Pairing: Hotgomery (Billie Dean Howard/Nora Montgomery)
Rating/Warnings: None.
Anger
Nora flitted about the basement, entirely unsure why she was down here at all but feeling like she was searching for something, she just didn't know what. Memory was not her forte. And the presence of Billie Dean Howard just upstairs was distracting, to say the least.
Something or another about some sort of lawsuit more or less required the medium's presence whenever the house - Nora's house - was being shown to potential new buyers.
Huffing out a shrill sigh Nora ascended the creaky wooden stairs and traipsed through the halls, avoiding the kitchen and the cursed pasta arm, heading for the study. It was one of the few rooms that didn't still feel off to her for... well, whatever reason. The memories were all quite foggy and hard to reach, and half the time she wondered, why bother? Perhaps they were gone for a reason of their own. She perched precariously on one couch with a dusty white sheet thrown over it and picked a piece of lint off her shoulder. Listening hard, she pinpointed Billie Dean, some totally unrecognizable voices that had to be the buyers, and that dreadful woman who sold the house without giving buyers any knowledge of the place's background - until now - near the stairs leading up to the second floor.
Billie Dean's increasingly frequent visits had made it hard to avoid her. Nora had never disliked the other woman, simply remained primarily unsure of her, and she'd been surprised that Billie had made a point of talking to her almost every time she came by. They had built a good rapport. Nora rather looked forward to Billie's visits even if, half the time, it was with people wanting to take her house away from her.
Oh, but Billie Dean came by plenty, often enough that Nora now craved her presence and was always looking forward to seeing her again. It was odd, but something about Billie just... soothed... so much of the house. And Nora. Her fumbling memories didn't feel so frantic when Billie was around, in fact, she honestly felt like her memory improved. Not only that, but the sunlight coming in through the windows seemed brighter, colors were more vibrant, sounds and smells typically unimpressive were practically divine-
"You still pining after little Miss Medium?"
Her whole upper body gave a jerky twitch; she turned to the archway, glaring Chad's way and well aware that her cheeks were reddening. At least as much as they could despite her being deceased. "Whatever do you want?" she half-spat.
Chad shrugged. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "I don't want anything," he scoffed. "But, clearly, you do."
"Please leave me alone," Nora sighed.
"You know, you should keep a closer eye on Miss Medium when she's here," Chad drawled, obviously ignoring her. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Focused her gaze back on the bookcases, hoping they weren't dusty, although even if they were she had long since lost the nerve to ask that maid - what was her name? Moira, wasn't it? - to clean. "Remember that nasty fellow who crashed his way in here and overdosed the other week? Hm?"
Nora flinched. She knew the man - she'd seen him sulking around in the backyard and the hall leading to the basement. He had a dark look to his beady little eyes and Nora did not need Chad to remind her of him. "And what does that... beast... have to do with Billie Dean?" she asked, still without looking at her unwanted company.
"Well then, I take it you haven't noticed him watching Miss Medium whenever she's around. Kind of with a predatory look. Understand, sweetheart?" Chad said. After a moment he won and Nora looked back to him; he quirked an eyebrow. The silence between them stretched on until finally he groaned and rolled his eyes quite dramatically. "Okay, I get that your memory really isn't what it used to be, but does that effect your regular capacity to think? This guy was a crazy drug addict, and right now Billie Dean is the only living person he can get to. Not to mention she's a woman and he just looks... well, hungry."
"Hungry?" Nora echoed, scowling.
"Christ on a bike, do I have to spell it out for you?" Chad shook his head. "Whatever he ends up doing to her, unless you stop him, it's going to end in murder. But then I guess the two of you will be together forever, won't you?"
He waltzed away, and Nora had half a mind to follow him, but the sound of the realtor's loudly obnoxious voice getting nearer to the front door sliced through the majority of her thoughts, rendering her briefly immobile. Then she heard the door open. She shot to her feet and strode around the corner into the hallway. The realtor - Marcy? Mercy? Heavens, I just don't remember... - was leading the potential buyers outside while Billie Dean hesitated in the hall. She turned halfway around, shooting Nora one of her signature mega-watt smiles. It was stunning. As always. Nora smiled back quite a bit more timidly, one hand absentmindedly floating up, her fingers tapping vaguely on her stomach.
"How did it go?" she asked, voice low, eyes downcast from Billie's.
"You don't have to ask," Billie chuckled. "I know you don't have any particular desire to see this house sold over and over again. Why don't we talk about something else?"
"Oh?" Nora murmured.
Billie laughed a bit harder. "How have you been, Nora?" she asked.
"Good," Nora said slowly - feeling the vague blush, praying she hadn't tripped over her own tongue too badly that the single word fell out of her mouth in a stutter.
"Are you sure?" Billie hummed, raising an eyebrow and sort of smirking.
Huffing out a sigh, Nora momentarily glanced away, in part to check and make sure no unwanted presences such as Chad were still around. "It merely surprises me that you... seem to care as much as you do about me," she said. "Typically I and all the other spirits leave each other alone, with a few exceptions... I am not terribly social, nor do I actually enjoy the company of anyone stuck in this house, not even my own so-called husband. Well, till death did we part, honestly - my point being that I am always quite glad to see you, and speak to you, and it makes me... foolishly happy that you care enough to ask me how I'm doing."
A slowly growing grin took over Billie's beautiful features and Nora quickly averted her gaze, unsure entirely where these flustered thoughts and feelings were coming from but aware enough of herself to know they weren't just going away any time soon. "I do care about you, Nora," Billie said softly. "You're a fascinating woman and I'd like to think our relationship has grown quite intimate since I started coming by here more often." Her eyes - mocha brown, Nora had noticed a good while ago, a shade that honestly made her appreciate coffee far more than she ever had before - darted to the side. Billie cleared her throat. "I, ah, I don't mean to speak for you at all. But I want you to know that I'm also very happy to spend time with you. In fact, you're the main reason I bother coming around here as often as I do. Who cares if the realty company gets sued for the presences here - they probably won't, seeing as how seldom people make it out of this place alive to actually make a complaint." She waved a hand, biting down shyly on her lower lip. It took Nora a moment to realize she was staring. "I'm rambling, aren't I?" Billie laughed, this time more awkwardly.
"Oh, not at all, dear," Nora said, waving a hand. "I'm touched you think I'm so worth spending time with."
"If I had it my way, I'd be spending a hell of a lot more time with you," Billie said. And she winked. And Nora felt a lurching sensation in her chest that really rather startled her; her hand snapped up to her chest as if she'd just been given a bad fright, the rest of her body jumping along with the action. Billie's face sort of fell.
"Are you staying for much longer?" Nora asked swiftly, to distract from her bizarre behavior. She internally grimaced at the slight stammer that entered her voice, this time really noticeable, she was sure.
"I was actually wondering if maybe you could help me with something," Billie said. She shifted closer - again that lurching sensation burst inside Nora's chest, and she almost let out a low groan - and rested a hand on Nora's forearm.
It was... electric.
"Yes?" Nora breathed.
Billie flashed a warm smile. "I sensed someone new today," she said. "I think I noticed them a couple weeks ago, but they really seemed like they were making their presence known just now. Marcy was leading that couple around towards the basement when I felt it. At first I was a bit startled, then I noticed it's... well, it's one of the darker presences I've ever felt in this house. That worried me, is all."
Nora blinked. Anxiety bloomed in her chest, replacing the arguably better feeling of something like vertigo simply from being around Billie, it seemed. "And?" she said. "I've felt him, too. We all did when he died; that was a week ago. Drug overdose. Lord knows how he even managed to get into the house, though I suppose break-ins are not uncommon. He certainly does give off a beastly air, but I am sure if you were to simply avoid him you have nothing to worry about."
"And... if he purposefully tries to get close to me?" Billie asked, voice hardly above a whisper. Her own anxiety danced in those beautiful mocha brown eyes, brows furrowed. Nora scowled - if she could take those feelings away she would, but how? "What if he corners me, or just takes me by surprise? I don't particularly want to assume something bad would happen, but judging by the way he makes me feel-"
"It is wise of you to be weary," Nora interrupted gently. She took Billie's hand still resting on her forearm into her own. "If ever something like that were to happen, just call my name, and I will make sure he does nothing to harm you. I will always do everything in my power to protect you, my dear."
Billie's cheeks lit up in a rosy blush, and Nora smiled. "Thank you," she sighed. "That's a big weight off my chest... You're very kind to me, Nora. I appreciate that."
"I hate to see the way some of the others treat you, so snobbishly," Nora scoffed. "You are a lovely girl. Everyone else in this house is just envious of the fact that you are still alive. Oh, but now I'm beginning to ramble, aren't I?"
Grinning, Billie squeezed her hand and pulled away. "I should get going. It was nice to see you, hun."
Nora could only manage a bigger smile, too flustered to make an attempt with words. The simple little term of endearment brought levity back to her body; she felt almost like she was lying in a soft bed of clouds. A warm, soothing embrace. She waved back at Billie as she turned to grab the doorknob and pull the door shut.
She was gone, and Nora felt aimless. Floating now in a sea of emptiness.
"'Xeric'," Violet said, placing the small wooden pieces onto the board. "It means 'requiring a small amount of moisture'."
"Nice one, Vi," Vivien chuckled. "That gives you... a whopping fifty-two points!"
"You're quite good at this game," Nora murmured, glancing between her letters and the Scrabble board. When Violet had asked her if she'd like to play with her and her mother, she had at first declined; the loneliness she'd been feeling in spades since Billie Dean's departure yesterday, however, kept nipping at her heels until it edged its way to the back of her head. That stung quite a bit. She'd hurried to find the girl and her mother, and even though they were playing in the kitchen - definitely Nora's least favorite room by this point - she was having a nice time. The game looked to have been gathering dust in the attic for years now and she was excited to find she could actually remember the rules after Violet explained them only once.
Violet shrugged, a modest gesture to contradict her smug smile. "I've been forcing lots of people to play it with me since we got stuck here," she said. "It's something to do, right?"
"I suppose. Would you please hand me the-"
"Nora!"
She jolted badly, nearly falling right off her chair.
"What the hell?" Violet spluttered.
Billie, that was Billie - when did she get into the house? How did I not notice? Nora thought frantically, whimpering and quickly righting her balance, pushing herself out of her chair and grabbing her skirts to run towards the basement. She couldn't feel Billie but could tell where her shout had come from, and she honestly wasn't surprised.
Terrible things happened in that damned basement.
She flew down the steps, a miniscule part of her wondering if this was the day one of the weak, bowing boards was going to break right under her weight. Small yelps and cries were coming from one of the side rooms, and a scuffling sound. Nora didn't even think; she ran into the room, saw the newest resident above a struggling Billie, holding her wrists up above her head and pinning her down to the dirty concrete floor with his body, and she grabbed him by the hair. Yanking him back violently, she heard herself snarl. It was drowned out by his low cry of surprise mixed with a tiny increment of pain, his hands snapping up to grab her wrist.
"You get your vile hands off her!" she roared, dodging between him and Billie. He scooted backwards on his rear, eyebrows raised. She could see the beginnings of a laugh on his features and sneered. "If ever you bother her again, why, I swear to God I'll find a way to kill you a second time! You brute!"
"I ain't afraid of you," the man scoffed. He rose to his feet and Nora shuffled backwards ever so slightly - she hadn't been this close to him before. He was big. Board shoulders, thick muscles rippling beneath his grimy, hooded sweatshirt. Could probably snap her like a twig.
Nora glared at him nonetheless. Turning over her shoulder, she inspected Billie for injuries; she was a bit scuffed, her light pink button-up blouse un-tucked from her dark blue jeans, but other than that she appeared unharmed. Wait, no - there was a bruise on her cheek, just under her temple and creeping towards the corner of her eye. She pulled herself back a foot or so, tears making her eyes shine. Sniffling, she carefully - and shakily - got up to her feet.
Seeing her blatant fear and the bruise marring her previously flawless skin made Nora absolutely livid.
She turned back around the same second she heard a slight scuff on the floor, signaling the man before her snapping into action. With the force of her turn she backhanded him right across the face, hard enough to send him stumbling to the side. He snarled in fury and lunged at her again, something flashing in his hand. Nora felt a strange prickling in her side, between her last two ribs. The man's body slamming into hers and sending them both to the floor quickly gave her something else to feel. She uselessly kicked her legs at more or less nothing; he pushed himself upright, straddling her hips, and yanked out whatever he'd shoved into her side. Lukewarm, thick wetness spurted from a gaping wound, the blood too brown and clotted to be mistaken for a living person's. He pressed the knife to her throat.
A pleasant feeling washed over Nora, taking away the pain. On the other hand, the man squealed and scrambled off her like she had somehow burned him.
Billie grabbed her by the arm and heaved her to her feet. "Go away," she snarled at the man. Her lower lip quivered and a tear or two streamed down her bruised cheek even while her tone remained steady and commanding. "Go. Away. Leave me the hell alone - actually, why don't you leave us both alone?"
He spit their way. "Fuck you," he snapped. But he sulked away without a hint of further fight in him, pocketing the knife.
"Jesus Christ," Billie half-groaned, half-panted. "Are you okay?"
Nora spun on her, towering over her quite easily with her height advantage. "What on earth were you thinking?!" she yelled. Billie flinched back in surprise, eyes widening. "You have the fortune of still being alive, and yet you run straight into danger? He could have killed you! And done much worse before that! What would I have done then? Did you think of me at all when you thrust yourself into such a perilous situation? I don't want you to be stuck here, even if that would mean I get to spend every moment with you, you do not deserve that fate, Billie Dean!" She took in a big, shuddering inhale she didn't whatsoever need, forcing herself to lean back and lower the volume of her voice. "Forgive me for yelling, but I must say I am furious with your stupidity. If you got hurt I would never forgive myself - and look at what that brute did to you!" Whimpering, she reached up and gingerly cupped Billie's cheek, thumb skating over the bruise gradually becoming blacker and bluer.
Billie gaped. "Nora-"
"Did you make sure he cannot even come near you again?" Nora said in a sharp gasp. "Is that what that nice feeling was?"
"It - well, yes, but it wasn't nice for him," Billie spluttered. "Nora, you-"
"I'm relieved you called for me, and that I could help, but don't you dare put yourself in a situation like that again. You knew he was a dark presence, why approach him?"
"Nora, will you let me explain myself?" Billie gushed, grabbing Nora by the arms and giving her a slight shake the same second Nora instinctively grabbed her arms back. She pursed her lips to stop herself from saying anything. "I wasn't trying to get myself killed. I just thought I would nip this in the bud, find that man and make sure he wouldn't be able to come near me in the future. He came out of nowhere and-"
"You call that an explanation?" Nora interrupted yet again, shrilly. She could feel tears prickling behind her eyes and blinked frantically, unnecessary breaths coming faster and shallower. "Billie Dean! How could you? What do you think I would do without you?" She burst into harsh, wracking sobs. Billie immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, shushing her gently, rubbing up and down her back in a way that was both soothing and electrifying - in fact, Nora realized, every time they touched she could feel that electricity. And she knew, somehow, what that meant. Though she didn't think she had ever felt it she was sure she'd read about it, heard other women she knew in her time talking about it, how lucky they were they actually fell in love with the man they married as opposed to doing it out of necessity-
"Nora, I'm so sorry," Billie whispered. "You're right, I wasn't thinking. I was being completely selfish, I should have thought of you, I'm sorry. I didn't-"
Nora jerked just a bit out of her arms. She had a wild thought, but it seemed as if her body was acting on the impulse before her mind could think it through. Holding Billie's face in her hands, she drew the medium closer, kissing her with every ounce of care and adoration she felt. She had been foolish in her own way - but at least she could fix that.
She drew back after a moment. Billie gaped at her again, her eyebrows slowly ticking up her forehead, lips tugging into a smirk. She let out a breath of a laugh. "So you want to spend every moment with me?" she purred, a bit of cockiness entering her tone.
"Oh, now don't get all smug," Nora drawled. "You're still in quite a bit of trouble, my dear. Please promise me you will never do anything like this again."
Billie grinned, biting down on her lower lip. "I promise."
"Good. And I accept your apology."
"What makes you think I'm done apologizing?" Billie whispered, tilting her head up and brushing her lips over Nora's in a feather light kiss.
"What makes you think you've earned another one?" Nora countered.
Billie chuckled lowly. "What makes you think you can resist?"
Nora glared despite being unable to quash a smirk of her own. "You are too cocky for your own good, darling," she laughed, leaning back in. She felt Billie's responding smile.
"Hey, is everything okay down here? Nora? You're taking a long time to - oh!"
Practically leaping away from Billie, Nora held a hand up over her mouth and spun on her heel to find Violet in the doorway, visibly fighting down a fit of giggles. "I wasn't-" she began, but horror abruptly replacing the glee on the girl's face cut her off.
"Oh my God, were you stabbed?" Violet yelped.
Nora looked down at herself. A big, dark red stain was covering her side and seeping down towards her leg. Behind her Billie groaned vaguely. "Christ... I can help with that. Come upstairs with me, hun, I'll clean around the wound and bandage it up. I know spirits can heal themselves back to the way their body was like when they died, so you'll be alright." She came around to the socialite's side, slipping an arm around her waist and placing her free hand on Nora's shoulder, almost right over her no longer beating heart. "Does it hurt?" she asked softly, frowning and meeting her gaze worriedly.
"No," Nora murmured. "The only times I've ever felt anything after... my death... have been with you."
"Wow, that's sweet," Violet snorted. Nora shot her an offended look. "I mean, you guys have fun with... whatever you're doing. My mom and I are just gonna finish the game without you, Nora, but you can come back and join us - you, too, Billie."
Billie laughed. "Thank you, Violet." The girl shrugged, smiling, and walked away. Nora narrowed her eyes after her briefly, looking back to Billie at the chime of another laugh.
"What?" she asked.
Grinning, Billie winked. "I was just thinking about how I'd been wondering yesterday if I was going to have to make the first move after all."
"You know, perhaps the reason most spirits do not seem to like you is because of your knack for being a know-it-all," Nora chuckled, nudging her towards the door. They waltzed leisurely for the stairs.
"Oh, you know you love it," Billie purred.
"I find it adorably endearing, yes. And besides, someone has to keep an eye on you to make sure things like this don't happen again."
"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"
"Absolutely not. Just be glad, darling, that I am no longer angry."
Billie shrugged, and Nora smiled knowingly at her toothy smirk. "I thought it was pretty sexy, actually," she said.
"Don't you dare think about doing that again," Nora huffed. She stopped just past the basement door, forcing Billie to as well, and lightly kissed her bruise. "You promised."
A/N: Caught up with Apocalypse. I'm really liking it, although I'm bummed they killed Venable so soon, but yay because she's in some of the flashbacks! And they're sure taking their time with those, aren't they? But I digress~ Only other things I'm going to say about it for now: why the hell has Misty only been in one episode, and Sarah's directorial debut was SO FRICKIN GOOD UGH!
Hope you all liked this chapter! It's a bit longer. I often feel like I'm not very good at writing fluff so I hope it's alright. Please keep sending reviews, following, and favoriting! Means a lot to me when y'all take the time to do so.
Till next time!
xo QueenofEvilSmirks