Happy Ending||Popov Safehouse

Ashleen sat in a chair in the orderly office, winding a single curl around her finger, stoping when she got it all, pausing for only for a moment before unwinding and then starting again.

Her back was stiff with tension and although her eyes seemed to be glued to her lap, unwilling to look at anything else, she was ready, listening for anything to come. If any sound came from anywhere that wasn't announced she'd hear it - and jump about a foot in the air.

She felt vulnerable, exposed; she wanted to ask for Tre, go back to Tre but... but even in this state she knew better than to cross him, cross Papa.

Daddy said this was supposed to help, but at the moment Ashleen felt more lost, hopeless, scared than she ever had before.

Something was wrong with his leg.

That was the reason Papa had gotten out the old retired cane once more; he was struggling to find that old ease that had come with using it his entire life. The other members had heard the old familiar sound of his cane hitting the floor with each step and disappeared before he'd seen them. They were always getting smarter in that way.

He paused to open his office door, limping right past the girl in her seat. "What are you doing in here?" He asked gruffly, not pausing before making his way across the room. He pushed open the door on the other side and glared at her, his blue eyes icy. "Well? In you go. We don't have all day." He moved into the room before her, limping into the place.

It was comfortably furnished, a fire roaring in the hearth, as always, with a large throw rug thrown over the polished wooden floor. In the corner, next to the fireplace, was a large plush purple chair. Closer to the two of them was the couch - it was comfortable enough - and next to that, an old wooden rocking chair.

Papa sank into the rocking chair with a suppressed sigh of relief, picking up his cane and laying it across his lap. He gestured for Ashleen to sit on the couch, flicking his wand so that some soothing music started.

"Now. Tell me why you're here."

Ashleen had heard the cane from down the hall, of course, that didn't stop her from being anymore skiddish as he came into the room. Her eyes glanced up at the formable man who, although she had spent years never actually meeting had a say on her entire life.

She jumped up a little shakily at his command rushing to follow him into the room. She blinked at the surroundings, her blank eyes taking everything in with casual disinterest. When indicated to, Ashleen took a timid seat on the couch, sitting on the very edge of it, her back rimrod straight, and her hands clenching the edge of the couch on either side of her.

She looked up sharply as she was asked the question staring at the man for a moment before looking away again, ducking her head so her hair hid her face.

"I'm here because," her voice was soft, timid - not the clear strong one she usually spoke with, even in her past dealings with the man. Ash had always been a confident girl, but now....

She bit her lip. It was on the tip of her tongue to say she was here because Daddy said she had to. But something stopped her. Sure that was the reason she was sitting there right now, but that wasn't why they thought she should be sitting there. Why she needed to be sitting there.

She sighed and began her nervous twirling of her hair again, as her gaze slowly moved to the flames in the hearth, "Because.... I-I can't sleep, close my eyes without-without seeing-seeing their faces; I-I look into every shadow and think, think someone must be coming for me, hiding and waiting... any time someone some one tries-tries to touch me, I feel his hands, like he never let me go, like he's still going to-"

She swallowed back the last word, shoving away the memory. Somewhere in her retelling her arms had found thier way around her middle, as if she was trying to hug herself, hug away the memories, feelings that were bubbling up in her again.

Pieter's gaze stayed on his cane as she spoke; the wooden thing feeling heavier in his lap than it was in reality. Something streaked across his memory. A girl, much like this one, saying almost the same words.

Don't you understand, Pieter? a memory said, voice betraying her fears. They're all looking for me! I can feel them in my bones. Even if they're dead now-

He blinked, looking up at the girl before him, the memory once more nothing but memory. He steepled his fingers and gazed at her over them, contemplating his next words.

"This is good." He said, picking up his foot and placing it on his good knee. He leaned back towards the girl, his cold blue stare sweeping her posture. "It is good that you can come to terms with what happened. You may not be able to say it yet, but acknowledging that something happened is the first step." He rubbed his jaw, feeling the stubble there and contemplating shaving.

"Tell me about Angel." He said, watching for her reaction. "You doubt his ability to protect you, even though he appeared in time to stop the attack, and has protected you almost every moment from then on." Some unreadable emotion was coursing through him - familiarity almost - though it did not show in his appearance in any way. "Do you trust him?"

Ashleen pulled her legs into her chest, sliding back on the couch to allow room from them. She rested her chin on top of her knees, and glanced at Papa out of the corner of her eye. She bit her lip and nodded slightly. She didn't know how she couldn't admit it - every moment of everyday it was in her head, the memory forcing its way back into her mind when she least wanted it to.

"I-I... I can't forget it."

"Tre," she looked up at the name and almost seemed to relax just a bit as she said his name. Her lips tugged up just slightly, before she was shaking her head at Papa's words, "I-I don't... not-not when I can see him. When, when he's there I know... I know he won't let anything happen, but-but... when he's gone..."

She swallowed hard and looked blankly ahead of her, seeing things in her head that weren't in the room, "He was so close to not-not... they almost- I thought.... What if next time Tre's too far away? What if next time he can't-"

She cut off her babbling at his last question, and for once turned and looked the man steadly in the eye.

Did she trust Tre?

"With my life."

"You should not attempt to forget." Papa advised, looking back down at his cane. "It is the memories that keep us strong, and without them we would never learn from our mistakes."

He recognized the emotion flitting across her face; love at its purest. She was completely gone for the boy, even though he was promised to Ptichka. Papa had seen the potential in the boy, and that was why he had gotten him for Ptichka. She deserved the best, and the Mob needed a leader as stong as Angel.

He nodded, once, and rolled his cane between his fingers once more. "You will need to be able to defend yourself more effectively. I will have Teddy, Angel, and others trade off on giving you advanced self-defense lessons. When we meet again next week, I will want to see your progress." He looked back up at her, his blue eyes gleaming. "At the end of this month, you will be trained by me."

"Then start acting like it." He told her, meeting her gaze steadily and not backing down. "If you trust him as you say you do, do not doubt your safety." His eyes flickered, hot as blue fire. "You may not trust me, but while you are under my roof you will. not. be. harmed. Do you understand?"

"I don't want to forget... well only a bit," she hummed a bit to herself, pausing between words, "I just- I want to be able to... function again."

She nodded her head slightly at his next words, "Okay." She bit her lip and was silent for a moment before all the shame she felt that day came spewing back up in her, "I'm- I'm sorry Sir... that I didn't... I-I thought it was just one, and I thought to myself, oh I could handle just one... but then... there was suddenly just so many of them that I just..."

Her voice thickened with surpressed emotions, her eyes felt warm, but she refused to cry infront of this man.

"I froze... I shouldn't have - I was supposed to be better than freezing... I'm sorry."

She met his gaze, wanting to pull away but she couldn't. She swallowed and then nodded her head slowly, "I will. I do."