::DISCLAIMER:: Just to let you guys know, I might not be updating for a
little while..finals are coming up and I'll be out of town and away from my
computer next week. But I promise that once everything's over, I'll be
updating this story as much as I can! Thanks for being such loyal and
loving readers, and if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at
heathdiva@hotmail.com or you can contact me on AIM..my screen name is
HCBDiva.thanx! 3, Heather
Chapter 13
Alicia fastened the back of her bra and tried to catch her breath. Merrill zipped up his cargo pants and sighed.
"That was..wow," he said, still out of breath as well.
"I'm surprised no one heard us."
"Or saw us. It was pretty wild there for a while."
Alicia put her shirt back on and replied, "We should get back to my parents' house. They're gonna get really suspicious."
"You're right. Plus, we need to go back to the house with Graham."
They made their way to the front seats and Merrill started the car. As he drove, he looked at Alicia. She returned his stare and they broke into hysterical laughter.
"We're so dirty," Alicia said.
"You're the dirty one, Ali! You wanted me to.."
"You could've easily said no, but you didn't."
"OK, OK. You got me there. But how can I resist irresistible you?"
She smiled, kissed his cheek and replied, "You're just as irresistible."
Despite all that had happened in the last few days, Merrill felt at ease about the future. Alicia seemed to have become a totally different person in the last 24 hours- a person he was thoroughly enjoying and welcoming. He reached across the seat and took her hand, weaving his fingers between hers.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
"About what?"
"Going back to the house."
She nodded and said, "It's gonna take me a while to feel comfortable in that house again."
"That's why we can move out and get our own place- maybe in Philly again."
"That's the thing, Merrill. I feel like..I feel that I have an obligation to Colleen to help Graham take care of the kids, especially Bo. She needs a female role model in her life, especially at such a young age. Maybe we could save up some money and renovate the garage..we could make it our own little two story home."
"I guess so. That would be fun to turn it into our own little house. We could save big time on rent, and when we have kids, they can play with Bo and Morgan and have a huge backyard."
Before he could stop what he was saying, Merrill realized that he had brought up the sensitive subject of children with Alicia. He looked at her with sympathy, but she just smiled like she hadn't in a long time.
"That's my dream," she said.
"Mine too."
They finally arrived back at the Spencers' home and saw everyone sitting on the front porch.
Alicia got out of the car first and said, "What's everyone doing outside?"
"It's a nice day," Ben said, "We thought we'd enjoy the fresh air. So, what'd you get from the store?"
Merrill replied, "The lines were ridiculous. I guess people who lost everything in the invasion were out buying necessities. We ended up just driving around to see if they had done any major damage."
Morgan looked up from a magazine he was reading.
"Aunt Ali, what's that on your neck? It looks like a rash."
Alicia felt her face flush bright red as she replied, "I think it's just a reaction from everything the other night. I probably just made myself sick with fear."
Graham and Merrill exchanged looks and sly smiles.
Sarah got up and asked, "Are you all staying for dinner tonight?"
"I'm not sure," Graham replied, "it all depends on how long it will take to clean up the house. We're gonna head out there now."
"I wanna go," Morgan said.
"No. You stay here with your sister and grandparents. This is something we need to take care of."
"But my books are in there."
"Morgan, it's not like we're never going back to the house. We're just going to clean it up so that you and Bo can come back to a clean house tonight."
"Are you gonna throw away its body or bury it somewhere?"
They all froze and looked at each other.
Alicia spoke up and said, "We should go before dinner."
"I'll drive," Merrill replied.
Graham kissed Bo and said, "We'll be back soon."
"Be safe!" Sarah called out.
Merrill, Graham, and Alicia got into the car and started the drive back to Newtown.
"I wonder if Officer Paski is OK," Alicia said.
"She is," Graham replied, "I saw her at the hospital last night."
"That's good."
As they got closer to Newtown, the steeple of Graham's old church peeked from the tall lines of trees. He noticed it and smiled.
"You know," he said, "I've been contemplating things a lot in the last 24 hours. What happened during that invasion and after- those were the exact miracles that you and I talked about that night, Merrill. It's like God spoke to me and gave me a wake-up call. Last night, I thought about Colleen while Morgan was sleeping..and I came to my own peace with it. She was too good for this earth. He needed her to watch over me, Bo, Morgan, even you, Merrill. And especially you, Alicia. Sometimes I think she might have worried about you more than anything in this world. So, I think that I should return to the church because that's what she would want me to do."
Alicia fought back tears with all her might as she said, "You're going to pastor again?"
"I feel as if it's the only thing Colleen would want me to do in this situation. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go talk to Pastor Rustin and tell him."
"So, are you still good with wedding ceremonies?"
"I think so. Why?"
"I can think of a couple who've always wanted to be married by you."
"You want me to marry you two?"
Merrill said, "There's no one else who we would want to marry us."
"It's May now," Alicia said, "we could have a fall wedding- in September or October. It would be so beautiful."
Graham looked back at Alicia and said, "I would be honored to marry you two."
The last trace of depression had been wiped from Alicia's heart. Tears rolled down her face as she realized that life was truly changing for the better. When they got into Newtown, their stomachs began to turn as they realized they were minutes away from the house. Finally they got there, and everyone got out of the car at the same time. They saw scratches from long fingernails in the paint and some of the house's siding pulled off.
"Let's go in and get this overwith," Merrill said.
Graham unlocked the front door and they all stepped into the house. They were met with a slightly unpleasant odor that smelled like a mix between gasoline and sewer water. Each step they took seemed heavier than the last as they made their way into the living room. Sure enough, the alien's body was still slumped against the wall.
"What are we going to do with it?" Alicia asked.
"I've got an idea," Merrill replied, "We'll burn its body in the backyard."
Graham said, "That seems like the only logical thing to do right now."
"Help me carry it out."
"Merrill, it looks like it's seven feet tall and at least 250 pounds."
"It might be poisonous to the touch. We need something to protect us."
"I'll be right back," Alicia said.
"Where are you going?"
"Colleen had, like, 8 pairs of gardening gloves in her work room. I know where they are."
She ran upstairs to the room and found the drawer where Colleen had kept the gloves. She took three pairs and ran back downstairs. She tossed one set to Graham and one to Merrill.
Merrill then said, "We'll pull it. Graham, you and Ali take an arm each, and I'll grab its feet. Ready?"
"Ready."
"One, two, three!"
With all their might, they pulled the creature from the living room to the front door. It left a trail of a slimy residue as they moved to the front door. Merrill opened the door and they pulled the body across the front porch and down the stairs. They left it in the driveway and caught their breath. Alicia looked around to see if anybody was around, and she noticed that Isabelle wasn't there.
"Graham, did they take Isabelle's body?"
"I think so. I was looking around after Morgan's asthma attack that morning and didn't see her."
"Alright," Merrill said, "I'm gonna go get lighter fluid and matches."
As Merrill ran towards the garage, Alicia looked at Graham with admiration.
"Colleen is probably so, incredibly happy right now for the decision you made today. I know I am."
"Thanks, Ali. That means a lot to me."
They embraced each other and Ali whispered, "You know I love you, Graham. You're the best brother-in-law a girl like me could ever ask for."
"I feel the same about you, Ali."
Merrill came back and began dousing the alien's body with the lighter fluid. Then he handed Alicia and Graham matches. They all lit them and then looked at each other.
Graham said, "Here's to the 14 hours of hell this thing brought us."
They threw their matches and then sprinted away as the body became engulfed in flames. They stood a few yards back as the remains turned into ashes, which scattered along the driveway and into the wind.
"Let's go inside and clean up," Alicia said.
The three of them went into the house and worked together to clean the house as much as they could. Before they knew it, it was 10 pm. They met back up in the living room and sat on the couch.
"I'm starving," Alicia said.
"We'll get something to eat before we head back out to Drexel Hill," Graham replied.
Merrill said, "All we need to do is fix the screening on some of the doors, replace some of the windows, and re-touch the paint on the front of the house."
"We can do that first thing tomorrow. Let's get out of here."
They left the house and drove to a nearby Denny's.
As Merrill and Graham walked in, Alicia said, "You two go ahead. I'm gonna smoke a cigarette."
Merrill glared at her and said, "Alicia.."
"Or maybe I'm not. I'm right behind you guys. I could really go for some French toast.."
Chapter 13
Alicia fastened the back of her bra and tried to catch her breath. Merrill zipped up his cargo pants and sighed.
"That was..wow," he said, still out of breath as well.
"I'm surprised no one heard us."
"Or saw us. It was pretty wild there for a while."
Alicia put her shirt back on and replied, "We should get back to my parents' house. They're gonna get really suspicious."
"You're right. Plus, we need to go back to the house with Graham."
They made their way to the front seats and Merrill started the car. As he drove, he looked at Alicia. She returned his stare and they broke into hysterical laughter.
"We're so dirty," Alicia said.
"You're the dirty one, Ali! You wanted me to.."
"You could've easily said no, but you didn't."
"OK, OK. You got me there. But how can I resist irresistible you?"
She smiled, kissed his cheek and replied, "You're just as irresistible."
Despite all that had happened in the last few days, Merrill felt at ease about the future. Alicia seemed to have become a totally different person in the last 24 hours- a person he was thoroughly enjoying and welcoming. He reached across the seat and took her hand, weaving his fingers between hers.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
"About what?"
"Going back to the house."
She nodded and said, "It's gonna take me a while to feel comfortable in that house again."
"That's why we can move out and get our own place- maybe in Philly again."
"That's the thing, Merrill. I feel like..I feel that I have an obligation to Colleen to help Graham take care of the kids, especially Bo. She needs a female role model in her life, especially at such a young age. Maybe we could save up some money and renovate the garage..we could make it our own little two story home."
"I guess so. That would be fun to turn it into our own little house. We could save big time on rent, and when we have kids, they can play with Bo and Morgan and have a huge backyard."
Before he could stop what he was saying, Merrill realized that he had brought up the sensitive subject of children with Alicia. He looked at her with sympathy, but she just smiled like she hadn't in a long time.
"That's my dream," she said.
"Mine too."
They finally arrived back at the Spencers' home and saw everyone sitting on the front porch.
Alicia got out of the car first and said, "What's everyone doing outside?"
"It's a nice day," Ben said, "We thought we'd enjoy the fresh air. So, what'd you get from the store?"
Merrill replied, "The lines were ridiculous. I guess people who lost everything in the invasion were out buying necessities. We ended up just driving around to see if they had done any major damage."
Morgan looked up from a magazine he was reading.
"Aunt Ali, what's that on your neck? It looks like a rash."
Alicia felt her face flush bright red as she replied, "I think it's just a reaction from everything the other night. I probably just made myself sick with fear."
Graham and Merrill exchanged looks and sly smiles.
Sarah got up and asked, "Are you all staying for dinner tonight?"
"I'm not sure," Graham replied, "it all depends on how long it will take to clean up the house. We're gonna head out there now."
"I wanna go," Morgan said.
"No. You stay here with your sister and grandparents. This is something we need to take care of."
"But my books are in there."
"Morgan, it's not like we're never going back to the house. We're just going to clean it up so that you and Bo can come back to a clean house tonight."
"Are you gonna throw away its body or bury it somewhere?"
They all froze and looked at each other.
Alicia spoke up and said, "We should go before dinner."
"I'll drive," Merrill replied.
Graham kissed Bo and said, "We'll be back soon."
"Be safe!" Sarah called out.
Merrill, Graham, and Alicia got into the car and started the drive back to Newtown.
"I wonder if Officer Paski is OK," Alicia said.
"She is," Graham replied, "I saw her at the hospital last night."
"That's good."
As they got closer to Newtown, the steeple of Graham's old church peeked from the tall lines of trees. He noticed it and smiled.
"You know," he said, "I've been contemplating things a lot in the last 24 hours. What happened during that invasion and after- those were the exact miracles that you and I talked about that night, Merrill. It's like God spoke to me and gave me a wake-up call. Last night, I thought about Colleen while Morgan was sleeping..and I came to my own peace with it. She was too good for this earth. He needed her to watch over me, Bo, Morgan, even you, Merrill. And especially you, Alicia. Sometimes I think she might have worried about you more than anything in this world. So, I think that I should return to the church because that's what she would want me to do."
Alicia fought back tears with all her might as she said, "You're going to pastor again?"
"I feel as if it's the only thing Colleen would want me to do in this situation. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go talk to Pastor Rustin and tell him."
"So, are you still good with wedding ceremonies?"
"I think so. Why?"
"I can think of a couple who've always wanted to be married by you."
"You want me to marry you two?"
Merrill said, "There's no one else who we would want to marry us."
"It's May now," Alicia said, "we could have a fall wedding- in September or October. It would be so beautiful."
Graham looked back at Alicia and said, "I would be honored to marry you two."
The last trace of depression had been wiped from Alicia's heart. Tears rolled down her face as she realized that life was truly changing for the better. When they got into Newtown, their stomachs began to turn as they realized they were minutes away from the house. Finally they got there, and everyone got out of the car at the same time. They saw scratches from long fingernails in the paint and some of the house's siding pulled off.
"Let's go in and get this overwith," Merrill said.
Graham unlocked the front door and they all stepped into the house. They were met with a slightly unpleasant odor that smelled like a mix between gasoline and sewer water. Each step they took seemed heavier than the last as they made their way into the living room. Sure enough, the alien's body was still slumped against the wall.
"What are we going to do with it?" Alicia asked.
"I've got an idea," Merrill replied, "We'll burn its body in the backyard."
Graham said, "That seems like the only logical thing to do right now."
"Help me carry it out."
"Merrill, it looks like it's seven feet tall and at least 250 pounds."
"It might be poisonous to the touch. We need something to protect us."
"I'll be right back," Alicia said.
"Where are you going?"
"Colleen had, like, 8 pairs of gardening gloves in her work room. I know where they are."
She ran upstairs to the room and found the drawer where Colleen had kept the gloves. She took three pairs and ran back downstairs. She tossed one set to Graham and one to Merrill.
Merrill then said, "We'll pull it. Graham, you and Ali take an arm each, and I'll grab its feet. Ready?"
"Ready."
"One, two, three!"
With all their might, they pulled the creature from the living room to the front door. It left a trail of a slimy residue as they moved to the front door. Merrill opened the door and they pulled the body across the front porch and down the stairs. They left it in the driveway and caught their breath. Alicia looked around to see if anybody was around, and she noticed that Isabelle wasn't there.
"Graham, did they take Isabelle's body?"
"I think so. I was looking around after Morgan's asthma attack that morning and didn't see her."
"Alright," Merrill said, "I'm gonna go get lighter fluid and matches."
As Merrill ran towards the garage, Alicia looked at Graham with admiration.
"Colleen is probably so, incredibly happy right now for the decision you made today. I know I am."
"Thanks, Ali. That means a lot to me."
They embraced each other and Ali whispered, "You know I love you, Graham. You're the best brother-in-law a girl like me could ever ask for."
"I feel the same about you, Ali."
Merrill came back and began dousing the alien's body with the lighter fluid. Then he handed Alicia and Graham matches. They all lit them and then looked at each other.
Graham said, "Here's to the 14 hours of hell this thing brought us."
They threw their matches and then sprinted away as the body became engulfed in flames. They stood a few yards back as the remains turned into ashes, which scattered along the driveway and into the wind.
"Let's go inside and clean up," Alicia said.
The three of them went into the house and worked together to clean the house as much as they could. Before they knew it, it was 10 pm. They met back up in the living room and sat on the couch.
"I'm starving," Alicia said.
"We'll get something to eat before we head back out to Drexel Hill," Graham replied.
Merrill said, "All we need to do is fix the screening on some of the doors, replace some of the windows, and re-touch the paint on the front of the house."
"We can do that first thing tomorrow. Let's get out of here."
They left the house and drove to a nearby Denny's.
As Merrill and Graham walked in, Alicia said, "You two go ahead. I'm gonna smoke a cigarette."
Merrill glared at her and said, "Alicia.."
"Or maybe I'm not. I'm right behind you guys. I could really go for some French toast.."