Hi everyone! Here is another chapter, I'll post the last one this week! Hope you like it!
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Billie was pacing around in her hospital room. She paced from the white wall next to her door to the wooden nightstand. And from the bookshelf on the other wall, to her bed. From her chair to the large window with the very nice view. There she stopped to stare at the green lawn and the trees in the big park that belonged to the hospital too.
She had thought about going back to Lila. Because she wanted to know what she had meant with that she couldn't do her job anymore. That was all that she wanted, go back to work and then everything would be alright.
Should she go back? She walked towards the door in deep thought.
No, she shouldn't. She should just wait for the next session. Billie turned on her heels.
No, she should. If she wanted to know something then she had the right to ask it. But she just didn't want to face Lila again. Didn't want her to look right through her again. She turned away from the door.
No, she would go, she thought as she turned around again.
A cringe appeared between her eyebrows as she opened her door. When she stalked down the hall, just a few meters away from her room she froze on spot as she saw a familiar figure talking to a nurse. Her mouth fell open as she turned instantly and ran back to her room, closing the door quickly and leaning against it for support. She felt like a teenager again, running like that through the hall, but she had a good reason.
Van.
It was Van.
She couldn't face him now. She felt slight panic coming up. That was a very bad sign because she didn't panic that quick at all! She tried to swallow that feeling away and sighed deep but it didn't help. It was like her stomach had sunken into her feet. She didn't want to face him! Not today… Preferably never… She knew that wasn't possible, but NOT TODAY! She would come up with a solution to handle the situation.
An angry frown appeared on her face. She had already told them that she didn't want visitors. She quickly turned around to lock the door as she once and again found out that there was no lock on her door. Great! They've clearly never heard about privacy around here.
She stared at the white door waiting for someone the come. To call for her.
'Miss Chambers?' The nurse called right after knocking at her door.
'Miss Chambers?' Again when she didn't answer.
Was Van standing next to the nurse? Would he hear her and therefore know that she was in the room? She could hear her heart beating in her ears.
'Yes?' Billie answered with a thick throat.
'You have a visitor.'
She swallowed deep.
'O…Yes I'll be right out. Can you tell him to wait until I have dressed myself please?' Billie called out as she frantically sped towards the window and opened it.
'Of course Miss. I'll tell him to wait a moment.' The sweet voice answered.
'She'll be out in a moment.' The dark-coloured nurse said as she came back to Van.
'Thanks.' Van said as he nodded at her.
'You can sit here if you want to.' The nurse pointed at a few chairs against the wall.
Van nodded again and smiled at her. But he wouldn't sit down. He was just too angry and hyper to sit down. He began pacing.
What would he say if he saw her? He just wanted an explanation. That was all. For once she would listen to him. He was fed up with her acting like she did.
Billie jumped the last meter in the grass as she looked up at the window she had just climbed out. That was easy. She wasn't running away really, there were just a few things she had to arrange before she could face anyone. She looked around to make sure no one saw her as she began to ran over the terrain.
--
Van put his hands in his pockets as he felt angrier and angrier. What was taking her so long?
--
Billie smirked as she recognized one of the Candy Stores cars. The dark blue Corvette shone in the sunlight. Thanks Van, she thought as she ran over to the sports car. He could call a cab, she couldn't, she didn't have the time. So it wasn't that bad to take the car, she decided.
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Lila was looking out of her window in thought as her eyes grew big. She narrowed them to see better. Was that Wilhelmina Chambers who was climbing in that car? She just couldn't believe it. Her mouth dropped open even further as the sports car sped off with it's thief in it. Thousands of thoughts went through Lila's head instantly but still she couldn't move.
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'Sir you can't go there.' The nurse called after him as Van stalked off in the hallway towards the room he knew was Billie's. Her name tag was on it so that was where she had to be. It was just taking too long now. Deep in thought he almost bumped into a tall woman who blocked his way to the door.
' O sorry.' He said as he took a step back instantly.
The black eyes behind the glasses looked at him in shock too but quickly they became business-like again. Van eyed the woman quickly and concluded that she had to work here, given the fact she was wearing a black suit. He had to admit that it fit her curves nicely. Her dark long hair fell in curly tresses on her shoulders.
'Mister….?' She asked as she stuck out her hand. In her other hand she held a file against her chest.
'Van… Van Ray.' Van said quickly as he shook her hand.
Aha, Lila thought as she recognized the name from Billie's file.
'And how long were you waiting here sir if I may ask?' Lila inquired friendly.
'Too long already.' Van snapped angrily. 'She is allowed to have visitors isn't she?'
Lila bit her lip as she thought quickly. She had to get rid of this man.
She was afraid that she had made a mistake. That she had pushed Billie too far. She knew that she had to leave responsibility to her patients in some ways, she couldn't take all responsibility, but with Billie… She felt responsible… She wanted to help the woman that kept everyone away at an arms length. And maybe she had just misjudged her and had been too stern towards her this morning. She should have made it clear to Billie that she was here to support her, not to be her enemy. Lila sighed deep on the inside as on the outside she held her calm posterior.
'I am sorry mister Ray. Billie doesn't feel well enough to see visitors today. The nurse didn't know that.'
His light eyes looked angrily at her.
'And who are you?' Van asked angrily.
'O I am very sorry.' Because of the commotion she had forgotten to introduce herself.
'I work here, I am Lila Brightman, I am a psychologist.'
Okay great, some woolly woman. That's all that he needed right now.
'I understand that you work together with miss Chambers?'
'Yeah you understand right.' Van answered angrily. 'I need to see her. She is holding of visitors for two weeks now. I don't even know how she is doing. Don't tell me that's good for her health to not see anyone?' Van asked angrily.
'I didn't advise her to not see anyone, that was her own choice. And I am sure that that must be very difficult for you. I will certainly talk about that with her. I assure you that. But that's not going to happen today, she is just too tired and really needs her rest.' Lila finished.
'Great.' Van mumbled angrily as he looked at the white door. Was she behind that door? Lying in bed maybe? Sleeping, or staring out a window? What was she doing?
'Look I am sorry for my behaviour.' Van apologised as he looked at the dark haired woman again. 'My anger is not directed at you.'
She nodded warmly. 'I understand.' She answered as she smiled broadly.
Van nodded at her and turned to walk away disappointed.
Lila looked at the slumped shoulders of the man that was now leaving. All the energy and anger he had had in him seconds ago had seemed to flow over in disappointment and a feeling of powerlessness. Chambers sure has some things to set straight, she thought.
She turned on her heels. But now she had to set some things straight first. Sheopened the door to Billie's empty room. Maybe she could find something that pointed her to where Billie had gone.
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Billie opened the door to the Candy Store with her spare key and entered. She froze in her steps as she saw that all the cars and motorbikes were gone. Her mouth fell open. Everything was gone. She felt even angrier now. A pang of pain went through her. They had went behind her back. There had always been people wanting to shut the Candy Store down. Waiting for her to slip up. Waiting for her to make the tiniest mistake.
And now that she had been out for two weeks they had come a long way to shutting them down.
She stalked towards the stairs. It wasn't fair to take her on when she was already down. She hadn't been strong enough these last weeks to defend herself she thought as she came on the first floor of the Candy Store. At least the closets were still there. She opened one of them. Thank God. Her clothes were still there. She could dress in something different from the hospital clothing. That would make her feel some what better. And more like herself maybe.
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Van stood still in the parking lot as his face cringed angrily. He had really parked his car in this spot. He thought as he looked down at the now empty parking place. He looked around him to the other cars. Maybe he was mistaken? No, he wasn't. His car wasn't in sight anywhere. He hadn't parked it anywhere else but here…. He stared at the empty spot again as he felt the anger boiling up in him again. This really wasn't his day!
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A single tear slid from her eyes.
She stood there.
Still.
Silent.
Taking in her surroundings.
And what she saw...
...Was something she didn't like.
Billie turned around on her high heels eyeing what was left of her house.
Her home.
She knew that it had to be bad… But this bad?
She turned away from the one wall that was still standing. As if she couldn't face that.
Even all her clothes were gone. She was lucky to have left some clothes and stuff at the Candy Store.
She looked at her outfit. The only heels she had left, a black pants and a white tank top with a jeans jacket over it. She sighed heavily as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face. At least she was still alive, and Van and Deaq were too. But having been through all of that, and finding the one place she felt truly safe in like this, was not that easy.
The only thing that could comfort her, she thought as she looked at her half burned away book closet, was the fact that Parish had taken in Trent, Travis and Hicks and a few new guys. They had found all the stuff he was working on. That should be enough to put him away for a very long time. They were still trying to find out though where Hicks had buried the eight female bodies.
That bastard had taken her down almost completely. How could she have let this happen? No one was allowed to do this to her, to come so close. She had made that arrangement with herself when she had left her home, when she had left her mother and Stephan. She saw her old baseball bat lying on the burned carpet.
Billie slammed the bat into what was left of her table. The cracking sound when the hard bat collided with the burned table gave her a satisfied feeling. She panted hard as she sunk to the ground. The bat fell next to her on the floor as her head sank into her hands. She had hit everything that was still standing with her bat. It was a good surrogate for the absence of a boxing bag. And now all she felt was pain and grief. Her head snapped up when she heard something. Her eyes grew big as she saw Lila standing a few meters away.
'Hey.' Lila said.
'O please, don't get up.' Lila said as she held her hands up and walked toward Billie slowly.
Billie sighed and rested her head in her hands again. Closing her eyes. Great, that was all she needed now. Having the shrink around.
Lila went to sit in front of Billie on the floor as she looked around. She sighed softly as she took the mess in and her eyes fell on the baseball bat.
'What are you doing here.' Billie snapped angrily without moving, without looking at Lila.
'O.' Lila said in an airy tone. 'I want to help you.'
Billie made a sarcastic sound. 'I don't need your help.' She spat poisoned as she gave Lila a cold, blue steel look.
Lila raised her brows in answer at Billie's non verbal outing.
'Just like this house doesn't need redecorating?' Lila simply said receiving an even angrier glare from Billie.
'What is your point?!" Billie snapped between clenched teeth. She was seconds away from throwing the woman out of –what was left of her house- instantly.
Lila thought carefully about how to respond to that. She knew that she was on thin ice here. Instead of talking she chose to sigh deeply. To release the tension that she too was feeling from the inside.
'To be honest..' Lila said after a few silent minutes. 'I thought that I might have been too harsh on you this morning…'
Billie looked up again, still angry.
'I don't want to be your enemy.' She said as she looked around pointedly. 'It seems like you have enough of them already.' She said as she got up and dusted off her black pants.
'It must be difficult for you.' Lila said as her finger went along what was left of the kitchen sink. Billie was still not looking at her.
'Being a cop, having danger around you all the time. Killers, rapists, drugs… I can't imagine how that is.'
That figures. Billie thought angrily. The woman probably had never been through anything. Had run straight through university, had gotten her degree and thought that she knew everything by now.
'Of course I have done my research.' Lila went on. 'I read about your past, at least, what there's on paper from that which isn't a lot, I know your resume, I know that you were addicted, that you lost one of your best friends a year ago, I know that you work hard and that you are a good cop.' Lila said as she turned towards Billie. She was still standing a few meters away.
'But that isn't the point is it? It almost doesn't matter what your resume says, it matters what is behind that. And you have got a problem, whether you want to face that or not. And the only thing Hicks did was bring that problem up.' Lila paused for a moment to see Billie's reaction. She didn't react, she just sat there on the floor, still not facing her.
Lila took a step towards her. 'Your resume told me that you never ran away for problems, at least… Not these last years.' Lila quickly said remembering Billie's drug past. That made Billie look up angrily.
'You don't let killers run and flee without making them pay.' Lila said as she was still walking back to Billie slowly.
'Don't run away for your own demons. Because they will linger inside you and poison you until they break you down.'
'And what would you know about that!' Billie spat as she suddenly got up. She looked Lila up and down angrily. 'How old are you even? Who do you think you are to even begin to know what I am feeling?!' Billie snapped. 'Do you think that after reading a few books and going to that fancy university of yours you know who I am? Who other people are?! Well you are wrong. I think you are nothing more then a rich, spoiled woman who pries in other people's lives-… Yes, why exactly? Because you have nothing to do?' Billie said as she stepped closer to Lila. 'Or because you just don't have a life of your own?' Billie said harshly as she closed the gab between her and Lila.
Lila didn't fold under Billie's intense angry stare. She looked right in her eyes, not breaking eye-contact.
'So the subject is back to my life story now? Running away from your own again Wilhelmina?' Lila questioned patiently.
All Billie wanted to do was push that woman that didn't seem to budge at anything, away but instead she kept control and stepped away from her. Creating a distance between them.
'I talked to your boss this morning. Captain Parish is it?' Lila said while her back was still towards Billie.
Billie stopped in her tracks.
'They are trying to shut you down. Maybe you've already noticed that.' Lila said as she turned on her heels and looked at Billie's clothes. 'They didn't take your clothes away obviously.' Lila said as she eyed Billie's clothes pointedly.
Billie clenched her teeth. This was so obvious. The bitch was going to blackmail her or extort her.
'I fought against that.' Lila said.
Billie looked away. Did she hear that right? This wasn't the answer she had been expecting.
'As I said before, I think that you are a good cop. Insolent, bossy, dominating and sometimes dangerous… Yes I can imagine that to be in your character. Don't ask me how I know that? Maybe from all the books I read in that spoiled university I supposedly have been to according to you.'
'I'll tell you a bit about my life.' Lila said as she took a few steps towards Billie.
'If I want something I go for it, I fight for it. If I see potential in someone I go for it. And underneath those big hostile layers of you, I see a warm, very afraid heart beating very strongly. You can make your own choice now.' Lila said as she looked around in the burned mess. She held her arms up. 'Built all of this up again and make it more beautiful then it already was…' She said as she walked towards the bat and picked it up. She studied the scratches on the metal bat. She looked at Billie again. 'Or ruin it further until you've nothing left. It's easy to destroy things. And that…' Lila said as she threw the bat away. 'That's what I call running away.'
Billie was silent. She felt the need to say something sarcastic, just anything but she couldn't. She just couldn't open her mouth. Lila had pinned her down exactly in her weak spots. Ten points for her.
Lila scratched her neck shortly. She coughed.
'I expect you back in an hour.' Lila said as she walked over a few bricks towards what once was the front door. 'No.' She said as she turned back towards where Billie was standing. 'Actually, make that two hours, then you might be sure that you can further avoid one of your partners.'
'One of my partners?' Billie asked surprised, her voice sounded soft and weak in her ears. As if it had to come from very far.
'Yes, Van Ray.'
'O..' Billie said, she had thought she meant someone else. 'He is not my partner.'
'Is he the man you almost killed?'
'Yes.' Billie said quickly.
Lila bit her lip and grinned. 'He looks very attractive and hot.'
Billie couldn't hide her surprise. To hear something like that out of the mouth of that woman, well that just was something she hadn't expcted...
'He works for me, I am his boss.' Billie said quickly, sounding angry. Yes she knew Van looked attractive and hot. There were a lot of woman who thought that.
Lila laughed. 'Marking your territory.' Lila mumbled.
Billie narrowed her eyes. 'What did you say?' She questioned in a hard voice.
'I said: marking your territory?' Lila repeated louder now.
'I am not marking any territory.' Billie spat. That's really something for a psychologist to say!
Lila laughed at that with a broad smile.
Billie thought that it looked like an I-am-right-anyway-no-matter-what-you-say- smile and she didn't like that at all.
'So you wouldn't mind if I would ask him out?' Lila prodded.
'He doesn't like psychologists.' Billie blurted out in a warning voice before she could stop herself. Why did she even care who Van liked or not liked?
'Just like you.' Lila stated as she tilted her head and took a few steps back towards Billie. A sly grin appeared on her face. 'I can be more then just a psychologist, much more.' She said challengingly.
She suddenly laughed shortly as she shook her head.
'What is so funny?' Billie asked annoyed. She wasn't a dating bureau.
'Do you really want to know?'
'Yes.' Billie snapped.
'Because I wouldn't want to be coming too close.'
'Just spit it out. I know you'll use whatever you think you know anyway so just say it.'
'I just found another reason why you keep Van Ray away.'
Billie sighed hard. 'O please, enlighten me.'
'That's not necessary. You know it yourself.' Lila said as she wanted to turn around.
'And how do you think you know this?' Billie inquired curiously, not that Lila would be right of course, because she wasn't obviously. The woman wasn't right at all.
'The deadly daggers you shot at me with your eyes when I put myself up as female competition for this man told me enough.' She didn't wait for an answer as she walked down the garden path towards her car.
Leaving Billie staring after her. This woman had just changed her view of psychologists –that they were soft, woolly, spoiled, unknowing, annoying, irritating, slow, dumb and whatever more negative she could come up with- forever.
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Hope you liked it! In the next chapter there will be a lot more Van!!!
Please review and tell me what you thought... Thanks!
