Chapter 3

Daylight was again streaming through the curtians when Wade awoke, once again with his head resting on her shoulder, half covered in her long black hair, his chin on her bare breast. Again, there was an instant of unreality, until he remembered what had happened the evening before, mostly with awe. He'd had women before, usually drunk, but never, ever, had it been that powerful, that entrancing.

She must have felt him stirring. "Good morning, Mr. McCluskey," he heard her voice sparkle. "Did you have a pleasant night's sleep?"

"I did," he smiled, surprised to not have to fight off the grogginess that he had become used to with having to use the sleeping pills to sleep. For the second night in a row, he hadn't had to use them, he realized, and there hadn't been a trace of the nightmares that he could recall. "That was a very powerful massage indeed, Miss Rose," he added.

"I thought it might help," she said. "A couple times you seemed to start to have nightmares, but I woke you up enough to get your attention and take your mind off them."

"You stayed awake all night?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, no," she told him. "I tried to tune my subconscious into you so the onset would wake me up. More Insititute training, to always be ready to serve our master's needs."

"Miss Rose..."

"Acacia," she smiled.

"Acacia," he continued. "I cannot help but think that your Institute taught you some crazy things, but some of them are quite useful and enjoyable."

"I like to think so," she giggled.

A few minutes later, Wade was out on the floor of the apartment, half-dressed, doing pushups as part of his habitual morning calesthenics when there came a knocking on the door. Instantly, he came to a stop, as Acacia cringed. The .45 had been laying on the floor next to the bed all night -- he hadn't been that unprepared; now, he grabbed it, and went to the peephole at the door. "Just a second," he said. "Let me get my pants on." Quickly, he laid the .45 on the desk, and flopped his utility jacket over it, then went over and unlocked the door, opening it. "Good morning, officer," he said, opening the door.

Acacia looked up from under the covers of the bed, to see a pair of police officers standing in the door. "Mr. McCluskey?" one of the officers said. "We'd like to have a word with you, if we could."

"Certianly, officers," Wade said politely. "Would you care to come in? I'm sorry I don't have any coffee ready for you."

"That's all right," the older of the two officers said as he stepped inside. "Mr. McCluskey, this is in reference to a beating in a basement down on Bancroft."

"Which beating?" Wade asked.

"What do you mean, which beating?" the officer frowned.

"Miss Rose, please roll and face the wall," Wade said. She did so, and he went over and rolled back the covers, baring her back.

"I see," the officer sighed after one glance at the livid stripes still displayed on her back. "We've been hearing about that bozo for a while, and figured sooner or later some father or brother or boyfriend was going to catch up with him. I'm just a little surprised you let him off that easy."

"It was difficult," Wade admitted as he covered Acacia again.

"He's not saying much," the officer said. "He can't, because his jaw is wired shut. But his girlfriend says he's ready to press charges."

"Please inform her," Wade said. "That if he should be so foolish to do so, the young lady stands ready to press charges against him. Am I not correct, Miss Rose?"

"Of course," she said. "Officer, there is an unwritten agreement to keep such things in the group. But if he wants to break the agreement, I will too."

"I thought so," the officer nodded. "Just in case, it'd be a good idea to get some photos of that bruising before it fades. Would that be all right with you?"

"Of course," she replied.

"I should have thought of that when I first saw them," Wade said apologetically. "They are somewhat improved now."

"Ralph, you want to run down to the car and get the camera?" the officer said. "Miss, can I ask you a few questions?"

Wade nodded. "I think it would be a good idea, if we're going to put this matter to rest. Officer, I can have some coffee ready in a few minutes."

"This shouldn't take that long," he smiled, "But it would taste good."

"Very well, sir," Wade grinned, heading for the kitchen.

It did take longer for Acacia to tell the officers her story, and to have some photos taken of her back, long enough for coffee to be passed around. Virtually nothing was said about the actions of the night before. Finally, the officers finished, and stood up. "I wouldn't push my luck if I were you," the older officer said. "But that guy got what was coming to him. Officially, we can't figure out who did it, but he deserved it. Semper Fi, Mac."

"Semper Fi to you too, sir," Wade grinned. "You would appear to be old enough to have been in the Corps in Vietnam."

"Sixth Marines, Con Thien and Khe San," the officer nodded. "How about you?"

"Seventh Marines, Bhagdad and Sadr City," Wade nodded.

The officer shook his head. "Don't know if that was any better, from what I heard. You take care. Don't start anything, but if someone else does, act like a Marine."

"Always good advice, sir," Wade grinned. "I hope to not trouble you further."

After the officers left, Acacia asked. "Semper Fi?"

"Short for Semper Fidelies," Wade explained. "The Marine motto. Always faithful."

"You guys don't give up being Marines easily, do you?" Acacia grinned.

"No, we do not," Wade said. "I've been trying to pull away from it a little, but there will always be a part of me that will be a Marine."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess I know how that works. I've been trying to pull away from being a sub, but I guess that's always going to be a part of me, too. Wade, it looks like we got out of that one, but Charles and Lawrence and Melissa are still out there. What are we going to do?"

"Continue the mission as we planned," he replied. "As I told you, you are safe in my presence."

"But, I've got to go to class if I don't want to waste this semester," she protested. "You do, too."

"Then I guess you will have to accompany me to my classes, and I will go with you to yours. One of us may have to cut a class or two if there are schedule conflicts, but it's only a couple of weeks."

Thus it was that Monday found Wade walking into the theatre arts building with her, dressed like always -- which is to say, like a stiff, starched Marine, except for the blue jeans. And, as she went into the classroom, he stayed outside the door, in a rigid parade rest. It was a ways across campus to his class, in the life sciences building; there she sat at an empty desk at the back of the room while he sat in class. It did not take long for the odd arrangement to be noticed; several people asked him what he was doing, but the only answer they got was a very stiff, "I am watching over the young lady at her request." He was still known around campus as 'Hardass', after all, and no one wanted to push the point. But word did get around.

It bothered Wade a little to leave a classroom before Acacia, but taking point to make sure the hall was clear was more important, just then, than being a gentleman. On Wednesday, this was proven; as Wade led her out of the classroom, he noticed two large men waiting. "That's the motherfucker," one of them said, and immediatly took a swing at Wade.

It was all over with in three seconds. Wade parried the punch with his left arm, and threw a karate chop at the guy's throat with his right. The guy let out a gagging moan and crumpled to the floor, as the second guy took a swing. Again, Wade parried the punch, let go with a huge kick to the scrotum with a combat boot, and followed it with a left that connected while the guy was still in the air from the kick. The classroom happened to be at the top of the stairs, and the guy went down them, crumpling at the landing. Wade looked up to see if there was anyone else around, and saw Melissa standing across the hall, eyes wide in shock. "Ma'am," he said harshly. "I strongly suggest you complete your education at another institution, commencing immediately."

"Y-yes, sir," she said, running down the stairs, stepping over the second guy's convulsing body, and heading out of sight. By now, there was a crowd of students around, mostly trying to stay out of the line of fire.

"Someone call 911, stat!" Wade ordered loudly. "Tell them one probable concussion, extent of injuries unknown. He glanced down at the guy at his feet, noticing him struggling to breathe. "And, one difficulty breathing, possible ruptured larnyx."