A/N: The pieces of the puzzle are beginning to come together in this chapter, and Maura starts to set down roots.
Thank you to MyBlueSide, Britt01, Tears of Mercury, sles, Gryffindor Gurl 2, and Trixie for your reviews and comments. They help so much! And thanks, again, to Tears of Mercury for creating my new banner! Come see it (before I figure out how to use it) on my thread on the AU forum at twilighted (dot) net. Thanks to Angel just for being Angel!
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Disclaimer: SMeyer's.
Chapter 7 - Caught
Maura arrived at Emily's sometime before the lunch rush. Good. She needed quiet so she could think. She picked a seat in the center of the almost empty counter and scanned the menu.
"Hey, Maura!" It was Embry, coming from the kitchen. He leaned his elbows on the counter. "Hungry?"
"Starved." Maura's stomach gave a growl. She was ferociously hungry all of a sudden. "Can you still do breakfast? I would love an omelet, a big one, with some coffee." Her head still slightly hurt, like the last remnants of a hangover.
"Sure thing. I'll get right on it." As Embry turned to go back into the kitchen, the phone beside the register rang. He paused to pick it up. "Hey, Kim. Yeah, okay, I'll tell her. No worries. We'll manage." Embry hung up and disappeared into the back. Maura heard him shout out, "Hey, Emily, that was Kim. Her morning sickness is at it again. She can't come in."
Maura tuned out the conversation and other noises around her and laid her head down on the counter. Why were the voices she heard familiar? Well, two of them. Why did they cut through the static? Why did the static that had plagued her for years, since she was a little girl, now seem so tied to this particular place? This particular group of people? Why didn't being here in boring, wet La Push for going on her second week feel strange? It somehow, in some way, felt more right than Atlanta ever had. Why?
A few minutes later, Emily appeared, carrying a thick folder with papers sticking out at odd, random angles. She put her pen behind her ear and adjusted her bangs so that they fell back over her scar. "I've got to place this order before the rush. Then, I'll call around and see if someone can come in." Maura raised her head slightly from the counter. Emily was talking to herself. As she dialed the phone and placed her order, Maura sat up straighter.
'Hmmm,' she thought. 'I'm running out of money. I've got no place else to really go. Emily is short handed today. Well, why the hell not?'
Emily hung up the phone and sighed.
"Um, Emily. I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but I overheard Embry -" Just then he walked out with her breakfast and set it down in front of her.
"Did I hear my name?" Embry grinned. Emily laughed.
'Soooo cute. Okay, Maura, stop. He has a girlfriend. You are not here for this,' she thought.
"Yeah. I was just telling Emily that I overheard you saying that someone called out today. I, um, I could use a job. If one's available. Even temporary." She looked hopefully at both of them.
"Planning to stick around, then?" Emily smiled. "The lunch rush hits in exactly 15 minutes. You ever waitress?" Maura shook her head no. "Well, eat quickly, sweetie. You're about to learn. The pay is okay, the tips are great, and I definitely need you. Kim's pregnancy has been rough and she's only 5 months in. I don't think we'll have her much longer at all. Jared says the doctor has hinted at bed rest. So, congratulations, Maura. You've got a job. Oh, can you pull a double today?"
"Yes. And thank you." Maura shoveled the food in as fast as she could. Jeez. La Push, Washington. Who would have thought?
*****
The rest of the week passed by much more quickly thanks to her newfound waitressing career. Emily mostly needed her from the breakfast rush to the late afternoon, when the lunch crowd subsided and they could prep for dinner. Embry worked mid-morning through close, claiming he was a night owl and couldn't be woken from the dead until at least 10 every morning. Maura and Embry had fallen into an easy friendship. She had even met his girlfriend, Karen, who stopped in on her way to the classes she was taking at the community college in Forks. She was incredibly sweet and head over heels in love with Embry, so Maura made sure to alter her initial flirtatious relationship with Embry to something undeniably platonic. She was glad. She needed a friend.
And she was learning about the pack just from being at Emily's so much. Leah and Seth usually made at least one appearance a day. As did their mother, who Maura was surprised to learn was the lady who had spoken to her at the summer festival a few weeks ago. Leah's attitude remained icy. Maura chalked it up to the fact that some girls were just bitches, and Leah must definitely be one of those. And yet, she could also sense something very protective in her underneath, somewhere. Seth was still shamelessly flirting with her. So obviously, in fact, that his own mother felt the need to shut him down herself one afternoon when he became quite persistent in trying to secure a date with Maura as she was getting off her shift for the evening. He had laughed it off, though. He was decidedly lovable, but Maura didn't think there was a spark there at all. She did gather from all his chatter that Seth and Leah were also "night owls," often dragging in sluggishly for breakfast most mornings.
In addition, several other members of the pack stopped in, and Maura tried to find creative ways to eavesdrop on every conversation. Most of their banter was trivial, normal stuff, but she caught two very notable exceptions. The first being that someone named Jacob was supposed to return to town soon and this news had all of them ecstatic, yet simultaneously melancholy. The second was a cryptic reference to what they referred to as "them" either coming back or getting too close. They had been talking about both on and off since Tuesday, and three days later was no exception.
Maura was refilling ketchup at the counter sometime after noon when Sam, Paul, and Quil came in at their usual time for lunch. Maura waved and continued refilling messily with one hand, while she scrawled their usual order on a ticket and hung it at the kitchen window for Embry and Jared.
"Hi, Maura. Emily back from shopping yet?" Sam asked. They took seats at the counter in front of her.
"She just called. There was some police detour between here and Port Angeles. She'll be another 15 or 30 minutes." She was turning around, recapping the ketchup as she answered, and didn't see Sam's posture stiffen, causing Paul and Quil to do the same. Just then, Jared and Embry came barreling out from the back, swinging the kitchen door into the side of her head. Maura yelped and staggered back.
"Shit! Are you okay?" Embry asked as Jared pushed past, oblivious, and yelled to another waitress to switch the TV to the news channel.
"Local authorities have begun cooperating with state agencies as this, the fifth in a string of unsolved missing persons cases in the Port Angeles area, has stretched personnel and resources to the county limit." The news reporter was standing on what looked like the highway between Forks and Port Angeles. Flashing blue lights, uniformed officers, and an uncharacteristic traffic jam cluttered the scenery in the background.
As the reporter continued, Maura heard the bell above the door ring, and Leah and Seth burst into the diner. "Turn it to channel - oh, good, you've got it on." Leah called.
Maura's vision began to swim as pain throbbed through her temple. She grabbed her head where the door had hit just as her knees gave way and she began to fall to the floor. "Fuck!" she gasped.
Embry and Leah turned towards her at the same time. Embry dove to catch her before she hit the ground, while Leah's eyes bored a hole in her already pounding skull.
"What did you just say?" Leah barked sharply. Her eyes narrowed and locked with Maura's.
"Jared just accidentally smacked her in the head with the kitchen door. Jeez, I didn't know you were hit that hard." Embry guided Maura around the counter and gently deposited her into the nearest booth. "I'll get you some ice." He maneuvered around Leah, who had planted herself next to the booth as she continued her visual standoff. "Move. Leah, what's your problem? Seth, Jesus, move!" Embry shoved past Seth who now stood behind Leah.
"What did you just say?" Leah repeated. Sam grabbed the remote from behind the cash register and muted the television. He turned towards Leah, Seth, and Maura.
"What's going on?" As the dizziness faded, Maura was aware of the stern, almost parental tone in Sam's voice. "Leah?" He demanded.
"Leave her alone, Leah." Embry pushed back past them and handed a baggy of ice to Maura. He turned and crossed his arms, glaring at Leah.
"Leah?" Sam was more insistent.
"She asked her, 'What did you just say?'" Seth repeated. Maura stared around Embry. Leah's stance was almost rigid, on full alert, and her eyes were suspicious. Seth's expression was more curious and slightly confused.
"I said, 'Fuck!' Now stop staring at me."
"No. Say it again. The same way."
Sam stood up. "Okay, this is -"
"Weird? Inappropriate? Incredibly bitchy?" Embry replied.
"Wait, Embry," Seth requested more gently. "Leah's right. Maura, say that again. The same way."
The ice hadn't begun to numb the pain in her temple yet and her head ached. Maura felt like she was being interrogated. She looked around. Everyone was staring at them. At her. 'What the-' she began in her head - "Fuck!" she gasped out loud. Leah took a step forward. Maura leaned back. 'Are you kidding me?!' she thought frantically, sure Leah was about to plant her fist into her face.
"You!" Both Leah and Seth shouted. And then Leah, by herself, and more quietly. "You?"As their eyes locked, Maura felt suddenly, undeniably exposed. Caught. What the hell was going on? And then, almost an instant later, comprehension dawned. Leah knew. They had heard her.
"Oh. My. God." Maura's eyes closed. Her thoughts raced and jumbled into each other until one distinct command came to the forefront of her mind: Run! She tried to bolt from the booth, but collided with Embry's back.
"Oh, no you don't." Leah grabbed Maura's arm. "We need to talk." She pulled Maura around Embry.
"What's going on, Leah?!" Sam was standing now.
"It's okay." Maura looked at Sam, then Embry. "I think we do need to talk." And she followed Leah out the door, Seth trailing along behind them.
*****
The ride to Leah's apartment was quick and silent. They had hopped into Leah's Suburban without a word and by unspoken agreement had remained that way. Now they sat awkwardly in Leah's living room.
Maura finally broke the tension. "So… 'fuck'…huh?" She tried to laugh.
"Explain," Leah snapped.
"I c-can't. I don't know what this is. Do you?" She shifted to look over at Seth. Leah was too intense to handle.
"How long have you heard us?" he asked.
"Just twice. Usually it's…this static. I don't know how to explain it." She chanced a glance back at Leah, whose eyes were thankfully closed.
"Static?" Leah asked, keeping her eyes shut as she leaned her head back on the couch.
"Yeah. The static thing, well, I've had that most of my life. I just thought it was, um, that I was…you know, crazy. I've never heard voices before, though. Not until I came here."
Leah's eyes opened, then. And a moment later the phone rang.
"Jake," she answered, knowing instantly who it was without having to ask. "Uh-huh. Something told you to call? Hmmm. How close are you?" There was a pause as she listened. Then, "Kamloops?! Why didn't you tell me? So, are you at your cousin's?" Another pause. "Okay. Listen, we need to talk tonight. And you, uh, needto get back here." She cut her eyes to Maura. "Wait. On second thought, you need to call, on an actual phone again." She paused, listening. "Well…just call tonight, okay?" Leah hung up.
"So -" Maura began, but Leah cut her off.
"Seth and I need to talk now." She stood up, strode over to the door, and held it open.
Alright-y then. "Can we talk about this?" Maura walked through the doorway and turned around. "You're them, right? The -"
"Not now." Leah shut the door.
*****
A/N: Reviews are golden and so helpful. I'd love to hear your thoughts!