The Phantom Thief   von Lluvia
                         (The story of a strange love)
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                                 Chapter eight
                                 -------------


You don’t want to know about how I got reprimanded from Lucy as I finally got
home again...
I got told off for about twenty minutes, about how everyone had worried about me
and why the hell I had returned only now. I tried explaining everything to her
but it wasn’t that easy as she didn’t really want her rant interrupted. 
But finally, I made her listen and afterwards she seemed to be appeased, at
least somehow. Because at least I had saved an innocent guy from being raped or
maybe even killed, but I could tell that my behavior still peeved her.
“Come on, I told you that I’m sorry...! It was an emergency.”, I said,
once again, and finally, she sighed in defeat.
“Fine. But don’t do it again! Dammit, we already feared that they got
you!”
“Yes, yes, I won’t! And thanks for the trust, I won’t get caught that
easily, really...!”
She shook her head and went away, probably into her study, trying to cool her
temper. Oh great, that went well... it’s just too fun letting yourself get
scolded by your younger sister, you know? (Yes, that was irony.)
Whatever, I didn’t regret what I did and Lucy would calm down again. So I just
went to Lily so that she could take my wig off - at least she didn’t reproach
me - and changed my clothes, before placing that golden statue I had stolen in
front of Lucys room (as I really didn’t want to disturb her again today) and
finally going to bed. But since I had slept long today to be fit for the theft I
wasn’t that tired and had time to think a bit. I wondered if my plan to visit
Alan really was a good idea, but somehow I also didn’t want to leave him just
like that. I simply needed to watch out that he wouldn’t get a chance to
capture me while I was with him, then it would probably be okay.
Oh well, I wasn’t the type who thought too much about that stuff, so whatever.
I was positive that it would be alright. So just like that, I turned around and
tried to sleep. Everything else had to wait.

The next day was pretty uneventful again, but at least I got to tell Lily my
idea of visiting Alan regularly. She wasn’t that pleased with it, but in the
end she agreed to do it, partly because I practically begged her to do it, but
also because she probably felt a bit sorry for the policeman. I mean, I told her
that he didn’t seem to have much social contact and I knew that she felt
something like pity, because she just was like that. So now I was able to visit
him every few days to check if he was alright and accompany him for a while,
even though  I knew he himself wasn’t nearly as pleased for that as I was. Not
that this changed anything.

So two more days after that decision I decided that it was time to turn my plans
into reality. In the evening Lily helped me with the wig for the Sapphire
Phantom and after she and Lucy - who finally talked to me again - had warned me
one more time to be careful (Alec thankfully wasn’t that overprotective) I
finally was able to leave the house.
And then I made my way to Alans house, which by the way had been much easier in
the middle of the night, because right now there where way too many people
outside. Fortunately I hadn’t put on the frilly blue clothes I normally wore
when I stole, but a simple white coat with blue hems and grey trousers. It still
wasn’t the most inconspicuous outfit, but it was okay and it fit the blue
hair. I didn’t even put on the mask as the hair made me look different enough
that no one who didn’t actually know that it was a wig would recognize me as
the Phantom. (I still wore the gloves though, leaving fingerprints wasn’t
good)
But because I still had to be pretty careful it took about twice the time any
normal person would have needed until I finally stood in front of Alans door.
Not that I cared, I was here and that was the only thing that mattered. I
didn’t bother ringing the doorbell - maybe because I thought that he might not
even open the door if he knew I was there - but instead opened the door my way,
just like last time, after I made sure no one was looking. 
I went in and closed the door silently behind me, before stopping shortly to
listen if Alan had a visitor (apart from me). But the apartment was silent,
except for a quiet clicking sound from the living room. If I remembered right
there was a computer in it, so it wasn’t that hard to find out what he was
probably doing. As silent as possible, I went to the living room - just stopping
shortly at the kitchen as I saw that my blue roses still were intact. Nice! - to
take a look inside. And I had been right, he really sat in front of the
computer, typing something. I snuck up to him and looked over his shoulder. 
Wow... he was writing? I mean, not just chatting or stuff like that, but it
looked like some kind of story.
“You are a hobby novelist?”, I asked, surprised, completely forgetting that
until now he hadn’t known I was here. His reaction was just like that. He
jumped so high he nearly fell out of his chair before turning to me. And I
really had to bite my tongue to not start laughing at the face he made, but I
didn’t want to make myself even more unpopular with him than I already was.
“Sorry, I’ll knock the next time.”, I said, smiling apologetically, but at
the same time I had the feeling that that wasn’t the only problem he had right
now.
“What the hell? You really came? I thought that was a joke, no, I hoped it was
a joke. What do you want?”, he asked, still looking pretty shocked.
I just shook my head. “Now we’re at the beginning again. I told you I’ll
visit you and here I am, doing just that. I don’t want anything in particular
from you, so just lay back and relax, okay?”
Alan didn’t answer (again) - sometimes I got the feeling that I was the only
one talking when we met, except for him asking me something or telling me that
he’d catch me of course - so I just went on, trying to get him to talk.
“Anyway, did you go to the police about the kidnapping?” He slowly nodded.
Okay, that was some form of communication at least. “Good... I take they’ll
go to jail for a while?” 
“Well... the court case will be soon, but they are in pre-trial custody with
good chances for jail, yes. The police found a voice recorder with a plea of
guilty from them on it, so it was easy. I don’t suppose you have something to
do with it?”
Aah, so he could talk about something else. Even though he ended with a question
again.
“Well, of course I have, I told you they have evidence. But whatever, I’m
glad that these guys don’t run around anymore but I didn’t want to talk
about them. Let’s do something else!”
My opponent looked at me blankly. “Tell me one reason I should do anything
with you except throwing you to jail where you belong just as these
kidnappers.”
I furrowed my eyebrows as I answered. “Well, first I would appreciate if you
don’t lump me together with them and second, I saved you from them. Can’t
you just give it a try? I mean, it won’t hurt you to try and have fun for
once, will it? And I already told you, you can try to catch me all you want when
I try to steal something again, okay?”
I could practically see him thinking about it, balancing the different reasons.
But I knew what the conclusion was he would come to, even if he himself might
still be thinking. Because I wouldn’t give up annoying him until he’d
finally give in. So at least he let out an irritated breath.
“Fine. Okay. Visit me or whatever. But I don’t see how you could help me
having fun, because I do have my ways for having fun without needing anyone like
you, so don’t bother.”
I smiled, actually happy that he gave in, even though I knew that it would need
quite a bit of work to get him to not despise me as much as he probably did now.
But I had a pretty good idea how to do that. Or at least, how to start.
“Hungry?”, I asked, as it was about time to eat dinner. He shook his head,
but his stomach rumbled right afterwards. Very authentic. “Alright, let’s
make dinner!”, I said and before Alan could protest or anything I grabbed his
hand and pulled him up from the chair. Without letting go, I dragged him into
his kitchen, ignoring the following grumbling about what I thought I was doing.

Instead, I opened the fridge to see what he had. And I was pretty flabbergasted
as I found it nearly empty.
“Hey, what do you normally eat in the evening?”, I asked the policeman,
confused.
He just shrugged. “Nothing much. A slice of bread, a bit cheese or something
like that. I neither have the time nor the desire to prepare big meals.”
I stared at him. “So you never eat warm meals for dinner? I have to change
that! And hey, you have eggs, so I already have an idea...” I started to look
through various cupboards, searching for flour, milk, butter and whatever he had
apart from that, once again tuning out his protests.
After I had found everything  I started measuring and mixing all that stuff
together, watching Alans increasingly confused expression out of the corner of
my eye.
“You can cook?”, he asked, sounding surprised and a bit suspicious. I
grinned. “Yep. And pretty good if I dare say, so don’t worry, it definitely
won’t kill you.”
He still didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t care, concentrating on my
preparations instead.

It didn’t take long before I was finished, spontaneously having made pancakes,
because I myself simply loved them and there weren’t many opportunities where
you couldn’t eat them. Alan still looked distrustful though. But oh well he
was hungry and I had food, he’d eat sooner or later. I set the small table in
his kitchen and gave him and me each some of the pancakes before I took a seat
and motioned him to do the same. “Enjoy your meal!” 
Reluctantly, he sat down, but even though I started eating he didn’t even
touch his food. I rolled my eyes. “We both know that you’re hungry, so
ignore your pride for once and eat.”
I cut a bit from my pancakes and waited for his protest, to push the stuff in
his mouth just as he opened it. Which seemed to take him completely off guard,
as he just blinked surprised, before chewing and swallowing the food, like a
reflex.
“So? It’s not that bad, right?”, I said, smiling. Not that I expected an
answer. 
And really, he stayed silent, but at least he began eating so I was content. I
mean, it’s always said that even the biggest things start with small steps,
right? And it looked like my plan to make Alan like me at least a bit was a
pretty big thing. But I was stubborn, I’d get what I wanted in the end for
sure.

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