Colonel Seeders' Mail Order Bride, Hank

19 Hank

Hank pulled her out of the restaurant and headed down the road to Xander's shop. She paused for a few seconds, staring at the name on the glass window, looking like she had seen a ghost.

"You're brother is Xander. The Xander. The famous fashion designer. You bought me clothes and underwear made by Xander?"

Her voice seemed to grow louder with each statement, so he rushed her into the shop and slammed the door shut behind Hawk.

"I don't know anything about a famous designer, but this is my brother's shop and yes I did buy some stuff from him. Actually, I never paid for it. He had some stuff that he was going to throw away, so I took them," Hank explained, feeling like a fool for admitting that he gave her rejects from his brother's shop.

"What the heck do you mean he wanted to throw it away? There was nothing wrong with it. In fact I am wearing... Oh, hell. I am wearing underwear made by Xander. I'm a nobody and I'm... Why the hell was he going to throw it away?"

"Actually, my brother has his wording wrong. I was going to give it away. To charity. These are all creations that no one wanted. All those stuck-up actresses and famous people ask me to create something spectacular and then when I present it to them, they change their minds and ask for something else. Most times, they just ask for different colours," Xander explained.

He had the same Native American features, as Sebastian called it, but he did not have Hank's height or build. Xander used to be a scientist for the IGG (Inter Galactic Government) until he resigned and used his scientific brain to come up with clothes made from the same synthetics he had been growing in the lab. When he wasn't making clothes, he went to his private lab to cook up medication for the poor.

"I am very pleased to meet one of my fans. A pretty fan too. Why ever are you walking around with this brute and his runt?" Xander asked.

Her face went red and her hands clenched into fists. "Don't you ever call him that again. I don't care if you are the pope himself. I will punch that smirk right off you face the next time you insult my son!"

"Uh, Michelle. He's my brother. He did not mean-"

"Exactly! He is your brother. Hawk's uncle. He should know better than anyone how that might affect Hawk. How would he like it if he had a son and I started calling him names? Runt, broken, disabled, weak... Wait, scratch that last one. Uh... I'm just going to take a moment to breath..." She turned and pointed to a couch near Xander's office, "over there."

Hawk followed her and held her hand, speaking softly to her.

"Well, I just had my ass handed to me. So you got married and didn't think that Matteo and I needed to know that you found your mate?" Xander asked.

"It happened too fast. One minute we were clearing out Lilly's stuff and then Sebastian showed up with her. There's something going on here," Hank said, staring in the direction of Hawk and Michelle.

"Clearly. Care to elaborate?"

Hank explained everything from asking Sebastian to help him find a childminder, to the attack that happened in the restaurant. "He told her that they were everywhere. She said that her old boss is a Whallestraton like the man that grabbed her."

"Was," Michelle said from the couch. "He's dead. I killed him."

Tears started dripping from her face and Hawk tried to stop her from speaking, but she shook her head violently.

"He needs to know. It's time to tell the truth. I killed a man. I took a life and now they want me to pay for it. I should be in jail, but Sebastian's father wants to torture me. I guess I deserve it."

"There is more to the story. You are not telling the whole truth," Hawk said.

The way she shook her head, shaking some of her curls free from the clip, made Hank think there was something she could not speak about in front of Xander. That fat bastard hurt her. He made those marks on her body. Broke her bones and... What else did he do to her? Those whale-like creatures had a tendency to push the limit.

Hawk whispered in his mind. "He didn't do that to her. She killed him when he tried. You have to make her talk about it so that she can get over it. She still blames herself. It was self defence Dad. She hasn't done that stuff yet and he wanted to force her. Help her. Please."

"We need to leave. Right now. Xander, I'm taking your craft. Hawk, take your mother out the back, but make sure no one sees you."

When the door closed behind Hawk, Xander asked, "Are you sure it's safe to leave Hawk with her? She just admitted to killing-"

"He tried to rape her. What would you have done if you were her? Allow it to happen when you haven't been with a man yet?" Hank asked.

He didn't wait for an answer. He stormed out of the shop with Xander's remote in his hand. He needed to help her and if it took him to be harsh, to force her to speak, he would do it.

As soon as they got home, he pulled her up the stairs, went straight to his bedroom and locked the door behind them. "Speak. I want to know what happened."

She spun around, looking around his room; At his unmade bed that stood in the centre of the room; At his closet and dresser that stood to the right, the chest, couch and table to the left; At the brown carpet that spread from wall to wall and matched the furniture in his bedroom. Lastly her eyes froze on his hunting knife strapped to the one of the posts of his headboard.

She grabbed it and held it out in front of her before Hank thought of moving.

"Open that door."

"Put the knife down. We are only going to talk. I need to-"

"Open the damn door or so help me I will use this knife on you just like I did with Robert!"

"Michelle. We have-"

"I said open that door!" she screamed.

With his hands held up so she could see they were empty, he reached over and unlocked the door. She waved the knife to the side and slowly started crab walking towards it. He did the same, walking away from the door so that she could get out.

"Can we talk about this? Please," he asked.

She kept going, eyes clouded over, not really seeing him. As soon as the door opened, she ran to her own room and slammed the lock in place. She still had his knife. Images of Lilly's dead body flashed through his mind. He rushed out and hammered against her bedroom door.

"Michelle. Please give me the knife. We can talk later, but give me the knife. Please."

Her sobbing got softer as she walked away from the door.

"Michelle. I won't hurt you. I swear it on my life. Please give me the knife."

"Dad. Something... Someone is... She can't hear you. You have to break the door down."

"I don't want to scare her more-"

"Dad! Break the door! She going to... Break the damn door. Now! Hurry. No!" Hawk screamed.

Hank took a few steps back and then ran straight at the door. His shoulder collided with the door and it tore free of the hinges, sending him and the door to the floor.

Hawk ran passed him and grabbed onto Michelle's shoulder, pushing power he did not know Hawk possessed into her. Then he saw the blood on her hands and the knife handle sticking out of her stomach.

"Change her! She doesn't want to die. Daddy. Please. Help her."