Part 42
The second hand crept around the clock, the minutes passing with agonizing slowness. The ticking of the second hand was painfully loud in the otherwise silent cabin and the sound was slowly driving him mad. He spent the night tossing and turning, his body sore and tense as he fought to find a comfortable spot on the mattress. He nearly got up three different times to steal a spot on Isabel's bed but he knew the mattress wasn't the problem.
He rubbed his gritty eyes as the hour hand finally and torturously slowly landed on the seven. It was still dark out and the lack of sunlight only seemed to make his jittery nerves worse. It felt like it had been nighttime for days on end and he finally rolled his aching body off of the mattress and onto his knees. The back of his neck was so tense and stiff that the slightest movement sent sharp pains radiating through his shoulders and made his head hurt worse. He inhaled deeply and sighed when he had no problem breathing through his nose. So much for the theory that he was coming down with a sinus infection, he thought morosely.
He left his mattress on the floor and grabbed his clothes as he moved through the cabin. He made a quick stop in the kitchen to turn a light on and start a pot of coffee before heading for the bathroom. He checked on Isabel to make sure she was still sleeping before he ducked into the tiny room and started the shower. He adjusted the water temperature until it was as hot as he could stand it and he stood under the spray, letting it beat down against his head, neck, and shoulders in the hope that it would loosen his muscles up and ease the pain ricocheting around in his body.
He rarely had problems sleeping and he didn't recall ever having problems to this extent. He rolled his shoulders, groaning at the resulting pain. The muscles in his neck were so taut that he couldn't give his head a good hard snap to relieve the pressure. He reached up to rub the back of his neck in an effort to release the tension, sighing raggedly when it eased just enough to allow him to drop his head down between his shoulders.
Kyle stayed in the shower until he had run every ounce of hot water out of the tank. He winced as he rolled his head along his shoulders. His muscles were a little bit looser, but he could already feel them tightening up again. If it were a different girl he'd feel bad about using up all the hot water, but Isabel had the advantage of using her powers to heat up the water so even though she might grumble about it she would get over it fairly quickly.
He could hear her moving around in the kitchen and he wondered what the chances were that she was making breakfast. She could cook but it wasn't something she did very often. He didn't smell anything cooking but he was more interested in coffee right now anyway. He toweled off and grabbed his jeans, frowning at the drops of water that had been sprayed on them at some point. He shook them out and shoved one foot into the first leg, hopping backwards and banging his elbow into the wall when he tripped on the other leg.
"Sonofa – " He caught himself and smacked his head back against the wall. "Let's just start this mornin' out right, why don't we?"
"Kyle, are you alright in there?" Isabel asked from the other side of the door.
"Fine," he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He braced his back on the door and jerked his jeans up over his hips. He straightened up and leaned over the sink to stare at his reflection, shaking his head at the dark circles underlining his bloodshot eyes. His jaw was shadowed with stubble, giving him a scruffy look. "Good thing you're not supposed to be Santa 'cause you look more like a bum who's been on a drinking binge."
He pushed away from the sink and gathered his things up before jerking the door open and hurrying over to his room. He threw his things on the dresser and grabbed the mattress, hefting it up and tossing it on the top bunk. He grabbed a pair of socks and draped his shirt over his right shoulder before walking into the living room and sitting on the loveseat.
"I was gonna make scrambled eggs," Isabel said as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him.
He rubbed his temples before reaching for the coffee and taking a sip of the hot bitter liquid. "I'm not really hungry, but you go ahead."
He wasn't hungry? He hadn't eaten much at dinner the night before and she had known Kyle to put an entire pizza away in a single sitting before. "Well, alright, I'll make breakfast and if you change your mind at least it'll be there."
He nodded and instantly regretted the movement when the sharp pains shot down through his shoulders again. Half an hour later he was lying on the loveseat, his legs dangling over the opposite arm as the weatherman droned on in the background. It didn't seem to matter what was on TV the weather always seemed to interrupt at some point. His right arm was draped over his eyes, his left hand wrapped around the coffee cup that was balanced on his stomach. God, his worst hangover in high school hadn't made him feel this bad!
Isabel was scraping the scrambled eggs into a bowl when the obnoxious pounding started on the door. She shot an irritated glare at the door before putting the pan in the sink and going over to jerk it open. "Do you mind?" she asked.
"No, I don't," Michael answered, giving Maria a push to get her inside. "Somethin' smells good. You make those scrambled eggs with the jalapenos?"
Isabel rolled her eyes and started to shut the door when someone reached out to hold it open and she frowned when she saw her brother and his wife making their way inside. "Did we invite all of you to come over?"
"Unnecessary." Michael was moving around in the kitchen, lifting lids off of dishes and making a nuisance of himself. "You must've been expectin' us 'cause you made an awful lot for just the two of you."
"That's for me, actually," Kyle mumbled from the living room.
Michael moved to lean over the back of the loveseat. "What's wrong with you, Valenti?"
"Not sleepin' too well here lately." His voice was gravelly and tired.
"You sure that's all?" Michael asked when Kyle lowered his arm and slowly sat up. "You look like shit."
"Michael!"
He turned when Maria and Isabel both yelled at him at the same time. He shrugged and reached out to slap Kyle on the back. "You guys mind? The guy looks an' feels like shit. You think yelling's gonna make him feel any better?"
Kyle winced when Michael tried to be helpful. "I'm really not all that hungry," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, help yourself."
Isabel frowned at that and elbowed Michael out of the way when he descended on the food as if he hadn't eaten in days. She made a sandwich with eggs and bacon and took it over to Kyle. "Try to eat that, okay?"
He nodded and stared at it, feeling his stomach turn over at the thought of trying to force food on it. You can do this, he told himself. Hell, could it really make you feel any worse?
"Kyle, you said you wanted to do some work on the van today, didn't you?" Isabel asked, thinking they could use that as an excuse to get him away from everyone for the day. Maybe if he had some time to himself he would start to feel better.
Michael paused, mid-chew as he looked between the two of them. "Work on the van?" he mumbled, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. "He can't go alone." His mind was several steps of his mouth, already seeing the silver lining of this particular dark cloud. "Wait, I'll go with him." It was perfect! Work on the van and get a break from Santa land. Kyle wasn't the only one who needed a break from that insanity. "We'll just have to get Dean to put somethin' on besides that crap he listens to."
"Well, if you guys are gonna go to the shop then we can go shopping," Maria said with a look at Liz.
"Oh, yeah, you can just drop us off at the Wal-Mart!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Isabel interrupted when all of her elves started to mutiny at the same time. "We have things to do."
"I wouldn't mind workin' on the van." Max looked around when silence fell over the room. Liz and Maria were both trying hard not to laugh while the latter smacked Michael on the back when he choked on whatever he was eating. "Okay, fine, maybe I have no idea what to do under the hood of a car, but I'd still rather be there than hangin' out with reindeer all day."
Isabel shook her head and took another bite of scrambled eggs and bacon. "We have a lot of work to do."
Maria and Liz exchanged a look and came to stand on either side of her.
"Isabel, we can go shopping… Christmas shopping," Maria cajoled.
"And it's Wal-Mart," Liz added. "You know they have everything… Makeup, party supplies, food, ice cream…"
"Christmas decorations," the two girls chimed in at the same time.
Isabel rolled her eyes as she finished her breakfast. "Okay, I suppose we could pick up some of the finishing touches for our rehearsal of Christmas on the Lake."
Michael's eyes narrowed and the piece of bacon in his hand snapped in half, hitting the floor and crumbling all over the place. "What rehearsal?"
"You heard me. We have to have a dress rehearsal."
Kyle pressed his fingertips to his temples as the conversation around him reverberated in his head. "Let's just do it, okay? We'll drop you girls off at the Wal-Mart and we'll head over to the shop to do some work on the van." He sighed and pushed his sandwich back, deciding that he wasn't ready to face the consequences if he forced food on an already queasy stomach.
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Michael was watching Maria fiddle with the radio while they waited for Isabel to join them. She had instructed him to drive up to the main house so she could run in and let Julia know they were taking the day and spending some time together while the guys worked on the van. He lifted his head when a flash of green caught his eye and he raised the hand that was resting on the steering wheel to wave at Maggie. The little girl was watching them as Isabel walked back to the van, her nose pressed against the glass in the screen door and Cindy held tightly to her chest.
The drive to the Wal-Mart took under half an hour but as the miles flew by they each retreated into their own thoughts and the silence in the van grew. Without verbally acknowledging it they all knew what they were thinking. It was the first time since they had broken down that they had all been confined in a single vehicle again. It brought up the reminder that their situation was still untenable and that eventually they were going to have to leave this place where for a short time they had found peace with a family who had accepted them into their home and their hearts.
Kyle glanced down at the brown paper lunch sack sitting beside him on the seat. He smiled slightly as he remembered Isabel carefully wrapping it and tucking it safely in the sack before handing it to him, insisting he take it with him in case he felt like eating later. He just didn't have the heart to tell her that if warm eggs didn't sound good then cold eggs would only be worse. He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses in an attempt to block out more of the sun and he sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He cracked one eye open when he felt the van take a turn and as soon as he identified the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart he went back to staring at the backs of his eyelids.
Michael stopped at the furthest parking area in the lot and let the engine idle as he shifted in his seat so he could see everyone.
"I hope you don't think we're hiking across this parking lot, Michael," Isabel said as she glared at him over her sunglasses.
"When have I ever expected that from you?" he asked, shaking his head at her. "It's a tempting thought, but no, I think Max should stick with the girls."
"Uh… why?" Max asked. He kicked the back of Kyle's seat when he heard him snickering.
Liz pinched the back of his hand as hard as she could when she saw Kyle wince in pain.
"You and Isabel can keep an eye on things and if anything goes wrong there's more backup. Three girls wandering around lookin' at all the crap in a store this size? You know they're gonna separate and wander off and when they do – "
"And when they do someone needs to be babysitting the human," Maria grumbled. She rolled her eyes as she leaned against the door and stared out through the windshield.
"That thing you're doin'? Quit it." Michael shot a look at her before continuing. "Like I was sayin', it makes more sense for Max and Isabel to both be here with Maria and Liz because the area of coverage is a lot larger than what we'll be dealin' with at the shop."
"Kyle's feeling like crap," Maria pointed out. "Maybe it'd be better if he had more protection."
"I think Kyle can handle himself," Max interrupted.
"He isn't feeling that great in case you missed it," Isabel bit out as she turned to look at her brother. She had no idea what his issue was with Kyle but she was getting tired of his attitude.
"Stop it, all of you!" Kyle snapped. "I'm fine. The four of you go wander around the damn store and let me go work on the van in peace! I'm perfectly capable of handling myself if anything happens. I don't need a babysitter. I've helped drag drugged out aliens to safety before if you recall."
"Amen," Maria muttered under her breath.
"This's settled." Michael's hand clenched around the steering wheel and he gritted his teeth. "Max, you're goin' with them." He turned around and put the van into gear, driving up to the front of the store and letting them out by the double doors. He leaned over to grab Maria's hand as the others climbed out through the side door. "Hey, don't be pissed at me; this is not a matter of not trusting you to take care of yourself. It's a safer division of forces, okay? That's it, nothin' more."
She stared into his eyes as she reached up to brush her fingers over his cheek. "Alright," she said after a moment. She leaned in to kiss him slowly.
"You guys wanna hurry it up?" Max growled. "It's a little bit windy out here today."
Maria laughed at the disgruntled comment as she pulled back. "Be safe. And keep an eye on Kyle, okay? I think he must be comin' down with a cold or something."
"We'll be back around 1pm, meet you guys at the McDonalds."
She smiled and nodded. "See ya then."
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Kyle walked into the shop at the dealership with Michael right behind him. He raised the hand holding the paper sack and tossed it towards a nearby trashcan.
"Hey, hey, what're you doin'?" Michael asked as he intercepted the lunch sack before it could hit its target. He smoothed the creases out of the sack and shook his head at the other guy. "Okay, Valenti, what gives?"
Kyle shook his head and tried to move past the taller hybrid.
"You know, last time Isabel gave me a sandwich we were in grade school and it was her sandwich. She's never cooked anything for me." He unwrapped the sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "So what's up with that anyway?"
"I don't know… manners? It'd be rude to only cook for herself when I'm right there too."
Michael just snorted at that. "Whatever. Isabel does what she wants to do."
"That much is true," Kyle said, waving when Dean hollered over the noise coming from the radio. They hadn't made it into the shop yet, still safely on the other side of the glass, but he could already feel the beat of the music. He appreciated Isabel's attempt to be helpful, he really did, but this was one time she could've not been helpful and it would've been okay. "However, we both know she was raised better than that."
He just shrugged and polished off the sandwich.
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The double doors slid open with a quiet whoosh and the large heaters overhead ushered the four of them in with a welcome burst of warmth. The scent of freshly baked goodies in the bakery combined with the heartier scent of roasted chicken and other meats from the deli. Intermingled with those scents came the familiar smell of cheeseburgers and French fries from the McDonalds tucked in the corner near the entrance.
"Oooh, Liz, do you smell that?" Maria asked as she looked around. "We've got to check out what they're making over there."
"Definitely," Liz agreed happily. She was tucked in against Max's side, enjoying the feeling of being with him openly.
Isabel whipped her planner out and flipped it open. "We'll need to find a decent star for the Nativity, and we're gonna need at least 10 more strands of lights." She glanced up for just a moment, snapping her fingers to get her brother's attention. "Max, go and get a cart." She continued without waiting to see if he would follow her orders. "Then of course, we'll need to find a suitable corkboard to pin the thank you cards for the Tony family from the community. Don't you think it'll be a nice way for everyone to express their gratitude for their years of service?" Her eyes lifted and she clutched the planner to her chest with both hands as she smiled widely. "Can't you just see it? Cards signed by Santa, his elves, and the children. And anyone else who wishes to leave a message of thanks."
"Um, and who's gonna explain these expenses to Michael? Because he's gonna blow a gasket over any," Maria raised her hands to make air quotes, "unapproved spending."
Isabel just smiled. "Let's just say I have a rainy day fund."
Maria snorted and looked to the side when Max rejoined them with a cart. "Not me, it rained hard that first couple weeks we were on the road."
Liz shot a smirk at Maria and said, "Yeah, a rainy day fund named Kyle."
The tall blonde wrinkled her nose at that and moved ahead of them, stopping near an aisle to look around and get her bearings. Liz patted her husband's hand and motioned ahead to his sister. "Why don't you go see if you can soothe her ruffled feathers?"
"You ruffled 'em," he muttered. He looked at Liz and then Maria and gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, just gimme a minute with her."
Isabel didn't look up from her perusal of a sale ad when her brother came to stand beside her, choosing to ignore his presence. Until he made it a point to roll the cart back and forth beside her and the sound of one of the wheels constantly squealing began to grate on her nerves. She whirled around to look at him. "What do you want?"
Max leaned on the cart and grinned at her. "So, you've separated Kyle from the money clip?" he teased.
"No," she huffed indignantly, "I have not. I have my own money, thank you."
"Uh-huh, sell it somewhere else. We all carry pocket money and the rest we pooled together and Kyle carries it since he pretty much handles expenses."
Isabel glared at him. "I am in the middle of going over some very important things here, Max, so unless you need something that pertains to Christmas on the Lake…"
He nodded at the warning and held his hands up in defense. "You said we needed lights? Do we need colored lights? All white? Solid or blinking?" He really couldn't care less about the lights but pursuing the other conversation was going to get him in trouble and he wasn't willing to risk that.
"So," Liz said after he had joined his sister, "that was some kiss out in the van, Maria. You and Michael seem like you're really back together."
"Oh, that." Maria grinned even as she felt the blush rising across her cheeks.
"Well, it was kinda hard to miss." She gave her best friend a one-harmed hug. "I'm really happy for you, Maria."
"The last few days have been so good, Liz, but he's still holding back." She sighed and looked around for a moment. "I really hurt him and I can see just how much every time we're together. He hasn't opened up our connection." She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I don't get the flashes."
"It'll probably just take time," she rushed to assure her friend. "Maria, the change in him over the past few days since we've been off the road has been amazing. I think it'll happen."
Maria nodded, but redirected instead of responding. "Sugar rush, Liz. Can you smell it?" She pointed to the bakery they were approaching, smiling at the woman standing near a sample tray. "Let's go."
"I'm right there with you."
They made small talk with the woman as they each took a sample and Maria popped the warm bite of cinnamon goodness into her mouth. The cinnamon and icing melded together, the flavors bursting on her tongue, and she chewed the fluffy bread slowly. "Mmm, I remember my mom bringing these to the Crashdown on Saturday mornings."
Liz nodded at the shared memory. "Um-hmm, hers were much better though."
Isabel could hear their conversation in spite of her efforts to ignore it and she felt a wave of isolation wash through her. She watched Max as he joined the girls, easily slipping in between them and draping his arm around his wife's shoulders. Her eyes moved over them when Liz settled against him, sliding her arm around his waist as she reached up with her free hand to feed him a cinnamon bite. It was nauseating to watch but at the same time it opened up that dark chasm of loneliness and she looked away as memories rose up before her, easing that pain and opening old wounds at the same time.
"I'm sorry, Alex," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"For what?"
She turned to the right and saw him lounging up against a display of cases of soda arranged to resemble an igloo. She moved closer to him as she nodded at her brother and his wife. "That I fought against us being together for so long. We had so little time together."
"I'm not," he said, reaching out to brush his fingers against her cheek. "You needed to be sure before you could open yourself up like that. We did have too little time together, but that time meant more to me than anything else, Isabel."
She could feel the threat of tears as she thought about Prom night. She had allowed him to have a part of her that she had never given Jesse access to.
"Christmas stockings," he said out of the blue.
Her head snapped up and her brows pulled together in a frown. "What?"
"The others are headed this way." He tapped the flyer she still held, drawing her attention to the picture of Christmas stockings. "When they offer you that little bit of cinnamon roll… eat it."
"But I don't…"
"I miss things like taste on this side." His gray eyes twinkled as he watched her debating whether what he was saying was true or not.
"What're you doing over here, Isabel?" Maria asked as they joined her.
"I was just checking out these Christmas stockings," she said, showing them the flyer. "They're on sale and I think we should buy some."
"Oh, cool." She held out a little square napkin with the cinnamon bite sitting at its center. "Here, we brought one for you."
Max watched her as she looked back at the display for a moment before a soft smile lifted her lips. He shook his head when she nodded to herself before taking the sweet offering and thanking Maria for thinking of her. Some days he had no idea what was going on in his sister's mind.
"Oh, look, they have a jewelry case at this Walmart," Liz said.
He followed along when she took off, drawn to the glass cases like a raven to shiny things. He listened with interest as the girls debated gold, white gold, platinum, and sterling silver. These things only interested him as far as they might influence future gifts for his wife so he endured an insufferable amount of time taking mental notes.
Isabel paid little attention to the jewelry as she watched a couple across from her. The man stood behind the woman, his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting on her shoulder as they looked at wedding band sets. Her gaze lowered to the woman's left hand and she smiled at the small diamond engagement ring that caught the light and sparkled.
Maria wandered away from the others when she spotted a small section of faux pearl bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Her fingers traced over the glass above the earrings, looking up when an elderly woman behind the counter approached her.
"See something you like, dear?" she asked with a friendly smile.
She returned the woman's smile and nodded. "May I see the earrings?"
"An excellent choice." She unlocked the case and lifted the velvet box out, her hands trembling slightly as she placed them on the counter. "Every woman should have a string of pearls. Or a pair of pearl earrings if nothing else," she said with a wink.
"Oh, I have the earrings. Had them," she corrected herself as she gently ran her fingers over the earrings. "The genuine article too."
"You have a young man with taste then."
On the opposite side of the counter Isabel did her best to hold in her laughter at the mere thought of Michael having any taste where jewelry was concerned.
"A young man who is surprisingly thoughtful when he chooses to be," she said softly.
"Why don't I leave you to look at these for a moment? I have another customer to tend to and then I'll be right back."
"Thank you." Maria smiled as her eyes filled, the faux pearls blurring through the tears. She could recall her excitement the day Michael had presented her with the pearl earrings, quickly followed by the shock at the realization that the pearls were genuine and not fake. She hated that she hadn't thought to grab them the day they had fled Roswell. She rolled her eyes as she thought about the fuss she had made over Christmas presents and she sighed regretfully as she remembered the mess she had made of Christmas the year before. "Oh, Michael," she whispered as she placed the earrings back on the counter, "all I want this Christmas is you."
"You guys think we can go check out the electronics department?" Max asked.
Isabel pulled her gaze away from Maria. She hadn't intended to witness the unguarded moment of vulnerability and she was sure it would make Maria uncomfortable if she were to realize that she had seen it. "Why?"
"Because as the only guy here I think it's only fair if we look at somethin' that interests me. Even if it's just for a few minutes."
"Well, it couldn't hurt to check out the music," she agreed. "That van only has a cassette deck in it and you know how limited music is for tapes these days."
They made their way to the back of the store where the electronics department was housed and Max wandered over to check out stereos and televisions while the girls set up camp in the music section.
"Couldn't find anything you liked in the tape selection Shane's aunt left in the van?" Liz asked, already knowing the answer.
"The Bee Gees? James Taylor?" She snorted and bypassed the relatively small selection of cassette tapes to flip through the much larger selection of CDs. "Please, my parents have better taste in music."
"Well, there're always radio stations," Maria suggested as she joined Isabel to check out the CDs. "Look, Liz!" She pulled a CD out and held it up. "Nelly Furtado, we got to see her sing, remember?"
Their matching smiles faded at the memory and with a quiet look at each other they resumed their search. Isabel wondered what the story was behind their sudden silence but she didn't pursue it because there was a very good chance she didn't want to know the answer.
Maria moved on, reaching the M section and flipping through several before she grabbed another one and held it up. She frowned at the black cover, squinting as she tried to make out the name of the band or the album. "I know this one," she muttered. "Why's it so hard to read?"
"You probably saw it in Michael's extensive Metallica collection," Max said helpfully as he came over to stand next to her.
"Look, Mommy, I found Daddy's present!" an excited little voice called.
Isabel turned to look at the little boy hurrying over to his mother, his arms wrapped around a box that contained a tool set, and she smiled. The woman crouched down next to her son, making the appropriate sounds of approval and complimenting his choice. She turned back to the music, but her interest in searching for something more along the lines of her taste had disappeared.
"Henry, we'll need at least one more 20-pound turkey."
"Diane," the man's voice was exasperated, "we have more than enough food to feed everyone you've invited.
She looked up when she heard the woman's name and her eyes immediately settled on the couple who looked to be in their early to mid-forties. The woman bore no resemblance to her mother but as she listened to them bicker over whether or not to purchase another Christmas turkey a wave of homesickness washed over her and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Max looked up when his sister suddenly bolted and he dropped the CD he'd been looking at back in its slot. "I'll go after her."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Maria asked.
He looked away from her retreating back so he could face the girls. Michael would kill him if they separated and anything happened to Maria. "Stay close, just let me talk to her." He caught up with her in the parking lot, the lightly falling snow dotting her hair and coat. He could see her struggling to bring her breathing under control and he approached her slowly. "Isabel," he called quietly, "hey, you okay?" He reached out to touch her arm when he saw her swallow hard and he realized that she couldn't get the words past her throat. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." He leaned up against the wall beside her, his shoulder brushing against hers.
Isabel felt like her chest was going to burst as she shook her head in denial.
"Sure it is. C'mon, we've got each other. We've got Michael, his bad attitude, and the others. We survived the desert, didn't we? Huh? Survived grade school? Okay, you pretty much hit the schoolyard and took over, but we still survived." He was quiet a moment as he stared out into the parking lot and listened to her breathing. She was still on the verge of a major meltdown. "Want me to put on a pair of those reindeer antlers? I'm sure they sell 'em and they made you pretty happy when we were little, remember? I'll even wear the stupid bell for you."
She choked out a laugh that was tinged with an edge of hysteria.
"This sucks for all of us, Iz, but I know what Christmas means to you. I know how much it hurts you to be away from everything you know and love." He nodded when she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing it wasn't so much a denial as it was a plea to change the subject. He reached up to rub his ear when it started to sting and he glanced around before looking at her again. "Hey, you remember that game we used to play? Mom and Dad would take us shopping at the Walmart back home and we'd pick out the weirdest shoppers in the store?" He nudged her with his shoulder. "C'mon, you remember, the one who picked out the most weirdly dressed shoppers would win. Check this one out over here to your left."
Isabel turned to look and she shook her head at the man's outfit. He was wearing a checkered flannel shirt and a pair of long red shorts over yellow tights.
"Now what's that all about, huh?" He grinned when she looked at him and he saw the small smile. "I'll bet you that damn jingle bell you won't find a shopper dressed worse than that."
Isabel suddenly turned and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Max."
"I've got your back, Iz." He shook off the memory of a time when he had nearly destroyed their relationship. "Always."
"I know," she whispered. "And I've got yours."
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The minutes were ticking by faster than Michael would've liked as he watched the clock in the shop. The only sounds in the shop were the tools against the engine and the occasional irritated curse coming from below the van. "So, what's goin' on with you an' Isabel?" he asked with all the subtlety of a jackhammer.
"Damn it, Guerin," Kyle muttered when he smacked his forehead against the bumper as he rolled out from under the van. Well, that helped the pounding headache that had started to recede to come right back to life. "There's nothin' goin' on between me and Isabel."
"Uh-huh." He bit off a hunk of the beef stick he had gotten out of the snack machine and braced his right hand on the van as he looked down at Kyle. "She's been pretty wound up."
Kyle snorted. "Yeah, you're one to talk about anyone bein' wound up." He ignored the dark look the other guy shot at him. "Look, it's Christmas, okay? You know how she gets this time of year."
"Yeah, but she's been a little… I don't know, more uptight than usual."
"It's her favorite time of year and she's away from her parents and everything she knows for the first time. That's hard enough when that happens because you're away at college, but this?" He shook his head and pulled a couple of tools out, handing one to Michael before disappearing beneath the van again.
"And it's not because there's anything goin' on between the two of you?"
Kyle rolled his eyes and locked the wrench into place around the bolt. Michael was like a damn dog with a bone! "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but again, no, there's nothin' goin' on between us." He turned on a small flashlight and pointed it at another bolt. "Hey, use that wrench for somethin' besides s drumstick. See that bolt right there?" he asked as he directed the beam of light at a bolt.
Michael leaned as far into the engine compartment as he could and reached down to find the bolt, following Kyle's direction when he lost sight of it. "But you'd be okay with it if there was somethin' goin' on."
"Turn that bolt and stop flappin' your gums," Kyle grunted as he fought to turn the stubborn bolt.
"Stop flappin' my gums?" Michael repeated with a snort.
"Somethin' my granddad used to say when I was a kid and I was talkin' too much."
"How're you guys doin' over here?" Dean asked as he joined them.
"I think we've just about got these bolts ready to cooperate," Kyle said as he switched his wrench for a ratchet. He snapped on the appropriate socket and went to work on the loosened bolt. "Are we keepin' you from anything?"
"Nah, my girl's gonna swing by here in a bit to pick up her car and I thought if you boys were okay on your own I'd take her out to lunch."
"Go on, Dean, I think we're good to go." Kyle dropped the bolt in the pan next to his elbow and reached up to find the bolt he had told Michael to try and loosen. He locked the socket onto the bolt after pushing Michael's hand out of the way and started working it free.
"Cool, if you guys aren't too busy when she gets here I'll bring 'er over and introduce you."
Michael watched Dean as he retreated back to the office and he tapped the wrench against the engine absentmindedly.
"Hey, would you cut it out?" Kyle barked.
"So if it's not Isabel, what's keepin' you up all night?"
That brought Kyle out from under the van again and he glared up at Michael. "What?"
"Man, have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"Why? You lookin' for a date?" He eased back under the van and wondered why he had gotten stuck with Michael when he was in one of his rare talkative moods. "It's just insomnia, alright? It'll pass. And I'd like for it to pass without any further commentary on it."
Michael shrugged. "Whatever, man. We're runnin' outta time. We're supposed to be over at the Walmart by one o'clock so what d'you need me to do next?" He glanced at the clock again. He was ready to get this finished and get out of the shop. He didn't like that they were separated from the others and the longer they were separated the more anxious he was feeling.
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Max was bored. He had been dragged through the cosmetics section and spent a good half hour watching the girls discuss makeup and the pros and cons of something he hadn't understood. Then they had spent at least 45 minutes checking out perfume before moving on to smell every single kind of body wash known to the Walmart world. He didn't know why there had to be like a hundred different kinds of soap and shampoo, but they had taken it upon themselves to not only test the scents, but then they had stood in a little group and actually discussed them. That had taken well over an hour.
When they headed for the clothes department he had grabbed a magazine off of a shelf that some other poor sap had left. It had been thumbed through repeatedly and he could only imagine another man stuck in shopping hell trying to lose himself in a magazine in a desperate escape from his reality. He had hung back when the girls had disappeared into the underwear department. He knew just enough about his sister's preferences to know that she wouldn't be caught dead shopping for underclothes at the local Walmart, and he didn't want to know anything about Maria's preferences.
That little slice of agony had lasted for more than two hours. Isabel had been a good sport for the rest of their little exploration, but now she was really getting into it. She was not a Walmart shopper; this was a huge step down for her. Granted, she had gotten a little more used to it over the past six months, but she was never going to develop a taste for the world frequented by the discount shopper. For the past hour they had been collectively ooh-ing and ah-ing over Christmas decorations. How long could it possibly take to do whatever it was Kyle was doing? He didn't mind shopping with the girls, but this was going well above and beyond the call of duty.
When one o'clock had rolled around they had gone to the McDonalds to meet the guys but after half an hour of waiting he had gone to find a payphone and a phonebook. He had called the dealership and talked to Michael only to find out that his stay in purgatory had been extended because of some sort of mechanical problem. Kyle hadn't had an estimated time for the repair so they had been told to continue their shopping excursion and when the guys were finished they would meet them in the Christmas decorations department.
He shifted to change positions so the shelf digging into his back could dig in from another angle as he watched the girls going through the boxes of lights one by one. Maria and Liz had been extremely helpful and they were patiently taking each strand out of the box and unrolling them so Isabel could inspect them for defects. After 17 boxes only three had made it into the cart and he didn't even want to think of how many more they would go through before the requirement of 10 boxes had been met.
The girls were giving it everything they had but he could see that it was beginning to wear on them. Isabel was in her happy place though and after her earlier episode they had gone out of their way to occupy her mind and keep her from getting upset again. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned his head, coming nose to nose with a stuffed snowman. His eyes roved over the line of stuffed animals on the shelf and his right eyebrow lifted in interest when he saw the little white tag on the snowman's hand with little red letters that said 'press here'. He pushed the little tag and watched as the snowman came to life, dancing and singing Frosty the Snowman. He moved right down the line, pressing the little tag on all of them, reindeer, Santa Clause, snowmen, and even Christmas trees.
"Young man," a harried clerk said, her voice expressing barely concealed annoyance.
"Sorry." He cleared his throat and started pressing the buttons again to make the toys stop dancing and singing.
Liz came over to grab his hand, pulling him away from temptation and placing his hand on the cart. "Be still."
"I'm bored." He refused to think of just how whiny that sounded. He frowned when she rolled her eyes at him.
"Evans, what're you wearin'?"
He turned to see Michael and Kyle walking towards them and he unconsciously reached up to wrap his hand around the three jingle bells hanging from his neck. "Please tell me you guys are here because you're finished with the van and we can leave."
Maria leaned back to see Michael and she shook her head when she saw him carrying a sack from McDonalds and eating a double cheeseburger. He had a milkshake tucked under his arm and if she wasn't sure he had already dumped half a dozen packets of hot sauce into it she would've asked for a drink. Searching for perfect strands of light was exhausting and thirsty work.
"Hey," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. He lowered his voice as he glanced at Isabel. "You look like you're ready for a break."
"We have seven more strands to find first."
"Great." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a chocolate milkshake. "Here." He patted his shirt pockets and grabbed the straw he had put away. He glanced into the cart that Max was leaning on, frowning at the items piling up. "What exactly is all that crap? We didn't agree to spend – "
"Kyle did," Liz interrupted.
When Kyle and Michael both looked like they were about to respond to that Maria got their attention and made a sharp slicing motion below her chin. The guys exchanged a matching look of confusion before shrugging and nodding.
"How's the search for the perfect light strands goin'?" Kyle asked as he moved to stand beside Isabel.
"It's going." She motioned to the boxes of lights she still had to sort through. "I've only found three that are acceptable so far."
He studied her features for a moment before nodding and reaching for a box. "Let's get to work then." He could only assume from the look they had gotten from Liz and the gesture from Maria that something had happened.
Isabel covered his hand and met his gaze. "I picked up some cough medicine for you."
He smiled. "Thanks." He grabbed a couple of boxes, tossing one to Michael and another one to Max. "Here, let's knock this out." He lowered his head as he worked to undo the tabs at the opening of the box, using it as an excuse to close his eyes for a moment. His eyes stung as his closed lids allowed moisture to flood over his eyes but he knew it was only a brief reprieve. It wouldn't be long before they were dry and burning again.
"Hey, maybe we could have dinner together tonight," Maria suggested. "Just the six of us."
Michael was digging around in his takeout sack for a handful of French fries when she nudged him with her elbow. "Huh?"
"Dinner tonight, the six of us."
"Oh, well… who's cookin'?" he mumbled as he shoved the fries in his mouth.
"We are."
"We are? What, like me an' you?" He washed his fries down with his milkshake and nodded when she gave him the look. "Okay, but you're gonna owe me."
She just smiled and grabbed his collar to tug him down for a kiss. "I can live with that."
"Me too," he growled.