Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 9

A Small World

"…California, here we come…right back where we started from…"

Pacey heard Joey's singing all the way form up the stairs. He groaned, as he was trying to get some work done, and ran down the stairs. She was sitting in front of the T.V, sitting Indian-style with a bag of marshmallows in her lap.

There were a couple of blonde kids making out on screen.

"Are you kidding me?" Pacey asked, rubbing his eyes as if he was seeing things. "Losing maternity weight isn't as easy as Kate Hudson says." He reached down and took the marshmallows from his wife. "At least not for Joey Potter."

She widened her eyes, reaching for the marshmallows again. "Hey! I was eating that!" Joey stood up and waddled over to her husband. "And I'm not fat." She yanked the marshmallows from him and resumed in her position.

"Potter, I can hear the T.V from upstairs. Do you think that's fair when I'm trying to get some work done?" Pacey inquired. "I thought it was you who was complaining about baby shopping last week, but I guess I was seeing things."

Joey rolled her eyes. "I'm watching The O.C. Can you please leave me alone?" She snapped, obviously in a bad mood.

Since Pacey sensed this, he sat next to her and sighed. "Since when do you sit in front of a T.V all day and watch rich kids snob around? The Joey Potter I know is up and running even if a little rain pours down on her parade."

He wrapped an arm around her, trying to be soothing

She scooted down and out of his reach. "There's something fishy going on with Sawyer. I know it. I'm trying to figure it out."

"So that's why you're drowning in self-pity?"

"Shut it, Pacey, no one asked for your opinion," Joey exclaimed, setting her eyes on the screen once again. "The least you could do is help me figure it out. He might be hurting Kate for all we know. I don't like him at all, the way he was yelling at her."

Pacey sighed. "You mean you. You don't like the way he was yelling at you and now you're making a big deal about something that isn't there."

"I'm helping Kate," She replied, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "She might be in trouble and--"

"So Super Jo is going out and saving the day?" Pacey asked, exasperated. "Sawyer and Kate can deal with their own problems. They don't need you butting in their business."

"You know what? If you're not going to help, please leave," she said, annoyed.

Pacey stood up, lifting his hands up in surrender.

Joey just let him leave, absentmindedly flipping the channels, every click of her thumb pressing down harder as her annoyance at Pacey grew even more. Then, something on the T.V caught her attention.

"Here we are, Mark, discussing the fugitive alert. It surely has everyone around California spooked. She could be anywhere, and no one seems to have seen her for a while."

"Well, Jen, as you mention it, we know nothing about Katherine. She could be dead, for all we know…and for the man, we know nothing about him either, but if we find him, there will definitely be time for him to serve for harboring a wanted fugitive."

Joey's eyes widened even more as Kate's picture came up on the screen. The picture was blurry, but it showed clearly what Joey was looking for. Katherine Austen (Kate) running, hand in hand, with Sawyer, and looking back at the camera.

Joey was in a state of awe for a couple of seconds. Then, it all sunk in. About two houses away, a fugitive and her husband were living peacefully, not knowing what to do with themselves.

"PACEY!!!" She yelled like she had never yelled before.

He ran down the stairs, tripping just a bit, and ran into the room like he was on fire. "Just, relax. Remember what the doctor said, just breathe in and out. Whatever you do, Jo, don't push." Joey raised an eyebrow, but he was too far-gone. Pacey put his face in his hands. "Oh, what am I doing? I'm too young to be a father…"

"Pacey…" she spoke carefully. "I'm not having the baby." A huge sigh of relief came from her husband. "But it's great to know how you feel about the ordeal," Joey went on sarcastically, smirking.

"Then what the hell is wrong, woman?" He yelled, eyes wide.

Joey stood up, looking proud. "I found it. I found what is wrong with Kate and Sawyer."

Pacey rolled his eyes, preparing himself for what he thought was Joey's stupid revelation. "Uh-huh...let's hear it. They didn't throw out their garbage," he paused for dramatic effect. "they recycled it?"

"Kate's a fugitive," Joey said to him. "I knew it!"

Pacey groaned, turning around, ready to walk out of the room. "And they say this isn't one bad episode of Desperate Housewives."

--

Rory kissed Jess back eagerly, pulling back to remove her shirt. Jess took this opportunity to kiss her neck, tracing her shoulder blades with hot kisses. Rory smiled, kissing him full on the mouth again, and leading them to the bed.

"Daddy! Mommy! The door!"

Jess groaned and rolled off her. "Go, before I run out there and kill him." He traced her bellybutton with his finger. "Be quick please."

Rory sighed and stood up, reaching for her shirt. She slipped it on and walked out to the kitchen, where the screaming was coming from. James was sitting happily, eating the Macaroni and Cheese that Rory had left for him. Dinner was the only way that she got him to leave them alone.

"And why couldn't you have gotten the door?" Rory asked the toddler, hands on her hips.

James sighed, as if all the household duties were being dropped on him. "I was eating dinner, for pete's sake. Jesus," he hissed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, okay," she held her hands up. "I'll get it."

She stepped down the stairs and opened the door quickly, remembering that Jess was waiting for her in the bedroom. Unfortunately, she saw that it was Joey. Getting out of having long talks with Joey was near to impossible.

Rory waved pleasantly. "Hey, Jo. What's up?"

"Um…can we go inside?" She leaned in. "I don't want this getting out."

Rory looked at her weirdly and let her in, stepping to the side. "Come in, then." They stepped into the kitchen where James was playing with his food. "Hey, Hon, give us a minute, okay?"

He rolled his eyes once again and stood up from his place at the table. "Fine." He stomped off angrily.

Joey laughed, sitting down where James was sitting. Rory sat across from her. The second James was out of sight, Joey got talking. "Okay, so, I was watching the news earlier today and you will not guess what I saw."

"What'd you see?" Rory inquired, not in the mood for guessing.

"Kate. Can you believe it?" She slammed her hand against the table.

"I'm not sure. What was she doing on the news?" Rory asked logically.

Joey grinned, this being the best part of her news. "Well, I saw her picture and they were discussing her." She leaned in once again, as if she was being listened to. "Kate's a fugitive."

Rory wasn't exactly sure how to react to this news. "She's a…um…"

"I was shocked. Can you believe it? She just moves in here like it's nothing. I knew there was something wrong with them the second they started fighting in the kitchen."

"But—I mean, she must have a reason," she replied rashly.

"She's running from the law, I think that's reason enough."

They sat in silence for a second. Rory put her head in her hands. "I can't believe this. This only happens in movies. I mean, what are we supposed to do? Is she dangerous? God."

Joey nodded, looking a bit pale. "The way she looked in the news…she's really wanted. I mean, maybe we should just call the police on her."

Rory thought about it, but thinking about Kate in jail made her sick after all the time she had spent with her. "But are you sure? I mean, she spent so much time with us and I don't think she tried to hurt us in any way."

"Rory, if we don't give her up then we're harboring a fugitive. The worse thing I've done against the law is throw a can of coke in the highway," Joey spoke worriedly.

She sighed. "I wish I just hadn't found out."

Joey bit her lip, knowing that this was her doing. "I'm sorry, Rory. I was the one who brought you into this. I should have just called the police or something." When she brought herself up, standing, Rory grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"No. Wait. I think we should maybe talk to them reasonably. I'm not one to go against the law, but I just…I'm not sure about all this." Rory nervously bit the inside of her mouth. "I have James to think about, too. He plays in this street and he thinks of them as his friend. What if they hurt him…or…God, it's too much to think about."

Joey nodded, putting her hand on top of Rory's. "Maybe we shouldn't think about her well-being. We haven't known her for long, and it won't be as hard doing this now then waiting until we're more attached to her."

Rory stood up, running a trembling hand through her hair. "Here, let's talk about this at another time…and if worse comes to worse, then maybe we can call the police. I need to discuss this with Jess first."

Joey gave her a sign of agreement and they walked down the stairs once again to the door. "That sounds fair, for us and for Kate also."

"Thanks for telling me, Jo. I'm happy that you included me," Rory replied, smiling only slightly.

Joey let herself out and waved goodbye to Rory, who ran back to the master bedroom instantly.

What she didn't know, though, was that James had overheard the deep conversation and was on his way out the door as soon as his mother was out of sight.

--

James ran angrily towards Kate and Sawyer's house, stopping just short of the door. He glared at the door before ringing the doorbell.

A few seconds later, Kate opened the door, revealing both her and Sawyer.

"You lied to me!" James accused, wagging a short finger at Kate.

Kate kneeled down, giggling quietly. "What about?" She asked him.

"You're not the lady of the house," He accused, his little face contorted in anger.

"Are ya sure?" Sawyer asked James, from behind Kate. "I don' see any other woman living with me."

James walked forward, taking a peek into the house. "Are you sure?" He said disbelievingly.

Kate nodded. "I'm positive."

"But the really nice newsman said that you're a…you're a fu-fugive?" He tried pronouncing the word, looking up into Kate's face for confirmation.

"A what?" Kate wondered, trying to make sure James didn't mispronounce the word she was thinking.

"A…a fugitive!" James said proudly, his eyes lighting up in happiness.

Kate's eyes widened, and behind her she felt Sawyer tense up.

"Well, you see," Kate began trying to explain, but Sawyer cut in.

"Little man, do your parents know where you are?" He asked James, looking down at him from his towering height.

James's face lost its happiness, looking down at his feet. "Not really."

Kate looked behind her at Sawyer, her brow furrowing in confusion. He didn't even acknowledge her.

"Son, don' ya think you should head home?" Sawyer asked again, insistent on having him leave.

James nodded sadly, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Yea…but…-"

Sawyer interrupted him. "No buts, mister. Head on home," He told him again. "An' buddy, let's keep this our lil' secret."

James only nodded, turning around and skipping in the direction of his house.

Kate got up from her position on the ground, facing Sawyer. She shut the door behind her.

"Way to scare the poor boy off," She muttered, taking a seat on the couch. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she knew what was coming.

"They're still playin' the damn alert, Kate," He spat angrily, taking a seat opposite her on the loveseat.

"I know," Kate sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I'm reminded of it every time I turn on that stupid television."

"Well, we have t' do something 'bout it, because we won't be able t' stay here much longer if it keeps on playin'," He shot back to her, running a hand through his hair.

"Damn it, Sawyer," Kate cried angrily. "I know this. I know all this. You're not helping me by constantly remind me of my past and everything that I'm still trying to deal with."

"Kate-" Sawyer tried, his voice sounding pleading.

She glared at him, a crestfallen look in her eyes, before stomping up the stairs angrily and slamming the door.

--

Draco sighed angrily, throwing the hammer onto the floor. "Why the bloody hell do these muggle contraptions come unassembled?"

Hermione looked away from the television, glancing at Draco, who was sitting on the ground, trying to figure out how to assemble their end tables for the living room.

"Let's be clear about one thing," Hermione began, lowering the volume on the television. "You know exactly what that is, so don't blame it on muggles. Second off, you're the cheap wanker who didn't want to spend any money on furniture. If it hadn't been for you, we could have shopped somewhere other than Ikea."

"About that," Draco said to her, getting up and walking over to the loveseat. "What kind of store makes you assemble your purchase?"

"Ikea does," She stated simply. "Now, I thought you wanted to be the man and put the table together yourself? Are you finally admitting defeat?"

Draco shrugged. "I am putting the table together, all on my own. I just thought I'd consult you for your opinion on how I should go about doing that."

Hermione chuckled, peering over his shoulder. All she saw were the table parts scattered everywhere, a hammer thrown into the midst of the parts. "I think this should be your consequence for withholding money from your fiancé," She said to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Go on, get a move on. I'd like to have those finished soon."

Draco muttered something along the lines of 'cheap muggles' and 'bloody women' before taking a seat alongside all of the table parts.

"I'll have you know," He said from his seat on the ground. "That you're basically condoning my cheap quality. Now that I've seen how bad muggles can be, I'm giving them a run for their money."

Hermione snorted, turning back to the television. She heard him continue to fiddle with the parts, and happily turned up the volume of the television. "I wonder if the muggle news is as interesting as our very own Rita Skeeter," She said to Draco, flipping through the channels, searching for a news broadcasting station.

"Aha!" Hermione said happily, leaning back into the loveseat and watching the screen intently.

"…back to our top story of the night. Almost all of America has heard of our very own airplane crash survivor and fugitive, Katherine Austen. She was last seen being chased by a security cop at a local motel in the suburbs of California. With her is an unidentified man, who seems to fit the role of Katherine's love interest, which we came to the conclusion to by their conjoined hands…"

Hermione flipped the channel, landing on some cooking show. She left it there, lowering the volume. "There's nothing too interesting. Just some story on a fugitive from California."

"Wonderful," Draco muttered. "Isn't that nearby?"

Hermione nodded, walking over to their window. "No worries, though. I'm sure they haven't left the state."

"Bleeding hell!" Draco cried. Hermione turned around quickly, glancing over at Draco. He was nursing his thumb, muttering to himself quietly.

Hermione laughed to herself, turning back towards the window. She decided not to even acknowledge the fact that Draco was crying over a sore thumb. She was positive it was an exaggeration.

"Oh, Draco. Look," Hermione cooed, pointing out the window. James came bounding down the sidewalk, a far-off look on his face. Hermione smiled slightly as she felt Draco wrap his arms around her from behind.

"That's one intelligent bugger," Draco said to her, placing a kiss on her temple. "He comes and goes like he pleases. Must be one hell of package to deal with."

"You think people just deal with children?" She asked, turning around in his arms.

"Not deal with, to be exact," He stated, shrugging. "It's just a huge thing to take on."

"You don't want children then?" Hermione clarified, looking sort of put out.

"I'm a Malfoy," He told her, as if it was some sort of news to her. "I've got to have an heir and continue our lineage."

"Is that the only reason, then?" She looked up at him, eyebrows raised, as if demanding an answer. "Because it's that attitude that make children seem like something to deal with."

"I want children, Hermione," He said, with a sense of finality in his voice. "Specifically with you."

"Wonderful," She smiled, leaning up and placing a kiss on his lips. She pulled back slightly, looking back up at him. "Because I would love a little one running around the house."

Draco just smirked, leaning down and engulfing her lips with his. Hermione deepened the kiss as she led him backwards, towards the direction of the stairs.

"Consummating the new house, eh love?" He smirked, leaning back down and pressing his lips against hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she smiled against his lips as he lifted her off the ground and brought her up the stairs to their bedroom.

--

"Are you sure it's not burnt?" Bella asked, smirking, smelling a terrible mess from her place in the living room.

"Yes, Bella. It's not burnt!" Edward replied defensively.

"I believe you," Bella said sarcastically, turning the TV on, flipping to the news.

"What is so interesting about that contraption that you have to let it brainwash you?" Edward asked while bustling around the kitchen.

"You mean the TV?" Bella inquired.

"Yes, that brainwasher," Edward responded.

"I'm watching the news. Maybe something interesting is happening around 'Mystic Creek'," Bella said sarcastically.

"Now on to our biggest news story. Fugitive Katherine Austen was last seen in California, accompanied by a tall, blond man. The pair has not been seen since California, but the alert is still going around the country, keeping everyone's eyes open and on the look out for the pair…"

"Hey did you hear that? It's something interesting!" Bella yelled out to Edward.

"Yes, I did," Edward replied, suddenly at her side on the couch.

"Edward!" Bella screamed, feeling like she jumped ten feet into the air. Slapping him on the shoulder, she looked at him, waiting for an apology.

"Oh," Edward said, a look of sarcastic realization on his face. "I'm so terribly sorry."

Laughing at her softly, he wrapped his arms around her, taking her into his lap.

"Edward…" Bella said, laughing along with him, while still mesmerized by the intense look of love he gave her.

Smiling, he kissed her softly on the lips. With great difficulty, Bella resisted from over-doing the kiss, and waited patiently for more. Seeing her look of wanting, Edward rewarded her with a bigger, more passionate kiss.

Bella smiled, happy to have such a wonderful man in her life.

Slowly coming un-mesmerized, she noticed the terrible burning smell coming yet again from the kitchen.

"Edward, the food!" Bella yelled, scrambling out of his arms and running into the kitchen, only to be choked by a thick cloud of smoke.

While coughing profusely, she could hear Edward nearby, looking for something. Being able to stop breathing at will without dying must be a luxury once in a while.

To her relief, she heard the sound of a fire extinguisher, putting out the oven fire. Once it was out, he opened the window, letting out the cloud of smoke. After a moment, it was gone, but it left behind a layer of ash on everything in the room.

"So much for your romantic dinner," Bella said, starting to laugh.

"Well, I haven't cooked for over a century," he replied with a sigh.

"It's alright, I forgive you," Bella said happily, planting a light kiss on Edward's cheek.

In about ten minutes, Bella had a quick Mac-and-Cheese ready to eat, with candles to add the romance.

"Well, it wasn't what I had had in mind, but at least it's romantic, and there's food to eat," Edward said, gazing at Bella lovingly, and with a slightly hungry look.

Bella smiled at him, just as lovingly, chewing on her sticky Mac-and-Cheese.

Without warning, Edward got up, picking Bella up into his arms again, in one swift movement.

Ignoring Bella's whines of protest for her Mac-and-Cheese, he carried her up into the bedroom.

"You almost burn the house down, you force me to make my own dinner, and then you take me away from it?" Bella said with sarcastic shock.

"And yet, all the while you still love me," Edward responded, kissing her passionately.

"More than you love me," Bella said.

Edward smirked, and kissed her again. Then, he suddenly tucked her into bed, acting like Bella's mother.

"Time to sleep, Bella," Edward said with sudden authority.

"And whatever will you do while I'm sleeping?" Bella asked sarcastically.

"I enjoy watching you sleep, Bella. Go ahead and sleep," he said, kissing her again.

Smiling, and easily setting herself into Edward's chest, Bella fell asleep easily and quickly.

As soon as Edward was sure that Bella was asleep, he left the house as quietly as a mouse, the starving feeling he always got before a hunt bubbling up inside of him.

Closing the front door quietly, Edward walked out onto the sidewalk, looking for anyone nearby. To his annoyance, he saw a blonde man slightly older than him taking out the trash. He waited patiently for him to return into his house, so he could go through with his hunt.

But as he was walking inside, Edward realized that it was the same man from the restaurant.

What a small world, he thought quickly.