Run Part Eight

Title: Run Part Eight
Author: hannah_chapter
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. LA, 1951. Dominic Howard is an average guy living an average life. Until a blue-eyed stranger jumps into his car and holds him at gunpoint...
Feedback: Yes please.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, I just like to have fantasy orgies with them. And David Tennant. And Matt Smith. And Russell Howard. And Nathan Fillion. And Chris Evans. And Brandon Routh.  And almost the entire male cast of True Blood. It's getting crowded in there.


I scramble out of bed like the sheets are on fire.

"What is this? What the hell did you do to me?"

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions, Dominic. What makes you think I did anything to you?"

"Are you serious? You come into my room in the middle of the night, you sneak into my bed - "

"No."

That one word, softly spoken, cuts through my indignant tirade.

"Dominic, this is my room. You got into bed with me."

"But that's imp..."

My protest dies in my throat as I take in my surroundings. He's right. This isn't my room. I make a low, frustrated sound and squeeze the bridge of my nose. My head begins to pulse with one of those small, nasty headaches, the ones that last for hours and laugh in the face of aspirin.

"Please," I beg him, "it can't be true. Tell me it's not true."

"But it is true. I'd been asleep for twenty, maybe thirty minutes when I heard someone fumbling with the door handle."

Matthew holds up a hand, thumb and first finger less than an inch apart.

"I came this close to blowing your head clean off. When I saw it was you, I asked you what was wrong. I thought you'd seen something that spooked you. But you wouldn't answer my questions. You took your clothes off and got into bed. You..."

"What? What did I do?"

I don't want to hear, but I have to know.

"You were touching me, kissing me, begging me to make love to you."

He must see something in my face, some disbelief, because he pulls the sheet down to his waist.

"You don't believe me? Take a look at this."

He fingers a purple bitemark just above the biggest scar on his chest.

"I didn't do this to myself, Dominic. That's not physically possible."

"Did we - "

"No, we did not. You weren't yourself, any fool could see that. Taking advantage of someone in that condition would be rape. I'm a hired thug and a killer, but I'm no rapist. It was hard, but I didn't give in to temptation"

He bites his lip at the memory.

"You have no idea how hard it was."

"But you're naked, we slept in the same bed."

"You blacked out on top of me. I would have slept on the floor, but you wouldn't let go, you just clung on like a little blond barnacle. And yes, I was naked, I always sleep naked when I'm alone. I wasn't expecting company."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"I have a theory about that."

He points at my arm. I follow his gaze and discover a huge bruise just above my elbow. I didn't have that yesterday. What's going on?

"Do you remember someone brushing up against you, knocking you to the ground, maybe? Can you tell me what happened after I left you in the bar?"

I try and remember, try and think through the headache.

"I finished my drink ... left the bar ... someone hit my arm ... I felt dizzy, sick ..."

"I thought so. Someone dosed you with Ephemerol."

"What's Ephemerol?"

"A neat little drug used by people in my line of work."

"What does it do?"

"Oh, lots of things. A small dose can be used as a truth serum. Larger doses can  make a person very open to suggestion, knock them out, cause memory loss. A large enough dose can kill a man in less than thirty seconds."

"Then why did I come in here? What did your wonder drug do to me?"

"Ephemerol can have side effects, especially when mixed with alcohol. It lowers inhibitions, increases desire, Some people call it the love drug."

"Love drug?"

"Yeah. I was called in to deal with an operative, he was preying on women in bars, slipping it in their drinks," Matthew's face darkens at the memory, "and people call me a deviant."

"You killed him?"

"Eventually. You know, we were lucky."

"We were?"

"Yes, we were. You came to me instead of wandering off and trying to force yourself on some poor girl."

Now there's a happy thought. I shiver.

"This memory loss, is it permanent?"

"Maybe, it depends on the person. You could have total recall an hour from now, a week, a year, never. Uhh, Dominic?"

"What?"

"You're naked."

My face heats up and I cup protective hands over my genitals - a futile gesture, he's seen all there is to see. I brace myself for a lewd remark, but it doesn't come.

"You want to use my bathroom, take a shower?"

I gather up the clothes I was so eager to shed last night.

"I should go back to my room."

"That's a bad idea."

"Is it? Why?"

"They're out there, Dominic, and now they're after you. A three man team would be my guess. One to jab you with the needle, the others waiting in your room."

"You're sure?"

"Ninety-five percent. Do you really want to take that chance?"

I think about it.

"I'll use your shower."

******************************

I'm standing under the hot spray when it happens. Images, sensations pouring into my mind:

Matthew's sitting up, a gun in his hand. He rubs his eyes and puts the gun on the table.

"Dominic? What's wrong?"

Those eyes, that skin, he's beautiful. I want, I need ...

I take off my tie and jacket. My shirt buttons won't open, so I pull the whole thing up and over my head.

"Dominic."

I step out of my pants and shorts, walk to him, climb into his bed.

His skin is so warm. How can such pale skin be so warm? I run my hand over his chest. Not enough. I want to touch everything. I want to lick him everywhere. I bite him, hard. He yelps and I feel him, stirring beneath me. I kiss the place I just bit, run my tongue over it.

"Stop it, Dominic."

His hand on the back of my neck, pulling me up. I don't understand.

"I thought you wanted this, Matthew. I thought you wanted me."

"Oh, Dominic, I do - "

I kiss him.

"Touch me. Make love to me."

He grips my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"No, Dominic. Not like this. It's all wrong."

He sighs and runs a hand through my hair.

"You probably won't remember this, but I'll say it anyway. You've been drugged. You don't know what you're doing. I can't make love to you now, it wouldn't be right. But if this is what you really want, come to me sober, clear-headed, and ask me again."

His face fades away, everything goes dark.

Oh, God.

I groan and sink to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself. The water flows over me. Wash me away, wash me right down the drain, carry me away from here. Matthew knocks on the door.

"Dominic? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't use all the hot water."

"I won't"

I get out, dry off, dress. I wipe steam off the mirror and use Matthew's razor to scrape the stubble off my face. No toothbrush, so I smear toothpaste on my finger and use that instead.

Matthew takes the bathroom and I sit on the bed, listening to the sound of running water. My headache is gone. That's good. I can't stop thinking about last night. Why did I come to him? Why? Since I've been with him, since he blew into my life like a tornado, I haven't had time to think about him, us, this situation we're in. Am I ... attracted to him? Is it possible? Am I that kind of guy?

***********************************

He pays the bill and I follow him out of the hotel. Matthew steals another car and takes us to a restaurant for breakfast. I eat slowly, keeping my eyes on my plate, not looking at Matthew until I'm done. He's stirring his coffee, lost in his own thoughts.

"Matthew?"

"Hmm?"

"About last night - "

"We don't have to talk about it, Dominic. Just forget it."

"But I have some questions, some things I want to ask you about."

"What do you want to know?"

"Why was your bedroom door unlocked?"

"It's an old trick of mine. Anyone trying to get at me will assume the door is locked, right?"

"I guess so."

"They'll try and pick the lock. That gives me time to wake up and get a gun."

"Why did they drug me? Why didn't they drug you?"

"They've got nothing on you. They must think you're some kind of secret weapon, an agent with a cover so good they can't crack it. That makes them nervous. They want you out of the picture."

"They could have shot me. That would have taken me out of the picture."

"It would, but why waste a valuable resource? They want you for themselves, want to break you down, brainwash you, bring you over to their side."

"But why did they drug me? Why not just hit me over the head and drag me away? Why does it all have to be so complicated?"

"Because complexity can become an addiction."

"I don't get it."

"I make a plan, a simple plan. Someone wants to stop me, they make another plan, a better, more complex plan. I make another, even more complicated plan to counter that one and that's how it goes. Plans within plans, wheels within wheels."

"How did they knew where we were? I thought you'd thrown them off the scent."

"Someone's tracking us."

"Someone like you?"

"Someone like me - or someone better than me."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure."

Matthew stands, retrieves his briefcase and drops some money on the table.

"Come with me."

We walk across the restaurant and into the men's room. Matthew checks all the stalls, making sure we're alone.

"Ever used a gun, Dominic?"

"No."

I don't even have war experience to draw on.

"Then we start simply."

Matthew unstraps his ankle holster and pulls the gun free.

"Revolvers are pretty straightforward. Pull back the hammer, point, shoot."

I take the gun. It's heavier than I thought it'd be. He takes it from me, puts it back in the holster and straps the whole thing to my ankle. I walk up and down, testing the weight.

"How does it feel?"

"Heavy. Awkward."

"You'll get used to it."

He takes a cash roll from his pocket and offers it to me.

"Take this, too."

"Why are you doing this, Matthew?"

"Insurance. If we get separated, if something happens to me, I don't want to leave you helpless."

I take the money and we leave the bathroom.