Written in Blood 2
Chapter 2: Speak to Me
Summary: Skyler Blake can't change her position as the town outcast… and the town witch. When a young girl comes to her to talk to her dead mother, who knew that doing so would allow her to find a place among outcasts, and her place beside the most dangerous one. Happy/OC
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Skyler.
A/N Because of the overwhelming response to the first chapter, I've decided to add the second one a little sooner than originally planned. Chapter 3 should be up no later than Wednesday of next week so enjoy this one!
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"I just want to talk to her." The little voice whispered. Sky's head snapped up when she heard a reply.
I haven't left Ellie. A figure stood behind the girl, so sad that Sky could feel her eyes smarting with tears. This must be Ellie's mother.
The figure was slim and slightly shorter than what was average. Her eyes were brown and so very sad as she looked at her grieving daughter. Her brown hair was cut short and rustled gently with a breeze Sky couldn't feel.
"Ellie, your mommy is listening to us right now." Sky eased the little girl back into the chair as she stared at her with wide, shocked, tearstained eyes.
"Really?" Her voice shook with hope.
Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I love you so much.
"Yes. She says that she loves you." Sky's blood was thrumming through her veins. Although this figure was not as threatening as some that she had seen in the past, Sky was still accustoming herself to the fact that she could see such things.
"Tell her I love her too. A-and that I miss her."
I miss you too. And your brother, and your father.
"She misses you, your brother, and your father as well."
Ellie scowled at that, "Daddy doesn't act like he misses her!"
Eleanor Julia Winston! Don't you dare blame your father for trying to be happy. I want him to be happy. I want all of you to be happy. It's ok to miss me baby, but don't think that you can't be happy with me gone.
"She says that your father deserves to be happy. That you all deserve to be happy and that it's ok for you to be happy."
"But she's not here! I can't hug here anymore! No one's there when I get scared or get a nightmare anymore!"
Oh baby. The figure reached out and cupped the young girls' cheek. She shivered at the coldness of the touch. Nothing will ever hurt you. Not with me around. And I'll always be there.
Sky smiled. "Your mother was very protective wasn't she?"
Ellie nodded her head, "She yelled at a boy in my grade who was making fun of me once. He peed himself."
Skyler giggled, "She says nothing will hurt you with her there to protect you."
I love you Ellie, and I'm always there with you when you need me. The figure slowly dimmed and was gone within seconds, evaporating like it never was.
"She said she loves you and will always be with you when you need her."
"Tell her I need her now!" Ellie's jaw was set determinedly.
"Ellie, she needed to go right now. She knows your safe and wants you to be happy."
"But that's not fair!" Ellie wailed, "You said you could talk to her!"
"I can Ellie." Sky rubbed her temples, trying to figure out a way to explain the process to the child, "Did you feel how cold it got in here when I was talking to her." Ellie nodded her head sadly, "That's because your mommy had to use a lot of energy to come and talk to me. It's very exhausting to her and to me. I can only talk to them for a few minutes at a time or we both could hurt ourselves." The last time she had tried to force a connection to last she had had a terrible attack of fatigue that had put her on bed rest for three days where she simply slept, only waking up when her bladder was ready to explode and her mouth was so dry and gritty she felt like she had been chewing sand. After that she had let connections end when whoever was trying to talk to her lost their energy. It was simply to dangerous for her to do otherwise.
"Why? Isn't mommy with God?"
Ellie's question brought a stroke of genius to Sky, "Ellie do you know what heaven is?"
"That's where all the good people who love God go when they're dead." She said matter of fact-ly.
Sky barely held back her flinch. She hated the black and white way that some religions phrased such things. "Right. Well heaven is so far away that when I talk to people who have died it's like getting a phone call with bad service. I can only talk to them for so long before the call is dropped."
"So how can mommy be with me all the time if she's so far away?"
Sky took a minute to take a sip of her tea, which was now lukewarm, giving herself a moment to think. "When people go to heaven, God gives them a mirror that they can carry around with them and watch the people they love. They can send things to you too, a pretty bird, a butterfly, anything, that will help them keep an eye on you." Inspired, Sky decided to give the little girl a way to connect with her mother, "The next time you see a butterfly you should send your mommy a message. Tell her you love her and that you're happy."
Ellie seemed to consider it before a small smile spread across her face. "I see a lot of butterflies."
Sky felt the slight relief of pain in the little girl and felt her heart melt. This was the good that came from the bad. It wasn't enough to heal the wound of having her mother ripped from her life, but it was the balm that would allow it to heal and prevent the infection that could lead her to eventually hating her father and his supposed future wife. And she had given it to her. She started making plans for a healing ceremony for the family in the near future. She hadn't had a circle in almost two weeks, so she needed to perform one anyway.
Right then Salem jumped up onto the table, letting out pitiful meows, followed closely by Circe who was purring softly. "Oh, you have kitties!" Ellie's excited squeal was met with Salem padding up to her and rubbing himself up against her arm. He licked the exposed skin of her forearm making her giggle.
Sky smiled and rubbed her head against Circe's. "That's Salem and this beauty is Circe."
"Hi Salem." Ellie cooed, rubbing under his chin and producing a motor like purr.
"I think he likes you." Sky smiled, loving that this little girl who came to her so sad, was laughing and smiling like any other normal little girl.
"I like him too." Ellie's smile lit up her face.
The sound of a motorcycle passing by on the highway echoed through the trees, faint but still identifiable. Ellie's face went white and guilt flooded out to smack Sky in the face.
Oh no.
"Ellie, does your father know where you are?"
Her head dropped and she stopped petting Salem, who meowed in protest before leaping down to the floor, followed by Circe. "No."
Skyler rubbed her temples again, "Ellie, where does he think you are?"
"School." Her voice was small and ashamed.
"Oh no." This time she put a voice to her thoughts. "Ellie, you need to call him and let you know where you are!"
"I don't want him to be mad at me." Ellie said pathetically.
"He's probably worried sick! You have to call him right now." Sky jumped up and grabbed her cordless phone, handing it to Ellie and waiting while she looked at it in fear. "What's wrong?"
"Can you call for me?" She looked up at her pleadingly. Sky could feel the fear radiating from her and sighed in defeat.
"What's the number?"
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Happy was sitting in the office with Gemma, watching the Queen pace the small room and keeping an eye out on the lot. They hadn't heard anything and it had already been over an hour. Things were not looking good.
The loud ringing of the phone in the tense silence made Gemma jump. She dove across her desk and snatched the phone from the cradle, "Hello?"
"Oh, um, hello? Is- uh- Mr. Winston available?" The female voice asked. Gemma waved Happy to the phone.
"Which one are you looking for?" Happy stood close to Gemma so he could hear the conversation.
"Oh well," they heard a faint voice in the background before she came back on the phone, "Opie. I'm looking for Opie."
Happy snatched the phone from Gemma's hands, "Who is this?" He demanded. Just then, the rest of the club pulled into the parking lot and Gemma ran out to tell them about the mystery caller.
"My name is Skyler Blake. Is this Opie Winston?"
"No this is his brother." Happy put as much menace in his voice as possible, holding up his hand when Opie tore into the office. He put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. "Can I help you with something doll?"
"Uh- his daughter, Ellie, she's at my house right now. We didn't want him to worry."
"What is she doing at your house?" Opie was just about dancing in place. Happy snatched up a pen and scribbled her name down on a piece of paper and handed it to Opie who shook his head and handed it to Juice, who took off running to the clubhouse where his computers were.
"She needed help with something." The woman's voice had cooled significantly and Happy could almost see her back straighten in anger. "We were just calling so her father wasn't worried about her."
Happy couldn't believe this woman's gall. "You call to tell her father that you have his daughter and you're a complete stranger? And you expect him to not be worried?"
"…I didn't think about it like that." She said honestly after a short hesitation. "I'm sorry. I don't want to worry anyone."
"I think it's time for Ellie to come home. What's your address? I'll come get her."
"You can't come here!" She said quickly, "I-uh mean… I'll bring Ellie home. It's not a big deal."
Happy debated for a minute before nodding, "Ok. Bring her over to Teller-Morrow Auto Repair. Fifteen minutes."
"It'll take me at least twenty." She replied nervously.
"Ok twenty." Happy agreed, filing the information away.
"Who should I ask for when I get there?"
"Happy. Ask for Happy."
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Sky hung up the phone and held a hand against her stomach, willing the butterflies swarming inside of her to calm. That man had the sexiest voice she had ever heard. It embarrassed her that she could feel herself responding to him already.
He could make a killing at phone sex that was for sure.
Sky turned to the little girl starring at her with big eyes at her table. "Come on Ellie, I told your uncle that I would take you home."
Ellie looked confused, "I don't have an uncle."
Skyler tensed, "He said he was your father's brother."
"Oh, ok." Ellie rose from her chair easily and looked up at Sky, "So we have to go to the garage?"
She took a deep breath and prayed for patience. "If you don't have an uncle, how could this man be your father's brother?"
"He's part of the Club." Ellie said simply, as if that explained it all.
"What club?"
"The Sons of Anarchy silly. Everyone knows who they are." She giggled.
"Your father is a son?" Sky could feel the bottom of her stomach drop. She had the daughter of one of the bikers in her home. No wonder they were so suspicious of her.
She sighed deeply, "Come on Ellie, let's get this over with." She ushered the young girl into her sky blue Jeep Wrangler and got behind the wheel. Saying a quick prayer for strength to the goddess, she started the car and prepared herself to go and face this man named Happy.
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