Chapter 12

The light poured in from the open window right into Monroe's unopened eyes. He groaned a bit, running a lazy hand over his face. His eyes opened slowly, his mind doing flips and turns to remember what had happened last night. He'd been drinking, which he could tell from the splitting headache he'd gained in the night. His hand moved up from his bare chest to his throbbing head, thinking that it was a bit strange that he didn't have a shirt on. He usually had at least thrown an old t-shirt on, along with some flannel pants.

Monroe glanced over at the left side of the bed, which looked messy. It was as though someone had slept next to him last night… Sitting up, his feet hanging off the edge of his bed lazily, Monroe noticed his lack of clothing, or any clothing for that matter. He quickly slipped on a pair of pants and a shirt, making sure to cover up for his house guest.

As he opened the door to the hallway, he noticed a small, blue pair of panties rested in the middle of the floor randomly. They didn't look as though they'd just been dropped there. They looked like they'd been worn and scratched at, even a few tears at the rear. Monroe didn't pick them up, his eyes following the trail of other pieces of clothing down the stairs. He picked up his plaid shirt off the floor, noticing that the collar had been ripped and thrown to the bottom of the stairs.

"Elisa?" Monroe hollered out into the house, confusion and tension in his voice. All he was greeted back with was an eerily quiet silence.

His eyes quietly grazed over the couch, searching for that small, blond house guest that he'd become so accustomed to waking up to. He managed to spot a bra, which matched the underwear found in the upstairs hallway. He could only assume at this point that they were… No. If that had happened, Monroe would definitely remember.

He ran his fingers over his eyes, trying to figure out what had exactly happened based on the clues presented to him. Then, he caught the scent of Elisa's hair, that wonderful blossom and flowery smell, coming from the kitchen. He walked through the living room cautiously, scared of what he might find in the kitchen.

"Elisa?" He called out once again, anxious for an answer from the girl. His eyes looked over a pot of ready-coffee, so he grabbed a cup and helped himself.

As he took that first, most wonderful sip of his coffee, Monroe caught sight of a small piece of paper sticking on the fridge. He put down his coffee and plucked the note off. His eyes grazed over it, his expression changing multiple times, from confused, to sad, then to a sudden anger.

|GRIMMLINS|GRIMMLINS|

Nick's green eyes closed as he grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Elisa, you really don't have to go." His tone was serious and sad now, which Elisa sensed, but didn't address.

She turned back from the dresser, which contained the rest of her clothing and personal items. She shook her head anxiously, a small laugh (that sounded a bit scared) escaping from her throat.

"Nick, you don't understand… I just-" Elisa closed her eyes and bit the inside of her lip, remembering last night and what Monroe's family might do to him if they were to ever find out what had happened… "I just need to get out of here."

Elisa quickly zipped up her bag, walking out of the room and down the stairs at the same time. She'd come in the middle of day, praying that Juliette wasn't here to convince her otherwise of her decision to leave Portland. Nick was right on her tail as she went towards the living room.

He was about to say something as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, until a knock came to the front door. Nick turned, walking towards the front room and opening the door after looking through the curtains.

"Monroe?" He asked, a bit confused as the Blutbad pushed his way through the front door.

Monroe angrily and quickly made his way through the house, his nose being his guide to where Elisa was. Once he ended up in the living room, he looked at her and held up the note she'd written to him before leaving.

"What the hell is this bullshit, Elisa?" He yelled at her, his gaze steady on her as she looked down at her feet. "You leave me a note? A goddamn note? After all we've been through? After what happened last night? What the hell?"

At this point, Elisa had turned a deep shade of red for embarrassment on being called out and yelled at in front of Nick, who'd joined the two in the living room as Monroe yelled at his cousin.

All she could do was bite her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears she'd been holding back. Nick looked at Elisa, longing to want to help, but he knew that he couldn't get involved in the fight about to break out.

Monroe continued, his voice breaking a bit as he said, "I just… don't understand, Elisa. I thought-I just… I guess I thought that-"

"You thought what?" She finally looked at him, spitting out her words in anger. "You thought that we might be able to be together? No way in hell that was ever going to happen, Monroe."

Inside, she was breaking apart. This is what she needed to do, to keep him safe from the other Gatans, from his own family and other creatures. It didn't help that tears had begun to stream down her face at a constant pace, her own voice seeming to not be being controlled by herself.

"You were just something to fuck, Monroe. You mean nothing to me." Those few words left her breathless as she spat them at Monroe. How could she say that when she knew how untrue it was?

Monroe took a step back in surprise, trying to contain his anger, his inner wolf. What he couldn't control was the tears that had begun to prick his own eyes. She really felt that way. After everything he'd done for her. After all he'd gone through those few weeks she was in the hospital. It all had meant absolutely nothing to her, and for some reason, that completely tore him up.

"Well, I guess I just didn't understand your intentions when what happened- happened last night." He quickly took the letter in his own hands and ripped it in half, throwing the pieces towards her. "Have a great fucking time in San Francisco, E."

As she heard the door slam, she dropped into the chair behind her, tears streaming down her face silently as she sat there, trying to contain herself and her emotions. She didn't want to cry over him. That wasn't her. She would not let herself cry over a guy. But this wasn't just any guy they were talking about. This was Monroe. Her Monroe.

Nick took Elisa in his arms as she slowly melted into him.