Dice knew that it was Rio and Price, stumbling into the other two guards that had come in with Meredith, who Thor had confirmed over the comms. He didn't turn to look. As if taken by the sudden confusion, Ryker whipped around quickly and spilled the contents of his tumbler on the guard and shoved into him, beginning to apologize profusely.
"My word! I didn't see you there, old chap! Let me help with that," he exclaimed, in the most painfully amusing British accent Dice had ever heard.
Dice grabbed Meredith by the wrist and pulled her aside, quick steps taking them swiftly to one of the bathrooms under the cover of the confusion. He locked the door behind him and as he turned around, he was immediately greeted by Meredith's arms flinging around his neck. He embraced her without question, pulling her into him and breathing in the scent of her hair as if it were the air he needed to breathe to live.
"Spirits above, I've missed you," he said, thumbing off the transmission side of his comm unit as he did so, leaving the occasional chatter to stir in the background.
"I can't believe you're here," Meredith whispered, clinging to him. "I have so much to tell you. Oh, Dice … "
"And I want to hear all of it. But baby, we don't have time."
Saying that threatened to break his heart, but seeing her soft, lovely gaze flick up to him and look at him with all the love in the world strengthened his resolve. He could make it through this day, and every other day. For her.
Now I just need to make sure she survives all of this.
Thirteen
Meredith
Meredith didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. Maybe a bit of both. It couldn't hurt, right?
Though Dice told her that they didn't have time – and that much she could tell herself as well, because they were cooped up in a tiny bathroom at the most lavish terrorist party known to shifterkind – she couldn't help herself. Getting up on her tiptoes as much as the high heels allowed her, she brushed her hands over Dice's cheeks and pulled him into a kiss.
Their lips met and there was no hesitation, no spot of tentative nervousness. Only love and acceptance of one another.
His tongue snaked into her mouth and she moaned breathily, her lashes fluttering closed as she felt his arms tighten around them. It was like he was breathing life back into her, and hope. It had seemed impossible to think that there could really be any good left in her future, other than the chance of seeing her son again, but now in Dice's arms, she knew that there was more to fight for.
It was a needed reminder.
Reluctantly, Dice pulled away from their kiss and she allowed him that much, though she hated to break their moment. But as soon as she looked at him again, even through the haze of lust and love, she could see how serious the situation was. There was an aura of nervous energy around Dice that she had rarely seen.
"Okay. What do I need to know?" she asked, getting them both back on the track of business over pleasure.
"Right," Dice said, loosening his grip on her and slicking a hand through his short-cropped hair. "My whole team is here but we're supposed to be observing. Do you know why you're here tonight?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting the Research Control Committee. I think it's about my work. I should be testing on live subjects already, shifters, but they've been dragging their feet."
Dice nodded solemnly. Even just looking at him set her mind at ease, clearing away the fog of worry and panic. He was like a sentry, tall and proud, distilling faith in her in a way that nothing else could.
"That's what we were hoping for. We need to know who these people are. I have someone watching and we're going to be nearby, but I don't think we can get you out of here today. We're only supposed to mark our targets for the future and then come for you when we have them rounded up."
Meredith's expression fell slightly and she looked down at her feet, the gems on her shoes sparkling back at her with nauseating cheer. She understood, of course. Frankly, she wasn't sure if she would have agreed to go to begin with, seeing as she didn't have Dice with her. But somehow hearing it made it all the more real.
Freedom and happiness were like carrots being dangled in front of her nose and she could never quite reach them.
"I understand," she said softly, nuzzling her nose into his neck and breathing in his scent by the lungful.
God, he smells so good, she thought absently, as if trying to distill that feeling she got of warmth and safety and tuck it away somewhere deep inside of her, where the despair couldn't get to it.
"You shouldn't," Dice said, his voice rising slightly with frustration. "You shouldn't be understanding any of this. You shouldn't fucking be here to understand this, to cope with this."
"Shh," she hushed him, her hands on his chest.
Looking up at her tall, always deathly calm and composed man, she was surprised and touched to find him cracking slightly under the pressure. She knew it was all for her and for the good of both of them, she needed him to hang on.
"If you don't fight through this, I won't be able to either. Dice, I- … I need to tell you something."
Meredith bit her lower lip, feeling a violent shake burst through her. This wasn't how she wanted to tell Dice about Dean. In fact, being cooped up in a lavish bathroom while everyone outside and around them were their enemies was just about the last way she could have imagined telling the man she loved that she had borne him a son. But life didn't really ask for her opinions on a lot of things these days.
"I know, Meredith," Dice said, that unshakable certainty and calmness of spirit back in him just as swiftly as it had seemingly left.
Meredith frowned, her brows furrowing together.
"You … you know?"
"I know about the baby. I know about our son," he said, and she could see the shimmer of what she could only assume to be tears in his eyes.
She knew they reflected the ones that were growing in hers as well. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, anchoring herself in place for a moment and sharing the heartache they both felt.
"I didn't want to bring him up like that, Dice," Meredith whispered, feeling the secureness of Dice's embrace lulling her into a sense of safety.
"I know you didn't. Spirits above, Meredith, it kills me to know that you're going through any of this. And with a child in the mix … You need to know, I couldn't be happier, and prouder, knowing that we have a son together. And whatever I do, I promise I will get both of you out of this nightmare alive. You hear me?"
He tipped her chin upward and she looked into his deep, solemn gray and hazel eyes, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Smiling faintly, she nodded and then planted the gentlest of kisses on his lips.
"I know, Dice. I know."
She didn't have the heart to tell him that at that moment, she didn't even know where their baby boy was, let alone whether he was truly okay.
Right then, she could hear the very faint buzz of his earpiece, followed by a growl from Dice. It was one of frustration and annoyance, not directed at her but the world at large, which seemed to be firmly against the both of them.
"That was Ryker. We need to get you back in there. Your guards are tearing up the place and we don't need them getting suspicious."
"We wouldn't want that, no," Meredith said with only a hint of sarcasm, making both of them smirk slightly.
Dice obviously couldn't stop himself and before he unlocked the door, he stole another passionate, intense kiss from her that left her knees quaking. The touch of his wide palm on the small of her back, sending warmth radiating through her, was the last contact she had with him before she slipped out through the door and returned to the party.
As if nothing had happened, she plucked a champagne glass from a server and made a show of taking a dainty sip. It was more to cool her nerves than for anything else, though.
You can't be blushing like a schoolgirl who's been caught making out with the quarterback under the bleachers. Its game time, Meredith! Look alive!
None of those quaint little motivational chants really made her feel any better, but she could slowly feel her heartbeat returning to normal as she put distance between herself and the bathroom. Dice was still waiting in there, she was sure of that. She needed to get far enough away from there that no one could suspect them to have been there together.