oh, these times are hard

As he continued to throw rocks into the lake, Will had no idea what time it was. In fact, he was not even supposed to be here; he was meant to be working. He found a temporary post in a well known organization simply because he was in dire need of the money. But for some reason, he was too distracted and knew very well for a fact that distractions were just as dangerous.

Which was exactly why he had asked Bonnie to meet him here.

The last time he saw here was in Russia, hadn't heard from her from since and he was beginning to get worried. He knew what happened the last time she went missing like this without any communication and it had not been good. Will was more a practical person than optimist but just for this one time, he was trying to hope that nothing happened, though his conscience was saying that something indeed was wrong.

He had a brief thought of going to Marianne, but wasn't sure if that would be a good idea. It had a been a long time since he had seen her as well, and he wasn't sure if she would even recognize him. Besides, if worst came to worse, he could always use his connections to find out what happened to Bonnie.

But Will much preferred to see for himself that she was well and safe. For now, at least.

It was difficult, so... so very difficult to show up. She didn't like the way she looked, but she couldn't bring herself to change from it, and she couldn't make herself stay away either. Will had wanted to meet up, and she knew that if she didn't, he would worry what had happened to her. Rubbing her arms with the opposite hands, she wandered forward, feet enclosed in ballet flats, a pale sweater wrapped around her despite the heat. The sunset, at least, gave her face an almost lively color, the hues of red and orange from the skies seeming almost like a blush.

The real image she made wasn't lively in the slightest. Her hair was a pale blond that was almost white, her skin a deathly pallor that looked entirely too corpse like. Her expression was blank, exhausted, and ten days passed hopeless. The blue had faded from her eyes, leaving them dull and grey, and though she wished to be able to look on the outside as she had before, her insides didn't really feel the same. They were all off center, helter skelter, and just... different.

She couldn't find the energy to hide it.

Standing beside Will and watching the rocks skip over the lake, she bent down slowly, and picked a pebble up, tossing it with only a mechanic memory of her own skill. The pebble didn't even skip once before it fell into the lake with a plup.

Blinking, she couldn't even bring up the energy to be angry with it.

"Bonnie? What the fuck happened?" Will demanded instantly as he saw the blonde, the concern and anger evident in his tone. He gave her a quick hug, before pulling away to take a closer look at her face, and to say he was shocked, would be an understatement. But not for the reasons one would think.

He was shocked because he remembered the last time he had seen her like this.

His hand holding onto hers tightly, he didn't say anything for a few minutes. Will wasn't sure how to feel or what to say. It had been so bad the last time, and he hoped it wasn't the same thing again, though judging by her outward appearance, it was something similar. "Where the hell were you, Bonnie?" He asked quietly, his tone becoming slightly stronger. "And please do not tell me you made the same mistake just as those years ago."

As he continued to look at her, he felt a twinge of sadness, amongst other things. But despite all that, he would not abandon her. He was always there, and that was not going to change.

Her eyes snapped to him, but other than that she didn't react, too shocked that he'd hugged her to raise her arms before he had pulled away. Opening pale lips, she tried to say something, but a broken sort of sob only came in response, a trembling that felt bone deep.

"W-willie..." He voice broke, and she melted forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and curling into him. Hugging him to her, she shivered against him, closing her eyes and hiding her face in his chest. Shaking her head, she whimpered. "No- No no no nothing like-" She shook her head again, another sob shivering from her chest.

"I was-" She hiccuped, changing form, briefly, into her old self, before settling back to her washed out colors. "...safe." She whispered. "I was safe."

Will wrapped his arms tighter around the blonde, unable to say anything. He ran his hand through her hair and up and down her back in a comforting gesture. "Nothing like before? Are you sure?" He asked quietly once more, his face buried in her hair. The man could literally sense her weakness and vulnerability and it was beginning to scare him.

"You were safe?" He echoed in surprise. "I highly doubt that safe people would look as though they got beaten up." Taking in a deep breath, the Russian said, "That still does not answer my question Bonnie; where were you? I was fucking worried about you, despite how our reunion turned out."

Though his mind was getting filled with the worst images, Will was ready to give her time to talk. He wished he had been there for her, just like he had before. Then again, she had a way of pushing him away, only this time, he was not going to budge.

"I-It w-was-" She relaxed slightly against him, curling into his hold and giving a soft sound much like a whimper. "Nice." She murmured. "Perfect. Safe. But I- I left and all- everything fell apart and now-" She hiccuped, shaking her head. "I can't say where I was. Fedelius- and I don't want to anyway. Ca- I was fine." She nodded slightly, pulling away, but not breaking their hold on each other. She gazed up at him, eyes guarded before she looked away.

"You shouldn't be worried." She murmured. "I'm nothing to worry about, honest." She shook her head, before sighing.

"I'm fine, Willie, honest."

"Bonnie, you're not making an sense," the man told quietly, trying his best to stay patient and not imagine the worst. This was rare, he was usually one of the most patient people in the world, but when it came to people he cared about, he hardly had time for that.

He looked at the blonde, wanting to ask many questions. "Fell apart? Why, what happened? Fine, don't tell me where but tell me what," Will murmured and ran one of his hands through his hair in frustration. "And I know very well when you say it like that, there actually is something to be worried about."

"Just allow me to help you," he said, not tearing his gaze away from hers.

"I don't need your help." Bonnie snapped. "What do you take me for? A damsel in distress? I can handle myself, Willie. Stop it." Shoving him away, she turned her back, muttering about why she'd even bothered and wondering why she'd even come and knowing that all he'd do is worry like an old woman about her child. I mean, she wasn't even his real family, why was everyone so damn concerned about it?

"I can deal with it." Bonnie said at last, turning back to him. "I'm alive, and I'm well, and here I stand before you. Surely, that's good enough for you. You can go home and report to the other thieves that the last Clyde's finally lost it, and go on and try and claim my fortune, and that'll be that, but please, please Willie, don't act like I'm- like I'm fragile. I'm not-" Her eyes watered, and she turned her back on him again, taking a staggering step away. "I feel fragile enough without the reminder."

"I never said you were a damsel in distress, and I've never thought of you as one either," Will replied in his calm tone, unaffected by the blonde's actions. He was used to it, perhaps a little too much, but he also knew how to deal with it. He didn't mind giving her the space she needed.

As long as she would talk to him about it later on.

"No, it's not good enough actually," the man frowned and took a step closer to her, his hand grasping hers to stop her from moving away. "And what the fuck do you mean by 'claim my fortune'? Don't talk like you are dead or something," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. "I know you are not fragile, I know that more than most people," Will told softly.

"I want to help, because I care. It's that simple."