"Shit. Shit."
The snow was thick in the air, making it hard to see even ten feet in front the car. Alana squinted, trying to make out the yellow lines on the pavement, but the flakes were already fully covering the ground. In retrospect, she should've left work hours ago when everyone else did, not wanting to get caught in the impending snowstorm. But it was easier to get things done in a professional environment, instead of being susceptible to relaxing at home.
Alana sighed, gripping the steering wheel tighter as she crept along the dark highway. No other cars were present on the road, no other headlights illuminating the dreary drive home.
By the time she had left, there were already a couple of inches on the ground, dampening her boots and only making her slightly apprehensive about the drive home. Now, she felt like rethinking the last few hours. Of course, swearing was the best way to deflect the apprehension, while letting out aggression.
Her windshield wipers were running full blast, proving futile in the fight to clear the snow from the glass. Slowing down further, Alana weighed her options. The logical part of her thinking making her want to pull off to the side of the road and wait the storm out, but the other part wanted her to keep driving and make it home to a warm, comfy bed.
But there's also another option she didn't want to consider.
Will.
His home is physically closer than her own, it's really the only safest course of action given the circumstances. Staring out into the haze of falling flakes, Alana bites her lip for a moment before reaching over to the passenger seat for her cellphone.
There's no service. "Dammit." Hopefully Will won't object to an unexpected house guest.
OOOO
The moment Alana knocks on his door, she knows it was a bad idea.
Her hand comes back slowly, body frozen to the spot – figuratively and literally – and has the slightest urge to run. It's childish really, the anxiousness forming in her stomach and despite his previous advice to stop thinking so much, it's all she can do at the moment.
Even as the snow continues to fall around her as she stands on his porch in the middle of the night, it's all she can do. Think of the consequences of her arriving on his doorstep in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. It feels inappropriate somehow, like she's invading the cushion of space they tried to put between each other after their indiscretion.
Her mind races, senses tingling as she remembers the way his lips felt, body pressed against her own. The desperation laced in his eyes, as if she was water and he was a desert. Shaking her head, Alana dropped her hand back to her side and tried to ground herself.
Now was definitely not the time to be thinking of their kiss, no matter how earth-shattering it might have been.
And suddenly, she knows the feeling filling her body; it's as potent as it was the night she found him breaking open a chimney. She's nervous, nervous as a goddamn teenager, and that thought alone is enough to make her falter at Will's doorstep.
The fact that she was nervous to see him made her realize she wasn't as distanced towards him as she first thought. He had tentatively been weaving his way into her life without her knowledge. A simple smile here, a flash of eye contact there (he always hated eye contact) conversations that didn't revolve around work which left her somehow satisfied, feeding his dogs whenever he was preoccupied.
All these events had led to this present moment, whether they had kissed or not, she still would have found refuge at his home during a snowstorm. First and foremost they were still friends, at least she liked to think they were. Granted she knew a lot more about Will then he did of her, but there would always be time to change that.
Despite his unstable well of being, they were friends which would support and find solace in each other. The nature of their relationship didn't have to take the fall from a simple kiss and one day, maybe they could venture into untread waters without consequences.
Feeling better from the mental catharsis and upheaval, she went to knock on the door once more. Before her knuckles could come into contact with the door, it's wrenched open and Will is standing in front of her dressed in a wool hat, thick plaid coat, winter boots, and a shovel hanging from his gloved hand.
Will blinked a few times, unsure if she was actually standing there before acknowledging her presence.
"Alana?" He says in more of a questioning tone, surprise inflicted also. She smiled as he stepped outside, shutting the door on the whining dogs as they fought to greet her.
"Hi. I didn't want to intrude, but I was driving home from work and…." She trailed off, looking over at the large flakes falling around the porch before glancing back at his face.
"…You didn't want to drive during the storm," Will continued, giving her a small grin.
Alana nodded as the wind began to blow, bringing a wave of snow onto the porch and showering them with flakes.
"Come on, let's get you inside before you catch a cold," Will opened the door and ushered her in, leaning the shovel against the wall as she bent down to pet the dogs, "I was going to start clearing away some of the snow before it got too heavy but I guess it can wait till morning."
Alana peered up at him over the pack of dogs, trying to get Winston to stop licking her face. "Oh, you don't have to wait on account of me. I'll make sure the dogs don't get into any trouble. Isn't that right buddy? Hmm, you don't want to cause any trouble for your master," she said in a playful tone while ruffling behind Winston's ears.
Will observed her with warm smile on his face and Alana caught sight of it when she stood up.
"What?" She asked, wiping her hands on her coat and he watched as hairs stuck to the surface.
"I'd always thought you'd be more of a cat person." Her eyebrows rose, "Really, what makes you say that?"
His eyes hit the floor and he adjusted his glasses, shy all of a sudden. "I don't know, you seem like the type of girl who would lounge around on a night like this with a cup of tea, curled up with a good book and a cat lying beside you. When I caught you reading to Abigail I just figured…"
Alana nodded, mildly impressed. Looks like he knew more about her than he let on.
"It may not be an exciting thought, but cats are genuinely easier to take care of. Especially when you're not home all day. Oh and her name is Nala."
Will let out a soft chuckle at her words. Glancing towards the door, he grabbed the shovel and turned back to face her.
"Well, make yourself at home; this should only take about half an hour. The heater is going in the living room and there are some blankets stacked in the cupboard beside the kitchen if you get cold."
"Thanks Will, don't catch frostbite out there." Alana advised as he opened the door and a gust of wind blew into the house. It made her glad she wore slacks instead of a skirt today.
She heard Will sigh as he exited. Muttering something about having the thought of seven dogs and a pretty lady to keep him warm. Taking off her coat and hanging it up, she felt a flush run across her face reminding her of her offer to cozy up in front of the heater in the living room.
Alana cleared her throat and gazed out a window to see Will clearing off the steps of the porch with the steel shovel. Well, that had gone better than she figured it would have. There was still tension hanging in the air like a lighthouse beaconing in the fog, calming, yet somehow light and airy. But at the moment, she felt at peace.
"Oh!" She was surprised however, when something nudged her leg. Looking away from the window, her eyes met the sight of Winston sitting at her feet, head cocked to the side. Her lips curled, all the other dogs had settled down and laid back in their beds while he was still tentative to her. Seems like she had gained an admirer.
"Well Winston, what do you say we fix something warm for your master for when he comes back inside?" He moved his head to the other side, wagging his tail and tongue stuck out of his mouth. She laughed, ruffling the fur underneath his chin.
"I'll take that as a yes."
OOOO
When he came back inside the snow was still falling, though the flakes were starting to turn larger, signalling there would be less snow now. Will sighed thankfully, it was almost midnight and bloody cold outside. He didn't want to admit to Alana she might have been right about the frostbite if he would have been outside any longer.
Will could barely feel his toes and fingers, face beet red from the onslaught of bitter wind and flakes whipping into his face. Shaking the snow from his hat and shoulders, he slowly took the heavy, damp clothing off and hung it by the door to dry. Pausing for a moment to glance at her coat and boots, hanging by his door.
It really shouldn't have struck him as odd, but the sight of both of their jackets hung side by side made it all seem so domestic. The fact that she was staying, sleeping in his house, made everything feel more intimate. It was no secret they wanted to further their relationship, try and make it work – but he knew it wouldn't until he was better. He didn't want to burden Alana with the demons howling in his head and the way they made it into reality.
He didn't want her to worry. She deserved better than that. Even after they had kissed, he knew it was wrong how he had taken advantage of her growing affections for him, just so he didn't have to deal with reality. Alana was keeping him afloat, but it wasn't worth the cost of dragging her down with him.
Will sighed, padding his way into the living room and trying to keep his thoughts at bay.
The house was quiet, too quiet. "Alana?" he called out into the stillness, but only silence echoed back. A few of the dogs perked up at the noise, but not fearing anything was wrong, went back to sleep. When she didn't answer, he looked around and spotted her on the couch.
She was lying on her side, pressed against the back of the cushions, a pillow wedged between her hand and head. Her clothes were wrinkled, hair splayed everywhere with Winston curled up alongside her. The other hand was laid over Winston, as if to keep him from falling off the couch.
They were both blissfully asleep and Will wished nothing more than to have a camera present. Content at the sight, he walked over and carefully grabbed a few blankets she had stacked along the back of the couch. Unfolding them, Will gently wrapped them around her, trying not to startle them both.
Standing back, he gave a small smile at the scene before making his way to the kitchen. But not before turning the heater up a few notches, just to make sure she didn't get cold. He gave the dogs a few pats too.
Flipping the switch in the kitchen, he was met with the sight of two coffee mugs sitting on the island. There's a can of decaf next to them and he snorts, picking up the mug which isn't empty. Usually he doesn't care which kind of coffee he uses, it's not like he sleeps that well anyway. But it's a nice gesture from Alana.
He sips the coffee, which is still mildly warm and gazed out the window, continuing to watch the snow fall.
OOOO
She wakes to the whining of a dog, persistent and close to her ear.
Sighing loudly, Alana opens her eyes and is slightly confused at her surroundings. This definitely wasn't her home but when her eyes catch sight of Winston, she relaxes. Will.
Lying in the warmth of blankets and feeling the heater on full blast makes her reluctant to get up. She's tempted to close her eyes and drift off again, but the consistent whine of the dog shakes her from sleep and gets her off the couch.
It's still pleasantly warm in the house when she stands, albeit a little quiet which makes her frown. Either Will was still asleep, or gone. Looking around, Alana spots that the dogs are vacant from their beds, assuming he had taken them for a walk.
Turning to Winston, she said "I'll let you out in a minute, first I need to find the washroom then grab a cup of coffee, alright buddy?"
It never occurs to her that she's been talking to a dog and that he can't respond, let alone understand what she's trying to say. Winston sat still at the bottom of stairs as she walked up, waiting for her to come back down.
OOOO
Alana found him outside, standing next to the porch and watching the dogs played in the snow. It had stopped snowing by now and the sun started to peek out, shining against the snow. There were more than a few inches on the ground, less where Will had already dug some of it away.
After she had located the washroom and grabbed an already full cup of coffee from the kitchen (there had been a can of regular coffee by the cup) she had managed to spot him standing outside.
Putting on her coat and boots, much to the delight of Winston, she opened the door and let him run through so he could frolic in the snow.
Will shifted to face her and she gave him a smile, lifting up the mug.
"Morning," he greeted, sounding chipper already.
"Morning," she replied in return, walking past the shovel leaning against the entryway to stand beside him. "Thanks for the coffee."
He watched as she took a sip, commenting "It's no problem. I figured I should repay you for the coffee last night. Oh and Jack called, said we don't have to come into work today. Something about there being too much snow on the ground."
Alana hid her grin in the mug, letting the ceramic and steam warm her face. "Really? I never would have guessed."
Catching on to her playful tone, he added "Hmm, me either."
Both stood in silence for a few minutes, drinking their coffee and watching the dogs chase each other in the snow. Alana basked in the feel of the sun and briskness in the air. Everything felt so peaceful, so homey, as if this was a daily occurrence for them both.
She could imagine them waking up in the morning, amongst a bed of fur and paws. Slipping downstairs for coffee and breakfast, letting the dogs out in the morning before heading inside to get ready for work. Alana could imagine having a semi-normal life with Will, a relationship. It was a nice thought, pure and innocent in nature but she knew with the way he was and the way she was, it would take work.
Work she wouldn't mind, if it got them both in a place where they could…just be.
Part of her is struck by how much she wants this, for her and Will, for them to be together, to find happiness in each other. She can tell how cloudy his eyes have been lately, he could use some happiness in his life.
Quickly glancing at his face, she gauged the calmness on his features. The light shining in his eyes and small grin tugging on his lips. Taking a mouthful of coffee, she wished he could always be like this, content and unburdened with the amount of death hidden behind his eyelids. Without the guilt of murdering a girl's father, who was more so guilty than himself.
Letting out a sigh, Alana vowed to try and bring as much peace as she could to Wills life. God knows he could use it.
He must have noticed her pensive thinking, how defeated the sigh sounded coming from her lips. "Something wrong?"
She shook her head, eliciting a smile "No, everything's perfect. I was just contemplating how peaceful everything is."
He grinned wryly, "It's about the most peace I've felt in weeks."
"I'll have to stop by more often then, if you don't mind. Not just when mother nature forces my car off the road," she replied.
"I don't," Will said, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck, "Mind, that is."
"Good. Someone will have to make sure you take proper care of yourself."
"You think I'm incapable?" He asked.
"Not incapable, I think you sometimes neglect what's best for your wellbeing." She told him honestly.
He was quiet for a second, "Well then, we better start the day off right. How 'bout some breakfast?"
She stared into the distance, watching the dogs before uttering a soft 'sure.' Breakfast was something they could handle, something normal to the beginning of the day.
Will whistled for the dogs and they came bounding across the yard to the house, noses covered in snow. Alana laughed as they ushered them into the cozy house, and as Will took her coat she couldn't help but feel like it was a first date.