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The chimes of the grandfather clock cut through the sleepy haze her mind was in. It alerted her that it was now midnight and Loid was still not back.
She had been dozing on and off through the night, her ears ready to pick up the slightest sound of his return. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood from the couch. Her legs felt a bit numb due to the curled up position they were in. Silently, she walked to the window and peeked through the curtains.
Her eyes were trained to see in the dark. She shifted her gaze up and down the street, hoping to see a familiar figure making his way home. Besides the low sound of a rumbling engine of a lone car, the streets were quiet and empty.
With a sigh, she turned away from the window and made her way to the kitchen. She passed the phone on her way, almost tempted to call the hospital and ask if he was still there.
As quietly as she could, she placed the kettle on the stove to make a fresh pot of tea. Mindful of the sleeping child a few feet away, she stood in front of the stove, ready to remove the kettle from the flame as soon as the water began to boil.
She and Anya had waited for his return. Yor allowed her to stay up a little longer when she insisted on going to bed after seeing her papa walk through the door. She convinced Anya that she would see him in the morning and that the sooner she goes to bed, the faster morning will come. After two stories and a lullaby, Anya finally lost her battle against sleep.
Yor, on the other hand, didn’t allow herself to succumb to sleep as easily. Her emotions had been wrecking havoc on her mind and body since he left earlier in the day. Once the alcohol left her system, she realized how unreasonable she had behaved towards Loid.
She needed to see him, to talk to him and explain that everything she said about having gripes with him weren’t true. As the hours went by, the pressure in her chest increased painfully. The emergency he had at work made her worry. She just wanted her husband to return home safely. She knew his patients could get violent and the last thing she wanted was to get a phone call with bad news. She tried to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine at the thought.
The jingling of keys and the sound of the door opening caused her heart to speed up and butterflies to flutter frantically in her stomach. He was finally home and she was relieved.
She turned off the stove and walked to meet him at the door. He turned his head at the sound and saw her emerge from the kitchen.
The dim light had cast a soft, yellow glow around her, making her look ethereal and captivating. He felt his throat tighten.
“Yor?” Her name came out in a strained whisper.
He wasn’t sure what he would come home to. His mind was still coming up with possible scenarios as well as solutions for each one. Finding her awake and waiting for him did cross his mind. It certainly wasn’t the first time he’d walk in late and find her sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands. Any other day, he wouldn’t have minded, but today, he really wished she hadn’t.
It wasn’t the sight of her per say that caused his blood to turn to ice.
No. He’d never feel that way about her. As difficult as it was to admit, coming home to his family was the best part of his day. Being greeted by wide smiles and soft gazes made him forget the world and all the evil it held.
Except tonight.
Tonight he’d been part of the evil he desperately tried to shield his family from.
Tonight, he was hoping he’d arrive to a quiet home. He would make sure they were both sleeping peacefully, before retreating to his room and figure out a way to face Yor in the morning. He still needed more time to organize his thoughts. They had yet to resolve their argument from earlier, but that wasn’t the most pressing issue.
How could he face her when the image of her bother, beaten to a bloody pulp, was at the forefront of his mind? He didn’t even want to think about the fact that he had been dangerously close to actually killing him. It would’ve been so easy too. But once Yuri had uttered her name, the immense rage that had overtaken him, simmered down to a manageable state of anger.
After holding back for months, he finally released all the irritation and animosity he held towards the SSS officer. He would be lying if he said it didn’t feel cathartic. Without words, Twilight let him know that he had had enough. He hated hearing him refer to his daughter as a dog and was tired of dealing with his constant interference in his marriage.
Twilight wanted to feel remorse for what he’d done, but he could hardly find it in himself to do so. Yuri was a threat, and Twilight had been trained to deal with threats and eliminate them immediately. Today, he had made an exception and it was all thanks to the person standing in front of him.
His eyes took in the sight of his wife. Raven hair, wine red eyes and pale skin. Features he’d come to adore over the many months of seeing them. How ironic was it to find those same features so detestable on a different person mere hours ago? At the thought of him, anger and guilt mixed with regret and shame churned uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach.
As she got closer, her eyes settled on his bruised cheek. “You’re hurt.” She said as her hands hovered over his shoulders to help with his coat.
“I’m ok. The patient gave me a little bit of trouble, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” He told her, hoping it would ease her worry.
Her brows furrowed. This is what she feared. As honorable as his job was, she hated seeing him get hurt.
He saw that his words didn’t have the desired affect.
“I promise I’m ok.” He said with more conviction.
She looked more convinced but there was still a small wrinkle in between her eyebrows. His hand itched to smooth it out.
Once his coat and hat were off, he placed his briefcase on the floor and said, “I’m sorry for arriving so late. You didn’t have to stay up for me.”
He knew his request would fall on deaf ears.
“It’s no problem. I wasn’t gonna be able to sleep until I knew you got home safe anyway. Anya tried to wait up for you too but sleep won out. She was looking forward to telling you all about her day at the zoo.” She told him with a hint of humor in her voice.
His lips curved into a soft smile. The thought of their daughter fighting valiantly against sleep while waiting for his return made him forget, for only a moment, the events of his day.
He would’ve been home earlier if he hadn’t run into Yuri.
After he left the sewers, he made contact with his colleagues and they informed him they had detained Winston Wheeler and retrieved the missing documents.
Once he returned to Wise HQ, he was briefed by the Handler and his colleagues while a doctor tended to his wound. His Handler asked who shot him. He told her he’d explain what happened in a report and that they had more pressing matters to talk about. After pinning him with an unreadable look, she let it go and got down to business.
After brainstorming for hours, they came up with ways to prevent this type of situation from happening again.
For now, they had kept the knowledge of Operation Strix from falling into the wrong hands. But that didn’t mean that they were out of the woods. Operations Strix was still facing a different kind of threat. A threat that had Twilight second guessing himself. A threat that had him hesitating and overthinking about collateral damage and the consequences that he would have to face when the dust settles.
His past self would be outraged if he knew what he’d turn into. His past self would’ve been disappointed at the fact that he had been compromised. His past self would have done things differently.
His past self didn’t have what he now has and that’s what changed everything.
Fear, an emotion he’s become very well acquainted with since the beginning of this operation followed him like a shadow. He felt it day in and day out, but today, it encompassed his entire being like never before. He came dangerously close to putting his family in danger.
After a few seconds of silence, Yor spoke up, “I know it’s late, but are you hungry? I can warm something up for you if you’d like?”
“I don’t have much of an appetite right now, but thank you for offering,” he responded gently without looking away.
The silence that followed felt heavy. He needed to be away from her and think. He was exhausted but he knew he wasn’t going to get much sleep that night.
He waited for her to tell him that she was going to head to bed now that he was home, but she didn’t.
“Loid, I-I want to tell you something.” She murmured as she fidgeted with the cuff of her sleeping gown.
He patiently waited for her to continue. He was unprepared to hear the words that tumbled quickly out of her lips.
“Im so sorry for what I said earlier. I don’t have any gripes with you. Living with you, Anya and Bond has brought so much joy into my life that sometimes it’s hard to wrap my head around. I know how much you sacrifice for us and I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for it. I didn’t mean what I said. Please forgive me for the way I behaved. I promise I’ll be more understanding of your feelings as well. I just want you to know that marrying you has been one of the best choices I’ve made in my life.” In the low light, he saw her eyes shimmer with unshed tears. It took her great effort to hold his gaze.
Out of all the possible outcomes he had imagined that would happen when he saw her, this was definitely not one he was expecting.
His mind was still processing her words. Operation Strix had overcome another obstacle, but more importantly, Yor wasn’t mad at him. She was happy living with him and Anya. She didn’t want to end their arrangement. Her words soothed him physically and mentally.
The events of the day had him on a fight or flight mode. The adrenaline his body was running on was starting to wear off causing his body to become aware of its current state. His wound throbbed, his body ached and this beautiful woman was making his heart skip a beat.
They were standing as close as they could be without touching. His eyes looked at her with such tenderness that it made her forget how to breathe.
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. And there is nothing to forgive. Thank you for telling me how you feel. I meant what I said. Please come to me anytime you feel dissatisfied with anything.”
“But I’m not, Loid. I’m happy to be part of your family-“
“Our family, Yor.” He cut her off as he took both her hands in his. The gesture made her cheeks heat up. “You are not a stranger. You are Anya’s mother and my wife. You are my family.” He pressed a kiss to the back of each of her hands, “And I swear, I will always try to do right by you.” She had enough self control to keep her body from reacting violently when she felt his lips on her skin.
He allowed himself to drown in the depths of her large, burgundy eyes. Eyes that he’d grown to love against his will. Eyes that kept him from turning into the monster he once was. Eyes that he wished to see for the rest of his days he had left on this Earth.
She pulled her right hand away and slowly reached out to lightly trace his bruise with her index finger.
“I hate seeing you get hurt.”
He saw the band-aid wrapped around her finger. He took her hand in his again and caressed her finger. “I hate seeing you get hurt too. What happened?”
“I-um, I accidentally broke one of your dishes. I’m very sorry. I’ll replace it.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to do that. I just want you to be careful.”
“I promise if you promise too.” The corner of her lips curving slightly upwards.
Due to the nature of his job, he knew that it wasn’t a promise that would be easy to keep. Yet for her, and his family, he will try. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers and said, “I promise.”