"You can do this, Jess." Emily held both of Jessica's hands tightly in her own. Her car was parked on the street, just a few feet from the edge of the apartment's front stoop. "Just a couple steps. Once you're in the car you'll be safe again."

She didn't want to rush Jess, but she was also keeping an eye out for any suspicious figures approaching her Coupe. The last thing she needed was for someone to jump into her car and take off with her standing right there. And in this neighborhood it probably wouldn't be an unheard-of occurrence.

She probably should have rented a junk car or something.

Jess had her eyes squeezed tightly shut, hoping to avoid freaking out at the sight of the monsters outside. Emily guided her down the first step, from the building's interior to the outside cement. The second Jess' shoe touched it she retreated back a little.

"No." Emily refused to let her pull all the way back into the building. "Come on."

"A-are the monsters around?" She kept her eyes closed, but her eyelids fluttered a little, as if she were fighting the urge to open them.

"No. You're safe."

"You're not lying, right?"

"No, Jess. You have to trust me. There's nothing here."

They took a tandem step down. A motorcycle zoomed by on the street. Jessica startled at the noise and attempted to retreat back inside, while Emily went the opposite direction, toward the car. They ended up stumbling over each other. Emily just barely caught them both as she tripped into the doorway.

"Maybe I'm not ready." Jess pulled back toward the building. "M-maybe we should try next week. Or next month. Or never."

"Jessica." Emily maintained a firm grip on her wrist. "You told me not to let you give up. I am not letting you go back in there. There are no monsters. My car is five feet away. Your things are already packed up in the back. You're going."

She immediately regretted her harshness when she noticed Jess was shaking.

"Shit, I didn't mean to – I wasn't trying to make you upset. I was trying to motivate you. This is the only way I know how."

"I need to see things for myself," Jess said.

"Huh?"

Jessica opened her eyes. Instantly they fixed on something behind Emily. She started shrieking. Emily whipped around.

Of course, there was nothing actually there.

Jess grabbed on to Emily, clutching her so tight Em labored to draw a full breath. "Do you see it?" Jess whispered, her voice quaking.

Emily held her, careful not to squeeze her fragile friend too tightly. "No."

"You don't see the monster?"

"Nope."

"…So then it's not really there, right?"

"No. It's not." In an attempt to reassure her, Emily cautiously stroked Jessica's straw-thin hair.

"So then…it can't hurt me."

"Right."

Jess managed to tear her eyes off the imaginary monster and fix them briefly on Emily. "You really don't see it? It looks so real, it – it's just like the one that pulled me out the window that time."

"It's not attacking you now though, is it?"

"…No. It's not."

"What's it doing?"

"Just…standing there."

Emily took her hand again. "If I get closer to it, will you follow me once you know it's safe?"

Jess nodded feebly.

Her fingers entwined with Jessica's, Em took a slow step toward the car. Jess continued to stare at where Emily guessed she was seeing the lurking wendigo. Then slowly, cautiously she joined Emily one step down.

"See?" Emily said. "It can't hurt you."

Truthfully, Jess' level of conviction that there was a monster before them unnerved Emily just the tiniest bit. What if there was a wendigo spirit hanging around, and for whatever reason Emily just couldn't see it? Her experience at Blackwood had been her only known encounter with the supernatural in her entire life. She had no idea how any of that stuff worked.

Suddenly Jessica sprinted for Em's car. Emily dashed after her. Jess flung open the door and dove into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind her. Hurrying to the driver's side, Emily jumped in and quickly started the car.

"Go," Jess urged, her face even paler than usual.

Emily didn't have to be told twice to step on the gas and get the hell out of Lincoln Heights.


Jess settled down after a minute or two on the road. She watched out the window for a while, barely saying a word. The thought occurred to Emily that Jess probably hadn't been in a vehicle in several years.

"Are you okay so far?" Em asked after a while.

Jess thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "Your car rides nice and smooth. It's not too bad."

Emily laughed a little. "For what it cost it should ride smooth."

"You drive well, too. Not nervous like you used to be."

Emily shrugged, keeping her eyes on the road. "I've had a long time to practice, I guess."

Jess sat back in her seat. "My license expired years ago."

While it made immediate logical sense considering Jessica's situation, the fact that Jess couldn't just take off and go somewhere even if she wanted to somehow made it feel even more oppressive. It was almost suffocating for Em, whose wheels were practically an extension of her body, to think about.

"You'll get it renewed once you're back on your feet."

"Back on my feet?"

"Yeah. Once you get help. Once you're better."

"You have a lotta faith in me, Em. More than I have in myself." Jess watched the goings-on outside with half-interest. "God, I feel like a puppy that just got adopted."

Emily smiled a little at the comparison. "Really?"

"Kinda, yeah. Like I was in a shelter all this time, and now someone's finally taking me home."

"Well I hope you're not expecting to get pampered too much. I never was a dog person."

"Hey, as long as I get a nice bed, and some treats here and there…"

"You'll sleep on the floor and get nothing."

Jess pouted. Emily smirked.

"Meanie."

They tried to ride in silence. It lasted about a minute.

"So is your house big?" Jess asked, abandoning their pretend huff.

"Not really. I wanted a smallish house. Feels less lonely."

Jess glanced back at her few boxes of belongings. "You have room for me though?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. The house isn't that small. Oh, and you don't have any problem with cats, right?"

"Not at all. So you're a crazy cat lady, then?"

"I only have one cat."

"For now."

"Bitch I will drop you off on the side of the road if you keep talking shit." Emily hadn't spoken to someone like that in years. She sort of surprised herself with it. She considered backpedaling – Jessica was fragile, after all – but then she noticed Jess was smiling.

"Fine. I'll be nice," Jess said. "At least until you sign the prenup."

Emily scoffed. "What prenup? We're not getting married."

"For now."

Emily tried to look annoyed as she returned her attention to the road.

Her sheets probably still smelled like Mike. The sudden thought filled her with nothing but disgust. She couldn't help but feel as though somehow Jess would know. That she would find some tiny, telltale scrap of his presence that Emily had failed to expunge from her household. Dear God, she hoped not.

Jess hummed to herself as she continued to stare out the window. "I'm glad you forced me outside," she said at one point. "Much as I love Matt, sometimes he's too soft on me. I never would've come out with just him around."

"I figured as much," Em replied. "That's Matt's biggest problem. He's too nice." Everyone walked on Matt. Hell, she was guilty of doing so herself.

"When we get home would you mind if I video called him?" Jess asked. "That's kind of my way of keeping in touch with people. And I'm sure he'd want to know what's going on."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Home?"

"To your house. Whatever. You know what I mean."

"No, you can call it home if you want," Emily said. "I mean, it is your home, for now. And I wouldn't mind if you called him, no."

Jess studied her for a while. Then she smiled just the tiniest bit.

"I can't wait to go home."


Getting Jess out of the car was akin to getting Rin out of her carrier at the vet.

Emily pulled up as close to the door as she could. "Okay, I'll get out and unlock the front door. Then you can come in."

Jess clung to the passenger seat. "Oh, um, okay. Sure. Just…gimme a minute."

Emily got out, unlocked the front door, then waited. Jessica made no attempt to get out of the car. "Do you want me to hold your hand again?" Em eventually asked her.

Jess shakily offered her hand to Emily. Emily took it and tugged her gingerly out of the car. As soon as she was partway out Jess shrieked and drew back.

"Come on. You're almost there."

"I'm scared…" She withdrew into herself, suddenly appearing very small.

"You're safer in my house than out in the car," Emily reminded her.

"…That's probably true."

"It is. So come on."

Jessica grabbed on to her. Emily hurried to the front door, unencumbered by her human baggage. As soon as they set foot inside Emily closed the door behind them. Jess detached from her enough to take a quick look around at her new environment. "Wow. Your house is beautiful."

Rin was sitting on the marble countertop of the kitchen, where they entered. She meowed at Emily, then looked to Jess with curiosity.

"Oh, you have another Sphynx cat?" Jess approached her with an open hand. Rin sniffed it, then pushed her head into Jess' palm. Jess petted her lightly. "It's cute."

"Thanks. Her name's Rin."

"Hi, Rin." She took a step back and glanced about again. "Your house is so nice. I know you said it was neat and clean and stuff, but…wow."

"I'll show you around the rest of it." Emily took a few steps toward the hallway, waiting.

"Could we get my stuff out of the car first?"

"Oh. All right."

Jessica hung back as Emily carried in the boxes herself. As soon as Em dropped the first one off in the house Jess began rooting through it.

By the time Emily returned with the second box Jess was standing in the doorway, looking antsy. "Hey, Em," she said, "so, um, can I maybe use your bathroom? I didn't get to at my place."

Emily hesitated. "You're not…gonna…"

Jess scratched her arm. "Emily, I'm gonna try to get better. I said I would. But I can't just quit cold turkey. You don't do that with this stuff."

Emily felt her heart speed up. It made sense, deep down she knew it did. Jess couldn't just give it up instantaneously. She wasn't going to magically improve just because she was staying with Emily now. But the thought of her injecting herself with that poison right in Emily's own house, with Emily powerless to do anything about it?

Emily hated feeling helpless. And that thought sure made her feel that way.

Finally Em swallowed and said, "Bathroom's down the hall on the left. Don't leave any fucking needles around."

Needing no further permission, Jess disappeared down the hall, carrying a small black purse she must have retrieved from one of the boxes.

Emily laid her head against the nearest wall. I didn't think this through at all. She wasn't "adopting a puppy", as Jess had so cutely conjured. She was housing a woman with a serious drug problem, who was also dealing with crippling agoraphobia and psychotic hallucinations. She'd been so enthusiastic at the thought of her best friend living with her, at the thought of not being so lonely anymore, that she hadn't stopped to think of all the complications that were probably going to arise from the arrangement.

Jessica returned a few minutes later. She avoided eye contact with Emily.

"Done?" Emily asked curtly.

Jess nodded.

"Do you want me to show you around now?"

Jess nodded again.

"Okay." Emily gave herself a moment to temper her irrational anger toward Jess, that was really mostly anger at herself, and refocused on her plan of introducing Jessica to a healthy household. On a whim she offered Jess her hand once again. Jess accepted it, and so they walked hand-in-hand as Emily led the most pathetic of tours.

"This is my bedroom." Em opened a black door that was identical to all the others in the house. Jess peered inside.

"That's a big bed for just you," she said.

"Eh, I like having a lot of space to myself."

She closed her bedroom door and led Jess to the next room in the hall. "This is my study."

"Boring. I hate studying."

Em then stepped to the other side of the hallway and opened a door across from the study. "This is the guest bedroom, where you'll be staying."

Jess took a step inside. Immediately she started coughing.

"I guess it's gotten pretty dusty in here." Emily cleared her throat. "Haven't had any guests in…ever. I'll clean it later."

After that Emily showed Jess the remaining rooms, namely the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room. "I've got a pool in my backyard, but it's covered. I don't really use it."

"A pool? Oh man, I haven't gone swimming in years." Jess was momentarily ecstatic – then her enthusiasm dissipated. "Wait, it's outside though. I won't be going out there."

"Eventually you will."

"How long are you planning on letting me stay here?"

Emily shrugged. "A couple weeks? Couple months? I don't know, as long as I can stand you I guess."

Jess laughed. "That's meeean."

Her speech was slowing down considerably. The high must have been setting in. Emily tried not to think about it. When she did she could feel her stomach wrenching into knots.

Jess pulled on Emily's hand. "Show me the rest of your house."

"That's all of it."

"Wha?" Jessica tilted her head. "I thought you had, like, a mansion…"

"Sorry it's not up to your standards, Princess Jessica."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Jess waved a hand dismissively. "Actually kinda cozy. I don't think I'd like a huge house." She turned to Emily and smiled. "This'll be fine for us."

"…Stop talking like we're getting married. It's weirding me out."

"Sorry." Her devious smile told Emily she wasn't actually sorry at all.

Upon concluding the house tour, Jessica took up residence at the dining room table, where she set up her laptop. "I'm gonna call Matt," she announced. "Do you want to talk to him too?"

Emily pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Jess tapped the camera icon over Matt's name.

"Hope his wife's not around," Emily murmured. "We might get him in trouble."

"Oh no, she works weekdays. That's why I'm calling."

"Oh." Emily felt a renewed sense of guilt at her own absence from work. But they could survive without her for one day.

Matt answered the call after about thirty seconds. He appeared on the screen with a warm but slightly uncertain smile. "Hey Jess, what's–"

"Guess where I am!" Jess moved the laptop so Emily was visible. Emily gave him a small wave.

Matt looked around them. His eyes widened a little. "…It's not your apartment."

"Nooope."

"She's at my house," Em interjected.

Matt's eyes looked like they might bulge out of his head. "What? Are you serious – how did you–"

"I told you I'd help her." Emily made no attempt to hide the smugness behind her words.

"Holy shit." Matt shook his head, incredulous. "That quick, though? Damn."

"So I'm staying with Em for a while. She's gonna spoil me."

"Right," Emily replied.

"And in exchange I have to be nice," Jess continued, "until she signs the prenup."

"Prenup?" Matt balked. "Wait, are you two, like…"

"She's joking," Em cut in.

"Oh!" Matt massaged the back of his neck sheepishly. "I thought maybe…I don't know what I thought. Nevermind."

"You should come out and visit us again soon!" Jess shimmied in her chair. "I mean if it'd be okay with Emily."

Matt and Jess both looked to her.

"Sure, I guess," Em said. "I'm still super busy, but when I'm not I guess you could hang out here. Your wife won't get mad about it, will she?"

Matt sighed. "Yeah, but she gets mad about everything. So it doesn't really matter."

"You know, if you're so unhappy you should really get out now." Emily folded her arms. "If your football career takes off she's gonna get half your money, and it's gonna be a big controversy. Do you want that?"

"Well I wouldn't want to leave her with nothing. I mean, if I had money to spare then I wouldn't really mind her taking some of it."

"This is why people take advantage of you, big guy."

"…You think people take advantage of me?"

Emily and Jessica exchanged a glance.

"Kinda," Jess admitted.

"So anyway, come visit when you can. Maybe I can help you, too." Emily shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about it. She still had next to no confidence in herself in regards to helping people, but she was riding high on her small success with Jessica.

"I don't need help." Matt's response was immediate. "But I do like spending time with you girls. Um, a lot. Maybe I could catch a flight out your way sometime soon so I don't have to drive five hours."

"We'd looove to see you." Jess kissed two fingertips and, with a small smile, touched them lightly to the camera. Matt laughed a little, though it was almost more of a giggle. God, this kid was still just as much an awkward romantic as he was back in high school.

"You will," he replied with a grin. "Both of you."

His damn smile was contagious. Emily tried to maintain an apathetic demeanor in the face of it, but failed miserably. She averted her eyes as she felt a smile curl the edges of her mouth just the tiniest bit. She couldn't help but remember how good he was to her the night of the reunion. In the past she'd been drawn to cocky assholes, so Matt hadn't had much appeal other than as a rebound. Unfortunately she still had a thing for jerks, as evidenced by her fling with Mike, but she also had a much clearer idea of the kind of partner that would actually be good for her.

She quickly reminded herself that Matt was off the market. For now.

"So I think I'm gonna spend some more time with Emily now, if that's okay." Jessica shifted her playful gaze over to Em. "We should talk again soon!"

"Oh, yeah, go ahead!" Matt held his hands out in a submissive gesture. "Em, let me know when you think you'll have a free day or two and I'll plan to come up there. I'm in the off-season right now and training hasn't started yet, so I got plenty of free time."

"Okay. I'll keep in touch."

"Great. Um, see ya then…then." He shrugged, still grinning. "Talk to you both soon."

"Bye, Matt!" Jess waved at him.

Emily simply nodded. "See you later."

Jess ended the call.

"He's so sweet," she murmured. "He should come stay with us, too. Get away from Queen Jenn for a while."

"This isn't a boarding house." Or a halfway house, as it seemed to be turning into.

"Yeah, but think about it. You could have a cute girl and a cute guy living with you." Jess trailed her fingers down Emily's arm. Emily tried not to roll her eyes. Again, she failed. Nostalgia had clouded her memory. She'd forgotten just how much of a pain in the ass her best friend could be.

"My life was so boring a week ago," she muttered to herself. "What the hell happened?"