Snakes, Snails, and Kitty Cat Tails

Jake

"Where are we going now?" Heaven asked as she settled into the front seat. Jake had pulled over after about an hour of driving. It was starting to get dark and they were low on gas again.

"I don't know," he answered with a sigh. "Want to go camping?"

"Camping?" Heaven's eyes lit up. "Okay."

"Okay, hold on." He popped the trunk and got out of the car. Heaven waited in the car and played with Lucifer who wasn't paying much attention to Angel for once. Jake smirked as Angel glared at Lucifer. He lifted the trunk and looked through it until he found a large flashlight. As for blankets, they would have to use their coats and find a soft spot in some grass. He was pretty sure that Heaven wouldn't mind the bugs. He went back to the front after slamming the trunk down. Heaven looked back at him with big eyes, but smiled the next second. He smiled back and opened the door, letting the cats out as he leaned in and grabbed the gun sitting on the floorboard. "You ready?" he asked. Heaven nodded and got out of the car.

"What is that?" Heaven asked, looking at the gun.

"A shotgun," Jake answered. "I'm sure you've seen guns at home. The guards carry around smaller ones," he looked at her questioningly.

She nodded after a few moments. "Are they called shotguns too?"

"Nah, those are pistols." He kept a good grip on it and started walking further up the road. "We're going to travel a while away from the car, so the police don't find us when we're sleeping."

"And if they do?" she asked.

"I guess I'll be forced to use the shotgun," he answered with a shrug.

They continued walking up the road until the car was barely in view. He took Heaven's arm and turned her towards the trees off to the right. She looked up at him for a moment and then started walking. They went around a couple of bushes and walked a small ways through the trees. Once Jake felt that they would be safe, he stopped Heaven and sat down in some decent grass and leaned against a tree. Heaven settled down beside him and rested her head on his chest. He was silent, thinking how she could hear his heart. It always sped up whenever she touched him.

He wanted to listen to her heart for once, just to know that it was still there. She could act like she didn't know what feelings were all she wanted, but it was there. He just had to verify it. He grasped her wrists gently and pulled her back. She looked up at him in curiosity, but he ignored her reaction and laid her back on the grass. "Jake," she said, sounding startled. He rested his ear against her chest and felt her warmth. He also heard a soft pounding and leaned closer, pressing his cheek between her breasts. It rose and fell as he listened to her breathing and the beating of her heart. It was pounding now, speeding up.

"You have a heart, Heaven," he murmured. She didn't answer, but he knew that she heard him. He closed his eyes and listened as the fast beating became a lullaby. He fell asleep shortly after while Heaven ran her fingers through his hair absently and the cats curled up together between them, tickling his stomach with their soft purring.

It felt like minutes later, but he woke to Heaven's whimpering. He lifted his head and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and her fists were balled, resting on either side of her head in the grass. He lightly pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She was warm, but she had a cold sweat. He shook her gently and her eyes opened as she quickly sat up. Her hair was tangled and she looked very tired. "It's okay," he cooed. "It was just a nightmare." He held her to his chest. The rest of her body was cold and she was trembling. He swiftly took off his jacket and put it over her and pulled her into his lap.

Leaning back against the tree, he rested her head against his shoulder and whispered good dreams to her. She had just started to fall asleep when she cried out and slapped something away from her leg. Jake looked around and asked, "What is it?"

"Something cold," she said in a small voice. She reminded him of a small child. He pulled her legs up to his thigh and held onto them. He knew it was a snake, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her that.

"It was just curios," he said, getting up. He was surprised it didn't strike at her after she had slapped it away like that. He leaned back against the tree. He wanted to rub his eyes and yawn, but he held back. She felt heavier when he was tired, and he hadn't eaten all day so he was hungry too. "Do you want to sleep somewhere else?"

Heaven started to answer when he felt something cold and slimy brush against his neck, and then it stuck to him. He set Heaven's legs down and brought his hand up to the snail that was making its way down his shoulder under his shirt. He felt grossed out, but he pulled it off of his shoulder and tossed it on the ground. Angel was quick to snatch it up. Lucifer watched as she chewed on it and he started purring. They must have been hungry too. He regretted leaving the car behind, and he was worried that someone might have spotted it already.

"What was that?" Heaven was asking.

"Just a snail," he answered absently. "They're harmless, but they're also gross."

She giggled a little and asked, "Why are they gross?"

"They're really slimy," he said with a smile, looking at her now. He could hardly see the features of her face, but he didn't have to. He remembered them perfectly and pictured them now while looking at her. "You want to feel?" Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly, causing Jake to laugh. They both stayed quiet for several moments before he felt the snake slithering up his shoe, its head pushing into his pant leg. He kept calm and asked, "Do you want to go back to the car?" Before the snake could tangle itself around his ankle, he kicked it off. Heaven looked around in the darkness for a moment before nodding. "I guess you don't like camping," Jake said with a small chuckle.

"I did until the bugs came out," Heaven said quietly. Jake wanted to hug her tightly to his chest and baby her sometimes because she sounded so innocent. He carried her back to the side of the road cautiously, always watching for passing cars. Luckily the road was vacant while they made their way to the car. He was surprised the police weren't here searching for them yet. He laid Heaven in the backseat and covered her with his jacket. Her frail looking body was covered easily, but he noticed that she was slightly thinner than when they first met. He frowned in frustration and closed the door. He let the cats in the car and climbed in the driver's seat. "Are you driving?" Heaven asked sleepily.

"Yeah, we have to keep moving or they'll find us," Jake answered. His eyes were heavy, but he started the car and put it into drive, continuing down the road. Within minutes they passed the bushes they had walked around earlier that day. He looked at the clock on the dash board. It read 3:48am. He yawned and sped up until he reached the speed limit. He mentally slapped himself for stopping to camp anyway. He had just wanted Heaven to experience something new and enjoy the time that they had together. He didn't want to worry about the police anymore, but they had set this up for themselves. He didn't regret doing any of that if he was doing it with Heaven. Whatever made her happy, he would do it perfectly. He gripped the wheel tighter with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other.

After another two hours on the road, he was starting to nod off and finally stopped in a drive way of some large house. They were in a swampy area of the country now, and it had a creepy feel to it. He got out of the driver's side of the car and climbed in the back with Heaven, leaving the cats in the front. For a few minutes, he was kept awake by Lucifer's loud purring and Angel's claws scratching against the thin metal bars that separated the front and back seats. He shushed them and closed his eyes, squeezing himself between Heaven and the back of the seat. He hugged her close and rested his head on her chest again, falling asleep to her steady heartbeat.

Beth

"We really need to find them," Beth muttered into her mug. She sipped her coffee while Tom watched her through his sun glasses. Why he was wearing them at six o'clock in the morning, she didn't know.

"It's out of our hands for now," Tom said. He gave her an exaggerated sigh before continuing. "We need to let the police do their job down there."

"They have no leads!" Beth argued, setting her cup down. That's all they'd really been doing ever since she had tried to catch Jake and Heaven herself. They didn't even smile at each other anymore, though she did catch him watching her more often. She would look back at him and he would turn back to his paperwork. She took a breath and looked down at her mug. "I'm going home."

Tom's expression was unreadable. He looked tired. "That's a surprise," he said. "I get the feeling that I shouldn't let you go home."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I see those little wheels in your brain turning," he said, standing to walk around the desk. He leaned back against it and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You don't have any right to keep me here," Beth said smugly. "And besides," she continued. "I wasn't thinking about that until you brought it up. She smirked then, and his expression hardened slightly.

"You're going to get yourself killed if you don't be careful," he warned.

"Is that a threat?" she asked.

"No, it's a fact." She could feel his glare through his sun glasses and shrunk back slightly.

"I can handle myself," she mumbled and took another sip.

"Oh really?" he asked, stepping closer. "It didn't look that way when Jake had his arm against your throat."

She replayed the situation in her mind for a couple of moments and then said, "He caught me off guard."

Tom scoffed and shook his head, smiling. "He's stronger than you are, and they're both dangerous." Beth stood up and stepped closer, hoping to look intimidating, but Tom didn't step back. His smile faded and he looked more intimate than intimidated. She felt annoyed for a brief second and then realized what he was doing. He pulled her to him and kissed her. His lips were pressed tightly to hers, like it was full of anger, but at the same time she could feel the passion. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed back.

Heaven

Heaven woke up to a tap on the window. She felt Jake's head on her chest as he snored softly, tightening his arm around her waist to pull her closer. She looked out the window and saw a man in his twenties. He looked at her curiously, obviously disapproving of Jake sleeping in the same seat. She shook Jake until his eyes flew open and he sat up. He looked at the man and whispered, "Stay here."

"Okay," she mumbled as he climbed out of the car. She watched as they talked for a few minutes and then Jake opened the door while the man started walking towards his house.

"Okay, he doesn't know about us yet, so we're staying here. We're going to get some food and good rest until he learns about us. What we do from there, you can decide." He explained everything quickly, tucking the gun under the seat. "He didn't ask how we got the car, but when he does, I'll have something figured out. I told him that we're siblings so we can sleep in the same room. I need to keep an eye on you and keep you safe."

Heaven took all of this in while he pulled her across the seat towards him. Her legs were hanging out of the door and he kissed her forehead, glancing towards the house. The screen door was closing behind the man as Jake pressed his lips to hers momentarily and pulled her out of the car gently. "How long do you think he will let us stay?" Heaven asked.

"I don't know. We might not have to leave," Jake answered.

"He looks like…" Heaven stared towards the screen door. "A better version of my daddy."

Jake was silent while he opened the front door, letting the cats hop out onto the drive way. He took her hand after closing the door and they walked to the front door, careful not to let the screen door slam behind them when they went inside. The man was standing in the other room, talking to someone. Heaven stood there for several moments before Jake gently pulled on her hand. They snuck toward the doorway to the other room where the man was. She looked around the room, taking in the different shades of yellow and green. Her eyes passed over a woman who looked to be younger than the man by a few years. She caught Heaven's eye and smiled briefly.

Heaven knew she made the woman feel uncomfortable. She kept her eyes on the floor for some time until the Jake started talking. "I'm Jake, and this is my sister, Heaven," he answered the man's questions. "I'm seventeen and she's sixteen."

"Where are you kids from again?" the woman asked.

"We-" Jake started to make up an excuse, but even they could see that he was having trouble.

"Somewhere terrible," Heaven said, looking at the man with her innocent eyes; something she found that worked often with men. "We don't have parents."

The man and woman exchanged glances. Jake added to the story, "We lost them in a car accident along the way here. We've been walking for two days and found an empty police car. We had to get to town somehow." His eyes seemed to plead with them as if he was asking for forgiveness like he did something terribly wrong and showed all of his lost innocence.

They bought it. The woman's face changed from curiosity to worry and the man's changed from suspecting to wonder, deep creases forming in his forehead as he became more worried. "Your orphans now?" he asked, looking like he wanted nothing more than to hug the both of them. They both nodded and they seemed to have been drowned in a sudden wave of depression, sorrow, and remorse.

A sudden bang of the door caused Heaven and Jake to turn their heads, catching sight of a kid wearing all black walking through the door way behind them. He looked at Jake for a few moments, and then looked at Heaven. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he looked at her throat with greedy eyes. Jake stiffened next to Heaven and took her hand.

"Jake, Heaven, this is my son, Adam," the man said. "And my name is Daniel and this is my wife, Michelle."

"Hey, dad," Adam said with a little wave of his hand. He dragged his eyes from Heaven and stared at his father. No hint of a smile touched his face as he looked at his mother next. "Hey, mom."

"Hi, sweetheart," Michelle returned warmly. "How was your day?"

"It was alright." He looked bored of talking to her.

"Where were you?" Daniel asked after a few moments, looking stern again.

"You know where." Adam sneered and turned to go up the stairs that were in the corner of the room beside Heaven. She watched him as he started walking up.

"Jake and Heaven will be staying here for a little while," Daniel called after his son. "Get the guest room cleaned up for them."

"We can help out," Jake suggested, still keeping a good grasp on his innocence. Both of the parents smiled and nodded. Heaven followed Jake upstairs where Adam was hanging out in front of one of the doors.

"Planning on sucking up?" he asked.

"I just need to talk to my sister," Jake said, keeping his eyes locked on Adam.

"Your sister, huh?" Adam asked, smiling in Heaven's direction.

Jake ignored Adam and waited for him to move out of the way, opening the door to the guest room. Heaven heard Adam inhale deeply as she passed and shivered. She looked back at him and he gave her a full smile, showing his sharp canines. She stared as Jake turned and closed the door with a dark glare. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her for a few moments. She hugged him and rested her cheek on his chest.

"We forgot about Lucifer and Angel," he mumbled.

Heaven's eyes widened slightly and she pulled away from him and opened the door. "I have to go get them!" She rushed out and saw Adam watching her out of the corner of her eye. She ran down the stairs and outside, scooping the cats up in her arms. She kissed their heads gently and smiled. Angel meowed at her angrily as if to say, "I can't believe you forgot us!" while Lucifer purred, happy that they hadn't been forgotten after all.

She made her way back inside, trying to balance the cats in her arms. Daniel and Michelle weren't in the living room anymore, she noticed. She lugged the cats upstairs, Angel meowing at her in protest every step of the way. She shushed Angel and Lucifer's purring quieted instead while the meowing got louder. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Michelle is allergic to cats." Adam's voice made her jump and she looked up at him as he peered at her from the railing at the top of the stairs.

"Lucifer and Angel are good cats," she protested innocently.

He smiled. "Lucifer and Angel?"

"Yeah. They like me," she said as she patted Lucifer's head, making Angel meow louder, her ears going back as she hissed.

"I don't think that one likes you."

"She follows me everywhere." Heaven's voice was whiny now as she pouted. "I'll show you." She set the cats down and started sneaking up the stairs. Lucifer nuzzled against Angel briefly before he leaped up onto the next step. Angel sat there for a few moments as if she was having a tantrum, but she looked from Lucifer to Heaven and started climbing the stairs as well. Heaven giggled when she reached the top and they both circled around her feet.

Jake opened the door and waited for her to walk inside, keeping his eyes on Paul. Heaven didn't pay much attention to the sparks that were flying. She picked Lucifer up, causing Angel to hiss, and hugged him as she walked to the bed. Jake must have found the blankets and made the bed. She looked around, wiggling her toes against the white carpet. The walls were just as white, and in a way it reminded her of home. The only difference was the carpet.