The Drive Home (Richard and Rebecca)

[Akirapryde]

As Rebecca pulled out the diner as she drove the SVU home. Rebecca didn’t say a word as her mind raced over what just happened. Her mind couldn’t have been further away from the SUV. She hated the situation she had put herself in. Rebecca didn’t lie. And because of that, she wore the turmoil of her emotions across her face. It wasn’t bad enough that she had betrayed Simon to the vampires. Which for Rebecca wasn’t nearly as painful as the fact that she had betrayed Richard. She hated having to go behind Richard’s back, but Simon was guilty of murdering those vampires. She cut a turn just a bit tighter than normal causing the large SUV to shift to the left roughly. “Sorry” she said as she righted the SUV in its line.

Simon had once more caused the Cabal problems with the vampires. They were sent to talk to the vampires and after a short firefight, the situation was secured. Simon told Rebecca and Kira to wait before continuing in to the bunker. Not knowing what his intention was, she and Kira waited. Sure there was talk of turning the bunker in to glass, but Richard’s orders were to capture the vampires not kill them. Simon was impulsive and jumped the gun. His actions nearly killed Kira and herself as he acted on his own plan. He didn’t even warn them while they were exploring the bunker. This was bad enough, but Simon’s crimes against the Cabal were just continuing.

After they finally captured the leader of the vampires, Richard and this vampire had somehow become joined mentally. She didn’t really understand how that worked. But it was clear to Rebecca that whatever the vampire suffered, Richard suffered. Rebecca told Simon to stop harming the vampire by threatening to set Simon on fire. She hoped that the seriousness of the situation would be seen by her tone and words. After all Rebecca doesn’t mask her feelings or intentions very well. Simon’s reaction was only to kick her out of his mounter lab.

The next thing she knew, Richard was in a coma and the vampire was trying to kill Simon. It wasn’t till Kira told Rebecca what happened did she realize Simon had once more acted impulsive and caused the whole situation. Had she had known about Simon’s actions, she would have allowed the vampire to kill Simon. Simon’s actions had nearly killed Richard using that fire spirit to set the vampire on fire. Because of that mental link, Richard was forced to feel every painful moment of being set on fire. Rebecca wasn’t even sure that Simon was sorry for what happened.

Because of Simon’s action, Richard was comatose and there was nothing she could do to help her fallen leader. Rebecca had hoped that Simon would had leaped at the chance to help Richard. Her face drew up in to a scowl as her anger turned her face flush with redness. Simon’s only help was to make a sandwich for her while she was on the verge of crying over Richard’s fate. During this time, Rebecca felt so lost and so helpless. There was nothing she could do to help Richard. She was almost beside herself with grief and confusion she just didn’t know what to do.

‘Oh but Simon makes me a sandwich. A gosh dang sandwich!’ she thought as her scowl grew deeper across her face. Simon’s words had stung and were not forgotten when he had snapped on her for rejected his offering. ‘What was I supposed to do, kick back and snack on the front porch while Richard slowly dies’ she questioned herself.

No one knew at the time what was going on with Richard. Simon never once even bothered to check on his brother’s condition. No instead he makes a sandwich. And then when she rejected it he vanishes in to his monster lab. Rebecca and Kira fought to help Richard while Simon couldn’t be bothered with his brother’s condition. It was a time when Richard needed Simon the most, Simon just left without saying anything to anyone. At the time, no one knew what was going on with Richard and rather he would live or die. And what does Simon do, he just ups and vanishes.

For two days, Rebecca set on the edge of the lake while the Lake Spirit healed Richard. For two days she didn’t leave his side expect for the short time when Simon made her believe that he was going to be attacked by more vampires. Her scowl grew even broader as she remembered Simon’s actions. Even though she told Simon how serious the situation was, Simon didn’t seem all that interested in Richard’s condition. But for Rebecca, all she could think about was Richard. Her heart had hurt like never before as her emotions were running amuck with her. For two days and two nights Rebecca slept and set on that water’s edge.

Rebecca wouldn’t leave Richard’s side. How could she leave his side, he was after all her leader. Then again Rebecca hadn’t heard from Simon at all. Rebecca wouldn’t abandon Richard, she couldn’t. After all it was Order over Family. And this was how Rebecca had been raised. Simon’s actions simply didn’t make any sense to her. He just up and vanished without any care of Richard’s wellbeing.

The whole time, she was terrified for Richard and didn’t know how to help him. Simon, was their only healer and he had abandoned the Cabal. Rebecca placed Richard’s wellbeing in the hands of the Lake Spirit and above her own needs. She had made a deal with the Spirit to help Richard. A deal that Rebecca was more than happy to make. Healing Richard was Simon’s job, not hers. But now, each morning, one hour before sunrise till one hour after sunrise Rebecca would make it rain. Her graduated towards the Lake Spirit was beyond her emotions. Which only fueled her anger towards Simon. ‘Did Simon contact the Cabal to find out what was going on?’ Rebecca frowned, ‘NO!’ Rebecca thought as she cut another turn a bit more tightly.

But Rebecca wasn’t only mad at Simon for his actions. She was mad at herself because of her own actions. Richard had played the meeting with the vampires perfectly and did what he said he would do. But for Rebecca, Simon had done the worse crime of all. He had abandoned his Cabal when they needed him the most. A crime that Rebecca couldn’t forgive. It was in that moment that the radio started to play Renegade by STYX.

“Wonderful” she mumbled as she felt the song was more directed at her own actions for betraying Richard’s intentions. Rebecca had not only betrayed Simon to the vampires, she had betrayed Richard’s brother. She knew that her betrayal to Richard would sting and she didn’t feel as if she deserved Richard’s respect. She wasn’t even paying attention to the music anymore or for that matter anything else. She was sure if she didn’t have one mind, two thoughts up she would have caused an accident by now. With one mind solely focused on driving, her other mind raced through these emotions.

And now her emotions were in turmoil. She hated what Simon had done, but was she any different than he was now. She wouldn’t allow herself the comfort of excuses. All this took place three days ago, she had plenty of time to ‘get over’ what had happened. No, she knew all too well that there was no excuse for her actions. Unlike Simon, she had time to think. Time to plot. What did she end up doing? She decided to use the vampires as her own personal tool for revenge against Simon.

She had made sure to tell the vampires that Simon was a guilty man and was on the run. She told the vampires that she believed Simon was hiding in Japan. She knew all too well that Mr. Black was going to make sure Simon was killed. Rebecca couldn’t deny the truth, what she did was only for revenge. After all, was this not only for revenge for abandoning them? If it wasn’t to get revenge then why did she go behind Richard’s back to do it?

She could easily justify the action by all the times Simon had threatened her life. But she knew she wasn’t afraid of Simon, so she couldn’t justify her actions as self-preservation. She and Simon had had a bit of a blow out just before Richard got hurt, but again Rebecca couldn’t justify her actions as lashing out at him for that. ‘No’ she thought, ‘this was not revenge for any act against me’ she added. Simon had murdered vampires before and now the entire Cabal had been placed in danger once more because of it. But this was not the first time the Cabal had been placed in danger because of a member. After all, she caused the whole issue with Meatball that nearly led to the entire Cabal being killed. So this couldn’t be a justification.

Sure at first, she justified her rash and impulsive action as being a personal seeking Justice. But she could no longer use that justification. In hindsight, Rebecca couldn’t hide from the truth. Rebecca acted because of her inability to control her wrath. Simon had abandoned his own brother when Richard needed him the most. Richard, a man that was so deserving of her respect and Simon just walked away. Not realizing she was allowing her anger to slip away from her once more. She couldn’t rationalize if she felt she deserved Richard’s respect for her recent actions. Rebecca slammed her hand down on the stirring wheel hard enough to cause it to hurt. She turned and saw Richard sitting next to her. ‘Had he said anything’ she thought as she was completely unsure if he had said anything. “So um” she said not really sure what to say.