As Close as Family

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Summary: see chapter 1

Warnings/Ratings: see chapter 1

Author's Note:My thanks to Rae Artemis who is a great beta.

Author's Note 2: Reviews continue to be welcomed.

Chapter 10 – Just wait a while

By the time I got to the diner, I was focussed. Unnecessary emotions, feelings, whatever, all clamped down and put out of the way where they belong. No wasted energy.

I found a table with a good view of everyone in the diner, the door and the kitchen and I sat down. Bobby was just paying and gathering his stuff ready to go. Mine was the last shift. I wouldn't leave until Suzi'd gone and Sam would be following her again. I'd be heading back to the motel for the Impala and from there up to the clearing.

I could watch Suzi as she worked; seeing her, knowing she was still okay helped me calm down too. I was served by another waitress whose name badge said 'Mandy'. I figured it was probably for the best, no chance to slip up and seem too familiar with our Suzi.

He came in, I saw him from the moment the door opened. I got a good look, made sure I had memorised his face because I was definitely going to make him pay for what he'd done. I could almost picture his face after I was going to be through punching it.

He sat down in the same place as yesterday. Suzi almost ran to him, 'Callan, you're back. How did the trip go?' I could hear the anxiety in her voice from where I was sitting. When he first looked up, I wondered if he'd heard it too, but then he just looked irritated.

'Shut up,' his voice like his eyes was cold, 'and do your top button up, you look like a slut.'

I forced myself to look away. I realised that I could, if I was cautious, watch his reflection in a mirrored panel running along the back of some of the booths. I looked at him again. He was short, for a guy particularly. He was about the same height as Suzi although she might even have had the edge on him. His hair was lighter than Sam's; a sort of dull mid-brown, mid length but lank and lifeless. His eyes were brown and cold behind wire-framed glasses. He was the kind of guy you could walk past in the street a hundred times a day and never notice. Apart from the coldness of his eyes, he was non-descript, nothing special. Suzi had left him gone to fetch his order and he settled back. His eyes were wandering round taking in the rest of the diner's occupants; I looked at my meal forcing myself to eat while he looked this way.

I risked a glance in the mirror and saw he was still looking in my direction. I looked back down at the food in front of me and tried to keep calm and focussed. I tried to breathe slowly, tried to think back to Sam's voice – in, out, in, out. I couldn't let the panic take over here, I looked up he was still staring in my direction. Eye contact. I looked at him hard, unflinching, unafraid, then looked away as if I wasn't interested any longer. Not afraid, in truth I wasn't or not for me anyway but I was worried what he could do to Suzi before we would be able to stop him.

'Suzanne.' His voice barked across the crowded diner. I looked up as she crossed to him. It wasn't lost on me that the name she had discarded in an attempt to put behind her the events of her childhood, was the name he used for her.

'Sorry.' I watched her and didn't think she even realised that she started by apologizing. It had probably become instinctual.

'That guy, what's he doing?'

'W-which guy?' she sounded petrified, I was looking at my food again, but I could only assume he was asking about me from her voice. I was trying to work out why he was asking about me, I hadn't done anything that should have drawn his attention to me.

'Don't play stupid. Him. Where's he from? Why'd he stop here?'

'I don't know Callan. I – I've not spoken to him, Mandy's waited that table.'

'Tell her to come here.'

'Callan, she's busy, she…'

'Tell her now.' Suzi turned away slowly until his voice snapped, 'Suzanne!' when she moved to fetch the other waitress with more haste.

Mandy approached his table, 'What do you want, Callan?' She sounded irritated, 'I'm not interested in any of your melodramatic mind games.'

'No need to be like that Mandy. You need to be civil if you expect a tip.'

'I don't want anything from you, so what do you want Callan?'

'Who's he?' I could see in the mirror as he nodded in my direction.

'No idea, stranger passing through. What's it to you?'

'What you didn't ask? I don't believe you? Aren't you supposed to make nice with the customers?'

'What's it to you?' she sounded royally pissed off with him.

He grasped her wrist, 'Just answer the goddamn question, girl.'

'I don't know who he is. All he said was he was passing through. Not stopping. So you want to know anything else, go ask him yourself.' She tried to pull her wrist free.

'Callan,' Suzi's hand was on his arm, 'Leave her.'

He shook her arm off, 'Where's my food?'

'S-sorry, I-I'll just get it.'

'You do that.'

Suzi quickly reappeared with his order as Mandy gave them both a look of disgust before she walked away.

The rest of Suzi's shift passed without public incident. I kept a low profile and was discrete in my observations as he kept looking my way.

It was almost time for Suzi's shift to finish so I caught Mandy's eye to ask for the check. I saw Suzi head out back, hands already undoing her apron. Mandy headed after her. The kitchen door closed behind them and the sound of raised voices could be heard through the door although the actual words couldn't be made out.

It didn't last long before Mandy reappeared banging the door behind her. She didn't look back just headed for the serving hatch picking up the next order and taking it to the waiting customers. Suzi came through the door just after, a look of chagrin on her face which changed to defiant determination as she stepped forward into the main area where he awaited her. He was already standing and as she rounded the edge of the counter, he took hold of her upper arm and almost pushed her out of the diner.

I looked through the window and saw them head off into the distance. Considering his height, it is amazing how 'unnoticeable' Sam can become. I mean I knew he was out there, ready to follow Suzi, and I only just managed to spot him as he set off.

Mandy appeared with my check and her face was no more relaxed that it was when she exited the kitchen. 'Problems?' I wondered what her response to my question would be.

'What? Sorry?'

'Raised voices…' I nodded towards the kitchen, 'No smiles.'

'Oh kids, you know. Get themselves into trouble and are too stubborn to accept help. Just hope she learns before it's too late, he's a nasty piece that one.'

'She will,' I said with certainty, 'She'll be okay.'

She gave me a wry smile as if to say 'what do you know about it?' but only replied 'I hope you're right.'