A Right Bloody Mess

[Alistair Holmes]

With gritted teeth, Alistair slumped his back against the metal of his car, a smirk contorted with pain on his lips. He clenched his eyes shut, grimacing as he allowed his legs to give way slowly, sliding down the car until he was slumped on the cold concrete of the sidewalk.
His breathing was decidedly laboured, catching a little in his throat as he took long, slow breaths, his heart thudding violently against his chest. He could feel it, the frantic rhythm it beat, in a wild panic as he tried to calm it with his collected thoughts.
He flicked his eyes open, tilting his head to look down at the angry, vicious slash of scarlet along his arm, uneven, jagged. He shifted his eyeline to his stomach, where his other hand was clutching at the gym vest he'd been wearing, a deep shade of red bleeding through the white fabric. His eyes slipped shut, and he took a deep, slow breath, his face momentarily contorting in pain as he clutched at his clothing. Alistair could feel the deep lacerations threatening to spill over, his control over his ability the only thing preventing extensive blood loss; It didn't prevent the pain however, the intense, sharp ache that came with such injuries pulsing with his heartrate.

The bodyguard listened intently, the sounds of a pleasant evening in Kalispell, the upbeat noise of revellers and distent music from the clubs were the only sounds that broke the otherwise silent night. Such a stark contrast from the violent situation he'd found himself in minutes before... But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts now, when there were far more pressing matters. The bodyguard moved his hand from his stomach, slipping it into his pocket and pulling out his phone, resting his head back against the car as with obvious memory he inputted a number.

He smiled, bringing it to his ear, not waiting to hear if it had been picked up or had rung through to a message. "... Drew. I found him," Alistair spoke, keeping as much of the pain from his voice as he could. "He's dealt with. But... He-" He paused a moment, shifting his position with a further grimace, biting his bottom lip before speaking again, a slight pained chuckle to his words. "Well, I hope you have some of that decent Whiskey in cause I'm goin' to need it." He glanced down towards the exit of the alleyway he'd parked in, off the main streets and away from the glare of any lamp post. "... I'll... I'll be at the apartment soon... Is.. Is Evelyn out?"
Alistair asked the question with slight tentativeness; It wasn't that he didn't think the female could cope with the state he was in, but more... Well. He simply didn't want her to see him this way.

[Drew Conner]

Drew hadn't expected the sheer seriousness of the situation that must have transpired when he saw Alistair's number flashed upon the screen of his phone. The color drained from his face the moment he heard the bodyguard's haggered, labored speech. This wasn't how it was supposed to go down. It was supposed to be clean with no one except the target getting hurt. Alistair was more than a bodyguard to both of the twins. He was an extension of their family. He was part of them and not just because of the service he offered.

"I've got whatever you need." Drew said with just a faint trace of a waver in his voice. He wasn't prepared to handle this. Not by a long shot. He'd been the one who'd given the order. He'd sent Alistair off to get hurt. He wouldn't run and hide because this was his fault. "Can you make it back alright?" He asked, eyes darting over to the set of keys that hung on the hook near the front door of the apartment. Drew leaned forward, disturbing the young retriever who'd been slumbering peacefully with his head in the boy's lap. "Eve's gone." He said, his tone lowering. "Alistair... just get home."

[Alistair Holmes]

Alistair picked up on the waver in his charge's voice, silently scolding himself for not completely preventing the pain from seeping into his own voice. The last thing he wanted was for Drew to worry, although granted once he saw his condition the young man would have been concerned none the less... It wasn't often that he suffered with injury to this extent, but that didn't mean it could not be handled; This was what he was trained for, and he'd endured worse for the twins, and had the scars to prove it. "Drew, Drew don't worry yourself..." He answered back, taking care to steady his voice this time to a greater extent in order to try and install some greater level of calm in the young man. "Ain't nothin' I can't handle, alright? Everything is goin' to be fine."
The bodyguard then pulled the phone away from his ear, holding it away from him; biting his bottom lip, he reached out for his car door handle, and with some effort he heaved his form up to his feet. He was a little unsteady, but his focus on keeping his blood within his veins prevented the liquid from spilling; He leant against the car, taking another deep breath before bringing the phone back to his ear. He felt a sweeping relief eclipse him as he caught Drew revealing that Evelyn wasn't home; He hoped once this was over Drew would keep the incident from her.

"... You know the medical kit... The one I keep in the cupboard in the kitchen?" He spoke again, a weak smile on his lips as he dug into his trouser pocket, retrieving his car key. "... Would... Would you mind gettin' it out? Un' Drew...? Let's keep this between us. Don't bother Evelyn with it... I'll be home soon." With that, the bodyguard cut the call, taking another deep breath before unlocking his car door and tossing his phone across onto the passenger seat. He climbed in, biting his lip to hold back a groan of pain as the burning, stinging ache from his wounds flared at his movement. He slammed the door behind him. Alistair then took a long moment, settling back in his seat and slipping his eyes closed, taking a few deep, long breaths, trying to will his frantic heart to calm; He was still focusing on using his ability to prevent extensive blood loss, the scarlet fluid being held back by this and this alone... If he didn't reach the apartment quickly, the effects of using his ability would steadily come into play. He was sustainable for the time being however, and with renewed calm Alistair brought the car roaring into life with his key, pulling it out of the alleyway and onto the main road, heading towards the place he considered home.

[Drew Conner]

That sounded... strange. That Alistair, in his obviously injured state, was so concerned with Eve's presence struck Drew as odd, to say the least. It wasn't like the bodyguard to worry about Drew's sister in quite that way. If anything, given recent events, Eve was probably more capable of handling such a potentially dire situation than Drew. Drew was still feeling the lingering affects from being pushed to his emotional limits by the young woman who was now his fiance. Eve was the same stoic, black and white seeing girl she'd always been. Why was he so worried about whether or not she was there?

Shrugging off the curiosity of the situation, Drew nodded as he took in Alistair's words. The twins had taken a basic first aid course back when they were in middle school and that was the extent of their medical knowledge. The short class had been shoe horned into so many other lessons, courses and activities Drew had largely forgotten everything they'd learned, if he'd retained anything in the first place. He was, in short, lost and would certainly need to be walked through any sort of procedure beyond the placing of a band-aid.

Still, by the time Alistair got to the apartment, Drew had done as he was told. The first aid kid sat on the coffee table, open and its contents spread out for easy access. There were towels, plastic garbage bags and even the requested bourbon nearby. Drew had paced the living room nervously as he awaited the arrival of his bodyguard and trusted family friend. Alistair didn't even have to touch the doorknob. The moment he reached the front step Drew was there, pulling the door open and reaching out to help the older man inside. "What the fuck happened, Alistair?" Drew said, eyes wide at the sight. He could already feel his self-control beginning to waver.

[Alistair Holmes]

By the time Alistair had reached the apartment he was in a far poorer state. From the moment he'd begun using his ability that evening he hadn't been able to stop, meaning it was reaching close to 45 minutes since he'd been injured, and the stress on his body was increasing. His heart had begun to shudder sporadically, quivering in his chest with palpitations at the strain he was placing on himself; Blood from his stomach had managed to seep further into the fabric of the gym vest, staining it a vivid scarlet. He pushed himself forward, knowing that despite his potentially dire state that he was more then prepared for this; This wasn't the first time he'd suffered injury to this extent, and he highly doubted it would be the last. Still clutching his stomach he reached the front door, which was open long before he had the need to turn the handle; The bodyguard didn't waste a moment, taking the young man's aid to help him inside, gritting his teeth as the preassure in both wounds was beginning to gather to an increasingly painful extent.

"... Nothin'... I can't handle," He replied, taking deep breaths as he looked to his charge, not needing to even meet his gaze to know what distress Drew was surely starting to fall into. The bodyguard mustered up a stern expression, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, his other still clutching at his stomach. "... Drew... Drew Everythin' is goin' to be fine, I've suffered worse." He then pulled his hand away, and with some effort made his way towards the coffee table, dropping his hands to the table's surface to support himself, clenching his eyes shut as he took a long moment to try and again calm his heart; It shuddered again defiantly. He needed to work fast. "... I found him... It was just as easy as I was expectin'..." He spoke, his words clearly laboured, as he pulled off the blood stained gym vest, dropping it on the table. "He was wearin' a shirt with a gym's logo on it at the club. I simply located the place and went in as a patron..." The laceration across his stomach was quite a jagged slash, similar to the one along his arm, angry and violent. Across the rest of his chest were a number of scars, remains from various other incidents, training and other situations he'd had to handle. "He came in eventually, still pretty cut up from when I slammed his head into the sidewalk." Alistair smirked a little at that, although it was twisted with discomfort as with shaking hands he quickly began to prepare the medical thread with the sterilised needles he kept in the kit.

"... Drew... I need ya to turn the gas and heat this up for me." He held out a smooth, thin rod of metal from the kit to the Conner. "... As hot as you can get it... ... I need to... To cauterize..." His hand was shaking slightly, blood from his stomach now starting to drip down his form, his arm's wound following the same momentum.

[Drew Conner]

The calming sound of Alistair's voice eased Drew's nerves, at least enough to function. Nodding dutifully, Drew went about following every direction given, regardless of how much he didn't like seeing his friend in pain. When all was said and done, Drew had managed a decent enough patch job that would serve its purpose for the night. Everything was cleaned up, the bloody rags and clothing had been thoroughly disposed of and it felt that Drew had been holding his breath the entire night.

"So..." Drew said, handing over a fresh glass of bourbon to Alistair before moving to take up a seat in one of the plush chairs that flanked the couch. He brought his own glass up to hi lips and took a healthy pull. The potent, brown liquid slid down his throat, offering just a faint burn in the process. "Tell me what happened." The logical center of Drew's mind was returning to form. He had far more questions that what had happened earlier in the night but he figured the battered, bloody Alistair should be afforded some time to recover before being assaulted with a new round of interrogation. "Tell me everything." He didn't really want to know, but he needed to. "What about the guy?"

[Alistair Holmes]

Alistair took in a slow, deep breath, his chest rising and falling, the action causing a painful but thankfully dulling ache from his stomach. He was exhausted; Using his ability for the time frame he had had caused the bodyguard more physical strain then the incident itself... But had he not done so, he'd have bled out long before he'd reached his car. He was laid out on the sofa, layers of white dressing wrapped round his stomach, his arm in a similar state, stitched up and well on their way to becoming another set of scars on his body. He could finally relax, allow his blood to flow as nature intended, save for drawing the white blood cells to the damaged areas; but that took little excursion on his part, even in this state. He had his eyes closed, but upon hearing the familier sound of his friend addressing him Alistair lifted his heavy eyelids, casting him a small smile as he reached out with his uninjured arm to take the much needed glass. The movement caused him some discomfort, but he didn't showcase it in his expression; He knew how to deal with pain, and it was a far cry from what he'd felt earlier. Drew followed up getting the man's attention with an inquiry, which frankly Alistair knew the young man would ask for.

Alistair brought his arm back in, tapping a finger on the rim of the glass as he averted his gaze, more in thought then to avoid Drew's eyeline; His thoughts were a little hazy due to the level of desire to sleep starting to weigh on him, but he needed to let his charge know exactly what had transpired. "... I wouldn't worry about him anymore," He replied softly, before slowly adjusting himself so that he was sat up to some degree. He brought the glass to his lips, the brown liquid providing a welcomed burn down the back of his throat. He then sighed a little. "I told you that the guy came in... I walked right up to him, gave the usual act, get him comfortable." It was a funny thing; If you acted as though you were supposed to be somewhere, and dressed like you belonged there, people generally believed you without question. Same principle for planting the idea of knowing someone personally... Act like you knew them, and they'll be too embarrassed to admit they don't remember who you are. It didn't take much. Humans crave companionship... Provide one hint of relation, pior friendship or anything else they can relate to and they'll latch onto it. The guy didn't seem to even consider the notion that Alistair had been his attacker from the other night... But then he hadn't been the brightest of people.

"Spent the evenin' training with him..." He trailed off, his smile fading as he averted his eyes with another intake of the amber liquid. "... That wasn't exactly easy. Hearin' him going on and on... The stuff he was sayin' about women would make your skin crawl." He then looked back to Drew, the intensity in his gaze more then evidence enough that this part of the evening had been the hardest, remaining calm and collected. He then shifted his gaze to look into the drink, a small smirk finding it's way onto his lips. "... So it comes to leavin'. I get him into the locker room. No one saw us enter, I made sure of that..." He trailed off, considering how he should choose his next words; He didn't want to worry or unnerve Drew... Right now, it was the last thing he needed. Still, he had asked. He gave the order, so he deserved to know how it was carried out. "I did what you asked of me. Got him off guard... Didn't take the switchblade into account though... Nicked the artery in my arm." Hense the need for the earlier cauterisation. Alistair's smirk widened a little then however, before he looked to Drew. "As you know, that ain't the kinda thing you want to do to me. Didn't work in the guy's favor." The bodyguard then downed the rest of the drink, before sighing deeply. "I managed to get into his bloodstream, slowed his flow right down. Held it steady, while I made sure he knew that if he pulled anythin' again on Miss.Bellefonte or anyone else... That I'd come back." He then looked into his empty glass with a thoughtful expression; He remembered the look of terror on the brute's face, while tendrils of scarlet writhed from the wound in his arm as he held him down, writhing and seeping into his veins through one of his small wounds the bodyguard had already inflicted upon him. He must have felt helpless... Just as he deserved. "... I must've looked like somethin' out of a nightmare."

[Drew Conner]

The teen boy settled back into the chair, listening to Alistair talk all the while contemplating the consequences of his actions. Drew, himself, hadn't done anything. His hands were clean in all this. It was by his word, however, the bodyguard had gone off on the foolish quest for revenge that resulted in his serious injuries. It was a strange sensation that washed over Drew at this realization. The feeling of power, true authority to send someone to what could have been their demise all at a whim was tempered greatly by the burden that came with the knowledge one of the few people he considered a close, personal friend could have been killed all because Drew had said so.

Drew remained silent, though, nodding contemplatively as Alistair recounted the events from just hours ago. The rush of seeing his friend in such dire straights was beginning to fade, aided by Alistair's assertion he was going to be okay, as well as the smooth, yet potent alcohol that was now coursing through his system. "I'm sorry, Alistair." Drew said finally, once the bodyguard had finished. It didn't matter that he was going to be fine and had performed his given task to the letter. "I was caught up in the moment. I never should have sent you."

[Alistair Holmes]

The heavy desire to sleep was weighing on the bodyguard increasingly throughout his retread of his actions, but he knew Drew would not settle until he knew exactly what had occurred. The alcohol feeding it's way into his system was making him a touch drowsier, but now that his heart had calmed and his injuries were beginning the process of healing, Alistair was feeling more level headed... Although a touch light headed. The entire incident had not gone the way he normally handled things; He had it ingrained in him that violent confrontation was the last option, only entered into when necessary to do so. Alistair's hand had been forced when the switchblade came into play, and the resulting confrontation had been less then the clean break he'd intended. Still, he'd adapted, putting the fear into the man in question, before leaving the scene. He'd disposed of the switchblade, and due to his ability no further amount of his blood was spilt... The small amount he'd slipped into the man's bloodstream would be long dispersed by now; The injuries on the man had been minimal as well, since he only needed blood contact, and a small abrasion was more then enough. There was nothing left to trace him. No matter what chaos he caused, Alistair knew how to leave a scene as though he'd never been a part of it. Like a ghost.

Alistair looked to his charge when the young man offered an apology, his expression almost unreadable save for a slight furrowing of his brow. He understood Drew's concerns, but he had still willingly gone along with the order; He could have refused, or tried to talk Drew out of it... But no, he'd been focused on following the instruction; He cared about Drew, and seeing the distress in him when Erika was unconscious... Well, it left him wanting to follow through with the order. His expression softened a moment, and he averted his eyeline from his friend, raising his uninjured arm and running his thumb over his lips before addressing the man before him.
"... I'm the one who should be apologisn'," He spoke, his voice calm, but the faint tone of regret was evident somewhere underneath it. "As your employee, I did what I was told. As your friend... I should've said somethin'." He then moved his gaze back to the male of the Conner twins. "I'm not your mentor... And I have no intention of bein' so. But I should have advised against it." He then managed a small smile. "But this is what I do, Drew. I'm here to protect you, protect the company... I suppose I'm somethin' of a guard dog. And what I did tonight prevented some other poor young woman from becomin' a victim."

[Drew Conner]

"You can justify it all you want, Alistair." Drew's reply came stern and even. "It doesn't take away from the fact that it was my word." What if Alistair had been forced to or accidentally killed his target? While Drew would never doubt the older man's commitment to his duty, was that a burden he could live with? By the same token if anything worse had happened to Alistair himself, would Drew be able to look his sister in the eye knowing he'd sent one of their few true friends in life to their demise? And that wasn't even touching on the legal and media shit storm something like that would cause.

The teenager's head shook and he waved a hand to keep Alistair from replying. Drew didn't have any desire to continue this conversation. He was shaken, although probably not as much as his faithful bodyguard, though Drew did take solace in Alistair's words. As twisted as it may have been, Drew did feel a certain sense of satisfaction knowing the person who had caused Erika so much distress had been made to suffer for his crimes. That he probably wouldn't be making any other unsuspecting girls a victim was okay too.

"You did good, Alistair." He said finally, turning his dark eyes toward the bodyguard and giving him a nod. "Thank you. And you don't have to worry. I think this is something neither Erika or Eve should know about." Although Drew was curious as to why his sister being present was such a point for Alistair. That, though, would be a conversation for a later day.

[Alistair Holmes]

Alistair fell silent as his friend's reply came, stern, once more placing the blame for the bodyguard's injuries on himself. Alistair understood the young man's concerns, and he did feel notably guilty for not stressing the reasons not to pursue the man in question... If he'd done so, he may not be sat here now with violent gashes cut into his person, and Drew would not feel as though he'd sent him to the slaughter. Despite that, Alistair had still been the one to consciously make the choice to follow through with the order... He could have refused, but didn't. What was done was done, and musing on regret would do little; His wounds would heal, and the situation had come out thankfully favourable. This was what he'd been trained for, that coupled with growing up watching the relentless loyalty and passion his Father and older brother put into their work... Well, this was simply part of the career he'd chosen, and the scars would only match the ones he already had. At least, that was the mindset he used to deal with the situations he'd gotten into while working for the Conners.

Alistair considered stressing this point in an effort to calm Drew's concerns, only to have the young man wave a hand to keep him silent; Alistair did so, watching his friend as he moved on to compliment his actions, making it clear that he intended this to be the end of the discussion; Alistair gave a nod and a small smile, content with that notion. There was no use in thinking on it now, it was done, the situation settled. The bodyguard then let out a faint, small sigh, a wave of relief that was larger then he expected
swept over him at Drew's comment about leaving Evelyn in the dark. When it came to Miss.Bellefonte,
Alistair didn't much care if she knew or not; He had no intention of telling her, since it was not his place to, but if Drew thought to keep it from her that was his decision. But Evelyn... Eve. She didn't need to know. Not about this, about knowing he'd gotten himself into such a bad state. "... Good idea, no point in botherin' them with this," He replied. "It's dealt with, and it won't be long before I heal up anyway." No harm done... Well. In regards to himself. He couldn't say the same for the terrified man he left in the changing rooms of the gym.

[Drew Conner]

Every word Alistair spoke that centered around Eve made Drew grow even more curious about the reasons why his bodyguard was so concerned about his sister. Eve was just as capable of handling adversity as Drew was. The two of them had been cut from the same cloth. He trusted Eve and her ability to keep her wits about her. If anything, Drew suspected she'd probably be better suited for business like this with her cold, unashamedly calculating demeanor.

Again, this was a conversation to be had when the older man wasn't still feeling the effects from so much blood loss.

Drew got to his feet and downed the rest of his bourbon. He had no desire to continue going around in circles on the matter. The order had been given and the deed long complete. Everything else was mere details. Alistair had done well and saw to it vengeance was swift, yet quiet. Drew crossed the living room and slipped into the kitchen to deposit his glass in the dishwasher. "I'm going to be staying with Erika tonight." He said as he emerged back into the living room. "If you need anything, let me know. Eve won't be back until morning, so you should be fine." Drew glanced to the bodyguard and gave a short nod. While his motivations could be called into question, Drew felt Alistair was, ultimately right. There was no need to bother Eve (or Erika, for that matter) with any of this business. This would be their secret.

[Alistair Holmes]

The bodyguard watched the young Conner raise from his seat, downing the reminder of his drink before leaving the room, presumably to place the glass in the dishwasher. He followed his charge with heavy eyes until he was out of his sight, before bringing his free hand to his head, running it through his messy hair. It had been a trying day, and the loss of blood, although Alistair was past the worst of it, was taking it's toll. He knew he needed to sleep, and soon, the weight of it increasing with each passing moment. He looked towards the kitchen, and considered following Drew to place his own glass into the washer, but the thought of standing seemed unnecessary for the time being; He gingerly placed the glass on the floor, aiming to return it once he'd rested. He moved to lay back down down on the sofa, sighing deeply once he'd settled back into his previous position; There was less pressure exerted on his wounds this way.

Drew returned quickly, announcing that he intended to stay with Erika for the night, and that thankfully, Eve would be absent from home too... Another sweeping notion of relief washing over him. One night of full rest should be more then enough to get him back on his feet, and he could easily hide the injuries with his clothing. She'd never have need to know the reasons for them if she never knew, and once they'd healed the now violent gashes would become nothing more then another set of scars on his person. He gave a small nod to his friend, before waving a hand at him. "Don't worry. It takes more then this to truly rattle me... I'll be fine," He spoke, his voice notably heavy and slurring slightly with the growing need to sleep. To some degree, he was trying to brush it off to help emphasise the fact he knew he would recover without any further issue, to calm any of the boy's remaining nerves; But he still knew, that if the need called, he could contact Drew and without hesitation he would come to his aid. Alistair knew Drew would know his confidence and faith in him without a word on the matter being spoken, so merely cast the young Conner a small smile before speaking again. "Enjoy your time with Miss.Bellefonte."