The Assassin (Candira & HeartOfTheDarkness)

She had such a beautiful voice. Hearing that little hum, he wondered if she could sing. When she asked him what he'd want to eat, he began to wonder a little bit. "Hmmmmm, that's a tough one. I guess just do whatever. I'm too picky about what I eat, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you cook."

They quickly finished up the garden, and before they knew it they were back inside. When she offered him to take a shower, he nodded and headed to the bathroom. "I'll go clean up then. I might need help with the bandages when I'm done." He'll have to take the bandages off, getting them wet will just make a mess. When he got into the bathroom, he took his clothes off, carefully unwrapped the bandages, and started the warm water.

Once he stepped into the shower, the hot water stung a little against his wound. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it still hurt a little bit to have the warm water touch the tender flesh. It was nice finally getting to clean up, it had been a few days since he last bathed, unless Natasha cleaned him while he was passed out. He slowly cleaned himself, making sure not to harm the injury, and he stepped out of the shower when he was done. After gently drying himself off with a towel, he stepped outside with the towel wrapped around his waist. "I forgot to ask for a clean pair of clothes."

Natasha chuckled as he told her he was fine with whatever she would make. Of course, those weren't the words he used, but she got the feeling he was just trying to be nice to her. When they got to the kitchen she wondered what they could eat. Potatoes seemed like a good choice, she thought. Maybe with some carrot soup? And some pea pods with the potatoes for a little variety. Good lord she missed eating meat. Well, she did have sausage and she had the materials to make a good sauce to go with it...yeah, that sounded better. As she got to work on the sauce and cleaning the veggies she'd need, she heard the shower start up and smiled.

All this time she hadn't really thought of Christian as anything more than a patient or some pleasant company. She'd gotten closer to making a connection when he'd told her about his childhood. Now that he seemed to be enjoying himself here, she found him wanting to stay. She would ask him after dinner maybe. She wondered what it might mean, though. Suddenly, she thought of Christian in the shower--for once not worried about his wounds, but focusing on the way the water hit his body. It was a beautiful one...But when the water stopped, she blushed and got back to work. She was steaming carrots for soup, cutting up potatoes and getting the sausage ready to take a dip in the sauce when he came out.

She blushed softly when she saw him, but hurried to her room to get him something. "Oh, right." She grabbed the stuff he would need and then handed it to him. "I'll help you with your bandages in a minute. I have to get a few other things started." And with that, she put the potato chunks in the oven, wrapped in tin foil, made sure the sauce was fine to simmer, and then checked the carrots. They still had time. And by now that rosy color in her cheeks would be gone--she hoped. So she walked back to the bathroom and knocked on the door to see if he was ready.

When she handed him the clothes, he noticed that her face was a little red. He wasn't sure if it was the heat in the kitchen or whether he was making her uncomfortable being in a towel. It didn't cross his mind to think that she would find him attractive and that she was thinking about him naked in the shower. "Thank you." He smiled as he stepped back into the bathroom to change.

He put his pants on, and while he was, he was able to smell the food cooking. It all smelled amazing, and he couldn't wait for dinner to be ready. He opened the door, not wearing the shirt yet, and saw Natasha with her cheeks still red. It had to have been from the heat, she's seen him with no shirt before. "Ok, I'm ready." Seeing her red face was starting to make him blush, wondering if he was making her uncomfortable.

Why did he have to be so fit? And so handsome? And why did she have to notice it now of all times? She shook her head and did her best to think of him as a patient again. "I'll take care of it for you. Hold on a second while I get my bag." And then she left the room. After a long moment, she thought she had it under control. Taking a deep breath she came back into the kitchen and set her bag on the table, pulling out some gauze and bandages. When she went to dress the wound, she looked only at it, managing to keep her thoughts only there. Until she looked up when she was finished.

She blushed again, certain that she was making him uncomfortable. "Sorry. It's just... I haven't spent a lot of time around men who were as handsome as you." She chuckled nervously and then cleared her throat as she put her materials away. She put the bag in the corner and then went back to the stove so she could focus on dinner, hoping he would just let that last comment ride.

Her body was so thin, her breasts were nice and big. Why was he suddenly interested in those now? He never cared for those kinds of things growing up. Occasionally he'll feel attracted to some woman in the media, but he'd never feel this strongly about it. When she came to bandage up his wound, he tried his best to stay focused. Just think about the wound, how it will go away soon if he takes care of it. How he'll be back to tip top shape when it's all healed.

When she looked up at him, he almost lost it. It made things even worse when she called him handsome. Was she just being nice, or did she really like him? He wanted to make a move, but it didn't feel like the right time. And if he did something now, dinner would never get ready. He was ashamed to admit it, but his stomach usually had the first say in any of his decisions.

She cleared her throat, still rosy as can be. "So, dinner's going to be a little bit longer. But I have carrot soup and sausage with vegetables and sauce. It should be good." She smiled and kept working, letting some of her red hair come into her face. Natasha, hummed a little, trying to hide the fact that she was so obviously attracted to him. And she wasn't sure whether he wanted her or not. And why would he? She was taking care of him, after all. And it wasn't as though she'd just shown him a flattering aspect of herself. She was still a little sweaty and grimy from their work in the garden. Once she got things going for dinner, she'd go change. It was silly.

"Anyway, I'll get it started. Could you watch it while I'm in the shower?" she asked, checking the carrots. They were done. Grinning, she got a big pot and a bowl and got to work mashing carrots and whisking in spices while she got some vegetable broth going on the stove. It was a sweet soup, but hearty. Once she combined everything, she pulled the potatoes out of the stove. "If you want to do something, you could cut the potatoes? bite sized pieces. They might not be all the way done yet, but they'll have time to cook on the stove." She smiled and got the peas in the steamer.

"It smells great. I can't wait to eat." His stomach let out a loud growl, and he blushed a little. When she told him what to do with the potatoes, he got a knife and was ready to do what she asked. "Go ahead and clean up, I'll take care of this." He smiled, putting an oven mitt on before holding the potato down. Once she was gone, he began chopping. Having the knife in his hand, it felt so familiar holding one again, but it was so odd that he was using it to cut food. After thinking about that, he stopped for a moment. He was still troubled with what he wanted to do with his life. Even though his master had these big plans to gain power, Christian didn't want to go back to that life. He was happy with what he was doing and hoped that they'd never find him, but he couldn't simply let his master get away with it. Trying to shrug it off, he continued cutting.

Another thought went through his head, making his face very red. Natasha was in the shower. She was naked, with warm water running down her body. Those wonderful curves she had, that long red hair, her soft skin. He began to wonder if her breasts were really soft. Christian had to stop cutting again. He wasn't sure what was worse now; thinking about his old life and what he was going to do, or thinking of Natasha in such a perverted manner?

Natasha smiled and accepted his help, deciding he wouldn't let anything burn. "Alright then. I'll leave it to you." With that, she took her leave, heading into her bedroom first to get some clean clothes for after her shower, and then the bathroom. She saw he'd found the hamper and put his clothes in it. Smiling, she stripped down and did the same. Then she was in the shower, warm water washing over her, soothing those aching muscles. She would definitely sleep well tonight after everything she'd done.

The redhead took the time to scrub herself clean, her soap smelling sweet and a little like cucumber. Use everything, she thought, lathering up. She washed her hair, too, smiling as she thought of Christian. He was really quite a guy. Handsome, kind, and he seemed pretty happy for someone with such a sad background. Then again, she'd come out pretty well, too. Yes, he seemed like he might want to stay for awhile longer--even after his wounds healed up.

As she dried off, she thought of a few different ways to ask him and caught the scent of the food she'd been working on. Smiling, she towel dried her hair and combed it out, letting it fall in waves down her back. When she was finished with her routines and dressed again in a simple white shirt and some jeans, all she wanted was food. "Alright, time to get everything finished up." she said, cheerfully stepping back into the kitchen.

When she finally got out of the shower, he was relieved to have her back. He did his best to make sure everything remained ok, but he still didn't know much about cooking. He chopped the potatoes like she asked, and he stirred the soup every so often. Hopefully he did ok and didn't screw it up. It was hard to concentrate while thinking of her in the shower.

"Welcome back. I cut up the potatoes, now what?" He assumed he needed to add them to the soup, but he didn't want to make decisions on his own and ruin the meal. He placed the knife down, and decided to leave the work to the expert. It also felt nice to finally have the knife out of his hand, it felt weird to be using to cut food for the first time. "I can't wait to eat. It smells so good." Wanting to help more, he wanted to get the table set up for them. "Where's the bowls? I can go ahead and set the table."

"Oh, sure you can do that." She smiled and pointed to the cabinets where she kept the plates, bowls and glasses and told him which drawer had the silverware. "I'll take care of the rest. It's almost ready." A check to the pea pods told her they were finished. She tossed them into the pan with the sauce and then dumped the potatoes in, too. Once those were stirred up, she let them cook together for a bit while she tended to the soup. A quick taste test told her it was just perfect. She turned down the heat and stirred it now and then.

A good ten minutes later, she was ready to plate. She had Christian bring the dishes over so she could load them up with food and then poured them both some water. "Ah, now this looks delicious. Thank you for your help," she said with a smile.

Christian set up the table, placing the silverware and napkins for them to use. When the soup was ready, he gave Natasha the bowls to fill with soup, and then he placed them on the tables. Afterwards, he took the water she poured and set them down. He sat down on the table and waited patiently for Natasha to join him.

When she sat down, he picked up a spoon and grinned. "Thank you for the delicious meal." He filled his spoon with the soup and slurped it. It was delicious, the flavors blended together. Definitely another masterpiece made by Natasha. "It's amazing, you really make the best food ever."

They both sat down for dinner, digging into the meal. She was enjoying the soup when he told her it was amazing. It was always flattering to hear someone compliment her cooking--but Christian seemed to think it was the best he'd ever had. It was almost enough to make her blush, really. "I don't know about best ever, but I like to think it's pretty good. I'm glad you like it so much, though." It wasn't often that she got to be proud of what she'd done for someone else. Best to soak it all in now.

She talked to him about the seasonings and how it was quite an adjustment to get ride of so much meat in her diet. There were advantages and disadvantages, she explained. Before she knew it, they'd worked their way through the whole meal. "Mmm, that was a pretty great dish, I have to admit." She smiled and just sat back a bit, relaxing for a moment. Now would be a great time to ask him to stick around. She should probably at least introduce the idea...but she just wanted to savor the meal for a moment.

Again, Christian listened to Natasha as she explained to him about how she made the meal as well as having a little less meat in his diet. It was pretty interesting though, since the majority of his meals always had some form of meat. The only meal that was an exception to him was breakfast, since he's had meals that were just fruits and grains. His breakfast that morning was fruit and sweet bread.

When Natasha leaned back to relax for a moment, he decided to gather the dishes. "Here, I can help clean up for a bit while you relax for a moment." He took the bowls and glasses, and brought them to the sink to wash. She was always doing things to help him out, it was the least he could do for making such a great meal for him.

She smiled at him as he decided to do the dishes. "Thanks, Christian. I appreciate it." It had been a long time since Natasha had help around the house that she wasn't really sure what to do with herself. They didn't have leftovers--and she was glad for that since they would probably spoil. "Hey, I have a question for you. Feel free to answer however you like. I noticed that you seem to like it here, so I was wondering if you might like to stay for awhile after you're feeling better."

She hoped he would say yes, but she could understand if he wanted to leave. She would have some very fond memories of him. And then the image of him fresh from the shower came to mind. Blushing softly, she turned away, wondering why it was coming to her now. It had been awhile, sure, but really? Well it wasn't like he was unattractive. He had a beautiful body, and a handsome face--at least in her eyes. Would he really want to stick around here? She doubted it, but it felt good to know that she had tried.

Christian paused for a moment when she asked him that question. His face turned red as he thought about staying here with Natasha. The images of her naked in the shower as well as his view down her shirt while they were in the garden. "I would love to. If you're really ok with me being here, then I'll stay as long as you'd like." He only knew her for a short time, but he already couldn't imagine being apart from her. She was definitely a beautiful and kind woman, who opened up her home to a dying man and nursed him back to health. She even taught him how to act like a normal person, instead of a soulless machine. And now she was allowing him to live with her. Could it be that she liked him as more than a friend?

He felt strange, his vision got blurry as tear started to flow. He quickly rubbed his eyes and tried to fight back to tears, but she was just so kind to him. "Thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you for being so wonderful to me."

His response was a pleasant surprise. She smiled brightly and turned to him. "That would be great! I'd love to have you around." He was so sweet. Glad that he would be sticking around, she got up and was about to welcome him. But then his eyes started to tear up. All the sudden he was thanking her, saying how she'd been so kind. Natasha had never had someone be so grateful to her before--then again, she'd never saved a complete stranger's life like this. Rather than let him stand there alone, she came to him and put her arms around him.

"You don't need to thank me. I'm just glad you'll stay. I think I would be pretty lonely if you left." She smiled and kept him in her arms.

When he felt her arms around him, Christian's tears began to flow more. It was the first time since he was a kid when he cried, and they were tears of joy. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. His master's deceit, the pain he had caused, the deaths of his comrades, all of his problems disappeared when he embraced Natasha. He felt so warm inside because of this woman's kindness towards him. "Can we just stay like this for a moment? I don't want to let go." He whispered to her, holding her a little tighter. He rested his head on her shoulders, not ever wanting to leave Natasha's side ever again.

She smiled when he pulled her closer to him, glad that he was accepting her affection. Though she had no way of knowing what was in his heart or his mind, she felt a connection to him. He wanted to stay and she wanted him to be here. He was grateful to her for opening her home and heart to him, and she was grateful to him for letting her help him. His question made her blush softly, but she had no problems with staying right where she was. Natasha didn't really want to let go yet either. As he held her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder, she began to wonder if there wasn't a much deeper emotion at work here as well.

"Of course. Anything you want." She smiled and hugged him back, keeping him close in her arms. Maybe she should look into her own feelings a little more deeply. She liked Christian. And she wanted to know him better. She wanted him to stay because she wanted to be closer to him.

It felt great to have her hold him, he felt safe. He wanted to kiss her badly though. Oh, just wanting to show her how much he felt for her was what he really wanted, but he couldn't. If he was to get intimate with her, it would mean that he would have to reveal everything to her. As much as it hurt him to not show her is true feelings, it would hurt him more to have her reject him because of his past.

When he let go of her, he gave her a soft smile. It will be fine to remain how things were. Then, as if on queue, there was a knock on the door. Christian instantly reached for the knife and held it in his grip. His kind eyes became the eyes of a killer. He couldn't go back to his old life, he didn't want to. There was finally some happiness in his life, and he wasn't about to let it get taken away. "I can't be seen." He mumbled as he quickly darted into a room to hide.

"Excuse me. We'd like to speak to the owner of this house. All we want to do is ask a few questions." Said the voice at the door.

Christian was lying, waiting to strike if anything were to happen to him or Natasha.

The moment seemed right for a kiss, but she didn't really have the confidence to follow through on that thought. He was opening up to her, little by little, and from the sounds of his childhood, there weren't many people he let in. So rather than put all that in jeopardy, she kept her arms around him, letting him keep his distance for now. There was no rush. After all, she remembered with a smile, he was staying. She smiled back at him as he let her go. The knock startled her, and she put a hand over her heart. But that was nothing compared to her guest's reaction.

Natasha had suspected that Christian was in some trouble before, but she hadn't realized that he was so afraid of what was coming. He held the knife like it was an extension of his body, and the change in his eyes was almost shocking. Surprised, the redhead lifted her eyebrows and watched him transform before her eyes. It was clear that he didn't want to harm her at all, but he didn't want anything to do with what was on the other side of the door. She nodded, understanding that he didn't want to be found and motioned for him to go hide before she answered the door, stepping outside.

"I'm the owner of this home. Was there something I can help you with?"

Christian stayed hidden, but listened carefully to their conversation. He trusted Natasha enough to know that she wasn't going to sell him out, but just in case, he was ready to take out the men and run away. It was painful to know that he was going to have to reveal his secrets after this, and she'll most likely turn him away.

When Natasha answered the door, she found two police officers. "Hello ma'am. We are on the hunt for a dangerous criminal." Said the first officer. Nothing seemed strange about them. More than likely, Christian's master sent in a report to the local police to help track him down.

"We had an eye witness see him come into this forest, but the witness also said he looked wounded. We are assuming he's dead, but we found your house and wanted to check if you've seen anything strange. All we know about him is that he's a dangerous man, wanted for killing many important people." The second officer said, smiling at Natasha.

Christian continued to listen, but something felt off. It was almost like it was too easy. If Natasha said no, they'll most likely leave and not come back. Plus, they were just cops, none of the special forces units that chased him. Either one of them is disguised, or they are still looking for him. Either way, this little visit won't be the last.

Natasha looked surprised when they told her they were looking for a criminal. She didn't even have to act like she was afraid that the criminal had come through this forest. She put her hand to her heart, afraid that such a dangerous man would still be in the forest. Maybe that's why Christian had been wounded! A killer had run into him in the forest and she'd found him in time to save him. It never occurred to her that Christian would be the one dealing death. He'd had a few weapons, but she hadn't thought much of the few knives she'd found--she had a good selection, too. Frowning she looked at the men who were smiling at her.

"I had no idea? You're sure he came in here?" she asked, not daring to mention Christian. Still, there was just an edge of fear to her voice. "I haven't seen anyone, but I'll be on the lookout now," she said, hugging herself for comfort. "How long ago was he seen?" she asked, hoping to get more details. The more she seemed to cooperate, probably the less they would suspect that she actually had found a wounded man in the forest. If the knew about Christian, they would assume it was him that they were looking for, and she just couldn't have that.

Still, he would have quite an explanation to give after this. She had to know what was going on so she could help him.

One of the officers put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It'll be alright ma'am. Like I said before, we is said to be very wounded, and it was a couple of days ago. He's most likely dead by now since it looks like you're the only person in these woods." The second officer started to walk away, thinking there wasn't much more to tell her about.

"We'll continue looking for his body, but if you see anything suspicious, then contact the police right away. Even if he's injured, he's still a dangerous man. Don't try to stop him yourself." The officers began to walk away into the forest. "You have yourself a pleasant evening ma'am, and stay safe."

Once the cops were gone, Christian still wanted to remain in his hiding spot. He knew Natasha would want an explanation for this, and she'll probably want the whole story. After a few minutes, he mustered up the courage to step out and face Natasha again. "Thank you, but that might not be the last of them." He said, now saddened. His heart began to beat faster, nervous about what was to happen next. He was moments away from possibly losing the girl he had fallen in love with.

She wasn't overly fond of the fact that the officer was touching her, but she appreciated that he seemed to be trying to comfort her, so she let it go. "Thank you, officer. I'll be sure to contact you if I see anything," she said, clearly still worried. She watched the officers walk away and then hurried back into the house, locking the door behind her. So there was a killer loose in the woods. He was injured, though. Possibly dead, but dangerous at best, apparently. That didn't sound like Christian. It must have just been a coincidence that she found him in the woods injured a few days ago.

But what if it was him? What if he was a killer? He'd been so kind and gentle...it couldn't be. If he was a killer, she didn't think he'd hurt her. Leaning against the wall, she thought it over, almost forgetting that he was still in her home. A few moments of silence later, however, that illusion was broken. She looked at him, a little dazed and frowned. "I don't know what's going on, Christian. I'm not sure if it's you they're looking for or not. But if you're going to stay with me, I need to know. I can't let you keep this big of a secret from me because if I don't know what's happening, I can't help."

She frowned, wishing that he would tell her everything. She knew, though, that it would be hard for him. There was a possibility that she wouldn't get the whole truth, but she had to believe in him.

She took a step closer to him, slowly walking to meet him where he stood. He wasn't going to hurt her--not with those sad eyes. "Please tell me."

It was difficult, but he had to tell her now. As she moved closer to him, he stepped back a little. He was scared of what would happen next. "Ok, I'll tell you the truth." It took him a moment for all of it to come out, but he finally gathered the courage to tell her his story. "First, I just want say that what I said before was technically true. I just didn't tell you the more extreme parts. The military academy I was at was really a group for training powerful soldiers. We were assasins, warriors, killing machines. I was one of their top agents. In my time working with them, I've lost count of how many lives I've taken. I became everything they wanted me to be, all they told me was that the people I killed were poisoning the world. Recently, the man that taught me everything I knew took out the head of the organization and announced that every mission we were on was meant to benefit him. It was all so that he could take over organizations, governments, countries with ease. So, my all of the people I kill were possibly innocent now."

He was shaking, scared to look at Natasha. He couldn't bear to see her reaction to all of this. "I refused to join his group when he tried to convert us. A lot of us refused. To my knowledge, I was the only person that survived, but I was injured. I ran away until I passed out, and that's when you found me. The time I've spent with you, I've learned how to be human again. I've finally known what it's like to smile again, to have someone to care about. Happiness, peace, generosity, love. I've been able to experience these feelings. I'm sorry for leading you on like this." He dropped the knife and walked into her room to get his jacket. He was sure she was going to kick him out now, knowing that she has been housing a killer.