Chapter 13

After staying with Melissa and Matt for four days, Rhiannon fully believed that she and Legolas were ready to go back. She had three more days off of work, and wanted her house back to as normal as possible by that time so she didn't have to deal with it along with everything else that was going wrong with her life. At the very least, she was getting some.

The detectives had called the day before and said that they would be done with the house and rooms the next day, and she could move back in after that, and so she and Melissa went to the store to buy cleaning supplies, along with Matt, who was trying to explain the game of American football to Legolas. They were walking through the aisles, talking to each other and looking half-heartedly for cleaning supplies.

"So Rhi," Melissa began, looking over casually at her friend, "Did you like the shower?" Rhiannon sputtered and looked over at her with a frantic look splayed over her face.

"What ?!"" Melissa smiled slyly.

"Oh, you know, the water pressure from the shower head," Melissa began teasingly, "isn't it just fabulous?"

"Melissa, you know damn well that is not what you meant." Melissa finally let out her smile.

"Oh, alright, Matt and I heard you guys getting it on the other day…. So tell me. Are Elves better at it?"

"Yes." Rhiannon stated simply.

"Wanna let me have a go at him?" Rhiannon burst into laughter.

"No, you Elf-slut. Oh, I want that Swifer. Right there, will you get it? Thank you." They continued down the aisle, picking up packages of vacuum cleaner bags and Lysol spray, a wide, toothbrush broom and a new dustpan, and boxes upon boxes of heavy duty trash bags.

"Melissa." Rhiannon had stopped, staring ahead of her with her eyes widened.

"Hmm?" The blonde turned her head to her friend, a look of inquiry on her face.

"I think I'm going to need my walls repainted. They looked pretty badly stained… and I'll need glass replacements, and the carpet definitely needs to be replaced… I have a headache already. Not to mention that I have absolutely no food that's worth eating left. Oh, and my clothes… The only good thing I can see out of this is a trip to the mall." She forced a smile while wiping a tear drop away and continued walking towards the register, Melissa rubbing her back sympathetically .

Walking back into her house, Rhiannon knew, would be hard. But she never imagined it would be as hard as it was. If Legolas hadn't been in front of her, she would have turned tail and run. But she was looking at his derriere, and that was pleasant enough to distract her slightly until she was inside the house, Legolas now behind her, and left without a method of escape. She certainly wasn't up for being chased down by an Elf. She looked at her walls, her carpet, and her boarded up glass doors and windows. Sighing, she picked up the phone and went to the kitchen to take inventory.

After an hour, she had a glass replacement company coming out within the next hour and a half, with carpet people, and painters coming the next day. She was trying to decide if she wanted to paint the walls in the downstairs a different color as she walked around and picked up the smashed frames of her family and friends, and the larger shards of glass so that she could vacuum the hard wood, one place Adam hadn't trashed. She made a grocery list two pages long front to back, and a list of things to do, including get gas, have her car washed, and keep from having a mental breakdown. She groaned. She needed new furniture. The only rooms undisturbed were the bathroom in Legolas' room, and the coat closet by the door, though there was a blood splatter as if he'd cut his wrists as soon as he had entered. She began to hope against hope if some of that brownish stain in the kitchen wasn't balsamic vinegar, after all. She just needed to cry. But she was sick of crying, she didn't like it, and besides that was the fact she was pretty sure she had cried out her tear ducts for a few days. So she settled for unhappy groans and a Tylenol.

"Wish I had some Vicodin," she muttered, slinking onto her slashed couch with a paper cup of water and putting the other hand to her brow.

While she ran the vacuum cleaner, she watched Legolas, because he had a slight wince on his face. She finished quickly, making the house as clean as possible for the carpet men to get there. The windows and doors had already been replaced, and the painters were starting. After they arrived, she was off to the insurance company to pick up forms and then the police station to get a copy of the report so she could add it to the filing for insurance payment. Then the doorbell rang. She went to the door, assuming it was the carpet men, but when she opened the door there was a man in a suit, who had driven over in what looked like a Rolls-Royce, although she couldn't tell for sure, because it was stationed across the street.

"Can I help you?" Rhiannon asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Are you Miss Storms?"

"Yes," Rhiannon replied slowly.

"I am an appraiser, sent here by Mr. and Mrs. Benson," Rhiannon made the connection, and interrupted him before he could continue.

"Benson… as in Adam's parents?" The short, balding man made a slight nod.

"Yes, Miss Storms. They wish to express their extreme apologies and insist on paying for all of the damage caused by their son." Rhiannon's mouth was slightly open in shock, but she stepped aside to allow the man in. Legolas had joined her when he heard the surprise in her voice, and was now watching the man closely as he walked around.

"Excuse me?" Rhiannon began. The man looked up from his inspection of her slashed overstuffed leather couch set.

"Yes?"

"I don't wish to be rude, but, who are you?"

"Excuse me, Miss Storms, I should have introduced myself. My name is Anthony Frank." He went back to his inspection, and scribbled on his clipboard. He went through the house this way, Rhiannon and Legolas following him and Rhiannon answering his infrequent questions. Finally, he asked if she had needed to replace anything in the house.

"Well, the people from the windows and doors have already replaced the glass, and I've already paid for that, and the painters and carpet men are com-" This time, she was interrupted by a doorbell. "Excuse me, won't you Mr. Frank?" She left then, leaving the squat Mr. Frank with an unhappy Legolas, who was most kindly noting to him all the damages that he couldn't see.

Rhiannon opened the door for the carpet men, and smiled.

"Great. You guys, can go ahead and start, But I'm going to be upstairs with a damages appraiser for a few more minutes, if that's okay?" At their nods, she ascended the stairs and walked into the room, to the grateful face of Mr. Frank.

"As I was saying, painters and carpeters would be coming. The new carpets are here now." He scribbled onto his clipboard and looked at her.

"And you are sure, Ms. Storms, that the carpet needs to be restored?"

"Well, Mr. Frank, seeing as how the offspring of your employers ground perishable food, and what is most likely blood into it, yes. The carpet man who came to give an estimate also said so. I would make you a copy of said estimate, but my office has been destroyed, as well." Legolas was now glaring at him.

"Well, alright, then," Frank agreed quickly, "The Bensons have instructed me to give you ten thousand dollars more than the appraised price, for your… inconvenience," Rhiannon couldn't help but roll her eyes, but she quickly brought her attention back to Frank. "And also to round up to the nearest whole number… Mr. Benson dislikes dealing with decimals, you see."

"Dislikes, or cannot? Oh- excuse me, I've interrupted again. Please continue." Rhiannon nodded, and he continued.

"Yes, well…" He began, paused, and found his lost train of thought again. "And so, Miss Storms, I will be giving them an amount of twenty-three thousand dollars to pay to you." Rhiannon's eyes widened. She knew that Adam's family had been wealthy, but to throw away twenty-three thousand dollars was a bit much. She continued her nodding as Anthony Frank scribbled on his clipboard again, circled something, and turned to leave. She walked him out, murmuring a quiet 'Thank you,' as he exited. Then she went to tend to the carpeters and painters, coordinating them between the upstairs and downstairs so that they could get everything done at the same time.

She made another note on her list of things to do: Call work. There was no way she was getting back as soon as she'd planned.