Chapter Thirteen

Day and Night

Fabian awoke with a groan and a pounding in his head.

"What happened?" he asked when he spotted Patricia at the foot of his bed looking grave.

"You don't remember?" Patricia offered Fabian a glass of water.

Fabian shook his head in reply, groaning once more as the pain intensified with movement.

"Great," Patricia sighed. "Another case of memory loss. What do you remember last?"

"I remember…" Fabian trailed off, squinting his eyes as if trying to see what he last did. "I remember talking to Brielle in the attic."

"Yeah," Patricia nodded. "You told me about that. Then?"

"I fell asleep and after that… I don't know," Fabian buried his face in his hands, flinching slightly when he saw something dark on his palm. "Patricia, did you draw this?"

"Draw what?"

Fabian held up his right palm, showing a mark. It was almost like a letter 't' except for the forked bottom. "This."

"No, I didn't," Patricia stared at the mark. "I never noticed that before. It wasn't there before."

"I must have been possessed," Fabian concluded seriously, trying to think on where he saw the symbol before. "Patricia, what did I do?"

Patricia refused to answer, earning a questioning look from the man.

"Patricia," he began sternly. "What did I do?"

"You were acting violently," Patricia tried to euphemize.

"Did I… hurt anyone?"

Patricia unconsciously rubbed her right wrist with her left hand, causing Fabian to look at it.

"F*ck," he muttered, examining the hand-shape red mark on her wrist. "Did I do that?"

"This is nothing," Patricia assured him. "You were mostly massacring me with words."

"A pen is mightier than a sword," Fabian recited. "What did I say to you?"

"Just about… Jerry," Patricia sighed.

"I'm so sorry," Fabian apologized, knowing how Patricia was affected by anything related to the man.

"It's alright, I guess," Patricia shrugged. "It was very… eye-opening and all of it was true anyway. Besides, it's not really you who said them. Like you said, you were possessed."

"Do you have any idea what could've done that?" Fabian asked.

"Knowing the number of Egyptian-related stories and myths," she sighed. "It could've been anything."

"That's what I figured," Fabian muttered. "Do you think you can give more details about what happened?"

"Well, it's nothing really unusual but your eyes were black," Patricia recalled. "And, you had a really evil aura. It was like you could kill me any minute."

Fabian closed his eyes, trying not to think of himself as his friend described. "How'd I stop?"

"That's the weird thing," Patricia's brows furrowed. "Eddie heard us shouting and barged into the room like the weasel that he is. And then, you went back to normal before fainting."

Fabian didn't think that what Patricia said was of any help. He had no leads in this mystery. He had no idea where to start.

"Wait, what time is it?" Fabian asked.

"It's nearly noon," Patricia checked her phone. "Why?"

"Crap," Fabian cursed, getting up from his bed. "I have class in half an hour."

Patricia quietly watched her friend run around the room, trying to get ready. "Are you sure that you're well enough to go to class?"

Fabian just rolled his eyes, finally done and opening the door. "Yes, mom."

The redhead just nodded and walked him to the front door. Fabian's expression softened when he saw the dried tear stains on Patricia's face.

"Please stay safe," he begged. "Joy's going to kill me, otherwise." Smiling as he joked, hoping that he'd lighten the mood.

"She's going to kill both of us," Patricia smiled back, before enveloping Fabian in a hug.

Fabian froze. Patricia wasn't really an affectionate person and it was rare for Fabian to see her so vulnerable, so open. The event at the gazebo was special. They were alone and emotional. But, now in broad daylight and in a public place, it's different. Fabian tried to sop overthinking and relaxed into the embrace.

"I know that I'm not really er… showy about my feelings," Patricia whispered. "But, you're my best friend and… I care about you."

"I know," Fabian grinned into her hair. "I care about you too."

Patricia loosened her grip and Fabian stepped back.

"Well, I better go," Fabian said awkwardly.

"Yeah, I guess you do."

Giving his friend one last wave, Fabian turned away before closing the front door behind him.

Patricia turned away from the door only to jump when she saw Eddie climbing down the stairs.

"Oh, hey," Eddie said as soon as he spotted her. "I was just about to check on Fabian. Is he okay?"

"Yeah. He just left for work."

"Oh, that's great," Eddie replied. "What happened to him by the way?"

Patricia racked her mind for a plausible reason and a lie. "I guess exhaustion took a toll on him. He couldn't sleep last night and wandered off instead."

Eddie, finding the story similar, grew even more curious. "Really? He's like that too, huh?"

"Who else is like that?"

"Brie," Eddie answered. "She's always restless at night. It's like she's used to staying up really late."

Solving mysteries, Patricia wanted to add but omitted so. "Where is she anyway? I haven't seen her at all."

"Oh, she's helping for the preparations for the upcoming ball," Eddie smiled, liking where the conversation is heading.

"Ah, the charity ball, right?"

"Yeah. Are you, by any chance, going?" Eddie casually asked.

"Well, Fabian probably needs company," Patricia shrugged. "He's supposed to be there 'patrolling' right? Teacher's duty and all?"

"I guess so," Eddie grew melancholic at the mention of her boyfriend but proceeded to talk about the dance more. "You sound like you don't like balls."

"I don't particularly enjoy parties," Patricia admitted. "It's tedious."

"Don't like dancing?" Eddie frowned. That would be affecting his bet with Ben.

"Not if I can help it," Patricia echoed a famous line from a certain BBC show. "It requires a lot of work."

"Oh come on," Eddie scoffed. "It's not that bad."

Patricia rolled her eyes. "Why are you being so pushy about this?"

"It's dancing, Yacker," Eddie said defensively. "It's a recreational activity designed to socialize. It can't be that tedious."

"Well, I am entitled to my own opinion."

"Give me one dance at the ball and I'll show you that dancing is fun," Eddie propositioned.

"And what do I get out of this?" Patricia challenged.

"A night of fun?" Eddie grinned.

"Nice try, Weasel," Patricia scoffed. "That's not gonna happen."

"What if…" Eddie began. "If you dance with me, I'd keep Ben off your back forever."

"Forever?" Patricia echoed, liking the sound of being stalker-free. "Hmmm…."

Eddie's eyes brightened up. Hope shone in his brown eyes. Patricia couldn't help but say yes as she looked into them.

"You will not regret this!" Eddie hugged her.

Patricia felt warm and relaxed in his arms but was uncomfortable with the sudden change in their relationship. She couldn't help but let out a snarky comment. "That's not such a big favor, Blondie. No need to be all mushy about it."

Eddie let go of her and blushed. "S-sorry."

The two stood in the entrance hall enveloped by an awkward atmosphere and tension.

"So…" Eddie laughed nervously. "What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?"

Patricia contemplated on the question. In the past few weeks, she usually explored the house or go out to town but today, she didn't feel safe doing either. The house had something inhumane lurking in the corners while she didn't exactly want to walk around town alone after what happened with Fabian. Also, Brielle wasn't around so she couldn't chat with her. "I think… I'll go whip something up in the kitchen. I do miss cooking."

"Oh," Eddie was dismayed that her choice of activity was something he couldn't do: cooking.

"What were you planning to do?" Patricia asked.

"Uh, I'd probably just lounge in front of the television," Eddie said truthfully.

"You Couch Potato," Patricia teased. "Don't you ever lift your bum off the couch to work?"

"I am working," Eddie defended. "I test the quality of the furniture of the house I'm taking care of."

Rolling her eyes, Patricia pulled Eddie to the direction of the kitchen. "C'mon, you can go help me cook lunch."

"N-no," Eddie protested but still let the woman pull him around. "I don't want to cook. I actually pay someone to cook for me and I don't want to interfere with their job."

"Seriously, what course did you take in college?" Patricia complained.

"I took business, actually," Eddie said proudly. "And I seriously work everyday. I work with stocks and all."

"That explains a lot," Patricia mumbled.

"It explains what?"

"You being a lazy ass. Working with stocks just requires a phone nowadays. You just have to lift a finger. I bet the reason why you don't want cook is because you actually can't," Patricia chuckled, laughing harder when Eddie turned red and muttered quietly that he could cook cup noodles.

"C'mon, I'll teach you how to cook," Patricia smiled. "It'll be something to pass the time with."

"I don't think I could learn how to cook in a day," Eddie admitted.

"Me too," Patricia laughed. "But, we could do this everyday until you're five-star qualified just like me."

"Wow, Yacker, that really shows your humility," Eddie said sarcastically. "But, I'm counting on that. Everyday cooking lessons?"

"Everyday cooking lessons," Patricia agreed.

Fabian was exhausted once again as he hastily packed all the papers into his bag. Heading to Anubis House, he was surprised when Nina's melodic voice called out to him.

"Fabian!" Brielle Miller approached the worn out man. "Wait up!"

"Hi Brielle," Fabian smiled slightly.

"Hey, I heard what happened this morning," Brielle began as they continued to walk towards the house. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," Fabian scratched the back of his head. "I guess I didn't really get enough sleep."

"Oh no," Brielle paled considerably.

"What?" Fabian was worried with her complexion and her tone.

"Do I snore?" she asked in a small voice.

Fabian chuckled in reply.

"Well, if I do snore," Brielle grinned. "I blame it to my lack of sleep."

"You're not sleeping well these days?" Fabian curiously asked.

"No," Brielle said straightforwardly. "I've been having these weird dreams."

"What kind of dreams?"

The girl avoided his gaze. "It's nothing…"

From her nervous stance to the hesitation in her voice, Fabian could tell that she was lying. "Are you sure?"

Brielle scoffed. "Yeah. I mean, it's nothing to be worried about. Most of it's absurd anyway. Psh. Egyptian gods coming to life?" She tried downplaying things.

Fabian, unfortunately for the redhead, wasn't comforted by these thoughts. He didn't quite agree that the thoughts were absurd. They were a huge possibility. "I-"

"So!" Brielle cut in, noticing that the man wasn't gonna let the topic go. "Do you wander off at night a lot too?"

Fabian knew that she wasn't ready to talk about it and he was willing to respect that. "Uh, not really. I guess I'm not used to it." Not used to sleeping alone, I mean, he wanted to add but he knew that it would lead to more pressing questions.

"Home sick?"

"You have no idea?" Fabian blurted out.

Brielle nodded. "I guess I'm kinda homesick too even if I don't know where my home is, exactly."

"Home is not a place," Fabian smiled warmly. "It's a feeling."

"That's horribly cheesy, you know," Brielle laughed.

"I know. I just-"

The two were nearing the house considerably and raised voiced can be heard from it.

"You… slimeball!" Fabian can recognize Patricia's snarky tone anywhere.

"Payback's a bitch, Yacks!" Brielle is familiar with Eddie's laughter from the months that she's lived with the man.

"You think we should interfere?" Brielle asked the brunette beside her.

"I guess so," Fabian sighed. "I can't let my girlfriend be stuck in prison for murder."

The line gave a pang at their hearts. It was just another reminder of the truth. For Brielle, it made her realize that no matter how she likes the man and how she's comfortable with, Fabian still has a girlfriend and it's not her. For Fabian, it was just another reminder that he needed to say things to remind him that Brielle isn't Nina and that Patricia was his 'girlfriend'.

"Uh, yeah," Brielle said awkwardly. "Wouldn't want the kids to witness another quarrel."

The two hurried to the source of the scuffle, which was surprisingly in the kitchen. They expected the worse, knowing their friends but what they saw was much, much more entertaining.

Patricia was in the middle of the kitchen with her eyes shut tight as something slimy dripped form her hair onto her face. Eddie stood behind her, wet and was most likely poured with milk. He was clutching his sides, trying to contain his laughter.

Feeling her responsible adult persona kick in, Brielle placed her hands on her hips and looked sternly at the two. "What is the meaning of this?"

The two froze at the sign of company.

"Uh- We- It's-" Eddie spluttered to make an excuse.

"Nuh-uh," Brielle waved a finger at the two of them. "You two will clean yourselves up then clean up the mess you made."

"We were just trying to make dinner," Eddie whined.

"I'm not particularly fond of being a cannibal, Ed," Brielle giggled.

Eddie groaned but proceeded to leave the kitchen to take a shower. Patricia, who had the good sense to keep quiet, followed him out.

"Jeez," Brielle eyed the mess before her. "Those two will be the death of me! They're worse than the kids!"

Fabian chuckled. "That's true."

"Anyway, I better start with this mess," she took a rag from the counter to start tidying up.

"Yeah, I better go and check on Patricia too," Fabian smiled.

Brielle watched the man leave and couldn't help but wish that he would break up with Patricia and be with her instead. Feeling horrible at the thought of betraying a new friend, she focused on wiping the kitchen counter instead.

Fabian walked into the room with a frown on his face. It's becoming harder and harder to not like Brielle. She's too much like Nina. It's not just her appearance. It's who she is.

"What's up your ass?" Patricia asked as she saw Fabian enter the room.

"Life," Fabian groaned as he plopped on his bed, burying his head into his arms.

"Ah, girl problems," Patricia rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're like nearing 30. Shouldn't you have enough experience on this already?"

"If you forgot, Nina's the only girl that I've been with."

"Yeah, her and dear old me," Patricia grinned.

"Not funny," Fabian shook his head.

"What are you stressing about?" Patricia asked, concernedly. "It's not like she hates you or something."

"It's just that it's too complicated," Fabian sighed.

"How is it complicated?" Patricia asked, exasperatedly, tired of Fabian's conflict with himself.

"She's too much like Nina," Fabian explained.

"Cause she is her, you dolt."

"I already told you that she isn't," Fabian said firmly. "And I wouldn't fall in love with her."

Patricia wanted to roll her eyes at Fabian's tenacity. "Fine. Why don't you just be her friend, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, befriend her?" Patricia raised a brow. "I mean, if she's so much like Nina and Nina is your best friend, why can't Brie just be your best friend. It's clear that you like spending time with her a lot."

"You're a genius, Patricia!" Fabian explained.

"And so they tell me," Patricia grinned.

"And you're also covered in raw egg," Fabian made a face. "Go wash up, won't you?"

"Oh please," Patricia sneered. "We both know that you like me covered in egg."

"Come on," Fabian smiled teasingly. "Go wash up so we can eat dinner and you can look presentable to Eddie."

"Psh. Why would I want to look-"

Fabian shut her up with a look.

"That obvious?"

"So obvious that I think that we should just break up," Fabian rolled his eyes. "He clearly wants to make a move. It's just that you're not exactly available."

"You don't think he just likes to annoy me?"

"Oh please," Fabian grinned. "It's just your basic 'bully-your-crush' thing. I mean, I'm sure with Jer-" The man stopped himself, noting Patricia's sullen expression.

"Do you think that I just like Eddie cause he's kinda like Jerome?" Patricia asked quietly.

"No, I think that's your preference in guys," Fabian laughed. "Slightly childish. Huge prankster. Very debonair and all."

Patricia hit his arm lightly. "Shut up."

"I'll shut up if you go wash up," Fabian pushed her to the bathroom. "Go!"

When Patricia was all clean and egg-free, they proceeded to have dinner. Dinner was not as entertaining as it used to since the children were tired from helping out with the preparations for the charity ball which was another week away. The usually arguing couple, Eddie and Patricia, were worn out from their escapade that afternoon and kept to themselves during dinner. Everyone retired early that night except form Fabian who stayed in the lounge, watching television, trying to sleep.

"You again, huh?" Brielle stepped out of the shadows carrying a glass of water.

"I find it hard to sleep when your room still has the stench of raw egg," Fabian said defensively.

"I will clean that up tomorrow," Brielle grinned, realizing that Patricia must've dripped all over their room earlier. "But, Patricia doesn't seem to have the same problem."

"She bathed in it," Fabian grinned.

"That's not a very nice thing to say," Brielle admonished.

Fabian just stuck his tongue out in reply.

"So, what are you planning to do to sleep?" Brielle sat beside the man on the couch.

"Watch the TiVo?" Fabian gestured at the device flashing on a crime drama. "Do you have any plans?"

"Well, I usually find that playing cards at this time of night is relaxing," Brielle smiled, holding up a deck of cards.

The two moved into the dining table to play. It was two a.m. when they decided to catch some sleep but they would never forget the laughter-filled game of cards they had and they agreed to do it again the next night… and the next… and the next.

AN: This chapter didn't take as long as I expected. To make up for the next two weeks (which is filled with papers and deadlines), I post this sorta long chapter.

Have some Peddie and Fabina lovin' :D

Any questions, suggestions, and clarifications? Just review and I'll pm you in reply!

Will be back in two weeks! Love you! :D