Author's Note: It has been a long time since I wrote my first story. Life tends to get in the way. But here I am, and I hope you, the readers, will like this story. Also, a hat tip to Robertdoc and MeanBlackJack. They are the authors who've inspired me to write.
As always, a writer craves feedback. Please rate the story and send in your comments, regardless of whether you like it or not. Anyway, on to the story.
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"Daniel!" She called as she wore her earrings. "How much time do we have to reach the event?"
"We should leave in 15 minutes if we are to reach on time Ms. Strahovski"
"It's Yvonne", she gently admonished, smiling as she did so.
Five years Daniel Wright had been her personal bodyguard/driver/friend, and he had never called her Yvonne, the consummate professional that he was. Always punctual, always alert, she'd come to rely on him, and trusted him implicitly. He was a good friend too. A man of measured words, she could count on him for an honest opinion on whatever she asked him. She remembered him averting his eyes from her for a week after her first appearance on 'Dexter' and she knew why. And even though she felt bad afterwards, she couldn't help but tease him, asking him if everything was alright with the most innocent face she could muster everytime she saw him look away as if she was evil.
"Ms. Strahovski? Ms. Strahovski?"
That broke her out of her reverie. "We should leave. It's almost... time", he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Daniel was staring with an open mouth, once again trying hard to look away, but not really succeeding. She'd worn a simple midnight blue dress, but paired that with lighter, robin's egg blue earrings, and an elegant, yet unostentatious sapphire necklace. The whole ensemble matched and brought out her clear blue eyes wonderfully.
"Almost, Daniel. Gimme a minute. And it's Yvonne." she grinned, not missing the way he was looking at her. She liked to push his buttons. He always liked to be on time, at times he was a bit compulsive even, and although she was fond of this habit, it was funny seeing him pace as she took her time, finally pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ears as she stood up and said, "Let's go Mr. OCD", smiling smugly while she did so.
They were going to a small party organized for the Dexter cast and crew by the producers as a celebration of the show's ending. They had all put in a lot of effort, and even though the finale had polarized some of the viewership, she was very happy with what they'd achieved. She had initially thought it would be difficult for her to enter a show that was settled, had received critical acclaim, and with a cast that had gelled together very well, but they'd given her a warm welcome, and the past 2 years had been fantastic, albeit tiring. She was looking forward to celebrating and letting her hair down after the gruelling past few months.
The drive wasn't too long, and since it was a low-key affair, Daniel had agreed that backup would not be necessary. Even though her fame had risen considerably once she joined Dexter, she'd never felt the need for any extra security measures. Daniel had been more than up to the task, and she hadn't faced any untoward incidents. They reached on time, and as usual, Daniel kept an appropriate distance, enough to give her privacy to talk, while keeping her in sight so he could reach her immediately. It was an enjoyable evening. Yvonne got to meet her co-stars as well as the cast from previous seasons. The do lasted around 4-5 hours, and it was late by the time they got out, and Yvonne was feeling slightly tipsy. Daniel was there within seconds, escorting her to the car, and it was then that it happened.
A glint of steel that he caught from the corner of his eyes, aimed at his side. On pure reflex, he moved, although not fast enough, as the blade grazed his abdomen. He let out a grunt, trying to shield Yvonne. The attacker recovered. He could tell it was a woman. A crazed fan probably. The blade glinted with Daniel's blood. He could feel the pain at the point where the knife had cut into his skin. He gingerly felt it. It was a flesh wound, not much of a hindrance. He'd taken on stronger combatants while having suffered more severe injuries. The assailant's eyes kept moving towards Yvonne, and he could sense the deep hatred in them. He moved in front of Yvonne, making sure his eyes conveyed that she would have to go through him in order to harm Yvonne. She raced to attack, knife thrust forward, but Daniel was too quick. He caught hold of her arm, and wrung it, forcing her to drop the knife as she screamed in pain.
He let go, saying in a calm yet menacing manner, "Leave now, and Yvonne may consider not filing charges against you. If you don't, I am not averse to breaking a few bones before handing you over to the police". Her ego couldn't take the humiliation, and she charged forward in a frenzy, arms flailing. Daniel, although, was counting on it. Once again moving with reflexes honed from years of practice, he evaded her, used the momentum of the attack against her, and tackled the assailant to the ground. He pinned her there and removed her ski mask, but soon as he did that, she went berserk.
"You ruined Dexter! The day you entered the series was the beginning of the end for Dexter! I hate you! Dexter doesn't deserve you, you bitch! Let me go! I'm going to kill her! I haven't seen a worse actress in my life! A tree can emote better..."
