Ahh! I'm so sorry Ispoofed for a month, I totally didn't mean to nor want to do that. Especially since I got over 20 reviews for the last chapter. THANK YOU so much to each and every one of my reviewers. (And Gabriel gives you his deepest gratitude for the chocolate.) I love you all. Yes, even you.
Enjoy! : )
Present
I rushed to the auditorium, and I could still feel the barista's eyes fixed on me even when I was out of his sight. The skin on the back of my neck crawled like someone was standing right behind me. I could feel his breath, hot and oppressive as it beat down on my skin, and his cold hands, one around my throat and the other closed tightly around my wrist, ready to drag me down through the carpet and the soil and to the molten core of the Earth, my screams and struggles having absolutely effect as my flesh melted and dripped off of my charred bones and –
"Nicky!"
Becky's voice yanked me back into reality, shoving the hot breath and the cold hands away and forcing them to dissipate like ghosts, leaving me with only the memories of my delusion. My heart pounded as if I had just ran a marathon as Becky waved at me and scampered over. I forced a smile onto my face.
"Hey."
"Chuck's books are true again!" she told me. "I was rereading what's supposed to happen today, and as you know, Dean and I have this conversation while you're getting your coffee. And it was exactly right! Word for word! And it had all of the right feeling and emotions behind it. Dean did a fabulous job."
"Bec – "
"Oh! And a couple of friends and I were discussing what your ship name should be."
"My ship name?" I repeated. "Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means."
"It does," Becky admitted. "But you need one! Everyone has one. We couldn't just leave you out."
"Thanks." Becky beamed.
"Now, personally, I wanted to call it Gabelette, but I was outvoted. So it's Cershy."
"Gabelette?" I repeated. "Hershey would kill you if he ever found out that you called us 'Gabelette.'" Becky shrugged.
"He doesn't have to know! Besides, if he ever was going to kill me, it would be over something completely different. Don't worry."
"Right," I said, a small smile peeking through. "That's me. I'm worry free." Becky nodded once.
"Exactly. Now go on. You're adoring public is waiting. I have to go find a way to get Dean to do karaoke."
"Wait, what?" I asked as she breezed by me. "Karaoke? Really?" I slowly shook my head and took a sip of my coffee. It burned my tongue and throat on the way down. "Ow!" I hissed. "Okay, you're in a ten minute time out while you cool down." I pushed open the door into the auditorium, and the dull roar of the crowd exploded into applause. I did a double take. Dean sat on the edge of the stage, the microphone in his hand. He grinned cheekily at me and winked. "Oh no. What did you do? Whatever he told you, it's probably lies!" I told the crowd. "Or at least very exaggerated half-truths!"
"Hey!" Dean complained. "I was just answering a few questions they had about you while you took your sweet time getting here."
"Okay, now I'm scared." Dean's grin grew.
"You should be."
"I am," I assured him. "Trust me." I waited until I was sitting next to him on the stage before asking, "What kind of questions?" Dean shrugged innocently. I turned to the crowd and repeated the question. The general response I got was: fun, juicy, inappropriate, and random as hell. I looked at Dean and he looked back at me.
"Do you want the microphone back?"
"Yes please. Unless of course, you just want to take over for me. That'd be great." Dean handed me the microphone and slid of the stage and went back to his seat in the front row. He flashed me a thumbs up. I stuck my tongue out at him. He winked at me again. I rolled my eyes and started up again with our story. The story of Cershy. I glanced over at Becky and smiled. Yeah, I wasn't going to admit to liking it even a little, tiny bit. Nope, not at all.
2008
I stared at my hands in my lap for a long time. It was probably only for ten minutes, but it felt like much, much longer. When I did look up, Hershey was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded across his chest. I had no clue how long he had been standing there. I didn't hear him come in. We just looked at each other for a few heartbeats. His eyes were bright gold, like the color of melted honey. It was the first time I had ever seen them look that yellow and bright. Usually they were darker, like falling dusk.
"Thanks for saving me. Again," I said. My throat felt very dry, and it was a struggle to get the words out.
"Yeah, that's a nasty habit of yours. You get into way more lethal situations than the doctor's recommended healthy dose. You might want to do something about that."
"Noted."
"I didn't kill Sam, if that's what you're wondering," he said suddenly. I frowned. Honestly the thought hadn't really crossed my mind. Hershey pushed up off the wall so that he was standing straight. His shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sent him back to the Wednesday when Deano bit it for good. Life should continue on like these past six months never happened." He only paused for a moment before continuing. "Dean won't even remember anything. Sam will, but I can't really help that. There's only so much I can do when you obsess over one thing for six months straight without ever thinking about anything else." He said that last part more quickly than he had before, almost defensively. My silence didn't seem to help. "I can do that for you too," he offered. "Blank slate. And I'm not just talking about Mystery Spot either. A complete blank slate. And you never have to see me again."
"Don't you dare," I said softly. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No one messes with my head. If I'm going to stay with you, I have to remember this."
"Cola – "
"I can't go back, Hershey. You know that." He raised his eyebrows and looked down at his feet. "Something would happen. Vulcan would come. Like it or not, I'm stuck with you and you're stuck with me." I stood. "Besides, you touch a second of some of the best memories of my life, and I will end you." Hershey looked up with a small smirk in place.
"I am pretty awesome."
"Don't worry. Some of my worst memories involve you too." He chuckled, and I smiled. "But… I guess you aren't a monster. Cruel, yes. Immature, yes. A dick, hells yes. But not a monster."
"Is this you apologizing, Nicolette?" he asked in a tone that was far too fact to be genuine surprise. Now it was my turn to look down at my feet.
"I'm not in the wrong here," I mumbled.
"True. And I apologize for… well, this whole thing. Don't get used to it though. This is the only time you'll ever hear me say it," Hershey warned. I laughed, and damn, it felt wonderful to laugh because of him again. I was so, so screwed. Just like wanting to leave, I didn't make the conscious decision to stay. The past six months had been miserable. Without Hershey and with the constant fear looming over me, life was grey and worthless. No one and nothing could compare to him. He was like a single fire in the middle of the tundra. He burned so brightly and so fiercely. He gave life and warmth and light, but he could also burn you if you're too close for too long. But being burned was still the far better alternative than being alone in the cold and the dark.
"So are we okay?" I asked. Hershey smiled.
"Yeah, Cola. We're okay." He held his arms open wide for a hug, something that I wasted no time stepping into. I buried my face in his shoulder, his jacket rough against my skin. Deep inside, further in than my heart or my bones, I knew that this was where I belonged. If I burned, then it would be because I danced in the fire, not because it accidently caught me.
"Where are we going next?" I asked, my voice muffled.
"Well first, we're going back to that Wednesday with Sammy, make sure that Deano actually lives this time around. Then, I don't know. I was thinking Paris."
"Paris sounds lovely," I said, finally picking my head back up, and stepping back. Hershey slowly let go, and grinned at me.
"Shall we?" he asked, and he snapped his fingers.
Present
Dean looked at me like I had just told him that I was a Martian. He wasn't the only one either. My face flamed bright red.
"I think I know you and then you go and do something like that," he said.
"And you're saying that you never felt like that for anyone?" I challenged. "That you didn't care about what they've done, or what they could do, or what could happen to you because of them? Because you love them so much that being apart from them sucks that bad? It doesn't have to be romantic love either. I didn't love Hershey yet. Not like that."
"Never," he said.
"I'm so calling BS. I know… three people that qualify for you. Well, two people and an angel."
"It's not that same," Dean argued.
"You're right. It's not. But I honestly don't give a damn. I don't regret going back. Now, I can probably say it was one of the best things that ever happened to us. The honeymoon was over. He wasn't this untouchable ideal anymore. We were, I won't say equals, but… you know what? I will say we were equals after Mystery Spot. Hershey was never that cruel again, or at least he didn't let me catch him being that cruel. Mystery Spot was also the last time I chose to leave his side. We were an unbreakable team now. We were partners, companions, whatever you want to call us." I smiled to myself for a moment. "Remember how I said that my life is basically broken down into eras? Well now we're going into the Golden Age. These next two, two and a half years are the best of my life, hands down. And not just because Hershey's awesome in bed. And yes, there'll still be heartbreak, danger, death, murder, explosion, and things of that nature. But I guess that's what makes for a good story, and that's what Becky wanted me to share with you. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the fun stuff."
Review? : ) (Gabe is telling me to ask for chocolate again. And by telling, I mean stabbing me with a spoon. So I'm going to ask for more chocolate for him too. Pretty please?)