King of Hearts (House of Cards Series 2) [Student/teacher]

Four of Spades

A/N: I was going to write out the whole Mexico trip from West's POV but after I got the romance scene over and done with, I really only have this last section of Mexico to post, then we're back at the school. In all honesty, this story is only loosely about them being in a student/teacher relationship, and involves a LOT of things outside that world. So once the school year is done, this story CONTINUES. Which is how you get to see the results of the events in QoS. I've had a couple of people ask me about her story and yeah, Alice and Malcolm take a bigger role in this story after the school year ends.

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Maddison didn't know there was anything to be worried about, but her Wolf was aware of something worse than wicked coming their way. He'd noticed it on their romantic day out, and it had been a major internal struggle for him to choose to keep the day about him and Maddison and ignore the fact that he had regained a tail.

He'd spotted the new tail following them when he had taken Maddison out for their romantic beachside brunch. He'd heard from Alice and Malcolm about the impossibly romantic view off the windy coast of Cozumel and had set it up with those that ran the lighthouse. So when he and Maddison arrived via taxi, she could see the table and chairs set up on the cliffs high above the reach of the spray. Eating a more traditional Mexican breakfast of huevos rancheros, chorizo, corn cakes and coffee. While Maddison had dug in with gusto and enthusiam (until she bit her own tongue and slowed down), West had picked at his food, unable to really concentrate because there was just something off about one of the men working at the lighthouse. He didn't belong.

The man in question looked more Mexican than Lance had, and he seemed to be pitching in to do odd jobs, but there was no specific task he belonged at. West could see it in the way the man moved, he was faking it, but not convincingly enough to fool the Cuban's observing gaze. He understood why Romeo had gone after the other tail. It is not in his nature to allow himself to be stalked, and West had to fight to stay in his seat and not go have 'words' with this new tail. But if he wanted a chance to convince Joao and the Dogs that West wasn't in the life anymore, he really needed to ACT like he wasn't in the life anymore. So when Maddison dropped her fork and scrambled under the table after it, West toasted the tail with his coffee, letting the man know he had been spotted, and ignored.

After the romantic breakfast on the cliffs, West had them all set to go spend the day exploring Tulum. He had done the traditional romancing, remembering with a smirk how he had taken Maddison over the romantic candles, flower petals and chocolate display. Now it was more along his own version of romance. Cave diving in Tulum. West amused himself by making it as difficult as possible for the tail to follow them and not be seen at the same time. And he also vastly enjoyed his day with his Angel. It was impossible for Joao and the Dogs not to have learned that she was his girl. He couldn't hide her away without first having to explain to her that she was in danger, and his Maddison was maddening enough to insist on putting herself in danger just to prove she didn't need him protecting her. So instead he swore to keep by her side and by extention, keep her safe.

Once the day of diving off sun bleached cliffs into azure waters, West added to Maddison's amused bedazzlement by taking her to a traditional Mexican restaurant where they were compelled to learn the steps of the salsa dance before they 'earned' their dinner. It had been vastly amuzing, more than a little drunk and romantic in a special way that was pure West and Maddison. West had been no where near as drunk as Maddison thought, but he didn't want her to worry over it, so he played along, but also kept a careful eye out on their tail. And just because he'd spotted the one, didn't mean that there weren't others who were better at being unobserved watching them. Still, the day of romancing his Angel went well and he brought her back in the early morning hours and poured her into bed, staying with her when the excess of alcohol in her system decided to come back up. As West held her hair out of the way, he realized that the man he'd been two years ago would never have made it to this stage of life. He just wished that other could see how he wasn't the same gangbanger he used to be.

With the vacation winding up, West found himself actually greatful that they had to practice for the Gala almost every day. It meant he always knew where his Angel was, and he could keep an eye on her. The night before their departure, West had nearly went berserk when he noticed the tail INSIDE the resort despite all the security. And even though he knew his actions could get both of them in serious trouble, he simply could not help the protective nature that forced him to hover near her, having to be phsycially close to her to ensure her safety.

So when all 170 or so sunburnt, hungover, tired and happy students made their way through the airport, West walked close enough beside his Angel to brush against her shoulder, and when they got onto the long plane ride back to Canadian soil, he traded seats with the student next to her and gripped her hand for take off. It soothed the knot of tension in his shoulders and loosened something in his chest to hold her hand, though he wished that everyone would turn off their lights and go to f***ing sleep so he could kiss her and hold her under his arm and against his chest, where she belonged.

"West, I love you too, but this is gonig to get me in trouble." Maddison whispered softly, indicating where he'd subconsciously pulled their clasped hands onto his lap so Maddison had to lean into him a little.

"The tail is on the plane." West finally had to tell her, needing to put into words why he was being so overprotective. "He was at the resort, he's on the plane. This guy wants us to know we're being followed. They want us afraid." West explained, keeping his voice low and calm, not wanting the tone to give things away even if no one overheard the words. His words evoked an immediate response, Maddison gripping his hand tighter, leaning into him even more, and looking around to see if she could spot someone that looked like a bad guy. Unfortunately it wasn't as if the tail was wearing a sign saying 'lowest totem pole gangster', so her looking around just cued the tail in that they were looking for him.

Casually as can be, the tail got up and walked up the aisle until he was next to their seats. West blocked Maddison away from reach, turning in his seat to be face on to the tail. The man crouched down low, getting to West's eye level, and smiled. Without saying a word, the man drops a manilla envelope on West's lap, winks at Maddison and walks to first class, leaving them to stare at the envelope with trepidation and suspicion.

"I don't entirely think I should open this here." West admitted softly to his Angel.

Maddison looked at the envelope and poked at it with her finger. "There is no way my curiosity is going to let me go for the entire flight home and not know what's in the envelope." she admitted just as honestly.

West looked at her, knowing that she'd pester him about it too, and he wasn't strong enough to resist her curiosity as well as his own. So he unwound the little string and opened up the envelope, sliding the contents out into his hand. There was a neatly handwritten sheet and West couldn't help but wonder who actually wrote it. Thug-boy up in firstclass hadn't seem like the caligraphy for penmanship type.

Fallen Saint,

Meet me at Blackstone Park Sunday night. Come alone, tell no one, or else the originals of these will make their way out to the public eye.

Joao

Behind the neatly written letter were black and white pictures of West and Maddison, in many, various and all compromising positions. West calmly looked over the photos, doing the triangluation in his head to figure out where it was that the photos were shot from. Some of them, the damn photographer had to have been just outside their room to get, though the ones from their tryst on the beach were long range camera shots. It didn't matter how the pictures were taken though, any single one of them prooved that there was a sexual relationship between him and Maddison, and they were aware that she was a teacher and he the student. It was gonig to eat at his Angel that they were using her against him.

Still, he looked up from the photos and calmly handed them over to her, keeping the letter to himself. Maddison was too distracted by the photos to see him hide the letter, folded it away and put it in his pocket. She scanned through the photos and West watched her face, wishing he knew what she was thinking. When tears started to brim over the lashed of her eyes, West didn't care that there were 200 witnesses, he hugged her to him and murmured comforting words, stroking her hair and crumpling up the photos. She was upset that someone had violated her privacy, she didn't know how much worse things were going to get once West met up with Joao again.

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A/N: I want to be outside today. It is far too lovely to be stuck behind a desk, writing. But, I am gonig to try to get at least some more work done on these stories before I allow myself a playtime :P