forever's just an interlude.

Colt breathed in slowly, feeling the weight of the bruises against his side as he leaned back enough to meet her eyes so that she could see he was still in one piece. "I think they'll give up as soon as they try to get me in the back of a truck and you're attached to me the entire time," he replied, trying to smile through it hurt to do much more than breathe at this point. But he felt more relaxed than before, being able to know that she as alright along with everyone else that he'd seen in the gym as they piled in around the place.

It wasn't everyone, but he'd taken a hard enough hit that he wouldn't be going back out on the frontlines any time soon which meant that Alara was out there without him. "I know, I love you too," he added with a hint of a smile. "This ain't going to take me down and out for good, it's only temporary."

"Oh I know it's not. You're too stubborn for that." She mused, shifting a little to get more comfortable within his embrace while taking care to move so she didn't jostle him in a way that would cause any pain. "But do me a favor, okay? When they want to take you to the hospital to get looked at, don't fight 'em, alright? I'm not gonna leave your side but I also can't-" Her words got caught in her throat as emotion temporarily overcame her, but she pushed on, needing to get the words out, "I can't lose you, okay?" The words came out in a whisper but she knew he'd be able to hear them. "So put some of that stubbornness aside for me and I'll make sure there's a damn good milkshake in it for you, alright?"

Wes jolted awake, startled by the knocking, the sound echoing through his half dreaming state. He stared into the darkness of his room wondering if what he'd heard had just been a part of whatever dream he was enduring. He waited a moment or two, but there it was. Blinking, he picked up his phone to check the time. Two thirty a.m. With a groan, he swung his legs out of bed, the cool floor jolting him further into consciousness. He swore if it was one of his siblings, he'd lose his shit.

Dragging himself to the door, he ran a hand through his damp hair, still faintly smelling of shampoo. "What could possibly—" He cracked the door open, squinting into the dim hallway light. Standing there was Mari in her pyjamas, the faint scent of tequila immediately cluing him in. Wes stared at her for a moment, truly wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him and this was a dream. "Mari..?" His voice came out rough with sleep as he blinked, furrowing his brow. His gaze quickly scanned her, checking for any signs of distress, though the sight of her rocking gently on her heels made it hard not to smile—just a little. "It's.. two in the morning." No shit sherlock. "Are you.. are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Hand not resting on the door frame coming up to wave away his concern, Mari went to rest it on his chest before changing her mind last second and instead dropped it back to her side, fingertips grazing down his torso as she did. That hadn't been the plan, but she had to admit, the way her skin buzzed with the contact wasn't exactly unwelcome. In fact, it was exhilarating. "See, the thing is, your sister snores." The explanation came out quickly and a little slurred, her usually understated southern twang more prominent, as it always was when she'd been drinking. "And Lia's feet are so cold. So I was wonderin' if you'd be willin' to give a poor, tired girl-" As she spoke, she took a step closer to the older man, "-a little sanctuary."

Pulling her chopsticks apart, Cali quickly dug into her noodles. Rolling her eyes at her sister as she chewed, she simply shook her head once she had swallowed. "They're literally the same as egg rolls but in a different shape. You're insane." Grabbing a wonton from the bag, she dropped into her container before she reached for her beer, taking a couple of sips before she puts the bottle between her legs. "It just got me dinner, didn't it? No, it's fine, still a bit tender if I spend too long on it but that's to be expected." Clearing her throat quickly before she went back to her food, Cali took a couple of seconds to contemplate whether she should be honest with Mari about everything that had happened during the storm. She knew that Marco had helped her back to the school, but she still didn't know what had happened before they got there.

"So, uh, fun story." Nibbling on her bottom lip, she couldn't look at Mari as she went full steam ahead with telling her. Despite the youngest Cabrera's feelings on Cali's best friend, she had to tell her." Pushing the full wonton into her mouth, Cali kept her eyes averted as she chewed and chewed and chewed. Finally swallowing, Cali kept her eyes down, using her chopsticks to push her noodles around. "So, Marco kissed me."

Once her coughing subsided, Mari picked up her beer and took a long drink from it. She needed to drown her original, highly negative reaction to the bombshell Cali just dropped and give herself some time to formulate a new plan. But the moments of silence as the finished off the contents of the glass bottle did nothing to curb the dangerous swell of emotions now coursing through the songwriter and, unable to stop herself, she blurted out. "You mean after he went home with another woman the night before?"

status: closed for @maricabrera

The slow, steady creak of the airstream's front (and only) door meant one of two things: either she was about to become a serial killer's next victim... or Mari just let herself in. 

“If you’re here to strangle me, at least have the decency to let me sleep for five more minutes and put on some pants,” Peri grouched, only lifting the pillow off her head enough to be heard. “I’m not even wearing slutty underwear right now.” 

Chapstick, loose change, a Chapman's receipt and a few dead batteries needing thrown away— Her free hand stopped blindly slapping at the tiny nightstand for something even remotely weapon shaped about the same time the scent hit. Honeysuckle. 

So it was Mari, then. 

Pillow back where it started - practically smothering her face - she yawned against the sheets. “I’m serious. Hot cop finding my body in anything other than ‘spank me’ red lace is basically a Class A friendship felony.” 

She expected a laugh. At the very least, an exasperated chuckle. What she got instead was crickets. Bolting upright, right cheek sleep creased and hair askew, Peri squinted at Mari, now less than a foot away. 

Scotty doesn't know that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday. The song was stuck in a loop on her head, as were the images that accompanied it of Rhett and Brittany- in the bed she'd shared with him, next to her favorite guitar, with her in the background, completely unassuming. It'd been nearly six years since Rhett she'd walked in on the two of them and it'd felt like her heart had been physically ripped from her chest. She was over it. Over him. And yet... seeing that video, reading all of the comments making fun of her for not knowing the type of man she'd been with for so long, took her right back to that day and those feelings.

It was already going to be a shit morning, with the hangover from Satan himself causing her head to pound harder than the cops on the wrong door and the fresh sting of embarrassment from the rejection she'd received the night before, but the video that flooded not only her texts but her social media inboxes had been the rotten cherry on top of the spoiled cake. And she'd had to get out of there.

So with her hair resembling a rat's nest atop her head, makeup from the night before smudging her skin, and still in her pj's as last night's tequila seeped from her pores, Mari made her way to the airstream. The first place she'd started to feel remotely like herself again after her heartbreak that currently housed someone who hadn't known that sad version of her. Maybe that's what she needed in that moment, a friend who wouldn't worry like Holly and Lia- who hadn't had to pull her from the depths of despair after she'd come home with a shattered heart and crushed ego.

But as soon as she'd stepped foot inside the mobile home that she'd so meticulously fashioned into what she imagined a 'happy place' would be, all of her energy left her body in a quiet exhale and she was left with an exhaustion she felt in her bones.

Opening her mouth to speak once Peri shot up from beneath the pillow, Mari couldn't seem to find the energy to speak. Instead, she simply made her way over to the bed and climbed beneath the blankets after kicking off her shoes. She may have been tired, but she wasn't a monster.

"Do you think if I recorded a video and wrote a note saying I asked you to bash my head in with your bat, they'd still charge you with murder?" The morbid question came after a few moments of silence. "They can't, right? Since I asked for it."

@maricabrera

It had been three years since Vanna had last hung out with her cousins like this. It had also been three years since she last got blackout drunk—a fact Vanna had forgotten until now, now that she was three shots in. She was surely regretting it now, feeling the liquid burning her throat as she placed the glass back onto the table, knitting her brows as she swallowed. There's no force quite as powerful as the pressure that comes from your own family. Initially, Vanna rationalized her decision to accept the invitation to drink because of all the recent changes in her life. Uprooting her entire life to pay off her family's debt was soul-crushing. Instead of allowing herself to mourn what she felt was the pinnacle of a steady, somewhat monotonous career, she chose to go numb instead. It was easier.

"It's a shame this isn't one of those 'you should see the other guy' situations, isn't it?" Trying her hand at lightening the mood again, Mari lifted her head and pressed her lips gently against the unscathed side of his head. "Of course." She whispered against his skin. "I'm not going anywhere."

Closing her eyes, Mari focused on tuning out the sounds around them and focusing on just him. The pressure of his arms around her, the way his warmth seeped into her skin and healed a part of her she hadn't realized needed it, the calm being connected to him brought her. She took a few moments to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth before she opened her eyes again and resumed slowly rubbing his back in hopes to bring as much comfort to him as she could. "You know I love you, right?" She asked, needing to make sure he knew he was her family and she cared about him just the same. "And I'm not goin' anywhere. They're gonna have to pry me from you." She teased, hoping to elicit a smile from him.

Yes, Jeremy absolutely was the guy that had trouble in letting go of his glory days. In an alternate life he'd be close to retirement from an awesome career in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately the universe hadn't been that kind to him this time around but sneaking into his old stomping grounds with a friend to swing a bat and shoot the shit wasn't a terrible alternative. He'd switched his hat backwards and offered his bat to Mari, "you wanna try this one?" Smirking, ( yes, he was the guy that brought his own equipment ) he knew it would be too big and heavy for her, but he also knew Mari's determination.

"Sure." Taking the bat from his grip, the songwriter walked over and, after rising to her tip toes, snatched the hat from his head and placed it on her own. "Figured if I'm gonna hit this thing outta the park I better look the part, don't you think?" Now it was her turn to smirk as she turned the baseball cap around, copying the way he'd worn it only moment ago, before stepping into the batter's box and doing her best to mimic the stance she'd seen him take. "Hit the button, Stretch. It's my time. I can feel it."

"So, whatever happened with you and prince charming?" A smirk easily formed, remembering when they'd connected previously over drinks and Mari had experienced a retina burning encounter with a small packaged male in the bathroom. She grabbed for her drink and took a sip of the pale beer wondering in those few moments if her friend's memory would jump back to that or go elsewhere. "I was definitely rooting for you and him. You had such a... strong reaction..." Unable to resist she further teased, doing her best to put a smile on her face these days ( fake it 'til you make it, right? ), as she set her drink down.

Things began to snap into focus when suddenly, he was gently pushing her aside, pulling out a key and unlocking the door for them. Alara's brows knit together in confusion. She didn't get a chance to ask him what the hell was going on because in the next second he was making his way into the apartment and calling out a name Alara hadn't heard in years and she felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped over her.

“Mari?” she repeated, the name heavy with years of unsaid things. The smoke was thick in the air, and yet all she could sense, all she could feel was the ache of memories—long afternoons in Mari’s backyard, laughter mixed with plans they’d once thought were indestructible.

As she took a step or two into the apartment, still trying to figure out why the hell Colt had a key, a person came out of the bathroom, music blaring so loud from her headphones, Alara could hear it all the way across the room, and suddenly she was standing face to face, with her childhood best friend who she hadn't seen in years.

Eyes ping-ponging back and forth between Colt and Mari as her brain scrambled to connect the dots, Alara opened her mouth once, twice, three times but nothing came out. Her brown gaze came to rest on Colt for a moment, who looked just as out of place as she felt. But there was a key dangling from his hand—Mari’s key—and that, somehow, felt like the sharpest blow of all. That key said that Colt wasn't out of place here. He had a place here, with Mari. It was just Alara who didn't belong.

Finally, in her brain's attempt at a coping mechanism, her training snapped into place and Alara practically jumped into motion. Moving to the kitchen, where the smoke seemed to be coming from, she cautiously opened the oven, only to find out exactly what Mari had meant when she'd called out for her sweaters. Most of the fabric was burned to a crisp and continued to smoke. "Well, that seems to explain the alarm." she yelled, moving to where the smoke detector was still blaring. She quickly pulled a chair from the kitchen table to stand on so she could reach up and turn off the smoke detector.

"Fuck, Mar. You're going to give the guy with a shit heart a heart attack with calls like this," he called out with a breath of relief as he took a step back while Alara cleared the oven and the room of a majority of smoke. Colt made the call over their radio that it was all clear, nothing more than some smoke damage done as the call was deescalated but others would still need to come in soon to check on everything. But until then, it was just them as he turned back to see the other two not moving or doing anything much beyond standing there staring at each other.

Colt stared at the two of them for a moment, not exactly sure what was going on but he did know that there was going to be a handful of others in there shortly if he didn't stop them outside. "I can step out for a moment if you need it?" Because he wasn't exactly sure what he'd walked into other than Mari was okay, even if her sweaters weren't as he glanced at his partner and noticed they'd gone quiet as well. "A truck is still on it's way here to access the damage, if there is any, but I can stop them at the door if you need some time before they get here." Though he wasn't sure exactly which one that he was talking to just then, seeing as they both might have needed some extra time.

She watched as Alara moved throughout her apartment, shutting off the oven and disabling the smoke detector before opening a window, brown eyes following the other woman's every movement as a tidal wave of emotions rocked her small frame. Yeah, I'm back. The verbal confirmation was enough to knock her off her feet, her heartbeat roaring in her ears, and she instinctively moved closer to Colt, seeking comfort.

Now it was her turn to open and close her mouth wordlessly, unable to wrap her mind around the situation at hand. Countless questions raced through her mind, as did a slideshow of memories from her childhood- a time in her life that seemingly centered around the other woman in the room. Birthday parties, holidays, family dinners... there'd been a time Alara had practically been a part of Mari. But now, as they stood there in her smoke filled apartment, it was more apparent than ever that the women were near strangers now. A bond once considered unbreakable had been severed years ago, and despite their best efforts at times to repair it, the chasm between them was wider than ever.

"No!" Mari was pulled back into the present when Colt offered to leave the two of them alone, a rush of panic coursing through her as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his middle, nestling into a space she'd occupied countless times. She needed him, his reassuring presence, the calmness he brought her. If she was going to face Alara after all this time, she couldn't do it alone. "I mean..." The unease was apparent in her features as her eyes darted back and forth between Colt and Alara. "Please don't go." The words were nearly whispered as the songwriter worried her lower lip.

It was another minute or so before Mari was able to find the courage to acknowledge her former friend once more, though she didn't release Colt while doing so. "Wh-" Her voice came out hoarse and wobbly, catching in her throat as her grip on Colt tightened and she blinked a couple of times before continuing. "When?"