The Turn (Natalie)

[William Blake]

Merry Christmas.

Merry my cute British arse.

When Will had been thinking about Christmas this year, he'd considered maybe treating Natalie to a trip away somewhere. There was great skiing in Europe, let alone on any other planet. They could have rented one of those rustic cabins in the Alps with a wood burning fire place, and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, all covered in snow. It would have been romantic, and he would have got to spend all his time relaxing with the woman he loved.

But what was he actually doing this Christmas? Running for his life, trying to keep Natalie safe, and trying to stay sane. This was just his luck.

Ever since those bullets had left his father's gun, their lives had been turned upside down. After spending a night at Dave's apartment recooperating - feeding themselves and sleeping (or not sleeping in Will's case) - they'd ditched their clothes and ID, found new ones, and got the hell out of dodge. There had been a lot of laying low, wherever they could afford to stop. Sometimes it had meant bunking down in alley ways cuddled as closely as possible while hiding their faces from hover security cams.

He really had to remember to thank his Dad for this someday.

As time went on, it looked less and less likely that Anna was going to be able to find them as quickly as he'd hoped, or take the heat off them. So, Will began to formulate a plan of his own. Stowing away on a freight ship to the States, they'd managed to sneak in through the US border, and once they were there, Will set his plan into action.

A lot of his father's old contacts were based in the New York and San Fransisco areas. Figuring he might be able to weasle help out of at least one of them, he tried contacting each of them in turn. But got no reply, in any form. Not even a 'rot in hell', or something to that effect. Figuring that just contacting them wasn't working, they braved visiting one of their houses; Senator Oakland had been a good man, and Will had enjoyed his company once upon a time. Now he just had to hope that the man wouldn't turn against him.

It turned out there wasn't any chance of that happening anyway. Will grimaced as his eyes fell upon the dead Senator's body, lying face down in the pool.

"Bugger."

Turning to look at Natalie, he ran a hand through his hair and over his thick stubble. "So this is why we weren't getting any replies." They were dead. Will felt something akin to despair begin to take hold. They really were screwed.

[Natalie Blake]

The longer they had to do this, the more and more Natalie felt like she was losing her sense of self. Smiling became harder with each passing day, and laughter was nigh-on impossible. In fact, if it wasn't for Will being there with her, she would have doubtlessly been reduced to a quivering mess. As it was, she kept going, for him as much as for herself.

She hadn't paid much attention to the date, judging by the festive mood that surrounded the general populace, it had to be coming up on Christmas. With Bill gone, and herself out here on the run, Natalie wondered if Elaine would bother celebrating this year. She doubted it. But it was nice to imagine that at least someone, somewhere, was enjoying this holiday.

Senator Oakland certainly wasn't. Will cursed, but Natalie was beyond reacting poorly when it came to death now. Where she stood, hugging herself more for comfort than because of the cold, she met Will's eyes despondently. "I suppose it shouldn't surprise us too much," she sighed, stepping forward to peer passed him at the man's decidedly dead form.

Though they were in this together, the majority of their success in remaining hidden was due to Will, and so when it came to a plan of action, it had become no less than instinct to look to him for answers. "Where do we go from here?" she asked, staring at the senator for a moment longer before turning her dull eyes back on the man next to her. "Is there anywhere we can go?" After all of this, where was there left to run to?

[William Blake]

Will sucked in his bottom lip, only half hearing Natalie's question. Sort of shaking his head, he put a hand over his eyes for a moment, before closing them, trying to keep a solid grip on his mind and reality. They were still in danger, and he was still the only thing keeping them both alive. If he lost his marbles because of this, they might as well just turn themselves in. Even if that meant facing the death penalty for what they hadn't done. At this rate, they were going to die out here, or die in there, that was it. No, no, no, Will, snap out of it, we're too good to die.

Removing his hand from his face, he looked down at Natalie. She was looking more tired and wrecked each passing day. He'd already beaten himself up severely for getting her into this mess. He would make it up to her big time once they were free. "I don't know," he said, "I need to think. We should be safe here for the moment. Whoever killed him has moved on, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here right now." They'd be in the pool with Senator Oakland. "Head back inside, scrounge up any food or spare credits that there may be laying around." He turned back to the Senator, "I'm going to deal with Jim."

Once Natalie had retreated into the house, Will stripped off his jacket, scarf, shoes and socks, before rolling up his jeans to his knees; the Senator was floating in the shallow section, so he merely had to wade out, and drag the body back to the poolside. The man's face was only mildly bloated through water saturation, so he couldn't have died too long before he and Natalie had got there. The guilt was really beginning to stack up now. How many other people had been killed because of him? Someone was popping off all his possible contacts, probably R4. Hopefully, they hadn't gone after Joe, Fi, Charlie and Janey. If his father was the one doing this, then he probably didn't even know they existed.

Puffing out his cheeks, he exhaled, rearranging the man in a more dignified position; not that you could really look dignified when you'd been shot in the back. Accidentally nudging the man's jacket pocket, his hand bashed up against something hard. Curious, he pulled a face as he reached into the man's pocket and pulled out a small device with an LCD screen. As soon as he touched it, the device sprung into life. 'DNA ID: William Blake. Accepted. Message begins.' "Natalie!" he yelled as the message began rolling, and an image of his father appeared on the screen. What the hell was going on?

"Son. I don't have a lot of time. I need you to meet me on the Presido Golf Course, hole eight, as soon as you get this message, I'll be waiting. I know you won't leave Natalie behind, but it would be safer for her if you didn't bring her. I'm going to tell you everything. Be safe." The screen faded to black, and he heard the device burn the memory chip inside, wiping the message clean. With the most indescribable look on his face, he turned to look up at Natalie. He couldn't speak. There were no words.

[Natalie Blake]

Though it pulled at Natalie's heartstrings to see Will looking so lost, all Natalie could do by the time he'd finished talking was give a short nod and head back inside. She couldn't blame him. After all, half of his stress was due to her. At first she'd tried to keep it together, even if it was only just barely, but then she'd given up and succumbed to panic. And now... now she felt sort of hollow. Drained. And in this state, she was utterly useless. She hated it.

It didn't take her all that long to find the kitchen, and she set to work searching for things that could serve as dinner. Snorting quietly to herself, she noted not for the first time that the only thing she was really getting out of this whole ordeal was improved cooking skills. That's right, Natalie; you may die, but at least now you're able to cook! Rolling her eyes, she started rummaging through the refrigerator.

She was just pulling out some chicken--pre-thawed, doubtlessly by the senator for his own supper--when Will shouted for her, and she ran back to where he was. Hearing Henry's voice, she slowed, but coming out onto the pool deck she realized it was just a recording. "...as soon as you get this message, I'll be waiting. I know you won't leave Natalie behind, but it would be safer for her if you didn't bring her. I'm going to tell you everything. Be safe."

Swallowing, Natalie came over and knelt down next to Will, resting a hand on his back. "You should go," she murmured, a little surprised when her Minnesotan accent came across more pronounced than usual. "I ought to be safe here for a little while. And even if I'm not..." she touched the gun in her coat pocket, "I can handle myself. You need to see what your father knows."

[William Blake]

Will honestly didn't know what to make of the message. Was it a trap? His father hadn't given him any reason to trust him before in his life, many reasons to distrust him, but never to trust. But watching that recording... there was a sincerity in his eyes, one that he recognised from the pictures of his parents before his birth. And he'd said "Be safe." He'd never heard those words uttered from his father's lips.

Looking across at Natalie, he thought for a moment. This would be the first time they'd be separated on their entire trip. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to take care of herself, it was more the fear of leaving her alone and something happening to her while he wasn't there. But, like she said, it was fairly safe here. A lot safer than her going with him anyway.

He heaved a sigh. "All right," he said, pulling the various items of clothing back on, clambering up onto his feet. Pausing for a moment, he reached out and pulled Natalie into a hug, kissing her on the top of the head. He really hoped this wouldn't be the last time he saw her. "Eat, haul up in the bedroom and keep warm, watch some TV or something," he pulled back, and added with a slight smile, "I'll be back."

The golf course turned out not to be too far from the Senator's house - the man had loved his golf - so Will walked it, keeping his hood up even though his unruly hair and beard covered most of his face now. Taking that first shave back on the Venia was going to be wonderful. That, and a shower which wasn't with ten other men in a public bathroom.

Upon arriving at the eighth hole, he tugged his hood down, looking around him. It was dark here on the course with all the lights turned off. The only light was coming from the moon, reflecting sunlight down onto the grass, and the twinkling stars in the sky. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he figured his father was lurking somewhere around, and would show his face eventually. Either that, or he'd be shot any moment now, and wouldn't live to remember his father even being there.

Sure enough, he caught sight of movement in the trees to his left, and none other than Henry Blake stepped out onto the concourse, approaching Will at a steady pace. "Son," he said in a gruff but (strangely) kind and calm voice, coming to a stop a couple of feet away from his offspring. "You didn't bring the girl, good. I assume that was her idea?"

Will merely stared silently at the man in front of him, his fists clenched tightly in his pocket. "I suggest you start explaining," he told him, "before I act on this impulse to beat the living daylights out of you for what you've done to me and Natalie." He didn't know what the man had been expecting from the son that endured nearly eighteen years of torture from him.

Hesitating slightly, Henry looked around them before talking again. "I'll start from the beginning." No quip from Will, he wasn't in the mood. Henry reached into his coat, pulling out a file which he handed to his son - it contained information about everything he was about to tell him. "Read that," he told him. He knew Will wouldn't trust him on blind faith, not after all this time.

"I've been working for 'R4', or the group that came before it, back before your mother even became pregnant with you. Back then, they were a small peaceful group run by Peter Cohen, Rebekah's father. They needed funding for projects and peace rallies, and I was happy to oblige. I kept them on their feet, and they were very grateful for that. But as they began to grow, some of the other group members began to have different ideas about where the group should focus it's efforts, how it should approach issues, and how it should be run."

"Members inside the organisation turned against Peter, killing him and his wife, saying that it was people within the community who had performed hate crimes against Jews before. Rebekah believed them, at the young age of 14, and when she was old enough, started a new group 'R4', enveloping George's old group into hers. When I found out what had happened, Peter's death, I threatened to pull my funding. But seeing as I was their biggest benefactor, they blackmailed me into staying, threatening to kill you if I told anyone - you were only a month old at the time, and I was a mess after Lily's death, so I succumed to their wishes."

"Things got worse from there. I pretty much lived your childhood in a drunken, drug induced stupor. I didn't want to face Lily's death, and I didn't want to deal with the guilt of staying with R4 against my better judgement. Things kept piling up. I made poor business decisions, I acted out against you - sent you to boarding school where you'd be safe from me, and where I didn't have to face you. All I could see all the time was that you were the source of the problem, when that wasn't true. I was the problem - I should have pulled out regardless, got the hell out of dodge, and raised you properly. But I didn't."

He paused there for a moment, allowing Will the chance to scan the files, his frown deepening with each passing page. "When you left for University, I thought things would get better, but they didn't. They got worse. Before I knew it, I was being arrested and sent to prison. That first week was horrendous, but as I sobered up, I started to think straight for the first time in almost two decades. Finally, I realised you weren't to blame. But by then it was too late, I'd lost you. And R4 weren't going to lose their greatest financeer, so they faked my death and sprung me from jail. I've been working for them ever since."

Will finished reading and let his arm drop back down to his side, his mind furiously digesting all that he'd just been told and seen. The files were proof of everything his father had just told him - financial records, communications from him and the R4 group - and they all looked authentic. His father had been played, blackmailed for the last twenty five years, and had ruined his relationship with his son because of it.

"Why did you do this, frame me and Natalie?" he asked, a question finally popping to the front of his mind. "R4 didn't want you meddling, and it was the only way to keep you off the grid without killing you, until I had a plan." Will raised his eyebrows, "a plan?" Henry nodded, "I had to be sure that I could get you two out of this mess unharmed, but also give you the information you needed to take R4 down."

Will opened and closed his mouth. "You want to take them down?" "Of course,"

[/i] Henry said, "if I am ever going to get out of this mess, to stand a chance of getting back to living a normal life, to stop playing the bad guy, I need R4 gone. I can't do it myself, I need your help. You and the Venia."[/i]

Will didn't know what to think. Luckily, Henry didn't leave him thinking for long. "Where's Natalie?"[/i] Will answered without really thinking about it, "back at Jim's house," he said, realising that he never would have told his Dad that under any other circumstances. "We need to make sure she's safe and get you to the local embassy. I'm going to give you the information you need to clear your name, and I'm going to give you the information you need to take R4 out. But we need to get out of here."[/i]

Will eyed the man before him. "Why should I trust you?"

Henry looked directly into his son's eyes, taking him by the shoulders. "Because despite what I may have led you to believe these past twenty five years, you're my son, and I love you."[/i]

----------

Henry remained at Will's heels as they made their way back to the Senator's house, glancing nervously left and right, fully aware that they were probably being watched. Will could feel waves of emotion coming off his Dad as he never had before - not these emotions anyway. It had always been frustration and anger, but now it was anxiety and concern.

Coming in through the back gate, Henry lagged behind as they walked past the Senator's body lying by the side of the pool. "I'm sorry old friend."[/i] It was like being with a completely different Henry Blake. Once they were inside the house, Will called for Natalie, looking back at his father who watched cautiously out of the window for any signs of danger.

As Natalie appeared, he held up his hands and waved her over, showing her it was safe. Henry turned to the blonde, offering her a reproachful look. Clearing his throat, he said, "sorry for threatening you with a gun,"[/i] he said, "and calling you those names. And putting you through hell this past month."[/i] It was obvious an apology wasn't going to be enough, but at least he'd said what he'd needed to say. "It was a necessary evil, as my boy will explain later. Now..."[/i]

He walked a little further into the room, opening his mouth to tell them what they needed to know, when the large glass window behind him shattered. Hit by a laser in the back that pierced right through his chest, he let out a cry of pain, collapsing forwards into the rug, blood already beginning to spill out onto the white fur. Will let out an almighty great shout of "NO!" as he stared in horror at what had just happened.

Only, the threat wasn't gone. More lasers pierced the other panes of glass, and Henry desperately croaked, "get down!"[/blockquote]

[Natalie Blake]

As strange as it was, curling up in a bed and watching some television helped revive Natalie a little. This was honestly what she missed the most--the little things, the small freedoms. When you're running through hell's half-acre, you lost things like watching Saturday morning cartoons in your pajamas. This wasn't quite the same, but it was the closest she'd gone in a while. The only major difference was the worried knot in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it as best she could. It was better not to get worked up over things.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually she heard the door open and Will calling her name. Shutting off the holo, Natalie timidly slipped out into the hall and looked out into the main room. She shot a wary glance in Henry's direction, but when Will waved her over she didn't hesitate. The older man's apology left her mildly taken aback, but she held back her questions as he prepared to continue.

He never got the chance.

The time between the laser appearing on Henry's back and the time he was lying in a pool if blood on the floor was over so fast that Natalie barely had time to register it, and she only just managed to shake out of her horror long enough to duck down behind an adjacent sofa. Staring out at Henry, she couldn't help but think of her own father, and the gunshot which had, in the long run, ended his life. What had she and Will done to cause fate to loath them so much?

Grabbing her gun, she aimed it as best she could back along the laser point still resting on Henry's back. Once she pulled the trigger, the laser fell away. In fact, they all disappeared. She hesitated a moment, uncertain, but then shoved her gun back into her pocket and hastily went to Henry's side. Will was already there. "Is there anything we can do for him?" she asked, her voice shaking.

[William Blake]

Will, stupified by what had happened, didn't hit the deck even when his Dad ordered him too. Luckily, Natalie seemed to keep her head somewhat, and managed to shot one of the attackers, causing them to flee - for the moment. As soon as the gun fire stopped, Will skidded onto his knees beside his father, assessing the wound as best he could considering his hands were practically fitting they were shaking so hard. It was bad, really bad, but he wasn't going to give up easily, he never did.

"Of course there is," Will croaked, tugging at his Dad's arm so that the man could turn onto his back, "we can get him to the hospital, it's not that far away."
Henry shook his head, dragging in a rasping breath of oxygen, "no, William. They're still out there. Leave me and go."
"No," he choked, "no, I did not go twenty five years without you, then get you back, only to lose you. You said you wanted a chance at a normal life, you can have that, we just need to get you out of here."
"Son," Henry placed his hand on Will's arm, "if you don't leave now, those men will kill you and Natalie. My life is not worth both of yours..." his sentence dissolved into a harsh cough, blood dribbling from the side of his mouth.
"No..."
"Look," he reached into his jacket and placed a small computer drive into Will's hand, "you already have the files you need to prove your innocence, this is the information on how to get to my base. Find the information you need and take them down, for me."
Will was about to object again, but Henry cut him off, looking at Natalie instead, "look after him."
"We're going to save you."
Henry shook his head, reaching for his pulse pistol with a shaky hand. "I've lived my life son, it's time for you to live yours."

It practically tore Will apart to leave his Dad there, holding off the men for as long as possible. He couldn't watch the man die, not now. But his Dad was right about one thing, he had to get Natalie out of there; he wouldn't lose her too.
They made a clean break to the embassy, and although they were detained on arrival, the files were read, and soon they were cleared of all charges.
Will may have been granted his freedom, but now all of his family was truly gone.