Drive

"Whatever. You're getting out," the cop said.

Hal stood and walked over to the door, and the cop let him out of the cage. He followed the man out to a big room filled with desks and a few police, the night shift. As they hadn't given him any clothes to wear, he was standing there in his black shorts, and that's all. The room went quiet as people turned to stare at him.

It used to bother him how curious people were about the scars and burns, the visible signs of torture and pain he carried, but now he just ignored them. Sam was sitting with her back to him at one of the desks, talking to a female detective. She seemed okay for now. They'd given her a blanket to wrap around her shoulders.

Standing a short distance behind Sam was his handler. Karl Gunderman was a man in his sixties who looked like he was in his forties. He was a small, slim man with a thick black beard and a buzz cut on top. His reality didn't seem to match the rich baritone voice on the phone. Hal had never seen the man smile, and he certainly wasn't smiling now. He approached Hal and quickly searched for new injuries with his eyes.

"I wasn't hit. A close call but no injuries," Hal said quietly.

"Why?" Karl asked.

Hal snorted softly as he thought of Eve at Pinkie's and how she'd bullied him into taking responsibility for Sam. "No choice."

Karl's eyebrows rose. He looked to Sam, and Hal nodded.

"Why are you off program?" Karl asked.

Hal winced as an image of Lisa flashed through his mind, and Karl frowned crossly. They'd worked together for so long they didn't need to speak in words to communicate. The man knew Lisa was the wildcard in the equation of Hal's life.

"I need the time. No more than a week," Hal said, looking into Karl's eyes. The man finally nodded.

"Can you do it without her, the trouble magnet?" Karl said, gesturing to Sam. He'd already got a read on her.

Hal watched Sam from behind and wondered if she wanted to get away from him now that she'd seen what he was capable of—well, the beginnings of what he was capable of becoming.

She must have felt his gaze or finally noticed how quiet the room had become as she turned her head and saw him standing there in his shorts and tortured flesh.

Sam was immediately on her feet and rushed to him to wrap her arms around him. She burrowed her face into his neck, and he felt her body trembling. His arms automatically went around her, as well.

Hal traded a surprised look with Karl, and then he shook his head to answer the man's last question.

Karl frowned and shook his head in resignation. He held up a finger and mouthed one week. Hal nodded, and his handler left without another word.

"Ms. Dulane, I just have a few more questions," the female officer said, and Hal felt Sam hold him tighter.

"Sam is done answering questions."

The officer didn't like hearing that and got angry. "This is an active investi—"

"Stand down, Officer Hanes."

The officer turned to see her CO frowning at her. "Sir?"

"Orders from upstairs. There is no case. Destroy the paperwork."

The female officer stared at Hal then nodded to her commander. "Yes, sir." She moved back to her desk.

"Thank you," Hal said.

"Don't thank me. Not my decision." He handed over a large manila envelope containing Hal's wallet, keys, room key cards. Even an evidence bag with his knife was inside. Karl had done his job perfectly once more.

"The goons who busted in had key cards. Did you question the night desk clerk?" Hal asked.

"He's in the wind, as is the driver, but even if we found them, there's no case to link them to," the man said with a grimace as if he tasted something unpleasant. He looked at Hal uncomfortably. "You fucked up a sting operation we've been working on for over a year. That said, Officer Romano wanted me to thank you for not killing him." The grimace was back. Hal just nodded.

"We need to go back to the motel to get our stuff. Can we get a lift?" Hal asked.

The commander nodded. "It's been arranged. You'll meet the driver at the entrance to the precinct." He walked away without saying another word; his body language clearly showing his distaste for the entire situation.

"Let's go," Hal said to Sam, and she stepped back to look at him.

"We just get to leave? I don't understand. People died." She looked lost.

He couldn't explain it to her. She wouldn't understand. Maybe she'd decide to leave him here, now.

"Yes, we get to leave. There are no charges to file. It will probably just be reported as a failed robbery ending in the assailants' deaths and justifiable self-defense on our—my side. I'll understand if you don't want to continue on with me—"

"No!" Sam clung to his arm. "Don't leave me behind!" she whispered huskily. "I don't want to be alone!"

He blinked at her, then nodded. "Okay, let's go back to the motel."

They went down the stairs to the ground floor where a man was watching them with a smile. "Mr. Demon?"

"Demmon," he automatically corrected.

"My apologies! I'm to drive you back to your motel." The man was a little mesmerized by how Sam was filling out her black t-shirt.

"Let's go," Hal said to jar the man back to the task at hand.

They followed him out to a minivan and climbed onto the middle bench seat as the driver hustled to take his place behind the wheel.

The drive back didn't take long, but Sam held Hal's arm the entire way. She continued to tremble.

When the driver dropped them off at their rooms, a hint of the sun approached the horizon. Police tape was still encircling the area before the room entrances, and two police cars were stationed outside this. Hal walked up to the police car closest to the rooms, and the officer behind the wheel glared up at him.

"We're going inside to get our bags, and then we're leaving. Are you here until we leave?" he asked.

The cop gestured to the other cruiser. "He's protecting the site. I'm your escort out to the city limits to make sure you do leave," the officer snapped back.

Hal nodded and walked over to the police tape. He carefully untangled it from his rental and cleared their way to the doors to their rooms. Both doors were broken.

Hal noticed a bullet hole in the window of Sam's unit. He was relieved to see the bullet had stopped at the ceiling overhang. It could easily have traveled to one of the rooms in the building across the parking lot.

"Get dressed for the day, get your suitcase, and pack your items into it. Then meet me here in front of the car. We're getting an early start today, so we'll get breakfast in Springfield," he instructed. She nodded and went to the open door.

"I can't!" she choked as she looked inside.

Hal sighed to himself and led her inside. He asked her to choose some clothes and get dressed. He packed her remaining clothes into the case. He stepped over the large bloodstain in the carpet and collected her items from the washroom into her make-up kit. He carried that back out and put it into the case. He held open a plastic bag for her dirty items then added this to the case before closing it up. He looked to Sam and blinked at the transformation.

She was wearing his black t-shirt under a soft, light grey button-down sweater with a deep 'V' neckline.

Below this was dark grey yoga pants, which clung to her legs like a second skin. He could only imagine what they looked like on her ass.

She also had on the new sneakers and ankle socks and was waiting for him to say something.

"Wow! You look very lovely in that outfit," he managed.

Her smile lit up her whole face, then became shy.

He gestured for her to take her suitcase as he left the room with her following. He stepped into his unit and sighed as they hadn't made any effort to clean the gray matter from the carpet and walls. He turned to face her. "You should probably wait here. The room is... unpleasant."

She nodded, then he went inside. He carefully stepped around the mess to get into his bathroom, where he took a quick shower and dried off. He shaved and used deodorant, then packed his kit.

Finally, he cleaned his knife. He'd do a more thorough job that night.

He went into the hall and stepped around and over the mess. He heard a squeak and looked up to see Sam inside the room and turning to face the door. He looked down at his naked body.

Shit.

He quickly pulled on some briefs, the running pants, and his last black t-shirt.

He unlocked the larger suitcase and dug out a pair of socks and his combat boots. He sealed up his luggage, locked them, and carried them to the doorway. "Let's go," he said, and they stepped outside.

Hal loaded their suitcases into the trunk then held Sam's door open for her.

She sat and pulled her legs inside as he watched them.

He closed her door and walked around to his. Once he started the car, the police cruiser behind him backed up to unblock the way. Hal pulled out of the spot and drove them back through the suburb streets to get them onto the interstate. The police car tailed them all the way to the next exit, where it peeled off and left the interstate.

Hal looked over at Sam, leaning back in her seat with her head turned to face him. "Rough night, huh," he said gently.

She smiled weakly at him. "Actually, I had a lovely shower, and my hair is cleaner than it's been in months. The bed was comfortable, and I was getting wonderful sleep until those men broke into my room. Then I was just terrified." Her smile became a deep frown. "I thought they'd shot you and were going to take me back to Frank."

He nodded as he could imagine that's what it sounded like. "But that's not what happened," he said quietly.

"No! I pulled the blanket over my head and jumped every time a gun went off. I almost peed myself. I was so scared!" She looked at him with wide eyes. "Then it was over, and you were talking calmly to me like nothing had happened. You weren't even breathing hard, and they were all dead."

He shook his head as it was important to him. "One lived."

She just looked at him as they drove through the countryside. She didn't know this man, yet he'd beaten up men trying to rape her. He'd taken her with him on a trip he hadn't wanted to share. He'd paid for her expenses to dress and feed her, and now, he'd killed for her. She didn't know how to react. He didn't look like he was expecting anything from her, but she owed him so much!

"Thank you for saving me," she said, tears trying fall from her eyes while she fought back because he didn't need them.

He glanced at her and nodded.

The remaining miles to Springfield disappeared under their wheels, and he pulled off the highway for breakfast.

They ate in companionable silence and were soon back on the road.

"Where are we staying tonight?" she asked.

"A little place called St. Charles, Missouri, which is just west of St. Louis. I've got a hotel room booked. It has two queen beds, as that's all they had. I could try to find us a hotel with two roo—"

"No! I mean, that's not necessary. After last night, I think I'd feel safer if we shared a room," she said hopefully.

He pondered that. Safer. Would she be safer in the same room as the monster? He'd given it the lives of two men last night, so his dreams should be calm... for a time. He was feeling remarkably centered this morning. As long as he didn't think about the trip's ultimate destination and the decision he'd have to make. He refocused on Sam, who looked like she'd been holding her breath while she waited for an answer.

"Ok, we can give it a try. I must warn you. I don't sleep well, and I react to surprises in dangerous ways, as proven last night. You'll need to tell me if you're getting up to go to the washroom before you get out of bed. Moving around without telling me might be... bad."

She nodded to him thoughtfully.

"Waking me by talking to me is fine, but don't approach the bed until I'm awake and responding verbally, in a normal voice," he explained.

"Is it a condition?" she asked, and he felt the question cut deep.

How was he to explain this? He couldn't. He wasn't even allowed to. Still, he could offer her something.

'Yes. I... see someone about it." That was safe enough to share.

She nodded, then settled back in the chair to look out her side window. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He didn't want to lie to her.

Soon the endless flat expanse lulled Sam into sleep. Hal realized she hadn't been able to get any sleep at the precinct.

Now, he had time to think, but all he could think of was Sam and how pretty she looked in her new outfit. He felt that pulling sensation again, the one he hadn't felt for some time.

He pushed that out of his mind as it reminded him of his behavior the day he met Lisa in high school.

While he hadn't known it on his first day in the new school, Lisa was a shit disturber and a major cock tease. The entire male student body, and most of the male teachers, were in a constant state of blue balls around her, and she loved every minute. Her ability to manipulate any male within sight or earshot made her both revered and despised in equal measure.

Hal had been through the orphanage/foster home/juvie hall/public school system grinder by the time he reached the school Lisa was terrorizing. When he was inflicted upon the same school population, he was well on his way to complete social breakdown. His streak of self-destructive behavior was out of control.

Lisa immediately recognized a kindred spirit and hooked her crazy train to his runaway engine that would. They started their rebellion by having sex on the principal's desk with the school's PA system active. Their actions just escalated from there.

Lisa would pretend some jock was getting lucky with her, and Hal would beat him to within an inch of his life then ravage Lisa to punish her. He hadn't understood; he was doing exactly what she wanted. She pushed him harder and harder, and the fights continued. By the end of their first month together, they were racing across state lines in a stolen school bus, its original driver left bloody and beaten in the school parking lot.

The judge at their trial had military connections and gave Hal the choice of rotting in a cell or attending a special program that would help him harness the excess energy he had. It sounded better than jail, so he agreed to join the program and disappeared into their black box.

Lisa was assigned more typical psychotherapeutic treatments. She learned the rules of that game and manipulated her way out the other side with her high school diploma and a scholarship she used to train to be a dental hygienist.

Ten years later, Hal was one of the biggest success stories the ghost-ops project ever had. They announced he was ready for the next phase. He was put back into the civilian population, a managerial job in a small company in a small city in northern New York State. He was still on active duty and was frequently sent on missions to different hellish places around the world, but he always came back, though not always intact. He'd heal and step back into his useful role in society. His success in the program continued. Eventually, he no longer returned from missions injured. Those lessons were over.

Then came the day he spotted her.

Lisa was eating lunch in an outdoor café, and a young man at the next table was desperately trying to win her attention. She was twisting him around her little finger pretty well, and Hal felt his need for her pulling at him as well.

He'd walked right up to her table and sat across from her. The young man tried to object, but Hal simply seized his little finger in a painful grip and calmly asked if he could live without it.

Hal and Lisa spent the rest of the day trying to fuck each other to death.

He surfaced from his memories painfully erect. Lisa had always had that effect on him.

He understood now; it wasn't a healthy relationship. His handler had said as much on a few occasions. It was only Hal's continued excellence in the missions he was assigned that allowed him to continue his marriage to her. He understood that any threat to the performance of his duties would be met with a swift correction.

He was once more pulled back to the present by signs for Terre Haute. They'd stop for lunch here, and he was leaving the choice up to Sam once more.

As he pulled off the ramp, he gently called out to her. "Sam, we're stopping for lunch."

"Hhmmnah? What? Lunch?" she asked as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Where are we?"

"Terre Haute, Indiana. I'm just going to drive up the street to see what options we have."

They'd gone a few blocks when Sam made a small sound indicating something had caught her interest. It was an Applebee's, so he pulled into the parking lot.

She looked at him. "Are you okay with this?"

He smiled and nodded. "It's fine."

They got out, and he scanned the area with his eyes quickly then locked up as Sam waited for him in front of the car. He moved to her side, and she took his arm as they walked to the front door. He wondered when this touching started, then realized it was in the police station. He was going to pull free, but he realized he didn't really mind. Sam seemed happy too.

They went inside, and Sam was all smiles when the pretty hostess gave her a big smile and guided them to a table. So much different from the treatment she'd received at dinner the night before.

Hal took a seat watching the door, and Sam surprised him by sitting next to him, but then, she had the night before, as well. She poured over the menu while Hal quickly settled on a small salad. Truthfully, he wasn't hungry.

The waitress was equally friendly with Sam, and her cheeks were pink from smiling so much.

"Thank you so much for these new clothes! They make such a difference!" she gushed to him when they were alone once more.

"They're just clothes. You're the same person. If it takes a new outfit for them to treat you properly, then that reflects on them, not you," he said with a small shrug.

She leaned against him as she squeezed his arm against her. That felt very good, but Hal was uncomfortable about feeling this good.

"Sam, I need you to stop."

She leaned back and looked at him. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you think I was after sex!" She began to slide out from the bench, but he seized her hand.

"No! That's not what I was thinking. You've been very sweet, and what you've gone through has been very difficult. I get that you may feel grateful." He paused to take some deep, even breaths as he didn't want to talk about his wife, but it had become necessary. He saw the sad expression on her face, so he placed his other hand over hers and looked into her eyes.

"I'm married and have been for years. That's very important to me, but... recent events have shed light on a very ugly possibility... probability." He winced as pain shot through his chest. He took a cleansing breath and started again.

"I'm not very good at reading my wife. She's much better at reading me. I-I think she's been manipulating me our entire marriage. More likely, she's been doing it since we met in high school. I-I'm not sure if she loves me... or ever did... or is even able to. I finally recognized the patterns a few days ago. I need to deal with this before I can make any changes to my life." He sighed deeply. "I can be absolutely oblivious to emotional clues. It's one of the things I like about you. I can see your emotional state very easily. It's right there on your pretty face. It's such a relief."

Sam looked like she might cry again, but she had a smile on her lips. "I'm sorry about your wife. I have to admit I've heard many men tell me their wives didn't understand them, their marriage was a mistake, and they were interested in sex. This is the first time I've heard the opposite. It's... refreshing," she sighed. He raised a brow in surprise, so she smiled shyly. "I like you too, but I won't pressure you into making changes until you're ready." She tilted her face down and looked at him from under her bangs. "Would it be okay for me to continue holding your arm and hand? Just because it calms me," she said hurriedly.