Tin-tin jerked his head up when he heard steps coming down the hall.
"WHO'S THERE?" He yelled, no answer.
"The question should be whispered, to the empty hall, and just to let you know, you chose the wrong place to call, and another thing that you should know, you made a mistake before, you shouldn't have touched me last year, much less left me for dead on my bedroom floor." Shelly said stepping out of the corner, she was in her black combat boots and a pair of leather pants and a black long sleeved shirt.
"Holy fuck…You dead…T.D. and I watched them drop your ass in the ground!" Tin-tin said.
"Yes, I am quite dead, and quite pissed." Shelly said as she walked over and planted her hands palms flat on the desk.
"Well, I'll just kill you ass twice." Tin-tin said drawing a knife and stabbing right through Shelly's hand and splintering the wood of the desk with the blade.
"AHHHHHH!!!!" Shelly yanked her hand from the desk, pulling the blade up with it. She writhed in pain as she pulled the blade from her hand then held it up and watched it heal. "Hm…Imagine that…" She said. Tin-tin went wide eyed and fell out of his chair trying to stand up. Shelly jumped and slammed him against a wall and put the knife to his throat. "One owes respect to the living, to the dead one only owes the truth. Tell me the truth, where's my father and the rest of his drugged out fuck heads?" Shelly asked.
"They restored the old warehouse Top Dollar used…They be there most of the time." He said, somehow hoping that his honesty would buy him his life.
"Thank you…Now, goodbye." Shelly said and turned like she was going to walk away, then she turned back, slashing the knife across his throat, the hook edged blade ripping out his trachea, vocal cords, and esophagus.
"Nice job…" Eric said, stepping out of the shadows.
"Not nice enough, I want to make the next one suffer for my mom and my little sister." Shelly said.
"What about yourself?" Eric asked.
"I hate them for that, but I'm not here to use my own pain, I'm not here to avenge my death, my mom and my little sister are a different story." Shelly said.
"Well, if you won't avenge what happened to you, then I'll do it for you." Eric said. Shelly blinked looking at him.
"Why?" She asked.
"Why what?" Eric replied as they walked out of the building and along the sidewalk.
"Why are you being defensive of me?" Shelly asked.
"I think you'll know in time." Eric said. Shelly wrapped her arms around herself, did he know? Did he know she was the reincarnation of his former fiancee? "Let's go by Albrecht's house." Eric said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Okay…" Shelly said quietly as they turned down a street.
~~~~~
"Freeze!" A voice said. Albrecht jumped out of his skin again.
"Eric would you stop th-" His voice died out before he finished as he turned to face them. "Shelly?" He asked quietly. Shelly ran over and hugged him tightly, he hugged back. "The Crow brought her back, too?" Albrecht asked. Eric nodded.
"I guess the Crow figured she might need a little help avenging her family." Eric said.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry that you had to find me like that, last year…" Shelly said, looking up at him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you and Leah. I knew Dante was bad news, I told your mother that before she had you." Albrecht said.
"She tried to leave, she tried, but, he always threatened her, it was always so much, to much…" Shelly sighed and looked down. Eric walked over and turned her slowly and hugged her.
"It's okay, Shelly." Eric said. Albrecht looked at him. "Sorry, old friend, I wanted to bring her by to say hi, but me and her have three people left to get rid of, maybe then, maybe then we'll come back for another visit." Eric said.
"Okay…Erm…Are you both going to disappear?" He asked. Sarah looked up a little sadly.
"Actually, we were going to use the front door." She said. Eric and Albrecht blinked at the sentence, Eric has used the same sentence two decades earlier. Albrecht and Eric just had to look at each other and shake their heads before Eric and Shelly walked to the front door and exited it quietly. Closing it behind them.
~~~~~
"What would you say if I said attic?" Eric asked, catching Shelly off guard, before she could think she responded.
"Candles and ring."
"What would you say if I said Halloween?" He asked.
"I'd say what are you pestering me for?" Shelly asked, catching herself, and acting annoyed.
"I'd ask again, what would you say if I said Halloween?" He asked again. Shelly sighed and flopped her arms to her sides.
"I'd say wedding day." She said, exasperated.
"What would you say if I said Gabriel?" Eric asked. Shelly's shoulders slumped, he knew, now he was pestering her, well, that was okay, he'd get what he wanted.
"I'd say our cat who got fat and died of old age when I was ten." Shelly said, Eric was a bit taken a back at her suddenly answering so willingly.
"Bathtub?" He asked.
"One of the ways you pissed me off most and then made it up within five seconds of doing it." She replied.
"Christmas?" He asked.
"The time we REALLY surprised each other." She stated. "Satisfied now? You know who I am, who I was."
"Not quite…" He said, turning to her.
"What do you mean, 'Not quite.' Eric Draven?" Shelly asked, Gods how she sounded so much like herself.
"I want to see if you can still kiss." He grinned and grabbed her waist and pulled her into a kiss. When it broke she glared at him.
"Watch your hands on the first date, buddy." She said.
"But…but…" He protested, "This isn't our first date!"
"In this lifetime it is." She pointed out, and grinned. His shoulders slumped.
"You've got me there." He said.
"Oh, but you know I still love you." She said. He nodded and they interlaced their fingers and began walking down the street again, hand in hand.
"WHO'S THERE?" He yelled, no answer.
"The question should be whispered, to the empty hall, and just to let you know, you chose the wrong place to call, and another thing that you should know, you made a mistake before, you shouldn't have touched me last year, much less left me for dead on my bedroom floor." Shelly said stepping out of the corner, she was in her black combat boots and a pair of leather pants and a black long sleeved shirt.
"Holy fuck…You dead…T.D. and I watched them drop your ass in the ground!" Tin-tin said.
"Yes, I am quite dead, and quite pissed." Shelly said as she walked over and planted her hands palms flat on the desk.
"Well, I'll just kill you ass twice." Tin-tin said drawing a knife and stabbing right through Shelly's hand and splintering the wood of the desk with the blade.
"AHHHHHH!!!!" Shelly yanked her hand from the desk, pulling the blade up with it. She writhed in pain as she pulled the blade from her hand then held it up and watched it heal. "Hm…Imagine that…" She said. Tin-tin went wide eyed and fell out of his chair trying to stand up. Shelly jumped and slammed him against a wall and put the knife to his throat. "One owes respect to the living, to the dead one only owes the truth. Tell me the truth, where's my father and the rest of his drugged out fuck heads?" Shelly asked.
"They restored the old warehouse Top Dollar used…They be there most of the time." He said, somehow hoping that his honesty would buy him his life.
"Thank you…Now, goodbye." Shelly said and turned like she was going to walk away, then she turned back, slashing the knife across his throat, the hook edged blade ripping out his trachea, vocal cords, and esophagus.
"Nice job…" Eric said, stepping out of the shadows.
"Not nice enough, I want to make the next one suffer for my mom and my little sister." Shelly said.
"What about yourself?" Eric asked.
"I hate them for that, but I'm not here to use my own pain, I'm not here to avenge my death, my mom and my little sister are a different story." Shelly said.
"Well, if you won't avenge what happened to you, then I'll do it for you." Eric said. Shelly blinked looking at him.
"Why?" She asked.
"Why what?" Eric replied as they walked out of the building and along the sidewalk.
"Why are you being defensive of me?" Shelly asked.
"I think you'll know in time." Eric said. Shelly wrapped her arms around herself, did he know? Did he know she was the reincarnation of his former fiancee? "Let's go by Albrecht's house." Eric said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Okay…" Shelly said quietly as they turned down a street.
~~~~~
"Freeze!" A voice said. Albrecht jumped out of his skin again.
"Eric would you stop th-" His voice died out before he finished as he turned to face them. "Shelly?" He asked quietly. Shelly ran over and hugged him tightly, he hugged back. "The Crow brought her back, too?" Albrecht asked. Eric nodded.
"I guess the Crow figured she might need a little help avenging her family." Eric said.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry that you had to find me like that, last year…" Shelly said, looking up at him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you and Leah. I knew Dante was bad news, I told your mother that before she had you." Albrecht said.
"She tried to leave, she tried, but, he always threatened her, it was always so much, to much…" Shelly sighed and looked down. Eric walked over and turned her slowly and hugged her.
"It's okay, Shelly." Eric said. Albrecht looked at him. "Sorry, old friend, I wanted to bring her by to say hi, but me and her have three people left to get rid of, maybe then, maybe then we'll come back for another visit." Eric said.
"Okay…Erm…Are you both going to disappear?" He asked. Sarah looked up a little sadly.
"Actually, we were going to use the front door." She said. Eric and Albrecht blinked at the sentence, Eric has used the same sentence two decades earlier. Albrecht and Eric just had to look at each other and shake their heads before Eric and Shelly walked to the front door and exited it quietly. Closing it behind them.
~~~~~
"What would you say if I said attic?" Eric asked, catching Shelly off guard, before she could think she responded.
"Candles and ring."
"What would you say if I said Halloween?" He asked.
"I'd say what are you pestering me for?" Shelly asked, catching herself, and acting annoyed.
"I'd ask again, what would you say if I said Halloween?" He asked again. Shelly sighed and flopped her arms to her sides.
"I'd say wedding day." She said, exasperated.
"What would you say if I said Gabriel?" Eric asked. Shelly's shoulders slumped, he knew, now he was pestering her, well, that was okay, he'd get what he wanted.
"I'd say our cat who got fat and died of old age when I was ten." Shelly said, Eric was a bit taken a back at her suddenly answering so willingly.
"Bathtub?" He asked.
"One of the ways you pissed me off most and then made it up within five seconds of doing it." She replied.
"Christmas?" He asked.
"The time we REALLY surprised each other." She stated. "Satisfied now? You know who I am, who I was."
"Not quite…" He said, turning to her.
"What do you mean, 'Not quite.' Eric Draven?" Shelly asked, Gods how she sounded so much like herself.
"I want to see if you can still kiss." He grinned and grabbed her waist and pulled her into a kiss. When it broke she glared at him.
"Watch your hands on the first date, buddy." She said.
"But…but…" He protested, "This isn't our first date!"
"In this lifetime it is." She pointed out, and grinned. His shoulders slumped.
"You've got me there." He said.
"Oh, but you know I still love you." She said. He nodded and they interlaced their fingers and began walking down the street again, hand in hand.