Title: Dragon's Lair

Chapter 6 – Rise from the Ashes

Caleb felt Sheldon starting to falter in his arms and knew they had to find a place to rest for the night. He spied a small house just up ahead from them and stopped the bike. He gently gathered her into his arms and knocked on the front door. The old woman looked at him with a frown.

Caleb spoke in Chinese, explaining their situation to her and she allowed them to enter. The old woman led them past her two small grandchildren and into the back room, that held two single beds and joined to a small bathroom.

Caleb gently laid Sheldon on the bed and then hurried to the bathroom to get a warm cloth to clean her wounds. Caleb looked at his expression in the mirror and frowned. He looked at the harness and started to work at the rivets that held it in place, finally freeing himself of it, but keeping it as a trophy of sorts. He turned around to see the old lady holding up a shirt to him and he took it and quickly put it on.

Caleb hurried back into the small bedroom and knelt down beside Sheldon, who looked up at him with sad eyes. "Hey…" she whispered.

"Just rest," Caleb replied, his eyes watering as he started to clean the dried blood from her face and tend to the wound on her forehead.

"Sheldon…I never…" he started and then stopped. "I never meant to hurt you," he finished in whispered anguish.

"I don’t blame you," she managed in a soft tone. She moved a hand to his worried face and gently touched it and then smiled once more. "You save me from the worst."

"I kept hearing your voice in my mind…I kept trying to pull myself away from the drugs but…"

"Caleb you won in the end…"

"Sheldon I took a life," Caleb stated in sorrow. "For that I will never…"

"You didn't know…Caleb you had no control," she said with a light cough, her face offering a frown.

"You need to rest," Caleb said softly as he continued to clean the dirt off her face. He bent in close and tenderly kissed her lips.

"I liked the other top better," Sheldon said with a wink as Caleb pulled back.

"Yeah I thought you might," he smiled back. "What about my new tattoo?" He said showing her his shoulder.

"You can always get it removed," Sheldon told him. "Course you kinda look sexy with a tattoo," she teased.

Caleb pulled the small bed close to her and then lay down beside her, pulling a blanket over her and then himself. He took her hand but kept his gaze at the ceiling.

"What was it like?" Sheldon asked softly. "Defeating him? Do you feel free now?"

"I thought I would…" he started. "But now…now that it's over. I feared him my whole life and just like that. I thought for sure that I would have to fight more…I'm glad it was only once but I wish I could take it back."

"Caleb being in that cage with you…" she started and then stopped, choking back a sob and immediately drawing his gaze. "I was scared…I knew you were going to kill me."

"I…" Caleb said he brushed a tear off her warm cheek, drawing her gaze back to his. "Sheldon…when I came out of the drugged state, I had told myself to…"

"Take your life?" She finished.

"Without you I have no life," he told her firmly.

"I was scared…I know your strength, I've seen it in action but…" she started and then stopped. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For not being able to stop it sooner," she admitted. "Ling…do you think his whole rouse was to get you?"

"Me personally? Well as flattering as that might seem…in a sick and twisted way," he added, making her smile. "I think he wanted the fighting to continue. I heard that they have continual fights there and he pockets the profits. I guess I was just another trophy…another student to train or to break. I just feel sorrow for the good agents that died…like Tom Lin and Thomas Chan."

Caleb looked over at Sheldon who had fallen asleep. He gazed upon the bruises on her face and felt his eyes water once more. The bulk of her pain was his doing. Her cries in his mind would haunt him for some time to come. He pulled her closer and when she didn't pull away he knew they would be okay. He looked at the ring on her finger and smiled.

She was such an amazing addition to his life; and soon she would play the most important role – his wife. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. But it didn’t come.

A few hours into her sleep, Sheldon heard soft noises coming from the bathroom and looked up to see Caleb hunched over the toilet throwing up. His body was finally dispelling all the drugs and the adrenaline rush was wearing off. She slowly pushed herself up and headed for him. She dampened a cloth and bent down beside him.

"Didn’t mean…to wake you…" he managed.

"Shhh it's okay," she soothed as she held the cool cloth against his warm face. She sat down on the floor and pulled him into her lap resting his head on her legs. She pushed a dark strand off his sweaty face and gently stroked his cheek. She leaned against the bathroom wall, wincing in pain.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think a few ribs are broken," she huffed. "They'll hold until tomorrow but otherwise…"

"Sheldon I'm so…" he started, his already tired eyes watering again.

She put a soft finger to his lips and stopped his angry tirade. "Caleb it wasn't you…I don’t blame you."

"Sheldon I vowed to myself that I would never hurt you on…"

"Caleb it wasn't on purpose," she hushed. "Now you need to rest. You look like hell and I feel worse. I'm sure you'll probably throw up a bit more just to get that stuff out of your system but you really need to rest and so do I."

Caleb allowed her to help him to his feet and they both slowly walked back to the small beds and lay down once again. Both trying to erase from their memories the terrifying events that they had to endure only hours earlier. Sadly, morning came all too soon; very little rest was achieved.

XXXXXXXX

"Well our boys did their job well once again," Cecil said firmly.

"Was there ever a doubt?" Nickel countered.

"Not really," Cecil replied.

"Well they are still counting up the bodies and doing DNA tests so we might have to wait for a bit before we know if Ling is dead or not," Nickel replied.

"But the good guys won right?" Milt said walking into the room.

"Yeah this round," Cecil quipped.

"You know you really aren't the voice of cheer are you," Milt shot back, making Cecil just roll his eyes and Nickel laugh.

"So gentlemen…now that we have averted that disaster…on to the next."

XXXXXXXX

Sheldon and Caleb finally reached their original hotel and searched for any kind of hospital. Sheldon was first and received a nice bandage for her ribs and some tending to her head wound and bruises.

Caleb's system was still working to dispel the drugs and since the dosage was so strong and given so close to each other he would have to endure the unsettled feeling for a bit longer.

Sheldon stood under the hot water some time later back in their hotel room while Caleb just rested on the bed. She finished and then wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door and spied Caleb, ready for his shower and looking at the leather harness.

"Oh…so you kept that did you…" she teased in a playful mood. "Too bad you didn't bring the soft bed and wall chains with you," she smiled.

"Oh really," he said wrapping his arms around her and holding her against his naked body.

"Maybe it would look good on you," he teased back.

"Not really my thing," she quipped with a mock frown. "Besides, we both know who is in charge of us."

"Yeah…more because I let you think that," Caleb countered as he slowly walked them back to the soft bed; gently throwing her onto it. "I think it's because I am really in charge that…"

Sheldon gently flipped him over, twisting herself to be on top, holding his hand down over his head and leaning in. "Like I was saying…"

"Hmm woman on top," he smiled broadly. "Like I was saying…you played into my trap perfectly."

Instead of offering a counter remark, Sheldon just leaned in and started to kiss his warm lips.

Some time later, Caleb finished his shower and then walked back into the room, Sheldon looking up at him with a worried glance.

"What is it?" He asked quickly.

"Just wondering how you are with everything."

"I'm okay," he said sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I can still hear my voice…fighting with…well myself…when I was facing you…"

"Is that what the angry shouts coming from the bathroom where?" She asked quickly.

"You heard that?"

"Caleb you and are in tune with each other…I know you would have heard me," she smiled warmly, spooning up beside him, moving herself into a sitting position next to him.

"Yeah…trying to tell them to get lost and leave me alone," he huffed. "I doubt that will happen for some time."

"But we stopped him right? Master Ling is gone, right?"

"Does evil really die?" Caleb wondered.

"Yes," she said firmly. "And in time the nightmares will die also."

Caleb twisted himself around and kissed her on the cheek.

"I thought you were tired," she smiled.

"Never too tired to kiss you," he replied warmly. "You know since we are this close to Beijing…"

"Close?" She asked in surprise.

"As I was saying…"

"You'd like to go and visit your parents?"

"Why is it you know me so well?" Caleb laughed.

"Just lucky I guess," she retorted. "But I think that would be great."

And so as they started to make love once again a distinct laughter was heard in the distance; promising to rise from the ashes and reappear to take vengeance.

THE END (for now)