(Disclaimer: I do not own The Bad Guys; just Lilith and my other OC's.)
(Authors Note: Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update, but life has been keeping me pretty busy. That, and I recently discovered RDR2/RDR2 Online, so I've been playing it a lot. Sorry, not sorry ;P Anyways, I may or may not write a RDR2 FF in the future, but I really want to focus on the other stories I've started/haven't finished...whenever that might be. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter! Thank you for the reviews and likes and feel free to leave a comment. Peace out!)
Chapter 17
*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*
At the sound of her phone's alarm, Lilith reached over to her nightstand and turned it off before slipping out of the bed and donning a clean pair of panties and a bra just as a familiar voice spoke up and asked:
"Is it that time already?"
With a slight nod, she glanced over at her serpentine lover and sighed, "Unfortunately, it is. I just need to get dressed and pack a few things before Wolf and Diane return."
"Do you need any help?"
She sadly smiled and shook her head, "No, I can manage. But I appreciate your offer."
"Alright then. Shall I heat you up some coffee?"
"Sure. Thank you, Hubert."
"Of course," he leaned over and kissed her temple before slipping out of the bed and slithering over to her small kitchen, while she resumed dressing herself and gathering items to pack for her upcoming flight.
Donning a pair of black leggings and an oversize gray hoodie, Lilith snatched up two long-sleeve shirts, two pairs of leggings, five pairs of socks and underwear, and one sweatshirt, to which she laid them out on the bed and retrieved her backpack before rolling them all up and placing them in said pack.
Afterwards, she unplugged and packed her phone charger before slipping over to the bathroom and grabbing her toothbrush, comb, toothpaste and face soap, to which she then placed them within her backpack and emitted a sigh as she glanced down at her phone to see that it was now 2:30 pm.
"Nervous," Snake asked as he approached and offered her a mug of coffee, to which she nodded.
"Very." Accepting the offered drink with a sad smile, Lilith emitted a sigh as she stared into the dark liquid, "I wish I wasn't going, but I need to recover my baby's cremains and bring him home. Looking back, I never should have left him behind, but I wasn't in the right emotional state of mind to process his death…Does that make me a terrible parent," she tearfully asked, to which he gently placed his tail along her forearm and shook his head:
"No. You were taken completely off guard by his untimely loss and had to recover physically, mentally and emotionally from the stress and depression you were experiencing."
"..Still..I feel like I abandoned him."
"You didn't abandon him. To abandon is to forget, but you never forgot about him. You carried the weight of his loss with you all this time."
At his statement, she silently nodded before he gently wrapped his coils around her slender/curvy frame and hugged her close, while she softly cried against his scales. "..Thank you, Hubert."
"For what?"
"..For everything: For the assurance and support, and for letting me grieve."
"Of course. Just know that whatever emotions you're experiencing, I'll be here for you. I may not understand what you're going through, but still I want to help you in any way that I can." He then softly kissed her forehead, "I love you, Lilith."
"And I love you, Hubert."
XXXXX
-Later-
Although it wasn't really necessary to dress up in disguises anymore, the Bad Guys and Diane thought it was better to do so as it would draw less attention to themselves and prevent any unnecessary fear from the airport staff and travelers as they escorted Lilith to the TSA checkpoint.
While Wolf, Diane and Snake were originally going to be the only ones to escort her, Shark, Webs and Piranha opted to accompany them as they too wanted to offer their support. Plus, in this way, she'd get to say goodbye to all of them, which she did: it was tearful, yet it brought a sense of comfort to her as she knew she had friends who cared about her and who would be here when she returned.
Nearing the TSA security line, Lilith pulled Snake in for a long hug, which he wholly accepted and returned. "..I wish I didn't have to go."
"I know," he murmured into her hair as he kissed her temple. "But you need to. Just remember that I'm only a phone call away if you want or need to talk, and I'll be here when you get back."
sigh* "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Accepting me for who and what I am, and for just being you, my sweet peach." He then tenderly cupped her cheek and planted a kiss on her lips, to which she reciprocated and sadly smiled:
"I love you, Hubert."
"And I love you, Lilith."
XXXXX
-5:00 pm-
"So, are you getting off in Dallas, or connecting to another flight," a 40ish year old man inquired, to which Lilith internally groaned at the thought of partaking in a conversation. Sure, she socialized and conversed with people every day as part of her job, but at the moment she wasn't really in the mood to make idle small talk, considering the circumstances in which she was attending this flight. Yet, she didn't want to come off as a bitch, so she plainly answered:
"Connecting."
"Oh, so where are you headed?"
"Buffalo."
"Oh, nice! My Sister lives in Manhattan. Are you going there on business or visiting family?"
"Family."
"Ah, wonderful. So, are you traveling alone or with someone?"
Of course she wasn't about to tell him the truth as she didn't know what his intentions were; however, he likely saw her board the plane and knew she was alone, so she opted to make something up:
"My fiance is picking me up at the airport and then we'll head over to my parents house," she lied, hoping he'd buy it.
"Oh, you're engaged? I don't see a ring," he noted, to which she frowned:
"That's because he didn't propose to me with one."
"Why not?"
"Because neither of us care for blood diamonds and it's a wasteful expense that could be put towards a better investment."
"Well, if I was your fiance, I'd shower you with expensive gifts."
She internally groaned and blankly stared out the window, unable to run away from this unwanted conversation. Pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and tuning out whatever else the man was saying, Lilith willed her mind to drift towards Hubert, hoping her thoughts would be enough to distract her for the remainder of this uncomfortable flight.
XXXXX
Upon landing in Dallas and exiting the plane, Lilith boarded and rode the tram over to the A and B gates section, where she then sprinted over to her gate as she only had a fifteen minute layover to catch her connecting flight to Buffalo. Thankfully, she reached her gate just as the last group of passengers were boarding, to which she breathed a sigh of relief as the airport employee scanned her ticket, allowing her to board.
Despite having purchased her ticket at the last minute, she surprisingly lucked out and ended up being upgraded to first class at no extra charge. Apparently, the economy section was full and the flight attendants offered her a seat in the first/business class. Who was she to argue?
Placing her backpack in the overhead compartment and reclining in her seat, Lilith closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax as the plane began its trek down the runway and the flight attendants went through the safety protocols. Thankfully, she had managed to send Snake a quick text upon landing in Dallas; however, she made a mental note to call him once she was in Buffalo.
XXXXX
-Three hours later-
As the plane touched down upon the runway, Lilith groggily awoke and stretched in her seat as she waited to be let off. Fortunately, she'd be among the first to leave as that was one of the perks of first class seating. Once given the go ahead to disembark, she wasted no time in retrieving her backpack and exiting the plane as she wanted to put as much distance between herself and the crowd behind her.
Upon clearing the gate and making her way towards the arrivals section, Lilith spotted two familiar figures standing against the wall, which brought a tearful smile to her face:
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."
"Lilith! Oh, sweetheart, we're so happy to see you! I just wish it was under better circumstances," her Mother stated as she hugged her and kissed her cheek.
sigh* "..I know. How's Nonno and Nonna doing?"
"They're still coming to terms with everything that's happened, but they'll be alright in due time," her Father replied as he too hugged her close.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lilith softly cried into his shirt, to which he silently led her and his wife through the airport and over towards the exit. As much as he was happy to see his daughter again, he knew she was dealing with a lot of stress and likely wanted to just go home and rest. Tomorrow would be a difficult day for all of them as they would be sorting through the rubble of her grandparents house in hopes of recovering her son's cremains.
XXXXX
*:Hey, Lilith.:*
*sniff* "..Hi, Hubert."
*:What's wrong? Is everything alright?:*
"No, no, everything's fine. My flight was good and I'm now back at my parents' house...I'm just..I'm experiencing an array of emotions right now," she stated as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her sweater sleeve.
*:I understand. I wish I was there to help comfort you.:*
"I wish you were here too," she sadly smiled as she rolled onto her side and hugged her old Lamb Chop stuffy to her chest. While it was somewhat strange to be back in her parents house and inside her old bedroom, it was comforting and nostalgic. Opting to change the topic and distract her mind from the depression she was feeling, she asked, "How's everyone back home?"
*:They're good. They all told me to tell you that they're thinking about you and wish you well.:*
"Aww, that's sweet. I miss them all already."
*:Well, you'll see them again in a week.:*
"Yea, but still..," she emitted a sigh as she rolled over and onto her back, staring up at her star-painted ceiling and wishing Snake would somehow magically appear beside her. "When I get back could we all have dinner together again? I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and I think it would do me good to be amongst friends during this time."
*:Sure, we can do that. How about I cook this next time?:*
"Hmm, I'd like that," she smiled as her mind steadily cleared of the negativity/depression she was feeling. Granted, it was only a temporary solution, but she'd take it nonetheless. She knew she'd have these negative emotions for a while, given the circumstances; but it was comforting to know she had people who cared for her and were willing to offer their support during this difficult time.