him.
“One bullet and tu think tu know some one. Cheeky.”
He breathed out a laugh.
“You remind me of a friend...”
“Coincidence.”
Their eyes met beneath sunglasses and they spoke in unison.
“It's never coincidence; merely destiny's humor.”
Their mouths shut for a minuto before he boldly moved adelante, hacia adelante and took the glasses off her face.
“Little Tara Lopez.....”
A smile broke his face into a grin as familiar as the sun.
“Sven Wolfgang!!!”
With barely contained joy, she jumped into the strong arms that had reached out to hug her.
“Where in this Earth have tu been?! The whole entire Primary school freaked out when they found the news about your family!!!”
“You don't want to know! What's with the uniform? What are tu doing here?! You're supposed to be in sunny, golden Cali!”
He pulled away from her and looked at his watch.
“We need to talk. Coffee house at the wharf in ten minutes?”
“Of course!”
The two sat watching the waves as the lights por the board walk went on and the clouds tucked the sun into bed. They had spent the día together, neither leaving unless necessary. Hours of interrogation allowed for lives to catch up on them. Upon hearing of his solving his parents' murder, Tara had burst into tears. It took them both a few silent hours to accept the pain in each others' lives before they settled back into friendly chatter. A ring from her phone caused them to be aware of the time.
“Ah crap! One sec!”
She stood and walked a few yards away, but Sven could hear every word she said.
“Hey! I'm so sorry!......No! No, I'm fine. I ran into someone..........An old friend.......Yeah, I'm so so sorry. I got sidetracked and we-........Alright. Thank you. I'll see tu in an hour?.....Okay. Bye....Love tu too. Bye.”
She smiled at the end and hung up, but he could see the confusion in her eyes.
“Something wrong?”
“What does Moya dorogaya mean?”
“That's Russian....uhm...'my dearest' I believe.”
He watched the smile on her face grow.
“Who's that?”
He smirked at the flush that lit up her face.
“Uh, my boyfriend.”
“Is he cute?”
“Shut up!!!”
He laughed at her expense, and his chest tightened when he thought of the three years he'd looked for her without results. All of his teasing aside, Tara was his best friend, the air to his lungs, and the water to his soul. He'd lost all his family; she was the only thing keeping him alive. And the idea of her being alive but imprisoned had pushed him for three years. After three long years, his buscar was over.
“I want to meet him.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“You want to meet Alek?”
“Yes. I want to make sure he deserves you; o at the very least knows he doesn't but works at it anyway.”
She smiled, her eyes stinging with tears.
“I missed you, Sven.”
“I missed you, too, Tara.”
“What the heck?!”
“Don't worry; he'll be fine. It just sends enough to knock 'em out.”
“Not THAT!!!”
“Oh I'm sorry. I really should have let that bullet hit you.”
His voice oozed sarcasm, and she wanted to take the billy club from his waist and pound him with it.
“I didn't need your help.”
“Yes, tu were CLEARLY dodging that bullet!”
“I'm not a damsel in distress! tu didn't need to save me!”
“Oh, bite me, princess!”
“Who'd want to?!”
They eyed each other for what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes. Her black, one-pieced costume contrasted to the blue of his fiery red uniform. But the supplies were más than standard police tools. The sound of police sirens snapped them from their observations long enough to get away. When the sounds had faded into the growing sunrise, they stopped again. Unlike the tense adrenaline filled silence before, this one was quite awkward and shy. Kicking a broken bottle, she spoke up.
“I....um, thank you....I suppose. For.....you know....earlier.”
“No thanks needed.”
His response was dicho in clear embarrassment and his eyes, which had been a stormy black earlier, were now a clear gray-blue like the color of mist on the open sea.
“So......”
They eyed each other again.
“Uh, I'm....Midnight.”
“I'm Sutur. Like-”
“-the Norse god of fire.”
He stared at her for half a beat.
“You're not as.....frozen as I thought you'd be.”
She smirked at him.
“One bullet and tu think tu know some one. Cheeky.”
He breathed out a laugh.
“You remind me of a friend...”
“Coincidence.”
Their eyes met beneath sunglasses and they spoke in unison.
“It's never coincidence; merely destiny's humor.”
Their mouths shut for a minuto before he boldly moved adelante, hacia adelante and took the glasses off her face.
“Little Tara Lopez.....”
A smile broke his face into a grin as familiar as the sun.
“Sven Wolfgang!!!”
With barely contained joy, she jumped into the strong arms that had reached out to hug her.
“Where in this Earth have tu been?! The whole entire Primary school freaked out when they found the news about your family!!!”
“You don't want to know! What's with the uniform? What are tu doing here?! You're supposed to be in sunny, golden Cali!”
He pulled away from her and looked at his watch.
“We need to talk. Coffee house at the wharf in ten minutes?”
“Of course!”
The two sat watching the waves as the lights por the board walk went on and the clouds tucked the sun into bed. They had spent the día together, neither leaving unless necessary. Hours of interrogation allowed for lives to catch up on them. Upon hearing of his solving his parents' murder, Tara had burst into tears. It took them both a few silent hours to accept the pain in each others' lives before they settled back into friendly chatter. A ring from her phone caused them to be aware of the time.
“Ah crap! One sec!”
She stood and walked a few yards away, but Sven could hear every word she said.
“Hey! I'm so sorry!......No! No, I'm fine. I ran into someone..........An old friend.......Yeah, I'm so so sorry. I got sidetracked and we-........Alright. Thank you. I'll see tu in an hour?.....Okay. Bye....Love tu too. Bye.”
She smiled at the end and hung up, but he could see the confusion in her eyes.
“Something wrong?”
“What does Moya dorogaya mean?”
“That's Russian....uhm...'my dearest' I believe.”
He watched the smile on her face grow.
“Who's that?”
He smirked at the flush that lit up her face.
“Uh, my boyfriend.”
“Is he cute?”
“Shut up!!!”
He laughed at her expense, and his chest tightened when he thought of the three years he'd looked for her without results. All of his teasing aside, Tara was his best friend, the air to his lungs, and the water to his soul. He'd lost all his family; she was the only thing keeping him alive. And the idea of her being alive but imprisoned had pushed him for three years. After three long years, his buscar was over.
“I want to meet him.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“You want to meet Alek?”
“Yes. I want to make sure he deserves you; o at the very least knows he doesn't but works at it anyway.”
She smiled, her eyes stinging with tears.
“I missed you, Sven.”
“I missed you, too, Tara.”