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"And therefore Merry Christmas to you all!”, the head of Overwatch base Annecy gave a toast to his members.
The agents echoed his toast and applauded before falling into a constant chatting and laughing. Like every year, they celebrated Christmas at the base after a short day of work together with their family members.
“What a pity your wife isn’t here this year, Captain Lacroix.”
“You know you can call me Gérard, Michel.”, he turned to his subordinate that had walked up to him and smiled softly.
“I know, I know.”, Michel said sheepishly. “Still, it’s different not seeing you dance with your wife like the past years. You two always seemed so happy then.”
Gérard sighed slightly and looked at the dancefloor. Sadness twinkled in his eyes and his smile nearly vanished from his features.
“We thought we stay more private this year. Amélie is still afraid of crowds, although I told her she’d be safer here today…”
They were silent for a moment, thinking back to the day when Amélie had been saved. She had been kidnapped by Talon and taken hostage for several months until Gérard and his team finally found her. The picture of this devastated and agitated woman had burned itself into their minds. Everyone loved Amélie Lacroix, especially her husband. She was the kindest woman Michel had ever met, always polite, always smiling and a perfect secretary. But since that incident, parts of that woman were gone. She always had been a private yet warmhearted person. Now there was a light chill surrounding her and ever so often she preferred to stay alone, avoiding people.
“Guess, all this had been too much for her.”, Michel assumed. “I’m sorry…”
Gérard just shook his head and turned his gaze towards Michel.
“No. it’s all good, mon ami[1]. I know you and your wife liked Amélie a lot, so it’s just natural to ask this.”
A heavy sigh shook him, as he laid an arm around his friend’s shoulders.
“I’m just so glad to have her back – even though she might still be traumatized – but I know we can get through this.”
Je ne te lâcherais jamais, ma petite étoile![2]
“Eh, Captaine Lacroix! Ça va?[3] Vous allez bien?”, another man joined them.
He was tall and obviously of African descent. Luc Mumbaba was the newest member of Gérard Lacroix’s team, who had joined shortly before they had saved Amélie Lacroix from Talon. Although he was already in his thirties, Luc appeared much younger than his age and always seemed to smile with a witty yet wise glimmer in his eyes.
“Ah, our African tiger, Mon Papa!”, Michel greeted him.
Luc laughed whole-heartedly.
“If you feel down and lost, call ton papa, Mumbaba!”, he said with his melodious voice. “Hope you enjoy the party.”
“Yes, we do.”, Gérard said, straightening himself slightly. “Will you celebrate with your family, too?”
Luc eyeballed him for a short moment. It seemed as if his everlasting smile fell for a blink of a second.
It’s still hard to tell what he is thinking…, Gérard thought.
A faint uneasiness crawled up his neck, as if he was being scanned by his gaze. He could not help but remember that ever since they met, he saw Luc as some kind of spiritual person for some reason Gérard could not name.
“Yes, I will. My nephew is here and I will show him around.”, Luc said and pointed to a young boy that talked to some other agents of his team. “My sister is here, too but not very happy to see her son this interested in his uncle’s work. What about you two?”
“Oh, I will go to church with my wife and our boys.”, Michel said. “I hope Antoine learned from last year to not tie the Christmas lights to the cat’s tail again.”
They laughed, as Michel told the whole story of what his youngest son did back then.
“Et vous, Capitaine?”[4], Luc asked, still shaking from faint laughter.
“I…”, Gérard cleared his throat. “My wife prepared dinner and… Well, we’ll have a nice private evening together, I guess.”
“Private evening.”, Michel echoed with a grin. “I hope this private evening will be successful, Gérard. You two tried so hard for the last few years.”
He elbowed his team leader’s side in a teasing manner and giggled a little, when he saw a slight blush on his cheeks.
“I- I wasn’t specifically... talking about that, Michel!”
“Of course not.”, he continued teasing him.
But before he could comment further, Luc silenced him by wrapping an arm around Michel’s shoulder.
“Then you shouldn’t let your queen wait, Capitaine.”, he said.
Thankful for his help, Gérard nodded.
“Yes, I should get going. Greetings to your wife and children, Michel and Merry Christmas as well.”
“I’ll accompany you outside, Capitaine. I need to cool off a little.”
It was cold outside and snow fell softly to the ground. After years of rather warm winters it was the first white one. Gérard smiled at the view of children building a snowman.
Peut-être un jour, Amélie et moi aurons des enfants qui feront un bonhomme de neige comme celui lá. Ça serait bien…[5]
“Tous les hommes font la même erreur, de s'imaginer que le bonheur veut dire que tous les vœux se réalisent.”[6], Luc said into the silence.
Gérard almost forgot that he had accompanied him outside and jumped slightly. He turned around slowly.
“What do you mean by that?”
Luc gazed at him intently. There was no smile on his lips, only seriousness which seemed to contain a greater knowledge only he was aware of.
“You wish for something you might not get, Capitaine. Something that might kill you.”
Gérard frowned at his words and shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t know what you want to tell me, Luc!”
“You want your wife back, don’t you Capitaine?”, the tall man asked.
“Of course!”, Gérard said. “But why would that kill me?”
Luc came closer to him and it seemed that a mystical aura embraced him. Gérard had heard about rumors that Luc’s family was an old African tribe with deep connections to voodoo magic, but he never believed in that until now.
“I saw a shadow surrounding your wife’s heart and it grows. It grows like a spider knitting its web and this never is a good sign. If a spider embosoms your heart with its web, bad intentions will guide you. I’ve never seen such a big web before, Capitaine. Your wife is haunted by some strong black voodoo.”
A cold chill ran down his spine as he listened to Luc’s words. Could this be a joke? Why would his wife have bad intentions? And what did it have to do with him? He shook his head, letting confusion and anger getting the better of him.
“What are you talking about, Luc!? There is no such a thing like magic or voodoo! Amélie isn’t cursed or any! Yes, she is still not her old self, but she will be some day!”, Gérard hissed and tore away his arm that Luc had grabbed while talking.
“So, the spider has already blinded you…”, Luc hummed.
A faint sadness seemed to shine in his eyes as he gazed at his team captain. A sadness that seemed to know what would happen.
“You were quite suspicious towards Amélie since we rescued her! For what reason?”
Gérard almost yelled at him. Why would someone try to ruin his holiday like this? Why did he even bother? Was there some truth in these words? Why did he feel the prick of fear?
Amélie would never do something bad! She would never! We love each other! We are married! What is all this about?
Luc nodded slowly and fiddled something out of his pocket.
“I am not allowed to interfere with faith directly.”, he said. “I can just pray that you can escape from the spider before she can harm you. If you go back home, take this with you. It may protect you, if you are strong enough to resist.”
Something cold landed in Gérard’s hand. It was not heavy but it sure was made of metal. When he opened his hand, he saw a black necklace with a black spider as pendant. A small ruby was placed on its back.
“Have this close to your heart. Spiders are afraid of themselves. Good luck, Capitaine and Merry Christmas.”
With that, Luc was gone.
Que se passe-t-il?![7]
She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled contentedly.
Exactement comment il l'aime.[8]
A scarlet dress with a jewel cut hugged Amélie’s hips and presented her curves just right. It fell a bit loosely to the ground and from the middle of her thigh it had a slit through which her slender legs peeked when she walked. Her hair was pinned up, offering a free view at her jewelry and delicate back. Maybe she should wear something like this more often?
Oh, Gérard… You’ll be very happy tonight, I believe. Haaah, pauvre cheri. You waited so long for this…, Amélie thought, as she carefully opened her lipstick to repaint her lips with a matching scarlet red. She did it very cautiously and took her time with it. A tiny sparkle of pleasure blinked in her eyes, a pleasure that seemed to be the kind predators felt.
And so did I!
Finishing her appearance with an enchanting perfume, Amélie headed for the entrance hall. She knew that her husband would return punctually. Therefore she had cared for the other day. Promising Gérard that his wish of his own family would possibly come true had almost been enough to convince him to celebrate at home. But she still had to change his opinion on taking her with him to the official party at the base as every year.
“Haaah, la dernière fois! Being afraid of crowds and overly cautious is getting tiring…”, Amélie said to herself in a low voice.
Checking her hair pins one last time, she stepped down the stairs of their small villa and crossed the entrance hall for the dining room. Everything was just perfect. The candles were lit just as the Christmas tree as well, the table was set and the smell of freshly cooked food filled the air. She cracked a one-sided, somewhat cool smile.
Ouf, je déteste cette mascarade! Et cet coq au vin…[9]
But being a good wife, Amélie poured some wine into the glasses and bared the thought of not having her favourite dish this Christmas.
“All at a time…”, she murmured.
A click of the front door could be heard, followed by heavy footsteps in the entrance hall.
Right on time.
“Chérie! I’m home!”, Gérard called her.
“Welcome home, mon chevalier.”[10]
Before he could actually go and look for her, he was stunned by awe right on the spot. Amélie slowly stepped out of the dining room, rolling her hips in a captivating manner. Her hazelnut eyes had a glimmer that told stories of hunger – passionate hunger. Each clicking step with her high-heels made Gérard shudder.
“Mon Dieu!”[11], he breathed.
Amélie smiled and kissed him onto his lips longingly.
“Joyeux noel, mon cheri!”, she hummed.
Ben oui[12], first step complete.
“A-Amélie! You look… Très jolie![13] I… This…”, Gérard looked for words but could only look at his wife like a goof.
Step two. Looks like the aphrodisiac of the perfume is already working. Oh my, you must’ve really been longing for this… Let’s see for how long this will stay like this.
Her husband’s strong arm wrapped itself around her hips and dragged her closer to Gérard. His lips found hers and invited them for a hungry kiss, but Amélie broke it before he got too excited.
“Oh, là là!”
A breathy giggle escaped her but it sounded less surprised than rather expected. But Gérard did not notice. His mind was distracted by the stunning woman before him and by the things that could still happen this night.
“Oh, Amélie! You’re so beautiful today! I feel so small, just like the day we met.”
His lips were parted in a dreamy grin.
Amélie put up a soft smile and reached for Gérard’s hand.
“Thank you, cheri. Now, you must be hungry, don’t you? I made your favourite dish.”, she whispered the last few words and tagged him along.
“You mean… you?”, he joked and wiggled his eyebrows.
“I guess dessert is for after the main course.”, she answered.
Her hand had clenched Gérard’s for the blink of a second, when she had heard his words. Amélie was more than glad that he could not see her face that moment too. With each of her body cell she seemed to have felt disgust towards this man she was married to.
You always sucked at flirting…
They entered the dining room and Amélie was pleased to see the joyful sparkles in Gérard’s eyes when he finally saw the served Coq au Vin surrounded by neat décor. He looked at his wife.
“How did I deserve that?”
“Because you are my beloved husband.”, she answered and smiled mysteriously.
And foremost: you are my prey!
When they finally took their seats, Gérard held up his glass of wine for a toast.
“To my lovely wife, who finally returned and to a bright future with our little family.”, he said.
“Santé!”[14]
Again, the mysterious smile tugged at Amélie’s lips, as they clicked their glasses. She waited a moment until Gérard took a sip.
Que la fête commencer![15]
Taking a sip herself, her smile grew wider.
“Hmm, such a smooth taste.”, she hummed.
Gérard agreed and filled the plates with the nice smelling dish. He smiled like a small boy.
“Oh, mon dieu! This is incredibly delicious!”, he sighed. “Madeleine did a great job!”
“It wasn’t Madeleine.”, Amélie corrected him.
Madeleine was their personal cook and housekeeper for their small villa. Usually she would prepare each dish but this time Amélie had sent her home and had prepared this dish herself. People would assume that she could not cook but todays dinner proved them wrong. Never had she seen Gérard wolfing down his favourite dish with such delight.
“You cooked it?”, Gérard asked slowly and put down his fork. “But… You never… That Madeleine actually let you in her kitchen. Did you bribe her?”
Amélie smiled.
“I offered her to stay at home to spend Christmas with her sister. She had told me that her sister got seriously sick, so this might be her last Christmas probably. Madeleine is such a good soul, she deserves to spend time with her family.”, she explained with a sad expression. “I feel guilty for letting her work so much here with so little free time…”
“That is… Yes, you made the right decision, Cherie. I’m glad that she agreed to it. I hope her sister will be better and that they’ll have a nice vacation…”, Gérard nodded with the same sad expression.
Well, actually… I took care that this nosy and hard-working servant has a reason to stay away from here.
A broad hand reached over to hers and caressed it. It was Gérard’s hand. Amélie had to fight back the urge to just slap his hand away, when he was about to reach for her cheek. Instead she turned her face away from him.
Ne me touches pas![16]
“I’m sorry you had to deal with this information on your own.”, Gérard apologized. “I wish, I didn’t have to spend so much time at the base the days before. This must remind you of…”
He left his sentence unfinished and sighed. At the beginning of this year, Amélie’s mother had turned heavily sick as well. Since then, his wife had spent as much time at Châteu Guillard – her parents’ home – until the worst day of his life had happened. Gérard jumped slightly when he felt the soft touch of Amélie’s hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much, cheri.”, she calmed him. “Now… Do you want your dessert?”
She met his surprised gaze with a suggestive smile and massaged his shoulders. Leaning closer to him, she made sure that he could smell her dazzling perfume.
“You present wants to get unwrapped.”, Amélie whispered and chuckled softly.
Gérard’s eyes widened by that register of her voice.
Oh, Gérard. You are so easy to manipulate. How could it happen that Talon didn’t manage to erase you yet?
As if another force had taken control over him, Gérard stood up and cradled Amélie to his chest. They nearly flew out of the dining room and up the stairs to their bedroom. He didn’t care to shut the door behind him, when he dashed in and pressed Amélie against the bed post of their canopy bed.
Finally, the aphrodisiac does its work! Took you long enough…, she thought, when his lips hungrily sought for hers.
Chuckling at the back of her throat, she pushed him onto the mattress playfully yet forcefully. Doing so, she noticed something hard and solid in his breast pocket.
“What is this?”, Amélie asked irritated.
“Nothing.”, Gérard growled and stripped off his shirt.
The next moment, it landed somewhere next to the bed with a dull impact. There must have been something quite heavy in that pocket, that much was certain. Amélie turned back to her husband, meeting his dark eyes that glistered with pure carnal desire. This is what she had waited for. A smile parted her lips, cold and vicious. She walked over to the door and closed it thoroughly.
NOW!
“Amélie!”, Gérard growled behind her.
He was about to walk over to her, but he stopped in his motion when he heard a familiar clicking.
“Be a nice boy and sit back on the bed.”, Amélie said cool, not even bothering to turn towards him.
“Oh, là là! I didn’t know you were open to this.”, Gérard purred and moved closer.
With a swift movement, she turned around to meet him with a gun.
“Sit down.”
Startled by the sharp tone in her voice, Gérard stopped and looked at her surprised. For a moment it looked like he had turned into a statue, as if he had met Medusa’s gaze. But suddenly, he chuckled with a smirk.
“Whoah, Cherie! For a moment I thought you were going to kill me. I like this new side of yours.”
Amélie smirked back at him. Her gaze was ice-cold, when her thump reached for the hammer of her gun.
“I mean it, Gérard.”
“A-Amélie?”, he asked and took a step back.
Fear spread across his features, clearly showing that he had never thought that he could ever be threatened by his own wife with a gun. Being this startled, he could not think of anything else than doing as told.
“Surprised? Huh, don’t worry, this won’t take long.”, Amélie said.
“W-why?”
Gérard’s backside of his knees made contact with the bed and he fell onto it. As Amélie came closer, still pointing the gun at him, he climbed up onto the bed completely. Her gaze was piercing and had nothing in common with the woman he knew.
“You really ask me that?”, she hissed.
Hate and disgust crossed her face for the split of a second. Then she let her gun sink down and casually strode to his side.
“Because you ruined my life!”
Her right hand suddenly pressed hard on his ribcage. One of her rings had a very thin thorn that contained a strong sedative. Gérard breathed sterotorously at the painful sensation.
“Don’t worry, this won’t kill you.”, Amélie said, almost chuckling at this view.
Gérard tried to reach for her but his limbs did not seem to react to his commands.
“The whole time we were married, I had to sacrifice everything to your career.”, she continued. “When we married, I had to leave Château Guillard, for this!”
Angrily her hand waved through the air as if she tried to catch the whole villa in one hand.
“You know what that means? I had to discard my title of nobility to marry you! Now I’m an outcast of nobility! Who had to quit their career? I had to because you became Captain of a filthy squad. You were free to do whatever you want and what about me? I had to stay here and be a good wife, because you wanted children, because you wanted me all to yourself!”
Gérard looked at her completely shocked.
“But we talked about all that. I-I thought you wanted a family too. I thought this was what we both wished for.”
“Pah!”, Amélie almost spit this word out. “I never wanted children. I had a promising career as ballet dancer. Haven’t you ever asked yourself, why it never worked out? As if I would have children with you after you broke my contracts with Paris and spread rumors about my health!”
“B-but…”
He lost his voice.
“You shut me in. Overwatch shut me in. Did you really think I took the job as secretary because I wanted to be close to you for emotional reasons?”
She looked at him with an unreadable expression.
“What?”, Gérard breathed.
“Yes, I only did it to study your weaknesses. I know you had something going on with my co-worker Marie. I know all your passwords and codes, because you were so careless telling me them. Aw, my stupid little wife won’t use that knowledge.”
Amélie clicked her tongue.
“You violated your number one rule: Don’t trust anyone.”
“No!”, Gérard breathed.
Amélie smiled.
“Yes, I gathered information and helped Talon to finally fulfil their task. And you know why?”
She gazed at him piercingly, showing nothing than hate.
“To take revenge for what you did to me and my mother.”
Gérard’s eyes widened.
“That is…”, he started with a trembling voice.
“I know it, Gérard. You killed my mother.”
“THAT IS NOT TRUE!!!”
The moment he yelled, he already started to cough in pain. The sedative and other drugs in his meal showed their effects completely now. How could she accuse him to have killed her mother? It must have something to do with her time in Talon’s hands. They must have brain washed her. In fact, Adéle Guillard had suffered from an incurable form of kidney cancer.
“You deny it even now…”, Amélie said disappointed. “You’re such a scum.”
She stood up and raised her gun.
“Adieu, Gérard.”
Her finger bent, the trigger was pulled and the bullet hit its target. Blood started to stain the white linen. She shot right through his heart. The moon light shone through the window. Amélie started to walk towards the big door to the balcony, when she stepped onto something. The silvery light reflected in the red stone of a necklace that peeped out of the breast pocket of Gérard’s discarded shirt. She bent down to pick it up.
“A black widow…”, Amélie murmured, holding the black necklace up.
“Took you a while.”, a deep hollow voice reached her ear, coming from the balcony door.
Amélie looked up.
“I told you, he needs his time to warm up but never has enough stamina.”, Amélie shrugged the comment of the masked man off. “Why are you here Reaper?”
The masked man folded his arms.
“I thought you might need a ride. One of his dogs sensed something.”, he answered. “Sombra takes care of him.”
Without saying a word, Amélie nodded. She could think of who might be this dog. Clutching to the necklace she walked over to Reaper.
“Fine then.”
Without any sound, they vanished into a black fog as if they had never been there.
Special thanks to Mey and Aldenya for correcting my crude typing.
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