Part 43
Kyle rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he lurked behind Michael's right shoulder and watched every move he made. After more than half an hour of listening to Michael and Maria argue over what to cook for dinner he had been ready to head back to the cabin and leave them standing there. He wanted beef, she wanted chicken. He wanted something they could cook fast, and she wanted something tasty and filling, unconcerned with the amount of time it would take to cook. It was doubtful that they would've even noticed if the rest of them had just left them in the meat department as they argued over menu options. He had been on the verge of tackling Michael and forcibly taking the van keys from him when Liz had offered up three words that had paused the feud.
"What about fajitas?"
It had paused the feud momentarily anyway. That had sparked off a heated debate about steak versus chicken and as he had been waiting for the verbal tennis match to stop Max had jumped in and suggested they compromise and just make both. Luckily that had seemed to satisfy everyone concerned. Max and Liz had wandered off to find the tortillas while he and Isabel had taken off in search of fresh vegetables to go with dinner. She had been quieter than normal and he knew something had happened but he hadn't pushed, knowing she would talk to him when she was ready.
Everyone had seemed to relax until they had climbed back into the van to drive back to Stevens' Sanctuary. Silence had once again fallen over them as the close quarters had reminded them of their situation and their impending departure. It wasn't something any of them could forget for long but as the doors had closed, locking them in the increasingly shrinking space it had been an unpleasant and abrupt reminder that their reprieve was coming to an end. It was amazing just how quickly the mood could shift
The pervasive feeling had hung over them like a dark cloud as they had pulled up outside of Michael and Maria's cabin. He had used the excuse that he needed to clean up so he could escape and Isabel had caught up with him after a few minutes. Her excuse had been that she had the keys and he wouldn't be able to get in without them. A bald-faced lie. The keys had been in his pocket but he hadn't bothered disputing it later when they had gotten back to the others and Maria had asked him how long he'd had to wait before Isabel had arrived with the keys.
He had taken his time cleaning up while Isabel had used the opportunity to sleep for about an hour. They knew there was no rush to get back over there. Michael and Maria would bicker through the dinner preparations and they were perfectly content to work together without anyone else's help. He could understand that. He would've been content to work on the van without a certain hybrid's help earlier. Help that had cost them an extra two hours of work when Michael had gotten impatient and stripped out a bolt that was in a difficult place to reach.
He knew the time it had taken to make the repairs would save them time and money down the road, but explaining that to his companion had been a waste of time. Rationally, Michael might have known what he was saying was true, but the hours separated from the others had made him antsy and he had been irritable by the time they finally rolled out of the shop. It had been his idea to stop and grab something to eat but Michael had only agreed after they had walked all the way to the back of the store to check on the others. He had felt the easing of tension in his friend once Maria had been located and Michael had seen her goofing off with Max as she made him try on an elf hat.
He had known better than to comment on the slight smile that had momentarily erased the frown lines from Michael's features as he watched her. Once he was convinced that she was alright they had made the journey back to the front of the store to order a couple of cheeseburgers. He had left it alone when the hybrid ordered a chocolate milkshake and tucked it in his coat pocket. No need to poke a sleeping bear he thought to himself.
"Hey, Valenti, you wanna stop breathin' down the back of my neck?" Michael growled as he turned the burner off and picked the frying pan up to empty the contents onto a waiting plate.
"I don't think he's tall enough for that," Max commented without looking up from the book he was reading.
"Sue me, I'm hungry," Kyle grumbled. "What can I do to help so we can move this along?"
Michael shook his head and smirked. That was pretty much what he had said to Kyle that afternoon when they had been working on the van. "We've got it covered. Just grab a seat at the table."
"You got more chairs around here somewhere?"
He turned and leveled a look at Kyle. "What you see is what you get. You an' Max go over and get the trunk at the end of the bed. Two of you can sit on it and the other two can use the chairs."
"There're six of us."
"Uh-huh." Michael popped a piece of chicken in his mouth and chewed it as he turned and motioned to the two armchairs in the living area currently occupied by Isabel and Liz. "Me an' Maria will sit over there."
"Hey, I thought you didn't want chicken," Maria said as she pushed his hand away from the dish. "Stick to your steak."
"I cooked it, didn't I?"
"So? I cut up all the vegetables."
"That I also cooked." He stared her down. "Next?"
"I should just make you sleep in one of those chairs tonight."
He just smirked at that. "You can try." He leaned in to kiss her. "But we both know better."
Maria rolled her eyes at his know-it-all tone and let it go. For the past couple of hours she had been working on getting him to relax again. He hadn't been happy about the amount of time he and Kyle had spent at the shop and she knew being out of contact for so long had been enough to put him on edge. She had seen the telltale signs of tension settling over him as he covertly checked out the cameras following the shoppers' moves as they navigated the store. It had only worsened once they had gotten back into the van and by the time they had pulled up next to the cabin she had known he was contemplating how soon they could leave.
She knew it was their reality. They would have to pick up and move on soon but she really wanted to stay off the road just a little bit longer. At least through Christmas. But she could see the wheels turning as he weighed the risks and she knew it was going to come up sometime that night, and when it did she had a feeling it wasn't going to go well. After Isabel's earlier meltdown she knew hearing that they needed to leave wasn't going to be received well. Max and Liz were just starting to unwind and they were finally getting to a place where the lines of communication were really being opened up between them again. She and Michael still needed more time to find the balance in their relationship and sort out some old issues. She glanced at Kyle as he and Max moved the trunk and she wondered if he would side with Michael about leaving. Her gaze moved to Isabel. If he was as attuned to the tall blonde's moods the way she believed he was he would attempt to talk Michael into staying a while longer. Would it make a difference? Or would the opposition only convince him that they were becoming too relaxed and opening themselves up to potential threats?
Normally Kyle could be counted on to make a rational argument but she knew the past couple of days he hadn't been feeling well. He had snapped at them several times the day before and he had been grumpy; behaviors that were unusual for him. Maybe after dinner and then taking some of the medicine Isabel had picked up for him he'd feel better. His appetite was making a reappearance so that had to be a good sign. She wasn't certain Michael would wait until after dinner to bring it up though.
She grabbed a dishtowel and nudged Michael out of the way so she could open the oven door and pull out the foil-wrapped tortillas. She slid them on the stovetop and carefully unwrapped them before checking the Spanish rice in the pot on the back burner. "Michael, if you'll grab the salad out of the fridge, I think we're ready to eat."
Michael set the salad on the counter and grabbed the top plate off of the stack, handing it to Kyle before motioning to the food. "Knock yourself out." He knew Maria would wait until the others had their food before she helped herself so he leaned back against the counter and waited with her. He watched Kyle fix the plate, lifting an eyebrow when he piled the pico de gallo on the chicken and steak fajita before dousing it with hot salsa and sprinkling a little sugar over the top. He knew the plate was for Isabel; Kyle had developed a taste for the sweet/spicy mix but he wouldn't mix steak and chicken.
Wordlessly he handed over another plate and watched as Kyle filled it before carrying both of them over to the table. He set them down before going over and getting Isabel to let her know dinner was ready. Once more he wondered what had happened at the store to cause her current mood but he bit his tongue before he could let the question slip out.
"Maria, is this…?"
His attention was drawn away from Isabel and Kyle when Liz spoke up and he glanced at the girls as they discussed the dressing Maria had made for the salad. It was her mom's recipe and her eyes had shimmered with tears more than once while she had been making it and telling him how much he would love it. He hadn't loved it. She had fed him a small bite of the salad so he could taste it and it had taken a monumental effort not to spit it right back out. He had forced it down and nodded in agreement when she had asked if he thought it was the best homemade dressing he'd ever had.
He listened to the conversation around him throughout dinner, contributing little as he worked his way through three fajitas, rice, and chips and salsa. He had managed to avoid having to eat anymore of the salad and Maria hadn't commented on it. They had turned his chair around so that they were facing the others and she had made herself comfortable in his lap. He knew she was aware of his silence and more than once he had caught her watching him when she thought he wasn't looking. She was waiting for him to bring up what was on his mind even though the slight hum of tension he could feel in her told him she didn't want to hear it.
He set his plate on the end table and cleared his throat.
Five pairs of eyes locked on him and the apprehension in the room skyrocketed. Food that just moments before had been appetizing and packed with flavor suddenly felt like sawdust in their mouths and lead in their stomachs as they waited for him to speak.
"It's time to leave."
"Wait, Michael," Maria interrupted. "We can't just leave."
He shook his head at her as his jaw clenched and he turned his head to look at Isabel. "This thing goes down on Saturday, right? We leave on Sunday." The silence was like a living thing as it settled over them and he felt his temper spike in response. "Look, don't make me the bad guy here. This was never gonna be a permanent thing. We're on the run from the FBI. You do remember that, don't you? The same guys who ambushed us at graduation? The same guys who ambushed us again in Oregon?"
Kyle shot a glance at Isabel at the reminder. It was after the run-in with the Special Unit back at the end of July that she had seen Alex again. The first couple of months they'd had several close calls but that one had been the worst. It had only been a small unit of three agents but they had caught up with them at a hotel outside of Happy Valley, Oregon. The hotel had been on the outer edge of the small town; old but clean and it had at least offered a hot shower and a warm place to sleep. Liz had woken from a nightmare that had turned out to be a premonition in the early hours of the morning just as the agents had busted down the door.
They had been armed to the teeth, coming through the door and hitting both Max and Isabel with tranquilizer darts within the first few seconds. The only thing that had saved them that night was the fact that Michael and Maria had opted to sleep in the van just to get a break from the others. He had come through the door just as the agents had realized that they only had four of their subjects in custody but before they could report in he had blasted them across the room. He had disarmed them and Kyle had helped him to tie them up and blindfold them. His movements had been sluggish as he tried to work through the drug they had shot him up with, but he had fought its effects.
"Find their car, Kyle." He had grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him and then smacking him hard across the face. "Hey, shake it off and get with the program."
He had followed Michael's instructions, finding the agents' vehicle not far away and using the keys he had taken from one of them to move it up close to their room. Michael had taken out a couple of the weak bulbs along the walkway and they had herded the agents to the car, shoving them into the backseat. They had taken all of the communications devices off of the agents, destroying them before taking their weapons and discarding them. He and Maria had helped Michael get Max, Liz, and Isabel into the van and then he had handed the keys over to Michael, nodding when the other guy told him to ride with Maria and for them to follow him.
They had zigzagged across several counties before backtracking and dumping the car with the restrained agents less than 20 miles from the hotel. He had taken over driving, staying on the move for nearly 21 hours, following Maria's navigational skills as she took them through Oregon, Nevada, up into Idaho, and then back down into Utah before they had stopped to rest at a remote campsite in Cache National Forest. With the others groggy and sleeping off the effects of whatever they had been doped up with there had been no way to alter the appearance of the van. Michael had given it a shot but he had ended up leaving it splotchy and discolored and he had melted the license plate because his adrenaline was running so high. The only good thing about that was it looked like the old bucket of bolts it was and no one really gave it a second glance. The license plate had been switched out with one of the spares they had collected as they moved from state to state.
They had been silent as they set up camp, but the tension had been seething below the surface. It was the closest they had come to falling into their pursuers hands and they had nearly lost their tenuous grasp on freedom. Maria had worked on making dinner while Michael oversaw the tent setup and paced around the perimeter. It was during dinner that Max had spoken up. The night was dark, the only light coming from the fire crackling in the center of their circle.
"That stuff they hit us with… it's some kinda suppressant the Special Unit created." He flexed his right hand, staring at it as if it belonged to someone else. "The effects wear off in time. Physically there are no lasting effects."
"Max, just drop it," Isabel snapped. "Let's not talk this into the ground. It happened and we escaped, now let it go."
Michael had finished chewing his last bite before he threw his plate on the ground. "We're not gonna sit around and fight about this. Last night was close and we didn't escape by much. We're all tired and we need to get some sleep. We can't risk stayin' here for long. When the sun comes up we're outta here."
"No! No, I'm not getting back in that van!" Isabel yelled as she threw her own plate down and shot to her feet. "I'm sick of running, I'm sick of living like this, and I'm sick of all of it! I want out. I don't even care if they catch me anymore!"
"You don't know what you're saying," Max insisted.
"Max, man, let it go," Kyle interrupted. She was upset and scared, she wasn't thinking about what she was saying.
"You have no idea what you're saying!" Max exploded angrily.
Isabel rushed her brother, her intent to make him shut up, but before she could get her hands on him Kyle got between them. It took everything he had to pull her away because she fought him tooth and nail. Luckily her powers hadn't come back online yet because if they had she might've hurt him unintentionally.
"Max, let's just take a walk," Liz said, hoping to calm him down. "We all need to cool down and she's just really upset right now."
Maria had watched the others, her insides churning at just how close they had come to capture the night before. She turned her head to the side when Michael got up and went to the van, knowing he couldn't deal with the rest of them breaking down right now. She got to her feet and followed him after a few minutes, having no idea what to say to help him. He had been against them staying at the hotel the night before but with all the rain they had needed to be inside and out of the elements.
He had shoved the side door open and sat down on the floorboard and she frowned when he reached around and pulled something from the waistband of his jeans. Her eyes widened when the moonlight glinted off of the gun in his hand and she shook her head. "What're you doing with that, Michael?"
"It's called protection," he ground out, his fingertips gliding over the barrel. He leaned his head against the door and he looked years older than 19 as he stared out into the night. "What if they'd gotten me with that crap they shot the others up with?" He thumped his forehead against the frame and sighed raggedly. "They would've had us. Hell, they almost had us anyway. If we'd stayed in the room…"
"But we didn't, Michael." She shook her head. "You can't just keep that thing. Even if you have a valid argument, if we ever had to use it they could trace it back to one of those agents and they'd know we're the ones who have it."
Back at camp Kyle was still fighting to control Isabel but the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and it wasn't easy. "Isabel, listen to me," he growled, "I know this's hard, but you can't give up, do you hear me?"
"What's the point?" she screamed. "We've left everything behind, everyone we love, everything we know… and this's all we have now. Running for our lives and being hunted like animals, and I'm sick of it. I'm tired of living like this. I miss my parents and I want my life back."
Kyle could hear the defeat in her voice and he could feel the fight going out of her. "Don't give up on me now, Isabel." He dragged her with him as he moved closer to their tent, sticking his foot inside and pulling his sleeping bag out. He kicked it open and dropped down when she collapsed against him, taking the brunt of their combined weight with his shoulder and back. He settled on his side and held her tightly, his heart breaking with every sob torn from her body. It was the first time she had broken down since they had left and he was sure it was long overdue.
It had happened when she started to calm down. She lay there in Kyle's arms, emotionally spent and feeling horrible when she felt the lightest brush of a touch against her hand. She lifted her red, swollen eyes to look into a pair of concerned gray eyes that watched her with a mixture of worry and sadness.
"Alex," she whispered, her voice rough.
"You've had a pretty rough 24 hours," he said, gently brushing her hair back. He glanced up to see the concern in Kyle's expression as he looked around but after a moment the guy settled back into his uncomfortable position, quietly murmuring words of comfort. "You're gonna be okay, Isabel. I know how rough this is on you and I know how much you've given up, but don't throw the towel in now. That's not who you are." He smiled faintly. "You're a fighter and you're not gonna let a bunch of fanatics take that away from you." He reached out to nudge her chin up, forcing her exhausted gaze to his. "Hey, promise me."
"Don't leave me again, Alex," she whispered tiredly.
"Promise for a promise?" he cajoled.
A ghost of a smile crossed her features and her hand curled around his. "Promise."
Kyle had a feeling it was the stress that had brought Alex back into her life. She had needed that connection with home and it had appeared in the form of someone she trusted, someone she could see… someone she had needed badly to see in order to calm down. He had never seen Alex and he didn't know what the others would say if they were aware that she not only saw him but also had conversations with him.
Sometimes he thought maybe she was the most rational of all of them.
He could feel the tautness in Isabel and he braced his elbow on the table, dropping his forehead into his hand so he could press against the bridge of his nose. For a moment the pressure helped to ease the headache that had exploded behind his eyes again and then the relief took a flying leap out the nearest window. He could still remember how hysterical she had been that night and that protective streak that surfaced when she was hurt or distraught kicked in.
"Michael's right," he said finally and beside him Isabel stiffened even more. He shifted and pressed his thigh against hers as he lifted his head to look at the others. "I do agree that stayin' in one place too long is risky, but we could get caught out on the road just as easily as we could get caught here. Somethin' as routine as a damn traffic stop could put us in danger." He glanced at Isabel, checking her reaction as he continued. "Look, all I'm sayin' is that the Stevens family has taken us in despite our admittedly shaky cover story, and we haven't seen a single cop in the time that we've been here."
Michael nudged Maria, standing up as soon as she was off of his lap. "Have you noticed what this place and old Mr. Tony's place have in common?" He put his plate in the sink, uncaring of the racket he was making. "One-way driveways, people! If we get boxed in it's an indefensible position."
Maria moved towards him, cornering him in the tiny kitchen. "Michael," she said, her voice low, "the people here are grateful that we're here to keep their little community tradition alive. It was hard for them losing Mr. Tony the way they did and this has done so much for them. Do you really think it'd be a good idea for the FBI to show up and run us out in front of all these people?"
"Maria," Michael growled as he leaned in close to her, "do you honestly think the people hunting us give a damn about who's around when they come after us? These people operate outside the realm of laws and regulations."
"We need this," she said quietly. "It's not just about getting out of that van."
"The longer we stay here the bigger the risk – " His head turned sharply when someone knocked on the door and his eyes lowered to the doorknob that for the first time wasn't being braced with one of the kitchen chairs.
"You hold it."
"No, you hold it."
Maria smiled softly at the back and forth banter between the Stevens brothers. "Let the boys in, Spaceboy."
"Here, Maggie, you hold it and…"
Michael went to open the door, interrupting Eddie's instructions to his little sister. His gaze moved over them, taking in the pie that the boys obviously didn't want to be seen carrying and he reached out to steady it in Maggie's gloved hands when she lifted one side too high and nearly tipped it over. He smiled in response when she looked up at him and grinned widely. "Hi, Michael. Mama made apple pie; it's for you an' Maria, and Max an' Liz, an' Kyle an' Isabel."
Eddie made a show of sniffing the air as he tried to squeeze his way past Michael. "Wow, somethin' smells really good. What'd you have for dinner?"
Michael shifted, blocking the walking hormone. Not that smooth, kid, keep working on it, he thought.
Maria nudged Michael out of the way, rolling her eyes at his alpha dog stare-down contest with a boy Eddie's age. "We had fajitas for dinner," she said, the word rolling off of her tongue with a musical inflection.
Maggie wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar word. "We had what Mama calls seefood with apple pie for dessert."
She rested her hand on Michael's arm, sliding it from shoulder to elbow and back again in a soothing manner as she grinned at the kids. "My mom had that a lot at our house too." She shot a look at the man beside her when he didn't relax much in spite of her ministrations. His gaze was still locked on Eddie and it wasn't wavering in the least. Her hand slid down over his forearm, seeking out his hand and lacing their fingers together. "Michael, it's cold out there. Let's move out of the way so they can come in."
Michael wondered if she had any idea whatsoever what she had just done to the kid gaping at her. All she had to do was breath to have the kid's attention, but tossing out that answer in response to Eddie's question about dinner and adding the sexy accent to her voice? She was gonna have the kid's hormones in overdrive.
Eddie was just about to ask Maria if she liked apple pie when Brian suddenly blocked him from entering behind Maggie. He aimed a solid punch at his brother's shoulder and grunted when Brian shot back with an elbow in his chest.
Brian glanced at Michael, measuring his expression. He sidestepped to let his brother enter the cabin, hissing at him as he walked past, "Knock it off, doofus." What a moron! The least he could do was learn a few things from him! Did he act like a doofus when Stefanie was around? No, he played it cool. He shoved Eddie inside and then turned to Michael. "So, Dad has the outside lights on over at the hockey rink at Mr. Tony's and he wanted us to come over and see if you guys wanted to take some practice shots at the net."
Maria elbowed Michael. "Why don't you and Max go play for a while?" She glanced over at Kyle and nodded when she saw him shake his head. "You can leave Kyle here with us, we'll be fine."
"Yeah, I'm not much of a skater," Max spoke up.
Kyle snorted at that. "Have you seen El Capitan's face, El Presidente?" He picked at the bits of steak that were scattered around his plate, pushing them into a happy face.
Michael narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Valenti, if you didn't already look like you'd taken a beating, I'd be kicking your a-" He reached up to rub his ear when Maria gave it a vicious flick. "Ow! What now?"
Maria leaned over to take the pie out of Maggie's hands. "Remember your P's and Q's," she said with an unsubtle nod at the little girl. "We have little people company."
"Valenti, you don't wanna hit the ice?" he asked, going back to his original topic.
"When there's perfectly good hot apple pie up for grabs?" Kyle glanced at Maria. "Can I go on the assumption that you have ice cream to go with it?"
"Is there any other way to have hot apple pie?"
He shook his head, hiding a wince when he felt the stiffness reasserting itself. "Nope."
Max shifted unconsciously as his gaze bounced around the room. "Pie can be reheated," he muttered.
"Max."
He held his hands up at the warning in his wife's tone. "Fine, stay here and eat pie." Suddenly he had the urge to beat the crap out of something and in the absence of anything else he'd settle for slapping around a damn hockey puck.
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Kyle was slouched down in Michael's chair, his eyes following the movement on the television screen without really realizing it. He had been left alone with the girls and they were in the kitchen talking to each other about Christmas with Maggie chiming in from time to time about the dog she was sure she was getting. Because, after all, Michael knew Santa Claus and he had promised to make sure her picture got to the jolly old elf.
He listened to the conversation with half an ear, smiling when Isabel laughed at the way Maggie described something in reference to Michael. The little girl adored the moody hybrid and when she was around he relaxed and opened up in a way that was endearing. At least that was what the girls said. Michael was a great friend and he was loyal to a fault, but he wasn't sure he would ever use the word endearing to describe anything he did. He snorted softly to himself at that thought and leaned his head back against the chair as he closed his eyes.
"Kyle, don't you wanna come have some pie an' ice cream? Daddy says it'll cure what ails ya," she said with a big grin when he opened one eye to look at her.
"He does, huh?"
"Uh-huh. That means if you feel bad it'll make you feel better." She crossed her arms on the armrest and leaned her weight on it as she studied him. "I think you need a really big piece of pie."
"Hook me up with two scoops of ice cream on top of that big piece of pie and you've got yourself a deal," he said with a forced smile. As much as he loved hot apple pie and ice cream he really didn't want it. But when she gave him a big smile and patted his arm he knew he'd force it down. He looked over his shoulder when she scampered off to tell the girls how to make his dessert. He winced at the shrill sound of her excited voice when they began to discuss Christmas again and he considered just turning around and burying his face in the cushions to stop the sound.
"Hey, if you don't really want pie and ice cream it's okay," Isabel said as she leaned against the back of his chair.
Kyle tipped his head back where it was resting in one corner and glanced up at her. "I'll be fine. Who knows, maybe it'll help."
"Okay, if you're sure." She turned her head when Maria squeezed in beside her and she reached out to rest the back of her hand against his forehead.
"Maria," Kyle groaned, "I'm not five years old." He pushed her hand away and made a face at the water droplets she had left on his forehead. "What're you doin' touchin' me with wet hands?"
She rolled her eyes at his grumbling. "Well, in spite of your grumpy mood you're not running a fever."
"Thanks, Mom, I already knew that."
She stuck her tongue out at him and flicked his ear before running back over to give Liz and Maggie a hand.
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Michael was slightly bent over, the blade of his stick impatiently tapping against the ice when his good buddy Max completely overlooked him and took a swing at the defenseless puck. He winced at the force behind the shot as he straightened up a bit to skate over and join his friend. It was safer for him to skate since Max wasn't that steady on his feet. "So, Evans, you wanna tell me what's eatin' your lunch?"
"Nothin'," Max bit out as he cautiously skated over to retrieve the puck from the net.
"If I notice it, you know the girls are probably discussin' it to death. Whatever your issue with Kyle is, you'd better just face up to it and get it outta the way." He skated a circle around Max and on his next pass he reached out with his stick to steal the puck. "Deal with it before we climb back in the van, that's all I'm sayin'."
"Why don't you quit giving me advice?" Max huffed as he chased after the nosy hybrid. "You think just because I stepped down I need you to tell me what to do?"
"You threw in the crown, remember?"
Max slowed down and glanced at the boys and Edward where they were taking practice shots at the opposite end. "You gonna throw that in my face for the rest of my life?"
"Let me remind you again that I never needed or wanted the king," he said as he slowed his pace and used his stick to knock the puck back and forth. He looked at Max and shook his head. "We never needed that shit to define us, we never needed it to tell us what to do… we figured that out on our own, remember? Who we are is ingrained in us without titles."
"Then why bring it up? Don't you think I have a detailed list of every damn thing I've done wrong since all of this started?"
Michael frowned at him. He hadn't brought it up. "My point is whatever's goin' on between you and Valenti needs to be settled. There's enough pressure in this group, and all keepin' a lid on it does is make for a bigger explosion. You an' Liz, you an' Kyle… whatever it is, deal with it before we get back in that van."
"What makes you think one issue has anything to do with the other?" Max asked with a frown.
"I don't know or care if they do. What I'm tellin' you is this Christmas thing is comin' to an end, and when it does, we'll be piling in that tin can and hauling ass outta here. If we don't get shit settled we're gonna be at each other's throats before we hit the state line."
"Hey, Michael," Brian yelled, "c'mon, let's play!"
Michael skated backwards a few feet and lifted his stick to poke Max in the chest. "Get it settled, that's all I'm sayin'." He jerked his stick back when Max reached out to smack it away and he hit an uneven spot on the ice.
Max shook his head and smirked when Michael hit the ice. "Maybe Maria can kiss your boo-boo and make it all better," he said smugly as he leaned on his stick and looked down at Michael.
"Bite me, jackass." He grunted when he tried to sit up and his back protested. "Gimme a hand." As soon as he had a solid grip on Max's hand he gave it a jerk, pulling him off of his feet and sending him skidding across the ice. And that's just another advantage of being the soldier over the king, he thought smugly. While Liz was busy fawning all over Max and murmuring sweet nothings in his ear over the new scrape on his forehead, Maria would be giving him a backrub that would inevitably lead to sex. "And they say it's good to be king," he snickered as he got to his feet and hauled Max up. He snagged the puck with the tip of his stick and took off down the ice, grinning at the sound of muttered cursing as Max wobbled his way down the ice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his friend hadn't fallen too far behind and snapped off a sloppy salute. "Let's go, Max. I'll do my best to make sure you don't end up with your nose matching your forehead."
"What's wrong with my forehead?" Max demanded as he reached up to press against it. He winced at the slight burning sensation.
"Nothin', just a bit red. We don't want you lookin' too much like that reindeer of yours."
Max shoved Michael with his elbow as he passed him. "Try to keep up, Michael."
Michael grinned and took up the chase. He was gonna wipe the ice with Max just for that comment.
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Isabel sat at the table after the last of the dishes had been washed. Kyle had left a few minutes ago to walk Maggie back up to the main house. Her eyes locked on the velvety soft stocking she held in her left hand. The fingertips of her right hand played over the pure white ruff at the top of the stocking before she slowly drew out her name and she smiled faintly as it appeared in a vibrant green complete with silver sparkles embedded into the color. Satisfied with it she picked up the next one and repeated the procedure, frowning when the K came out slightly sideways. She waved her hand over it, clearing the surface and starting again.
"Maybe not in purple," Kyle spoke up from behind her. He had come inside a few moments ago, watching her as she tried varying shades of the color.
She lifted her head to shoot a small smile at him before changing the color to a deep blue. "How's that?" she asked, holding it up.
"Better." He looked past her to watch Maria and Liz for a minute. They fell into sync with each other so effortlessly and he wished Isabel had just a piece of that ease with them. He caught Maria's eye when she laughed at something Liz said, turning to flick water from her fingertips at her best friend.
"What color were you thinking about for Michael's stocking?" Maria asked as she came over to the table, drying her hands off.
Isabel looked up, shrugging one shoulder. "I'm not sure yet." She wrinkled her nose. "I can tell you that it won't be black."
"You could always make his stocking black and then the black letters wouldn't stick out so badly."
"I could also shave my head and join a cult but I'm not gonna do that either."
Maria stuck her tongue out at the tall blonde before tossing the dishtowel on the counter and sitting at the table. "That's a relief. I don't think it'd be a very good look for you."
"I'm pretty sure that whole cult thing's overrated anyway," Liz commented as she joined them, sitting across from Isabel and pulling her feet up to rest on the edge of her seat. "I don't see you ever conforming like that."
Isabel snorted. "Never."
"Not to mention all those crazy wacko cults always have like some guy running things and nine times out of ten he's sleeping with like, all the women in the cult," Maria added and shuddered for effect. "And seriously, these guys have to have some sort of mind control going on because have you ever noticed what they look like?"
Kyle wondered how they'd gotten off on this tangent as he rolled his eyes. It was only a matter of time before this conversation turned into one of those 'all men are pigs' rants and he'd just as soon not be there for it. His brain wasn't firing on all cylinders and he just wasn't in the right frame of mind to keep up with them. He rolled his shoulders as he moved across the room to pull the door open. "Okay, girls, this is where Kyle calls it a night."
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Kyle leaned back against the door, eyes closed as he absorbed the silence. He rubbed his temples before opening his eyes and giving himself a push to get moving. He turned on the lamp by the couch, cursing under his breath and turning it right back off when pain exploded in his sensitive eyes. He was exhausted; his body ached, his eyes felt dry and light made them hurt, and his head hurt like it had never hurt before.
He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, letting the moonlight streaming in through the windows provide him with enough light to see by. He took his boots off and shrugged out of his outerwear, sloppily hanging it up and then turning back around. He sighed and glanced around the room, shooting a dismissive glance at the television before wandering into the kitchen to root around for the candles he had run across the day before.
As he struck a match and set the flame to the wick his gaze was drawn to the flickering light and he found himself mesmerized by it. His gaze went out of focus as he stared at it and he quickly shook his hand to extinguish it when the flame crawled up the small wooden stick to lick at his fingertips. He disposed of the burnt matchstick and brought his fingertips to his mouth, blowing on them for a moment as he carried the candle to his room. He pulled one of the drawers out of the dresser and flipped it over in the center of the floor. He went back into the kitchen to grab the other two candles, and paused in the living room long enough to snatch one of the cushions off of the loveseat. He dropped the cushion on the floor of his room in front of his makeshift altar and set up the other two candles before lowering himself to sit down.
He winced at the stiffness in his muscles as he folded his legs, pulling them in towards him and resting his hands on his knees. He deliberately slowed his breathing, closing his eyes and concentrating on the steady beat of his heart as each breath came closer to falling into sync with his heartbeat. He opened his mental doors, feeling the cobwebs blow away as he slowly felt himself finding his center again.
Inhale positive… exhale negative… inhale positive… exhale negative. He welcomed the calm that fell over him and he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for the space of one long heartbeat before releasing it again. In his minds' eye he could see the kitchen at home, could smell the slightest hint of Dad's spicy chili – guaranteed to induce a monster case of heartburn – and he looked down as he shifted and felt the give in that one loose tile. He smiled at the familiarity of the memory and the aches and pains fell away as he heard boots scuffing against the floor and as he turned his head to see his dad enter the room he suddenly felt as if someone were pushing him underwater.
His heart started to jackhammer as he really took in his surroundings. Confusion welled up in him when his dad looked directly at him and he fought to understand what was happening. He tried to shake his head and he felt like he couldn't move when his dad suddenly spoke, his voice hushed.
"Kyle?" The senior Valenti ran his hands over his eyes and squinted in an effort to prove that what he was seeing was true. "Son?"
This isn't happening, Kyle thought as panic warred with the craving for safety and love that his father represented. His eyes stung and he realized that they were filling of their own accord as he took a stumbling step forward. "Dad?"
The feeling of pressure, of being pushed underwater, began to build again, but before it could swallow him whole he suddenly experienced the sensation of falling backwards. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping to stop the feeling and hold onto this moment with his dad but as it abated he opened them again. Disappointment flooded his entire being when his moist eyes scanned the inside of the cabin he shared with Isabel.
He scrambled to his feet, just barely avoiding knocking his alter over in his haste to get upright. "Shit!" He stumbled backwards, his hip banging against the table. He had to jerk around to avoid upsetting the sewing machine that he had carted down from the main house not that long ago.
"Kyle?"
He jerked around when he heard Isabel speak, wondering how long she had been standing there. It just barely registered that the door was still open and she wasn't even all the way inside as she watched him with concern in her eyes.
Isabel frowned and studied him as she slowly moved into the cabin and closed the door without taking her eyes off of him. "Are you alright?"
He was trembling on the inside and hoping to Buddha that it wasn't showing on the outside as he steadied his stance and leveled out his voice. "Nah, I'm good."
"You sure?"
He nodded. "Positive." He moved so that he was blocking the doorway to his room, hoping if she noticed the light from the candles that she wouldn't mention it.
In spite of her desire to pry she let it go, giving him a bit of the care he showed her by dropping the subject and nodding.
"Michael or Max walk you back here? I didn't hear them."
"No, they hadn't come back when I left. I walked with Liz until we split up to go to our own cabins."
He nodded. "I'm gonna go out for a bit, take a walk and clear my head." He sat down to pull his boots on and then moved to the door to grab his coat and shrug into it. "I've got the keys, so don't wait up for me, okay?"
Isabel watched him for a moment, wanting to demand that he tell her what was wrong but knowing he would tell her when he was ready. "Okay. I was just gonna get something to drink and maybe watch something on TV." She glanced at it and made a face. "Well, if anything's on."
"The weather channel's pretty reliable," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'll be back in a while." He was out the door before she could respond.