Apologies for the 3 week delay. More at the end.
Let's answer a few questions, shall we?
Chapter 6
L hurriedly prepared for bed, brushing her teeth with a vigor usually reserved for scrubbing pots and washing her face with water so hot she could barely make out her own pink face in the fogged over mirror.
Google was a wonderful thing. Most of the time. Now the results she had gleaned were pinging around her head and Alice's reaction had only cemented in her head that she was, in fact, dying.
World's first hybrid to get a human disease.
L felt her lower lip tremble and clenched her eyes tightly together as she held onto the sink to prevent her knees from buckling.
"Liriope?" came Will's soft voice from their bedroom.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Instead of bright eyes and a ready smile, she saw dark shadows and sadness. She drew a ragged breath.
"Hon, is everything ok?" Will asked, not sure if he should stay in the bedroom or follow her down the hall and to the bathroom.
"Is everyone gone?"
L didn't even recognize her own voice. Will suddenly appeared at the door, worry evident on his face.
"Babe?"
She looked up and saw her beloved and lost whatever tenuous hold on her emotions she had and burst into tears.
Will instantly wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her close, whispering soothing words as he let her cry. He had no idea what to do other than let her exorcise whatever demon was bothering her so much.
"Come on," he whispered, guiding her toward their bed.
"I'm so sorry," L whispered back, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
"Sorry for what?"
Will watched her closely as she curled up in a ball on her side of the bed just as both hers and his cell phones started buzzing.
"What in the world," he muttered, sitting next to his wife who curled around him, murmuring how sorry she was.
Will reached over and silenced both of their phones but not before noticing the messages were from Alice. He wondered briefly what was so important that she would text so soon after having left but Alice was Alice and he knew she had a good reason.
L rested her head on his chest, snuffling and sniffing as she tried to stop crying. Will continued to murmur encouraging words, gently stroking her hair.
"If I live to be a millennium, I will never completely understand you, Liriope," he said quietly, placing a soft kiss on her temple. "But I do look forward to the journey."
"Even if it's a short one?" she whispered.
"What?"
L sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Will, I…"
Her eyes narrowed as she saw a medium sized, completely anachronistic gift bag sitting on her laptop.
"What is that?" she demanded.
Will shrugged and pulled a card out of the top.
"Never trust the Internet. Always trust Alice," he read.
"Well that's a Microsoft answer if there ever was one," L muttered, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
Will placed the bag in front of her. L cowered back as if it held her own death certificate.
"You look," she demanded.
He pulled out the colorful sheets of tissue paper and peered in. His eyes widened.
"No," he whispered in that 'this is too good to be true' tone people got when something was world better than they expected.
"What?" L asked timidly.
Will poured out the contents of the bag onto L's lap. Her eyes grew as huge as saucers at the pile of boxes.
"That's a lot of pee," she hissed, earning a laugh from her husband.
"I suppose. But 'tis better than thinking you have Ebola."
L flushed bright red.
"You're not as quick to close tabs as you think you are. You thought you had…"
L ducked her head, embarrassed. Will tried to catch her eye and finally took her chin and gently lifted it towards him.
"What if I'm not," she whispered.
"And what if you are?"
L swallowed hard. Will looked so excited and almost proud. She silently nodded and grabbed a handful of boxes.
"Just to be sure," she muttered as she headed toward the bathroom.
Will caught her hand as she passed and pulled her to a stop. Deep inside, without knowing the results, he had a feeling it was positive.
"Thank you," he murmured reverently before kissing her soundly.
L smiled brightly before scurrying off.
~BE~
Edward lay in his childhood bedroom in his to small bed. He stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
Mine.
"Oh, God," he groaned, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.
He had been lying in bed for hours, listening to the sounds of the house settling and animals outside, growing more and more agitated by the minute.
He felt drawn toward Bella.
He needed to see her.
To touch her.
Mine.
Now the voice had begun again and he felt an almost uncontrollable desire to find her and to consume her. This was just not appropriate courting behavior, he thought.
Mine.
It was almost an hour until sunrise. Maybe in the dusky light he could make his way to Meyer Lane and catch a glimpse of Miss Swan. Maybe that would soothe the monster inside.
And maybe someday man would walk on the moon.
Mine.
With a frustrated sigh, Edward threw off the bedclothes and dressed. He had to find a way to silence this voice inside himself.
Perhaps if he went in to work early he could finish what was required of him and be at Miss Swan's house early enough for the two to enjoy a nice walk in the park. He could bring a little picnic. They could sit together and he could learn everything about her.
And then he could shred every bit of clothing off of her delicious body and ravish her on a blanket until…
Edward shook his head to remove from his mind the image of creamy pale skin and dark brown hair and rosy red lips parted in ecstasy. It seemed so much more like a memory than of a hoped for dream.
Zafrina watched out the kitchen window as Edward silently snuck out the back door. She sent a quick text to Alice before returning to her morning duties.
In what took 10% of the time it should have taken to run across town to Bella's home, Edward found himself half up a tree outside 321 Meyer Lane.
He paused, unsure of how he had run so fast or climbed so skillfully.
Mine.
The voice grew more demanding. Edward shook off the questioning feeling and continued up the tree and climbed through the open window.
Edward looked around the room. He could almost sense Bella's presence. Her scent. The room looked like something he could see her enjoying. Simple. Comfortable.
But there was no Bella.
The bed was undisturbed.
A light pop of creaking floorboards grabbed his attention and Edward spun around to see a disheveled Will standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his bare chest.
"Care to tell me what you are doing here, boy?" Will demanded in a deadly calm voice.
Edward looked at Will with wide-eyed horror. First, Will stood there with only hastily pulled-on pants, left unfastened at the waist and second, Edward had been caught in a woman's bedroom. He was fairly certain his days as a lawyer were over.
"Well?"
Edward opened and closed his mouth, unable to make a sound.
Will tilted his head and took in the man before him. He sensed the tension and instability. Then he saw the solid black eyes. Will nodded and motioned for Edward to wait a moment. He disappeared into another room and returned, fully clothed.
"Love you, too," Will murmured before closing the door.
He looked up at Edward expectantly.
"Ready to go hunt?"
"Hunt?" Edward exclaimed, confused as Will led them out of the house. "With what weapons?"
"We don't need weapons, my friend."
Will grinned widely, revealing perfectly white, perfectly sharp teeth.
"We are the weapon."
~BE~
L sat on a tall stool at her sales counter in McCarty's Mercantile, rearranging the pretty jeweled baubles by stone type. She looked up when the bell rang to signal a new customer. Her face lit up when she saw her favorite curly redhead enter.
"Maggie!" she cried, standing and bustling over for a hug. "How are you, my friend?"
"Fine, fine. Bree and I were passin' through, and I thought I'd drop by and say hello and visit a bit."
"Oh, how wonderful! Is Bree here?"
"She's off hunting. Needed a bit of fortification before coming through another village. It's harder on the newbies."
L nodded just as the door rang again and Elizabeth Masen walked in.
"Morning! Welcome to McCarty's Mercantile!" L called in her usual friendly voice. She did not turn toward the door but did notice Maggie's jaw drop.
"What?" she whispered, suddenly concerned. She spun around but only saw the back of the person how came in.
"That's Elizabeth Masen!" Maggie whisper-yelled.
"Oh." L strained to peer over the shelves to see without appearing too obvious.
"Damn short legs," L muttered, climbing half onto her chair but still unable to see.
"She's been dead almost a hundred years," Maggie continued.
"I know that! She appeared after I set this Experience in motion."
Maggie's eyes widened and she quickly crossed herself.
"Um…" L was quite confused by the reaction.
"You made a Caol Áit."
Maggie began to murmur under her breath. L would have sworn she heard parts of 'Hail Mary' and 'Our Father.'
"A keel watch?"
"Caol Áit. Kweel awtch." Maggie enunciated the syllables carefully.
"Oh, that clarifies it so much, Mags." L threw her hands up in frustration.
"Thin place," Elizabeth offered, immediately appearing at L's elbow.
L jumped at the intrusion, clutching her heart.
Elizabeth smiled kindly at the two women and held up a package of linen and some needlepointing thread and needles.
"Do I have an account, Mrs. Lawrence?"
L nodded dumbly.
"Add these to it, please."
Again a nod.
"I don't need these wrapped. I'll just take them."
Again a nod.
L and Maggie watched as Mrs. Masen gathered her purchases and cheerfully headed toward the door. She stopped just before laying hand on the doorknob.
"Mrs. Lawrence?" Elizabeth remained facing the door.
"Yes, ma'am?" L replied nervously.
"I think you and your husband will quite enjoy the trip to the Lake District you two have planned."
"L-l-lake District?" L looked at Maggie and shrugged. She had not planned on leaving Evermore until after the end of the month.
Elizabeth nodded before turning to stare eye to eye with L.
"Your leanai helped bring me here but that development is going to cause Edward more problems than necessary if you stay."
Her tone was smooth and non-threatening and L nodded, a wave of understanding engulfing her.
"Maggie, what are you and Bree doing for the next few weeks?"
Elizabeth smiled broadly and nodded before turning and departing the store.
"I guess I'm going on a vacation," L whispered.
"And I guess I'm going to be an auntie," Maggie grinned.
~BE~
Sorry for the delay—we had a week of snow and ice followed by my girls being out of school for Winter Break and then a week of extra volunteering at DD2's elementary school media center (which I loved!)
I did write a little Valentine's Day story that you can find in my profile—Be Mine, Valentine. Just something that would not let go until it was written down.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always I appreciate knowing what you think but please log in if you'd like a reply.
DeJean