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Ladd has a split second to decide what he's going to do, but there isn't really a decision to be made anymore. The decision was made for him long ago, long before they ever decided to pull this train heist, before Lua was ever put in any sort of danger, maybe even before he had ever proposed. He loves Lua in a way he's never loved anything, feels this with an intensity that is unrivaled, and for someone as intense as he is, that says a lot. She's more a part of his world than anything else, and their bond is stronger than any he has shared with another person.
The thing that cements that bond, that makes absolutely certain that they will always need each other and will never be able to find what they need in anyone else, is that her life is his, and that they have to stick together until he's made sure everything is perfect and that it's time to take that life. It will be his ultimate display of love for her, and her final display of devotion to him, and neither will ever feel or experience anything more intense or amazing. She is his and will be his forever, and it will be perfect.
Or, it was supposed to be, but now. Now, his chance is slipping away from him before his eyes, and it's a split second decision, except there's no decision to be made because it was decided a long time ago that there is nothing that matters more to him than Lua Klein. And there is someone threatening to take what is his and what she only wants to give to him, and he wanted it to be perfect, but if it has to be imperfect, if he has to give his own life in the process, then he'll do it. If he doesn't have any other options, he will do it right here and now. She looks so scared, even a little guilty, and very, very sad, and he knows that he can't let her down, and without another thought, he lunges.
He takes her in his arms and holds her to his chest like he's protecting her, and in a way, he is. She's still dying by his hand if she dies this way, at the very least, and if it isn't perfect, well, he made do with what he was given. He at least grabs a section of the rope and, if he holds onto it, and if he can slow them down enough, he has more time with her. God, he wasn't ready for this, and he needs more time than he has, and he has so much he wants to say to her, but everything is going so fast and he's going to lose her, and the pain as his fingers are ripped from his hand does not even register just yet, and then-
The rope around her neck comes lose. It comes lose and she is free, and she never would have died, not even if he had not moved, but he did. He's been rushed into this, and he's so mad for a moment that he can't think straight, but then he sees the way Lua is looking at him, and he does not regret his decision. It's not as if he could have known, and she understands that and understands why he's done what he's done. As long as they're together, as long as she knows that everything he's done has been for her, then whatever happens from this point on does not matter.
That said, he wants to save her. He wants to save himself as well, because there's no point in saving her if he doesn't make it, but it is very important to him that he saves her. After all, if he can, he has another chance to do this right, and he has more time with her, and it will be perfect. And even if he doesn't, he was the one to pull her off the train and so he will have been the one to kill her. Even if he has to give his life, he will be the one, and that's all that really matters. All his other goals, all his other hobbies and tasks and jobs, none of it matters in comparison to his promise to Lua.
They exchange a few words, the best reassurance he can offer, and then he is planning and doing all he can to save them both, and then there is pain, greater than anything he has ever felt before but nothing that he cannot endure. For Lua, there is nothing that he cannot endure.
~X~
They are alone for a long time, but he keeps her close the whole time. He's a mess, but he's been a mess for a while, and taking the time to admire the fact that he was right as always, that the blood really does look beautiful on the white, helps keep him conscious. Most of the blood isn't his and is all dried up, but a lot of it is his and is fresh, and he's bleeding a lot.
Lua is, as far as he can tell, completely unscathed, and even her dress barely has a drop of blood on it. He's doing his best not to mess it up, even though he isn't sure why. She probably won't mind a stain or two, would probably think it just as pretty as he does, but there's something about the fact that she's made it out clean so far that makes him want to keep it that way. Maybe it's just another trick, another way to concentrate on not passing out. He isn't sure if he will come back if he goes out, and Lua is alive, and if he dies...
Ladd nearly blacks out just before the men arrive, but he perks up enough to speak with them. It becomes very clear to him that there is no way he is getting out of this without a few charges, and if that's the case, then he's going to be away from Lua, and he has no idea how long that's going to be. Anything could happen to her, and he won't be there to see it, or to protect her, and the panic from before returns, but he doesn't let it show as he leans in and intimately murmurs to her about how he wished he could have killed her sooner, and that if she really wants to, he will do it right now.
It'll be a challenge, especially with all these men right there to stop him, and especially considering the fact that he is a bit more impaired than before, but he has his ways. He knows how to snap a neck with one hand, though he wishes he had to time to choke her out- he doubts they'll let that happen. But Lua looks at him in surprise and starts to protest, and for a moment, the exhaustion and the blood loss get to him and he grows irritated with her.
Does she not want him to do it now? After all he's done, has she changed her mind? But, no, he lets his head clear enough and he realizes that she knows it isn't supposed to be time yet and that he's rushing it, and maybe this time she doesn't understand why he is, but maybe he needs to listen to her. If she wants to wait until the time is right, he is in no position to deny her that, and if he's going to be taken away from her, he'll just have to do whatever he can to get back to her as soon as possible. He'll say whatever he has to, do whatever he has to, and then he'll be back to business as usual, with Lua at his side as he takes down the rest of the world.
The last thing he tells her before they're separated it, “Remember, angel: you can't die, no matter what. Stay safe for me, right? I love you.” She nods and murmurs that she loves him too, and then he's being taken somewhere to get patched up and questioned.
His head is swimming now, but he fights to stay conscious even still, as they fight to stop the bleeding, and he hears a lot of remarks about how he shouldn't be in as good of shape as he is. If he could laugh, he would; he's always been tough, and now, he really something worth being tough for. One of these days, he's got to get back to Lua and fulfill his promise to her, a promise he gave his arm for and was willing to give his life for. Ladd will not let her down.