Not your woman

Ariel took her heels off and began to knock it against the window, but it did not even make a dent. 

Blaine turned to the dashboard as he began to think clearly again.

“Why is nothing working?”

“He locked it. They did something to the car, none of the controls is working.” Her voice was loud and in panic, sending him into more panic.

He looked up at the skylight glass on top of the roof, and then at their hands that were cuffed together. “Fall your seat back.”

She got to it immediately without complaining, at first touching a button by the side, and when she remembered that all the automatic commands would not work, she began to do so manually.

Blaine did not have to ask what was going to happen to them as he looked round and realized they were at a mechanics' workshop. 

He would never know how they got here, but they were there, in her car and none of their guards were anywhere in sight.

From the crushed metal of old cars around here, and Ariel’s statement, he knew what was about to happen to them. They were about to be crushed in this car till they were minced meat.

“Ariel, please keep a cool head.” he grabbed her face, and said softly even though he was terrified.

There are ways to die, and there was no way to die. 

But if they were going to stand the tiniest chance of getting out of here, they had to keep a calm head. 

“We are going to try to get out of there, you first.”

He pointed at the roof, and she glanced up, and turned back to him with wide eyes and nodded enthusiastically, her brows sweating.

“Good.” He tapped her face once, “Try to get to the backseat with your back first.” He said, stretching his hand out even as he heard the crusher start up and this frightened Ariel into tears again.

“We are going to die,” she said, as she moved back with ease because of her petite size.

“We are going to die only if you want to die,” he said with strong conviction that he was not feeling at all. 

His life was actually flashing through his eyes and he pushed himself hard into the backseat, as they could already feel the heavy metal above so close.

Who would take care of Olivia? 

He would have trusted his mother in the past, but after seeing what she was capable of yesterday, he would be loath to leave his daughter with his mother and Ophelia. 

And as for his son, he would turn in his grave to see a Sullivan raise him into manhood.

He unlocked the small glass on the roof and pushed it back. “Come, go up first as quickly as you can.”

Since they were cuffed together, there was no way to save one person. 

If she got out safely while he was still in the car trying to get out, she would be crushed flat on the roof when the car crusher came down on them.

He looked down to see why she was hesitating at the backseat, and that was when he noticed their car had gone darker.

He looked up to see the crusher was on the roof.

He collapsed to the seat in defeat, as Ariel began to wail. Her cry was loud and desperate and ate at his heart.

He had always wondered how he would die, but never in all these years did he think it would be like this, and he would die with this woman. 

The crusher was coming down slowly, and he heard the first sound of metal caving and Ariel screamed.

“Ariel, look at me.” He held her face in his. “It’s over. Fear will not change it.” 

She was shaking her head even as he was speaking. 

“I don’t want to die Blaine, I don’t want to die. I cannot leave Oliver like this.” 

She was weeping and panting as the crusher continued humming and the roof began to cave.

Blaine was watching her with a pained grimace. 

It took death for her to finally admit that his son was alive. 

He did not have the time to be angry, they would be gone in another two minutes.

“Come. Let’s buy time.” He fell to the floor of the car even as his heart thumped in his chest, pulling her along and covering her with his body. 

This was the worst way to die, but he wanted her to at least experience the least pain possible.

“How old is he, Ariel?” He asked gently as she clung to him as frightened as a little girl. 

She was no longer wailing and in their last moments it felt like the time-glass was moving in drops, everything was happening in slow motion.

“Fourteen months,” she said, and he felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster as he could feel the car had now shrunk to half its height. 

Any minute now he would say his last words and when their guards found this car they would not be able to identify his body from hers. 

It was a macabre thought, but at the same time filled him with wonder.

“I did not use you, Ariel. I searched for you for months till Ruby showed up that day to tell me about your pregnancy,” he said, and between the noise and the pressure on his back, those were the last coherent thoughts he could get out.

“Come out.” 

Draco turned to see Ophelia standing by his bedroom door. He giggled and turned on his bed to face her.

“Scared of my bedroom now?” 

“I did not come here for games. Come out. I need to talk to you.” She remained firmly by the door, and this amused him. 

He decided to humor her as he got off his bed and hurried after her. 

She walked quickly away from him towards his living room.

“You think the living room is fuck-proof?” He reached out, grabbed her arm and spun her around. 

“I did not come here for this,” She pushed him away even though he saw clearly in her eyes that she would not mind having ~this~ either, now that she was here. 

He chuckled and let her go.

“Did you see my text?” She asked, and he turned away from her towards his bar. 

“What text?” He feigned ignorance as he picked up a bottle of Cognac, a glass, and pulled his cigar out of a pack.

“Stop playing games, Draco. Did you see it?”

“Hmm.” Draco said, returning to the living room. “Let’s see. Is it the one that said some wh*re was giving my woman a headache?”

“I am not your woman,” Ophelia said firmly, and he laughed as he took his seat.