The Phantom's Hero

15. Skittles

As the euphoria drifted away, the seriousness of those three little words weighed heavily on both of their minds. Avery's breaths increased at the sudden pressure of the situation, her feelings greatly conflicting, but she couldn't shake away the knowledge that she knew him, they knew each other in more ways than one. But, even if he did know the old Avery, the happy one from school, he didn't know her now, the Avery with a sponsor and neighbours reporting her every move.

"J" had been right, her so called life was basically a prison sentence that she had never agreed to and running away with the phantom had been the first thing she had done for herself for a very long time, her life very often being lived for others. She thought back to how she had felt with Simon when it was just the two of them, happiness was the main thing she had felt. Compared with the alone times between her and "J" happiness was something she refused to allow herself to feel, constantly thinking she didn't even deserve life.

After cleaning herself up, she put on one of the hotel robes and peered around the door to see Simon with his head in his hands, his frustration clear. He had found a pair of grey jogging bottoms in the bottom of his bag and had put them on before re-making the bed. Avery slowly entered the room, keeping her eyes fixed on the bag she had hidden the day before. With a thud and a few clicks, she threw the offending candy bag onto the middle of the freshly made bed.

"Skittles." Simon stated plainly. "I thought they were your favourites."

Avery sighed, the words she was about to say weighing heavily on her mind. "They were."

"I feel like there's more to this stor-"

"Sit." Simon instantly did as he was told and dropped into the nearby desk chair. "You know about the fire, but you don't know what happened to me afterwards." Simon nodded slowly, unsure of where the conversation was going. "You just told me you loved me."

The man cringed slightly. "Could we pretend I didn't?"

"It doesn't matter, because once I tell you, you won't want anything to do with me, let alone love me."

He scoffed a breathy laugh as his lips raised into a smirk. "Try me miss Addleston." She refused to look at him and made her way to the couch on the opposite side of the room. "Take a deep breath princess." So, she did.

"A neighbour found me in the blaze, snatching me out before anyone else knew I was even there." She began, her thumbs twiddling. "I was nothing but a shell for a long time, unable to eat, sleep, bathe. And soon I started to self-harm. Nothing so deep as to cause a scar, I wasn't after attention, I just......I wanted Simon, I wanted him back, more than anything in the whole world, my life nothing compared to the life he could have led."

She took a big sigh as she eyed the candy on the bed. "I ended up in the asylum, loony bin, freak house. I was under constant supervision and seen as more than a physical threat because of my powers. So, I was permanently sedated."

Simon sighed, his eyes closing in a long blink as his chest ached. He knew that everything would have been fine if only someone had told her he was alive, she would have coped, and the two of them would be together. He waited with bated breath for her to continue as she took a moment to compose herself.

"I was assessed and found to be anaemic, anorexic, depressed and suffering from PTSD. I couldn't go near warm objects or look at even a picture of fire. When they finally got me therapy instead of sedation, my therapist tried getting me to eat by telling me to eat the things that made me happy, favourite foods, drinks, anything."

Avery swallowed hard before continuing, realising that J's eyes had never left her face. "I ate nothing but skittles for months. Every day. And not in large handfuls. One or two with my other medication. Mouthfuls of "normal" food were enough to get the stewards off my back, but eventually, even they gave up on me too."

Avery wiped a tear and turned away, not realising that J had turned away to wipe his tears too, the man unable to look at the girl who had suffered so much pain. "I still struggle with food, but......" She sighed heavily.

"But?" Simon urged, turning back to look at her.

Slowly her eyes met his and once again she swallowed hard. "I want to get better." She whispered. Her brow furrowing as she bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her tears. Silently the two looked at each other, the tears finally falling as they stared.. "What we have been through is a hurdle that will need a lot of work to jump over." Simon clenched his jaw shut, waiting for her to reject him. "But, I think I can love you." Avery admitted quietly.

Simon's jaw dropped in relief as he admired the woman he loved. Her bravery to admit her past, her kindness to go out of her way to help others. Her spirit had been crushed, but slowly he realised she was rebuilding it, piece by piece, she was getting better.

Simon stood slowly and walked over to the petite woman, holding his hand out gently, in invitation instead of an order. As always, she took it without hesitation, standing to meet him in that little hotel room. "I love you." He stated clearly, his voice unwavering. Avery looked up at him, seeing the man she had once thought to be her enemy in a whole new light. "So I can't lose you again, birdie."

Before Avery could react to the declaration, and the use of the nickname, her eyes started to droop, and her knees weakened. Just as she thought she was about to fall, J caught her and held her close to his chest, her head fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck. Avery swore she saw the glint of a needle before her eyes finally closed.

"I'm sorry." She heard him whisper, before everything went dark, giving her no time to even comprehend what was happening.

8

Bunty all but shrieked as her boss appeared in the hallway beside her with what looked to be a dead body in his arms. "What in the name of- what happened to her, poor dear she's out cold again and that cannot be good for her."

"I happened." Simon admitted, heading towards the room he had placed her in only a few days prior, Bunty following closely behind.

"You could have told us you were coming, you could have even left her here and gone alone. Why bring her back?"

Simon audibly gulped before licking his lips. "I had to."

"No, you bloody did not."

"Fine." Simon lifted the covers over the sleeping Avery and turned to face the woman who had all but become a mother to him in the past few years. "I am in love with her."

Bunty tutted, her arms folding across her chest. "Yes, tell me something I don't know."

"I have to keep her safe."

"Then why take her in the first place? She would have been safe here and out of the whole situation."

"Because I thought-" Simon sighed and slumped into the armchair next to the fire, his head in his hands.

"You thought that by being close to you she would realise who you are and that in turn would allow things to go back to normal?"

Simon nodded before taking a deep intake of breath. Sadly he lifted his head and gazed at the sleeping figure on the bed. "I'll call you when I'm near his location, I have to talk to someone else first."

"Who?" But before Bunty got her answer the man had vanished, leaving only an empty chair.

The woman sighed and gazed sadly at the sleeping Avery on the bed, hoping silently that she could sleep that much. To her surprise Simon popped back in, once again startling the woman. "Don't you come with a warning?!"

"I almost forgot, I figured it out, sort of."

"Figured out what?" Simon made his way to the sleeping woman and held his hand over her head for a few seconds. Bunty could almost hear the sound of his brain working.

"I got it." He exclaimed proudly as he pulled away from the blonde and made his way to Bunty, giving her a celebratory kiss on the edge of her bonnet. "I'll be at the address on that paper, if I don't come back, send Brayburn."

Bunty watched as the man vanished from her sight again, leaving only a small scrap of paper on the floor where he had been stood.