Heroin and Vodka
Author's note: Hey guys. I'm pushing out this chapter earlier than I thought cuz I guess I left things hanging in the air last chapter. Things are going to flat line a bit regarding Annalise and Isaac. But I assure you guys they will pick up again in the coming chapters. This IS a fic focusing on these two guys! So relax! Its what happens in life. People quarrel and sometimes it can get pretty nasty. It doesn't mean that you simply give up. Cuz I sure as hell am not. Anyways, enough of my monologue. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own How To Get Away With Murder. Its plot and characters are the sole property of Pete Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes.
Chapter 27
Annalise was seated alone at the table, a saucer of vanilla ice cream in front of her. Although the ice cream looked appetizing, Annalise's gut clenched at the thought of eating it. Isaac's words rushed back to her mind.
…."While an over indulgence could obviously be harmful for the body, studies have shown that ice cream actually works wonders for the recovering alcoholic. It contains alcohol-mimicking components which provide a sensory delight, producing a similar situation to being drunk." Isaac concluded their latest session.
"Reaaly?" drawled Annalise "Ice-cream? Seems a bit too easy to me."
Isaac eyed her in a knowing fashion.
"I know you're skeptical but at least give it a try. Take it from me." he replied….
Take it from me, he had said. She should have guessed that the issues went far deeper than she had let on.
"Of course we're no good for each other!"
"You're blaming me?"
"And here I am now. I'm just sucked into your life!"
"If she cared so much about her grandson, then why was it you who protected him so much and not her?" someone asked, from the corner of the room.
Annalise turned to face the voice. It was Bonnie.
It took her a while to understand the context.
"And she's hurt people before." Bonnie continued. "You. The baby."
"That was Wallace." Annalise replied.
"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked softly.
Annalise shook her head in confusion.
She needed some fresh air. To think things through. To get a fresh perspective of things. She got up and grabbed her purse.
"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked as she walked past Bonnie.
"To get drunk." Annalise replied.
"But what about your sobriety?" Bonnie asked. "You need to—"
"To hell with all that." Annalise replied before walking out through the doors.
Annalsie pulled up at 1130 W 27th Street. It was dark and well after 10. She guessed this would be the best time considering the fact that it would be abandoned and no one would be nearby.
Besides, who'd come to a burnt down house at the middle of the night, right? Who in their sane minds would make such a visit in the dead of night?
Well, lets just say that Annalise Keating wasn't in her sane mind to begin with.
Her mind couldn't help but drift to the last time she had been here. She almost felt Isaac's phantom hands rest on her's, comforting her. Her therapist had become so much more than her therapist. He had become her strength. Her support. And yet…
…Yet he had failed her. Had used her deepest, darkest insecurities against her. He was no different than Sam after all.
She got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She was thankful she had gotten her jacket as it was quite chilly.
She gazed up at the house as she walked up to it. 'Do Not Cross' tapes had been stuck all over the fence and the entrance. But these did not seem to deter her. She carefully slipped past the tapes and walked up to the porch.
Look outside
The wilderness
The wilderness is calling our names…
She approached the door, which was nearly falling off its hinges. The multi-coloured mosaic pane which had once adorned it, now lay shattered.
The blackest skies, the daunting stars
The desert sun, melting our cold hearts…
She carefully navigated up the stairs avoiding the debris and the bits and pieces of burnt wood and charcoal lying on the floor. Her feet hit a stray bottle which rolled out of the way. Glancing down, her eyes widened as she recognized the ancient bottle of vodka.
Flashback
"Look what I found. Evidently in one of my dad's old hiding spots." Sam replied, appearing around the corner as Annalise was busy putting a box away. She looked up. It was a bottle of Belvedere Vodka. Quite old.
Annalise shook her head.
"I'm not drinking that."
"You want to toast our first night here with water?" Sam asked.
He took a cup from the nearby box and poured a bit of the clear liquid into it and handed it to Annalise. Annalise took it and downed its contents in one gulp.
"My god!" Annalise exclaimed, with a grimace. "That's the foulest thing I've ever tasted."
Sam nodded along with her, having drunk a cup too.
Never again." Sam replied, with a smile. "Come here." He pulled Annalise close to him and the two kissed.
End Flashback
She smiled softly before moving on.
"Micheala?" Asher asked, as he walked up to the couch in which she was seated, decidedly pouring over class notes. She sighed and looked up.
"I know. Its stupid studying. Its not like I'm actually retaining anything. Its just that I need to feel…normal." Micheala replied.
"I need to tell you something." Asher replied, occupying the seat opposite to her. "As you know, this year has been the most awful of my life and thinking about what Laurel's going through and what's happening with poor O Man right now…I just realized that I think we should tell each other things while we still can."
"Ok?" Micheala replied, unsure of what was coming.
"I love you, Micheala. A lot. And I know that you are probably hating that I'm saying this right now. Or at least that's the message your face is sending me. I couldn't have gotten through any of this without you. I love you. I do. I…love you." Asher finished, with a goofy smile on his face.
To say that Micheala was taken aback would be the understatement of the century. She gaped, unable to find words at first. So, she decided to chicken out instead.
"I…I think Laurel just called for me." Micheala replied, leaving for the bathroom.
"You're going to have to respond to him at some point." Laurel replied, as she took a gulp of water.
"The only appropriate response to 'I love you.' is 'I love you.'."
"Ok." Lauerel replied, spitting the water into the sink. "But do you?"
Micheala sighed.
"I-I don't know." she replied, covering her face with her hands.
"Was it because of Asher who said it or—"
"I said I don't know." Micheala asserted. "How does anyone know?"
"How did you know with Aiden?" Laurel asked, taking a tissue off the cupboard.
"I think i just loved the idea of Aiden. That he was my Barack." She looked up at Laurel, who was eyeing her critically. "Don't judge me."
"I'm not." Laurel replied.
Michela scoffed as she shook her head.
"I had a bad childhood. I never learnt the proper way to love or be loved. It's not my fault." she finished.
"Ok." Laurel replied with a sigh. "You'll just…just know when you know. Or at least that's what everyone says."
Micheala was silent for a few seconds, before she broke it.
"When did you know with Wes?" she asked.
Crash!
Bits of glass sprinkled everywhere as something heavy dropped to the floor.
Laurel shook her head, puzzled at the sudden image which her mind had conjured, seemingly out of nowhere.
She sighed.
"When it was already too late." she replied.
"We're both loosing right now." Annalise replied.
She was seated in Denver's office. Seated opposite to her was the man himself.
"And we're both going to keep losing as long as we keep at each other's throat. Its only going to get bloodier. We could fight to the death…or we could put all this behind us. "
Denver raised an eyebrow.
"How?" he asked.
"I'm going to tell you what you're going to find on my phone."
Annalise left Denver's office with a sigh and a soft smile. She had finally been cleared of all charges. And the best part was that Denver was releasing Connor from custody. Things were finally looking up.
Yet it hadn't been easy for Annalise to put the blame on Wes, to pit it all on him when he had in fact never actually done anything to begin with. He had just been at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
She was just about to call Bonnie, and tell her the good news when her phone began to buzz. Fishing it out of her bag, she glanced at it. It was an unknown caller. Clicking on 'Receive', she put the phone to her ear.
"Annalise? This is Jacqueline."
"Umm…this isn't really a good time." Annalise began, but was cut off.
"Isaac overdosed, Annalise."
Those two words sent Annalise's world crashing down once again. Her heart plummeted.
"The police found him in his car three days ago." Jacqueline informed her.
"Is he…dead?" Annalise asked, anxiously awaiting her reply.
There was a pause at the other end before Jacqueline replied.
"No. But he's in a critical condition. Do you get now why I asked you to stay away?"
"This isn't my fault." Annalise replied, her voice dry, as she attempted to defend herself. And failing miserably at it.
"Telling me about Stella is what sent him to this place, Annalise." Jacqueline replied with contempt.
"You needed to know." Annalise countered.
"I already knew." Jacqueline replied. "And now look what you did. You ruined him. Just like you ruin everyone else in your life."
Annalise hung up. She grabbed the seat right next to her and sank down into it. She felt like her world was collapsing in on itself.
Annalise had, with much difficulty, managed to convince the attending nurse to allow her to see Isaac. Fortunately, Jacqueline was at the cafeteria and the coast was clear.
She peeked around the edge of the door, feeling like a child hiding from her mother's scolding, glancing to see if he was awake.
He was indeed awake. He was seated upright, reading the newspaper. He was hooked up to a temporary dialysis machine which was steadily purging his system of drugs. Annalise looked up at his forehead. With a pang, she saw the gauze wrapped around it, as she recalled how the man had bashed his head into the wall.
She couldn't do this. She couldn't face him, not in his current condition. She was about to turn and leave when her phone began to buzz unexpectedly. She grimaced in annoyance as she hurried to silence it. But it was too late.
Isaac glanced up.
"Annalise?" he asked, in surprise.
Author's note: There you go. The end of Season 3. Hoipe you guys enjoyed it. Lets see if we can hit fifty reviews by the beginning of Season 4 and I'll have the next chapter up by the end of January. Speaking of which, Season 5 episode 9 airs this week. What are your thoughts regarding the second half of Season 5? Let me know in your reviews.