Elizabeth hastily got dressed the next morning. Graceila was still gone so Elizabeth tried calling Mike. No one answered the phone at his house. He wouldn't even answer his cellular phone. She had even tried Paulie but the result was more of the same. So she called Shawn. By the time he had arrived, Elizabeth had packed all of her CDs and books and had just started going through her dresser drawers.
She opened the door for him and gave him a feeble smile when he said hello, nodding a bit but not saying anything. He followed her inside, looking around at her decorating choices, thrift store furniture and eclectic artwork. It wasn't what he had been expecting but Shawn hadn't expected her to call him either. Elizabeth, it seemed, was full of surprises.
"What's going on?" he finally asked as Elizabeth headed toward her bedroom. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"
Elizabeth turned back and shrugged, looking at him with a blank expression still on her face. Shawn followed Elizabeth to see her room filled with boxes, crates and large plastic tubs. Some were already filled with her things; others were laying empty, waiting to be filled.
"Elizabeth?"
She looked up at him. Her dark blue eyes were dull, lifeless. She didn't even smile at him now. "I have to leave," she said in a hoarse voice.
"What are you talking about?" Shawn asked as he sat on the bed beside her. "Where are you going?"
Elizabeth gave him a small smile then. "To the Center, of course," she softly said. "Someone will have to pick up my bed and table and dresser, but I think we can get the rest of my things there. Unless there's already a bed and stuff there for me." She shrugged. "I just have to finish packing."
"What are you talking about? Why do you have to go?"
Elizabeth was re-folding a pair of ripped jeans and placing them into a box as she spoke. "Graceila doesn't want me around anymore and I don't have anywhere else to go," she said, sounding as if she were about to cry. "I thought you'd be happy to hear that I'm ready now."
Shawn grabbed her hands as Elizabeth reached into the drawer to pull out more clothes. His touch made her turn her head to face him and he let go of one of her hands to caress her cheek. "I am happy to hear that you're ready but are you sure?"
Elizabeth nodded, the color returning to her face a bit at Shawn's touch. She could feel the chills running through her body again and all thought of her fight with Graceila seemed to float away. "I'm sure. So will you help me?"
Shawn got up from the bed and grabbed a box near her bedroom door. "I'll start loading up my car," he told her. "No matter how many trips it takes, we'll get your stuff there. Jordan can have a place ready for you in no time."
"And my bed and ..
Shawn smiled. "You won't need any of it. Just your clothes and your personal items. Everything else," he told her, "we can get replacements for you. It'll be okay."
Elizabeth nodded, her smile a bit brighter now. Her eyes seemed to shine a bit now with life. "I know it will. I know."
A/N: We're almost done now. Hope you've enjoyed the ride so far! :)