Chapter 21

Back at the hotel, all four of them were exhausted and ready to fall anywhere that was soft enough. They stepped through the main doors and saw a familiar brown-haired boy standing at the front desk. Aunt Sarah said something and he nodded and turned around. The group would have remembered his eyes anywhere; Emerald Brooklyn.

Leila glared at him. He glared back and walked toward them.

"Well, well, well," he said, "If it isn't the little lovebirds. Congratulations on getting together. Knew you would."

"Stop pretending to care, Brooklyn," Eric growled, "We know you don't care."

"Hey, I apologized for that, but you had to go and try to beat the crap out of me."

"With good reason, asshole."

Emerald looked at Leila and Eric put his arm protectively around her waist.

"I'm not gonna try anything this time. It was just a bad one time thing. You don't have to worry about that."

"Can't trust you now can I?"

Emerald shrugged.

"Can't make you trust me if you don't," he said.

"Damn right."

"But I really am sorry. I'm just not used to being turned down."

Leila smiled, "Well, get used to it."

Sam patted Eric's shoulder, "Don't get in a fight in here. I'm going to bed."

Eric nodded, "If he tries to feel her up, I'll kill him. I'm not kidding."

Emerald rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna try to feel her up."

"Again," Eric muttered.

Leila crossed her arms and leaned more into Eric, "Why would you do something like that anyway?"

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I don't really know. I just got too carried away."

Eric wound his arm tighter around Leila's waist and used his free hand to grab her right hand.

Emerald smiled, looked down briefly, and stepped back a step, "Well, I have to get some sleep, so... night."

Leila nodded silently and watched him make his way to the elevator. She looked up at Eric and smiled.

"You're crushing my waist, hun," she said.

"Sorry." He tried to pull his arm away, but she grabbed his hand.

"No. It's fine."

He smiled and they started back toward their room. When they were in the elevator, Eric leaned down and kissed the spot just in front of her ear. She smiled at him and turned in his arms to face him.

"You just think I'll make out with you in an elevator," she said.

"Well, that's not what I was thinking in the first place."

"What were you thinking then?"

"I was thinking how stupid I was."

"What?"

"Before we started being together."

"Why would you think you were stupid?"

"Because, I never got up the guts to ask you out before."

"That doesn't make you stupid, that makes you shy. That's not a bad thing."

"I should have asked you sooner."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just shut up."

"Why?"

"Because I can't kiss you very well if you don't."

"Okay, I'll shut up, but you better make it quick, we only have one more floor."

She laughed and kissed his shoulder.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he laughed.

"Sorry."

He put his index finger under her chin and made her face him. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her face tightly to his. The bell dinged when they got to their floor, but they didn't hear it until they heard an elderly woman gasp.

"Sorry," they both said sheepishly, walking out of the elevator.

"Heathens," the woman said, making Leila and Eric burst out laughing.

"We're really sorry about that, ma'am," Eric said, keeping his face carefully straight. Leila grasped his hand. The elderly woman tilted her head away from them rudely and walked into the elevator, glaring as the doors shut.

"Nice night to you, too!" he called sarcastically, "Okay, could she be anymore rude?"

Leila shrugged, "Old people freak me out. They're so... old... and wrinkly."

"You're afraid of old people?"

"Not afraid, just freaked out."

"Of all the things we hunt that you could be afraid of, you've picked old people?"

"Hey," she said, stepping in front of him, "Don't make fun of me about this. I'm serious. My worst fear is being trapped in a small room with a fourty year old man."

"I'm not trying to make fun of you, you're just the first person I've met with a fear of old people."

"You're doing it again. You're making me feel stupid about it."

He pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel stupid. Why are you afraid of them?"

She lowered her head slightly, "Well, to make a long story short, my best friend's uncle came to town from... somewhere in Michigan, I don't know... and she and her mom left me in a room with him because her dad was in the hospital, and they wanted to visit him. And... well... I can't really explain the rest, all I know is I blacked out, and when I woke up I was in bed and I didn't have my clothes."

Eric was shocked. This older man had raped her. What the hell was wrong with people?

"He raped you? And then that Emerald guy touched your chest. God, I can't blame you for being afraid of old people. I'm sorry. What happened to the guy?"

"He died of a heart attack the same day. And my friend blamed it on me."

"And who was this 'friend' of yours?" he asked, getting mad at whoever did this.

"Eric, if you think I'm going to tell you just so you can go kill someone, you're wrong. It's the past, and I can't change it."

"I wasn't going to kill anyone. But this guy raped you and your friend didn't do anything for you about it. The least she could have done was help you."

"I appreciate that you worry about me, but you can't always protect me."

"I can try."

"Thank you," she said, leaning her head into his chest.

"Hey, lovebirds," someone said from behind Eric. Leila looked up and grimaced, and Eric spun around.

"What the hell?" Eric said, "Are you following us, Brooklyn?"

Emerald set his bag down next to him, "No, if I were following you, I'd know why you both look like Hell."

"Well, can't you just read our minds?" Leila snapped.

"Trust me, I..." he paused and his face softened as he looked at Eric, "I... I'm sorry about your mom."

Eric cleared his throat, "Thanks, but I'm fine, and I'm not sure how much that means coming from you."

"Look, I know I'm not in the 'trust zone' or anything after what I did, but I lost my whole family to your sister a couple years back. I know how it feels."

"My sister killed your family?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. She killed a lot, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it. But you're sure she's gone?"

"Yeah, we're sure."

"You're positive?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Leila looked up at Eric, "We'd better get some sleep. I intend to go back to that restaurant tomorrow, with or without you."

"Sad part is," Eric said, "She'd do it."

"What about a restaurant?" Emerald asked.

Eric looked down at Leila, "You go to bed, and I'll explain to Emerald. Okay?"

She nodded, "But I'm not gonna leave the light on for you."

"I won't be too long."

She smiled and walked toward their room, leaving the two boys standing there.

Emerald smiled, "She's something else, isn't she?"

"She is. Hands off. Seriously."

"Don't worry, I won't touch her."

"Good. Anyway, about the restaurant. There was a girl killed in Barcelona's a few years back, and she's been killing girls her age since then. We went there the other day and the girl apparently possesses the girls before she kills them. She got to Leila and almost killed her, but we got there first. I thought it was actually her; I didn't know she was possessed, and she started saying these things about how I didn't love her, and all that. That's how she got that scar under her jaw. Then I got a call from Ariah, my sister, saying she was gonna kill my mother, and I told Leila she couldn't go, so we broke up."

"And that's relevant to the case, how?"

"I don't know. Just saying."

"Uh-huh. And now you're back together?"

"Yep."

"You can't keep your hands off each other for more than one day, can you?"

"Okay, awkward."

"Just a question."

"A question that I'm not gonna answer."

"Okay, okay, fine."

"Good. Now, I'm gonna go to bed. Hopefully before she shuts the light off."

"Alright. Later, man."

"Later."

Emerald watched Eric walk toward his room and muttered under his breath, "I don't think she's gone for good, dude."

He walked into his own room and locked the door.

A/N This was a little longer than I expected it to be. Hope it was worth it, though. Please review.