Dominic

I woke up to the sun's rays shining straight into the room. Beside me, I heard calm breaths, and I was immediately thrown back to the night we had together, one of the few times Bel had taken the initiative, and I had enjoyed every second.

Instead of worrying about the events of the coming hours, I decided to savor the moment instead. So, I scooted closer and nestled myself between arms and legs until I lay belly to belly with the sleeping Belmont. 

 "Did you sleep well?" asked a teasing voice, and I felt all the muscles in my body tense up. I met Conor's gaze, but he didn't look angry, more relieved. 

 I nodded slightly, following him with my eyes as he sank down beside me on the bed. "He's here for your sake, you know that, right?" 

 I bit my lip and turned to him, "and you?" 

 He raised an eyebrow and gave me a crooked smile. "You think I agreed to have you around for Princess' sake, that it was some two-for-one deal?"

 "And was it then?" I asked curiously. 

 "The truth? We're out of cookies, sweetheart, and you know how I get when I haven't eaten." I chuckled and shook my head; the guy spoke in riddles, but something told me it was his way of saying I was welcome back. 

 "I have a plan," Belmont mumbled against my cheek; he must have woken up and been listening to us. "I'll call Masson and put the phone on speaker while you fry the eggs." 

 I laughed and hugged him tighter. "But then we have to get up," I whined, burying my nose in his long curls. 

 "Do you think we can convince Conor to chew gum as annoyingly as Marianne?" he smirked, glancing at the wolf, who just rolled his eyes. 

 "Maybe," I laughed, trying to picture Conor blowing bubbles with blue gum before I grew serious again. "Belmont," I murmured softly, "did you promise Clocksworth anything?" 

 "Nothing," he interrupted, and I looked up at him doubtfully. 

 I rolled my eyes, recalling all the times Belmont had longed for the clockmaker and followed his every whim. "I'm impressed." I watched with satisfaction as his cheeks flushed, and I pressed my lips against his one last time before getting out of bed. "We might have to skip breakfast today; I need to find Anthony. I need answers." 

 Bel quickly sat up on the edge of the bed. "What if he hurts you, Nic?" 

 I turned around, somewhat surprised, and met his worried eyes. "Belmont," I replied softly, sitting next to him, "not everything could have been a lie; somewhere inside, he loves me." 

 "Are you sure?" Conor muttered. "I'm pretty good at reading people, but that guy is a real puzzle." 

 I bit my lip and shook my head. "No." 

 Belmont's arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and he hugged me hard; I was surprised to feel tears dripping down onto my bare shoulders. "I should have asked you to stay, Nic; I should never have let you go." 

 I smiled slightly, feeling a warm glow spreading inside me, beginning to thaw my frozen heart. Belmont was one of the few who could break through my walls, something only Magnus had managed before. "There's no point in dwelling on that now," I said with a smile, wiping away the tears from his cheeks. "I'm here now."

***

A moment later, I found Clocksworth in the armory, where he was polishing one of his favorite guns. "Are the silver bullets meant for me?" 

 Without looking up, he shook his head. "For your husband." 

 I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw tightly; somewhere inside, I knew it had been too good to be true, but I never thought Anthony was just playing a game. When we landed in France, I had really hoped we would go home again, and everything would go back to normal once it was over. 

 "What happened?" I sighed and sat down across from him. He glanced up at me, and I met his dark brown eyes without looking away. 

"After you left the room, he made it clear to me that things were going to return to normal here," he muttered in a bitter voice. 

 With a sigh, I ran all ten fingers through my hair and leaned back in the chair, "So that was his plan from the beginning." 

 "Probably." 

 I nodded slightly and looked around the room. "Can he handle it on his own?"

 "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" 

 I shook my head and bit my lip. "Right now, it feels like the last few years were just a game to him, a way to get what he wants. I don't know this Anthony; I don't know what he's capable of." 

Clocksworth set the gun aside and leaned forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. "He's capable of anything, Dominic; you of all people should know that by now." 

 I looked at him questioningly. "He's your creator, right?" 

 Clocksworth sighed heavily and studied me for a long time. "He is more than that," he said hesitantly, and I could see that this was something he didn't really want to discuss. "It's nothing I normally talk about."

"He told me you were married."

Clocksworth looked chocked. "He did?"

I nodded. "You must have been close."

My words made him chuckle and he shook his head. "It was complicated. I was married off to his brother Luis, to strengthen the family. But the bond between a maker and his creation is always somewhat complicated. I longed for him."

 "So you loved him?" I whispered cautiously, and Clock nodded. 

 "Throughout my life with him, he gave me new hope, small crumbs of love, only to sweep them away from under my feet again and again." He sighed. "I thought he had changed, Nic; I hoped so for your sake. But the truth is, the only one he cares about is himself." 

 I felt completely empty inside as I listened to him, thinking about Anthony and the years we had together. "So, he's our enemy now?" 

 Clock shrugged. "Unless we choose to stand behind him."

 "And what is his plan?" 

 He stood up and turned his back to me. "Honestly, Dominic, I don't know; he took off." 

 "I might need to talk to him," I mumbled hesitantly. 

 He nodded slightly. "I'll come with you." 

 "You don't have to," I started, but was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. 

 "If anything happens to you, Bel will never forgive me," he smiled and reached out his hand to help me up from the chair. 

The drive to Paris didn't take long. But it felt like an eternity. When I eventually stood outside the apartment I hesitated to unlock the door. Casting a quick glance at Clock standing close behind me before I drew a deep breath before I opened the door and stepped inside. It was eerily quiet in there.

"Anthony?" I called from the hallway into the living room, but I received no response. "Anthony?" I shouted again, this time a bit louder.

I drew a sharp breath as I saw him stepping out of the kitchen with a grim expression. His shirt was wrinkled and carelessly tucked into his waistband; he looked worn out and surprisingly unkempt, with dark circles under his eyes, and the smell of whiskey reached us from across the room. 

 "What do you want?" he hissed, fixing his gaze on me. 

 "To talk," I replied as calmly as I could. 

 "About what?" I gathered all my strength not to start shouting at him, to keep my cool. "About your plans for us." 

 "Us?" He let out a dry laugh and turned his gaze to Clocksworth. "Could you please leave?"

 Clock placed a questioning hand on my shoulder, and I nodded slightly in response. "I'll be just outside," he whispered in my ear before shooting a glance at Anthony. "Don't do anything you'll regret." 

 "I regret nothing," Anthony replied coldly, but we both looked doubtfully at the half-broken man standing before us. 

 I sighed and took a step forward as Clocksworth left the room, and we both heard the front door close behind him. "Can you please give me an explanation?" I asked softly, reaching for his hand. He let me take it, but he was as stiff as if I were a stranger touching him. "Did you lie to me all along, A? Was it all just a game?" 

 He shook his head and took my chin between his fingers. "I love you," he whispered, and I saw the pain in his eyes. 

 "That wasn't the answer to my question," I murmured, looking into his eyes. 

 "I can't leave France in anyone else's hands, Dominic; this is my legacy; I need this!" His voice sounded both sorrowful and desperate at the same time, and I marveled at the total change he had undergone in just a few hours. Who was the man standing before me? 

 "But what about us? What happens to us?" 

 "There is no us; there's only me now," he replied coldly. 

 "Anthony," I sighed, taking a step forward. 

 "You missed that chance when you chose Belmont's bed over mine, mon amour." It struck me that he must have sensed Belmont's scent on me despite my shower this morning, but it didn't matter. 

I shook my head and slammed my fist against his chest, just above his dead heart. "It could have been you and me forever, Anthony," I whispered hoarsely, "but in your heart, there's only room for one, and that is yourself." 

 He looked down at me with cold eyes before leaning down to brush his lips lightly against mine. "I tried to be what you needed, Dominic; I wanted to be someone you could love," he whispered, and I saw the genuine sorrow in his eyes. "But it's not me, and it never will be." 

 Gently, I ran my fingers across his cheek. "Are you sure about that?" 

 He nodded briefly and stepped back from me. "If you want to live, you stay away and let me do what I must." 

 "And what exactly are you going to do?" I asked on my way out of the room, stopping only to hear his answer. 

 "Get revenge."

 With a sigh, I stepped out through the apartment door and was immediately met by Clock's questioning eyes. "He's crazy," I muttered, starting to walk down the stairs with tears burning behind my eyes. 

 "I'm sorry, kiddo; I really thought he had changed. For real." 

 "I think we all did, at least for a while," I sighed, glancing back at him. "Let's go home; we have some things to discuss." 

 "And some phone calls to make," he muttered behind me.