#declinlalune

Andy wasn’t sure when she’d return home. She wanted to, of course, but the daunting task of having the talk with Kaden hung over her head like some kind of executioner. She wanted to be brave and address it, but wasn’t sure where to start. She figured asking Alex when the right time would be could be the best bet when it came down to it, but how would she even start that conversation? Despite the jeep becoming her temporary home, she was still visiting the cabin every once in awhile, having memorized Kaden’s and Alex’s schedules so that she knew she wouldn’t run into them. 

What she didn’t expect when she opened the door was somebody else. Cass, she assumed. The girl sat on the couch and Andy stood frozen in the doorway. What was she supposed to do here? Why was she here? And without Alex? Andy knew for a fact that her sister wasn’t in the house because there were only two sets of heartbeats instead of three. “Cass, right?” Andy kicked off her boots and shut the door with her heel. “Is… Alex here?” 

—

Everything hurt, still. She’d known that some of the injuries she’d sustained would take longer to heal, even if she didn’t fully understand why, but that didn’t help much with the hurting. But, even with the pain, she knew she’d been lucky. It could have been worse, could have been so much worse. If Alex hadn’t been there, or if she hadn’t been able to shift, or if she’d been too late… If, if, if. Two tiny letters that might have meant the difference between Cass curled up on her girlfriend’s couch feeling miserable or being buried in a hole somewhere in the woods.

She let herself feel it when she was alone. When Alex was there, she put on her best mask. She didn’t want Alex to feel guilty, to feel sad, to feel like it was her fault. She didn’t want Kaden to feel bad, either, even if she didn’t know him as well. When they were there, she pretended she was okay. But when she was alone? She huddled under the blanket on the couch, aching and terrified, and she let it settle. 

Except… apparently, she wasn’t alone anymore. 

She felt it before she saw it. The dull vibration of feet against the ground, the feeling of the lock disengaging. Cass tensed, but when the door opened, it wasn’t the person she was still afraid of. Instead, it was a woman. She had red hair and freckles, and she looked enough like Alex that it was pretty easy to guess who it might be. “Uh, yeah,” she said, straightening up on the couch. “Yeah, Cass. You must be Andy, right? Um, it’s nice to — Officially meet you?” This was so not how she wanted to meet one of the most important people in her girlfriend’s life. Beans. 

—

Andy hadn’t noticed it upon entering, but now that she focused, she could see that Cass had sustained some injuries. Her arm was in a cast and there was an abrasion on her forehead. The way that it almost seemed cauterized told her that it must have been iron. She contemplated asking a series of questions, of asking who had attacked her, but figured that if she were here, Kaden may already know the answer– or Alex would. 

Instead of bombarding her sister’s girlfriend with questions of decay, she simply nodded at the younger woman’s question. “It’s nice to meet you too.” She offered a small smile, and though she felt hesitant to move forward, it didn’t show in her expression. Neutrality always won with her. 

“Sorry I haven’t…” She looked around, gesturing to nowhere in particular, “been around.” She was almost sure that Alex had probably told Cass what had happened, but she didn’t bother to bring it up. Andy bit the inside of her cheek as she watched Cass a moment longer. “Do you need anything?” That would probably be the best thing she could offer without making the girl feel like she needed to spill everything that happened. Andy’s heart ached for Cass, because whether or not this had been a warden’s doing, the nymph had been hurt. 

—

She saw the way Andy’s eyes flickered over her. The cast on her arm, the injury on her head. Something flashed in the older woman’s eyes — a question, maybe. Or… some protective streak that Cass wasn’t sure she’d earned. Was being someone Alex loved enough to make her important to Andy, too? The thought both thrilled and terrified her.

Andy didn’t ask, and Cass was glad for it. Regardless of how her girlfriend’s sister might feel, the encounter with the warden wasn’t one Cass wanted to relive. A big part of her longed to forget it had ever happened at all. Talking about it was the last thing she wanted to do, in any case. She was grateful for the permission to leave it be. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” she agreed, smile equal parts friendly and relieved.

“That’s okay. It’s, um… It’s not like you didn’t have things going on.” It was all she’d say on the subject of the ranger. Vague and dismissive, because if Andy wouldn’t make Cass talk about her experience, then Cass had no intention of forcing Andy to open up about her own. It was better, sometimes, to let sleeping dogs lie. “Oh,” she blinked, a little surprised by the offer. “No, that’s — I’m okay. Alex has been taking care of me. And Kaden’s an okay cook.” Understatement, but she didn’t want the guy to get a big head. “Were you… looking for them? Neither of them is home right now. Kaden is at work, and Alex has a class, so it’s just me right now. Um, sorry.”

—

Andy let out a breathy laugh and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I?” So maybe Alex had told her. A few months ago, Andy would have become frustrated by the honesty, but she was turning a new leaf, so to speak. Or trying to. 

Her gaze moved over Cass to the empty hallway where a part of her had hoped she’d see Alex bound through. They had had their talk, had figured out how to forgive each other. Andy was grateful for that. “Just okay? I’m sure the ravioli is better.” It wasn’t, and she knew that; she’d been living off of it since leaving Emilio’s. She was starting to miss Wynne’s cooking; Teagan’s, too. 

“I’m glad they’re looking out for you though.” That definitely meant Kaden knew what happened. Would he tell her? Would he keep it from her out of fear she’d react badly again? Not that there was anything bad about putting down a threat, but she could already picture his reservations. Andy shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize. I just figured I’d swing by.” She didn’t include that she was glad Kaden wasn’t around, mostly because that would have made this whole situation awkward. 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything? More blankets…?” She wasn't sure what a lava nymph would need blankets for. She thought about Teagan and the lake and how that helped her heal. Andy wrung her hands together, “do you… are you going anywhere specific? To uh, heal?” 

—

She wondered if she wasn’t supposed to know what had happened, or if Alex might not have wanted her to tell Andy she was aware of the events. She was too tired to put a filter on herself now; it was taking all the concentration she had just to maintain her glamour, just to keep herself looking human enough to keep Andy from asking why there was a lava monster in her sister’s living room. Andy didn’t seem upset, in any case, and Cass liked that. She liked that Andy and Alex were honest with each other, were open. It was how she thought families were supposed to be, how she would have wanted hers to be if she’d had one.

It was her turn to laugh now, and she shrugged a shoulder. “The ravioli is okay. But I like home cooked meals a lot. I never really had a lot of them before.” Kuma would cook, sometimes, but she’d never really put a lot into it. Cass was trying to learn to be good at it, wanted to be able to make elaborate meals to pay Wynne back for all the food they’d given her or to impress Alex with her skills, but it was slow going when you didn’t actually have a kitchen to practice in. The camping stove Jonas had given her was a good start, but not quite on par with a full kitchen.

She offered Andy a small smile, grateful for the fact that she wasn’t upset at finding Cass here alone even if the apology still hung on the tip of her tongue. She was sorry a lot lately. Sorry for getting caught up in this mess, sorry for dragging Alex in with her, sorry for not being someone Andy would probably like to see more. She was good at being sorry. Sometimes, it was all she was really good at.

“I… I’m still a little cold,” she admitted, hesitant. It was still a strange feeling, being cold. She’d never experienced it before that knife went in. But there was something special about cold iron, apparently, something especially cruel. Dr. Kavanagh said it would heal slow, no matter what she did. The cold must have just been a part of that. At Andy’s next question, she shifted her weight, looking uncomfortable. “I have a cave,” she replied quietly. “Normally I’d go there, and it would help. But that’s — I don’t want to go back there right now.” She’d been grabbed right outside of it. Rhett had turned her safe place into a minefield, and she didn’t know how to navigate it yet. She wasn’t sure she ever really would again. And… “The person who helped patch me up said it would heal slower, anyway. Um, something about… cold iron? I was kind of out of it, I guess.”

—

Andy nodded, “no, I get it.” She and Alex had eaten more things out of cans than anything else, and with Kaden moving in, that had changed. She missed Kaden’s cooking, too, she realized. As much as she could joke about the canned ravioli, she missed the warmth of the kitchen and the smell of whatever he was cooking lifting to her nose when she walked in through the door. “I think it’s about the same. Just can’t let the ravioli thing down too easy.” Andy shrugged. 

Cass said she was still cold and Andy nodded. “I’ve got– hold on.” The closet that was across from the bathroom had a number of things, but most importantly, it had a heated blanket. She wasn’t sure if it would do anything for Cass, but she might as well offer it over. It was stuffed at the bottom, put away for the summer. She dug around a bit before yanking it out. She returned to the couch and began to unfurl it, grabbing the cord and plugging it in. 

As Cass explained that she had a cave she didn’t want to go back to, Andy bit the inside of her cheek. So it had happened there, then? Whatever this was? The injuries Cass had sustained weren’t from a spill, or from some kind of beast. She could see the precision. She knew it to be a hunter’s doing, it was that easy to tell. Still, she wasn’t about to bombard her sister’s girlfriend with questions about something like this. 

“Shit, I’m sorry, Cass.” She held the heated blanket to her stomach, looking down at the dial that was currently off. Andy held it out for Cass, not to take, but to show her the dial. “If you twist this, you can turn it on– it has three settings, and you can turn it off, too. Then it turns uh, into a regular blanket.” She offered the nymph a smile before approaching her, laying the blanket down gingerly overtop her lap. “It’ll turn off on its own after about an hour, but you can turn it back on whenever.” Andy didn’t know what to do with her hands once they were empty. “I’m sorry… that this happened to you, and I’m sorry that you can’t go home.” She knew what that felt like better than anyone. “You’re safe here, though. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.” She motioned towards her room at the end of the hall. “If you want to stay in my room, you’re more than welcome to do that, too. There should be fresh sheets and everything.” 

—

“I get that,” Cass offered with a grin. Teasing and inside jokes… was that what families did? She found herself longing for it, to be a part of it. After her talk with Alex, she’d come to accept that she could be a long term fixture here, that she could be a part of her girlfriend’s life without worrying about being left to the extent that she usually did. Still, she doubted she’d ever belong among Alex’s family entirely. No one could. It was impossible, wasn’t it, to really join a family that you were on the outside of? No matter how much you wanted it.

She watched as Andy disappeared into the hall, fumbling around in the closet outside the bathroom until she emerged with a blanket with a plug at the end. Alex had wrapped her in one not long after she’d brought her back to the cabin, too, and Cass wondered if the inclination to go for it was a thing they shared because of their experiences, because they were sisters. She felt a little warmer even before Andy plugged the blanket in, as if the thought of Alex and Andy and what they shared offered just as much warmth as the electric blanket. 

“Thanks, Andy.” It wasn’t a word she used often — and for good reason. But she felt safe to use it with Andy the same way she felt safe to use it with Alex. Andy wouldn’t take advantage; it was written all over her face. The concern, the worry. She’d longed for it all her life, and she saw it more frequently in Wicked’s Rest than she ever had in all her years outside of it. 

She shrugged as she took the blanket, draping it over herself carefully. “It’s okay,” she said, even though it wasn’t. She busied herself with the blanket’s dials, twisting them the way Andy had instructed. The warmth wasn’t immediate, but there was some… placebo effect that made her feel better in spite of it. “I’ve been staying in Alex’s room.” She felt strangely self conscious as she said it; the way she imagined was probably natural to feel when you’d just admitted to your girlfriend’s guardian that you’d been sleeping in her bed. “I just feel safer when she’s close,” she added. “When she’s with me.” She wouldn’t add why, wouldn’t say what Alex had done for her because it was Alex’s story to tell. “But I appreciate it. The offer, your room. It, um… It’s really nice of you.”

—

Andy shook her head, waving away the thanks that Cass had supplied. She knew the heaviness of it, and had pushed it back onto those who gave it to her, even without knowing whether or not it could be held for some kind of ransom. “You don’t need to thank me.” Because even if Cass weren’t a nymph, even if the thanks was given for the sake of nothing other than appreciation, Andy would still say the same thing. This was what people did. Andy might not have known Cass very well, if at all, but she was Alex’s girlfriend, and that in itself was important to her. 

“It’s not, and it’s okay for it to not be okay, but we don’t need to get into that right now.” Andy thought about the words Teagan had told her after she revealed that she was a ranger. There’d been anger, but acceptance, too— that they were in each other’s lives now. Andy sat down on the corner of the coffee table, reaching down to massage the side of her calf as she looked up as Cass spoke. “Oh, yeah. I guess that makes a little more sense.” She had no issue if Alex and Cass shared a room, she just wasn’t sure if Cass was using the couch and Andy didn’t want her to feel like she had to. 

Andy nodded as Cass explained that with Alex, she felt safer. “I get that.” She leaned back, knuckles knocking against the wood of the coffee table for a moment before she spoke again. “She has that sort of effect on people, doesn’t she?” She felt safer with Alex around, too. Maybe not for the same reasons, but because it meant that she knew Alex was safe. That was important to her. After her sister had gone off the grid, she’d been so worried— thoughts of what happened the last time it happened plagued her, but she was okay. Maybe not mentally, but there’d be a time and place for that discussion. Cass wasn’t okay, though. Not right now. 

“Yeah, of course.” She smiled at the nymph, not allowing her gaze to wander over her injuries. 

She knew that Cass would probably want to be treated as a somebody, and not the kind that needed constant fawning over. Andy motioned towards the kitchen. “Do you need anything from the fridge? I can make you some tea if you want?” She wasn’t sure how much longer she and Cass would have the cabin to themselves, but even if Kaden did pop up, she couldn’t imagine just disappearing for the sake of beating out any awkward situations. Cass didn’t need to be dragged into her own personal bullshit, and maybe it was time to accept what had happened and make amends anyway. 

—

Andy rejected the thanks, refused the bind, and Cass’s expression softened. Doubtlessly, Andy knew what it meant. There was no way she didn’t, given how she was raised. Alex knew more about fae than Cass did, sometimes, and Andy was one of the people who’d taught her. To know what that word represented and let it go all the same was so much warmer than people who did the same without that same knowledge. Cass offered Andy a small nod of acknowledgement, smile tiny but present all the same. 

It was so easy to look at Andy and understand where Alex’s kindness had come from. Andy carried the same warmth that had made Cass fall in love with Alex, the same tenderness. And it was a miracle, wasn’t it? That either of them had ended up this way with the cruelty that had surrounded their childhood. Cass didn’t know all of it, but she’d heard Alex talk about it enough to know that there had been no affection in her relationship with her parents. That had come from Andy. The nymph felt a surge of gratefulness towards the woman in front of her now for raising Alex as she had, for being the person responsible for one of Cass’s favorite people in the world. “You’re really smart,” she blurted, the words tumbling out all at once. She didn’t regret them; they were the truth. 

She nodded her head, offering Andy another smile. “You know, I can see where she gets it.” Because Cass felt safe around Andy, too. Even though they’d never met in person before now, even though she’d always been just a fixture in Alex’s stories and an icon online before she’d stepped through the door of the cabin today. Andy was a safe place, just like Alex was. And Cass wondered if she knew that, wondered if she understood. Since the… incident, Cass had struggled to feel safe at all. But now, with Andy here? There was a sense of security she’d only achieved with Alex sitting behind her on the bed.

Glancing back to the fridge, she nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah,” she said, “okay. Tea sounds really good, actually.” It might help warm the strange coldness in her chest. Even if it didn’t, she’d always liked the way the steam from the mug wrapped around her. Now, with her own temperature so much cooler than it usually was, that steam felt like home. “Will you have some, too? It’s always kind of awkward being the only one eating or drinking something, you know?” And she wanted Andy to stay. 

—

Andy let out a laugh at Cass’s compliment. “You think so? I appreciate it.” She knew herself to be kindhearted, tough, but smart? She would’ve never imagined somebody would’ve extended that kind of acknowledgment her way. Maybe Cass meant it in the street wise way, because when it came to that Andy definitely had a leg up on most people. Books, though— those were things that Andy had difficulty with. Big words, the meaning of life— none of that made sense. She did most of her things with simply feeling. 

Upon moving to Wicked’s Rest, Andy had had a hard time acknowledging that she and Alex had a place to live. They’d spent so much time running, that as the years went on and the time and space between living out of a jeep and the cabin they rented out began to blend together, she’d finally understood that Wicked’s Rest could be home, but only if she let it. There were a lot of unknown terrors within the town, that much was certain, but Andy knew that with it came the comfort of not being alone. Alex had Cass in maybe a slightly different way that Andy had Nicole and Leah. She trusted them implicitly with everything— it had shown the night she met with them. They shared that with her, too— or so she hoped. 

Alex had that with somebody other than her, and instead of scared, it made Andy hopeful— Hopeful that these last four years had been the right decision, even if hell had broken loose a few times. 

“You think so?” The idea that others could see what kind of person Alex had shaped up to be because of her influence made Andy proud. She knew it was a high compliment, especially from her sister’s girlfriend. “I can see why she likes you too, you know.” Cass was kind, even now— even after facing death up close and personal. Most people would fall into themselves, but Cass was all soft smiles and generosity. Andy knew that Alex had shared who they were prior to Wicked’s Rest, and it didn’t seem to faze the nymph. “I’m glad that Alex had somebody like you.” Because she needed more than just family, even if that was all that either of them had convinced themselves they needed. 

The shopkeeper’s tone did not sound pleased. As Andy rounded the corner towards the front, she saw a young girl standing there with a pinched expression. Andy didn’t give a damn if this girl had actually committed petty theft. Who was she to judge? Stealing was how she and Alex had made a living anyway. 

In an attempt to get closer in case she needed to diffuse the situation, Andy began to loiter at a neighboring end cap, looking over the variety of multivitamins. The shopkeeper continued asking for the girl to empty her pockets, and Andy felt a surge of frustration. She thought about the woman who had intervened when Andy had gotten caught, and how she had lied through her teeth– something about being her’s and Alex’s older sister, and that they would never steal. 

She bit the inside of her cheek before turning around, staring down the man. “Why are you harassing my sister? She didn’t steal anything.” They could pass as siblings– both wearing a smattering of freckles and red hair, even if the stranger’s was cropped short. 

—

All Ren wanted to do was try. Try using that money thing that Emilio kept going on about, try buying something for a change instead of only ever fishing for not so moldy things in between banana peels and god knows what else found its way into a Wicked’s Rest dumpster. The nymph had been excited even. A chance to test out her newly acquired skills in friendliness. 

Apparently the shopkeeper didn’t care for the tactic. The man took one look at Ren’s raggedy outfit, listened to her sad excuse for a compliment, and mistook the ‘smile’ for a strange grimace. Put it all together and there you have it. A kid who was up to no good. The little redhead had spent a decent amount of time trying to decipher which of the snacks in the aisle was the exact kind Van had supplied her with the other night, which one had the strangely sweet and sour flavor. The one they said was fruit flavored but certainly was not. The shopkeep took this deliberation time as another act of delinquency. 

So he started yelling. 

All at once Ren was so small again. Was being chided for something she hadn’t even done. At first she tried to protest. Be open to conversation as it were. But that only raised his voice and added more fire to his tone until– 

Sister?? Her mouth must have dropped open. Ren felt like words were coming up, protest, but something caught her. The other girl’s look. It was similar enough to her own, but– there was no fae tug. Did she know something Ren did not? Had she been watching the nymph? How long had she– Was any of this even possible– 

Oh. It was… probably a lie. But… why? 

— 

The man glared at the two, cheeks rouge from the obvious discontent. 

I don’t give a shit if she’s your sister. She stole. 

Andy looked at the girl again, brow raised. She didn’t look like a thief, but most people didn’t. Andy stopped herself from telling the man that she didn’t care if something was stolen, because that would potentially only make things worse, and she doubted that was what they needed anyway. 

“You’re mistaken. She didn’t steal a damn thing.” Andy stepped closer to the girl, putting herself between the two. The man smelled like overly saturated cologne and it hurt her nose. “What do you think she stole? What did she take?” 

The man stammered, the red deepening across the bridge of his nose and across his cheekbones. 

Well I– I don’t know, but I saw her put something in her pocket! 

If it were Alex, Andy would have dug into her pockets for her, but this was a stranger. A stranger that Andy was pretending to be the sister of. She looked over at the girl. “You didn’t steal anything, so you don’t need to show him the inside of your pockets if you don’t want to, but if it’ll get you,” she looked back to the man, frown deepening, “back the hell off, then is that what she needs to do to get you to lay off?” 

—

It made no sense. Absolutely none of it did. The stranger who kind of looked like Ren insisting she was related, or the shop owner’s need to see the inside of her pockets. There was a stagnant hesitation as Ren processed through all that was being said. As the shock of being screamed at like she was back at the compound wore back into a dull ache rather than a paralyzing poison. Shaking hands (the only part of her that wasn’t stone still) moved from her sides to reverse the nearly empty pockets in both Emilio’s second jacket that he’d given her, and the shorts she’d pulled from a dumpster outside of some big box store. 

Crumpled papers with unsatisfactory drawings, a wadded up ten dollar bill, some coins that were not even American currency, a tiny vial of holy water that Emilio had left in the jacket by accident, and lint. Nothing special. Nothing to be accused over. Nothing they even sold in the store. Luckily, Ren didn’t keep her knives in her pockets. No, those were in the sleeves. Safely tucked away where they didn’t even leave a bulge or anything. 

Ren had been trying so hard to be a statue she’d forgotten to breathe entirely. Now, she could go without inhaling for a bit longer than the average kid her size, but the hungry gasp she tried to hide still wouldn’t go unnoticed. Still, she couldn’t speak, so she just had to let the stranger do it for her. 

— 

Andy watched the man’s expression devolve into something akin to embarrassment. Satisfaction colored her tone as she spoke. “See, there isn’t anything. I see the money she would have paid you with, but that’s it.” There were some other things, but those didn’t matter. Whatever the man thought he had seen wasn’t there. If the girl had pulled out something that she’d stolen, Andy would have had to dig for some excuse. 

It was clear that the situation had startled the girl and Andy felt a surge of guilt that she hadn’t intervened sooner. She had been in the other’s shoes more times than she could count. At least, until she’d gotten better at stealing. The man continued to stammer, throwing his hands in the air before turning around. The back of his neck was red, too, and Andy genuinely hoped he’d carry the embarrassment with him for the rest of the day. 

“Asshole,” Andy muttered under her breath as he went back to the register. She looked back at the girl who stood there as if some kind of statue. “You okay?” Andy tried her best to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What did you need? I can get it for you.” The girl had money, but by the state of her, something told Andy that maybe it was all she had. “Some of this is buy one get one, anyway.” 

— 

“I uh–” One thing about Wicked’s Rest, for all its strangeness, for all the monsters it housed, there were so many people ready and willing to lend a hand. Ren had no idea the outside world would be like this. In fact, she had been brought up to believe almost the opposite. Darya had made her a perfect soldier, one who wouldn’t question orders or think too deeply about the fact that she was set out to kill her own kind. Each day out in the open was a test of her loyalty, because everything out here seemed to contradict the older woman’s teachings. 

“Was gummied worms.” It was probably a good thing that Ren had not spoken more than a few words to the shopkeeper, he might have noticed the thick accent that clung to every statement, and how she so often misused words, ordered them wrong, or applied suffixes that didn’t quite belong. “Soured ones.” 

The night with the others had been a whole different flavor of strange. If Ren hadn’t excused herself at ten to go walk Perro, she might have stayed the entire night. But instead, she returned to the sorry excuse for a shelter out in the woods. Dreams of citric acid covered sweets dancing like sugar plums around her head. A feeling of belonging she never dreamed of having. And the guilt that it inspired too. 

— 

“Gummied worms?” The girl had an accent that Andy didn’t recognize. It wasn’t her job to pick her apart, she decided. “Sour gummy worms… got it.” Andy offered the girl a smile, this time with it reaching her eyes, before she turned towards the aisle with the candy. “You should try peach rings, too. They’re good.” She plucked one of each from the shelf, dropping them into the basket next to her other items. “You have good taste, though. Candy is a good choice.” 

The girl was a little on the thinner side, and she reminded Andy of herself. It was like she was looking in a mirror from when she and Alex had gotten out of Lyon. Her stomach twisted slightly, but she kept smiling. “Do you need anything else?” Not everything was buy one get one, but it didn’t matter. Now that she was in a better position, she could help, and she wanted to. Especially after the bullshit with the shopkeeper. 

“No pressure, by the way.” Andy knew what it felt like to be offered help, even when you weren’t asking for it. It could be awkward, and the last thing that she wanted to do was make the girl feel guilty. “If you just want the candy, that’s okay, too.” She heard something from up front and the shopkeeper stared at them, a begrudging expression flickering across his features. Andy had to do everything in her power to not give him the bird.

—

At the repetition, Ren’s cheeks reddened just slightly. Almost hard to tell under all those freckles. She’d never seen anyone else with as many as she had. For a moment, it had the fae wondering if the ruse would have worked otherwise. Did normal humans look a lot like their siblings? Ren didn’t get enough of a chance around the other Adelskold kids to really tell. Everything was always kept at a distance. Everything here was so close and warm. 

Andy (not that Ren knew her name yet) was taller than her. By quite a bit. (To be fair, this wasn’t saying much. Most dogs would be taller than Ren if they stood on their hind legs.) She had her hair grown long in a way that would surely have annoyed the nymph. It was already too long for her liking. Something she’d have to figure out how to deal with sooner rather than later. Having a bit on top was fine during the winter, but now? It was too warm to have to contend with. 

“I do not think I need anything else. Was… craving? This is more than enough. Your kindness is remarkable.” Too many people offering her too many things. It was too much to process most of the time, right now, right after being verbally suckerpunched by the man who owned the store? It was worse. Awful. Ren was surprised she managed to say anything at all. 

—-

Andy noticed the way that the girl looked at her, but she didn’t comment on it. There was something familiar in her expression, but Andy wasn’t sure what its name was. Not admiration, that was for sure. Andy wasn’t the kind of person to be admired. 

“Remarkable?” Andy bobbed her head before letting out another laugh. “I’m not sure about that.” Her gaze cut to the shopkeeper who was watching them from the corner of his eye– it was obvious by his body language. She made a show of dropping another item into her basket before turning fully towards the kid. Andy silently wondered how old she was. She looked to be about Alex’s age which made Andy’s chest tighten. The question of whether or not this kid was a con artist came to mind, as Andy had taken that approach more than once, but there was a genuinity that was absent. Even if she were a con-artist, Andy wasn’t sure she cared. 

“So that’s it, then? Sour gummies? Nothing to drink?” Andy had half a mind to ask if she needed toiletries, by the state of her, but she didn’t want to assume. Too much too quick, and the kid might tuck tail and run. If it hadn’t been for Alex standing behind her, Andy probably would have, too. 

—

Even if the girl didn’t think so, Ren saw it as admirable. The young nymph wished things like this came easy. A smile, confidence to fight on someone’s behalf, rather than just fighting them. A certain familiarity to this whole schtick that she could never really master. Not with a hundred years, or however long it took for something to finally get the better of her. Nymphs were supposed to live a long time. That was the whole point of Darya’s experiment. A longer lasting warden. Someone who could fight things from the inside out, and keep doing it as long as she didn’t die. 

What Emilio, Nora, Van, Thea, Gael, and even Cass taught her, is that you need people around you to keep you alive. Even if doing so goes directly against what you were programmed for. The unknown redhead was in there too. Giving just a little bit of sunshine to make the flowers bloom. 

“I am fine with water I have, but you are kind for asking this.” Maybe she should have been suspicious. Maybe she should have stopped to think, but Ren had a habit of taking most things at face value. And right now, there was a kind woman who was doing more than her share of being helpful. The kind of thing you do to try and make friends. “Let us just leave as soon as we can, yes?” 

—

“Water, sure.” Andy wanted the girl to ask for more, but she knew the feeling– of asking too much, of taking too much and how the guilt would cause you to erode. Andy didn’t want to drive off the girl before she could truly help her. “You just stay put, I’ll go and pay, okay?” She gave the girl a small smile before heading towards the register, grabbing two bottles of water from the nearby drink fridge. 

After she’d paid for the items as well as gotten fifty dollars cash back, Andy stuffed the bill into the bag, beneath the items she’d purchased so that the girl wouldn’t see it till she was long gone, and returned to her side. “Here you go.” She handed off the bag with a small smile before motioning for the redhead to follow her outside. 

“My name is Andy, by the way.” The girl hadn’t asked, but she still felt the need to supply it. She looked towards her jeep before glancing back down at the kid. “Sorry you had to deal with that shithead to begin with.” Andy frowned slightly as she looked back inside to the store where the man was watching them through the window. After being noticed, he immediately looked away. Rolling her eyes, Andy let out a sigh. “I don’t think he’ll give you any more issues.” She twisted her own bag of goodies around her fingers, letting the bag spin one direction and then the opposite. 

It hurt how much of herself she saw in the girl. Was this how small she had looked? How much more pity would this girl be given? Although, Andy wasn’t sure that her assistance had been out of pity, but instead out of reflection. “Figure it might be overkill, asking if you need a ride anywhere.” For how careful she usually was, one might point out this was out of character, but she just hoped that if this kid did have a sibling somewhere out there, they might appreciate someone looking out for her. Andy knew that she’d be grateful for anyone that decided to help Alex. “I hope you like the peach rings, though. They’re good.” 

—

If Ren had blinked in the time between when Andy stepped in for her, it’d have been a miracle. The wide eyed stare had barely left the other red head the entire time, and yet somehow she missed the secret transaction stowed away in the plastic bag that’d been handed over. Just like that. Ren hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Just… got yelled at. Which as far as she was concerned, was a pretty rote thing to happen in her life. Adults yelled, she stood still until it was over, and hopefully it’d be okay. 

The nymph mechanically followed Andy (That was her name, she had offered it, something Ren hadn’t even considered doing. All those tips on how to be friendly seemed so far away when things like this happened.) out into the parking lot. Quite like a lost puppy might, upon being offered a scrap of a meal. Only, the puppy didn’t believe it deserved the things it was getting. Driven on by a bodily instinct that superseded the mental blocks placed ahead of it. “Ren.” Squeaked out. Barely audible. Tiny in the way that the entomid always felt. 

“I do not need… ride.” For the first time Ren’s gaze flickered away. Drifting to the jeep that wasn’t unlike some of the few cars that made their way deep enough into the compound for Ren to see. A big practical thing that could just as easily drive off the paved streets as it could on them. “I do not know how… to fully express how kind this is.” The bag in her hand rustled, and her lips attempted something that was almost a smile. “This was not something you needed to do.” 

— 

“Ren? I like that name. It’s nice.” Andy understood the shock after being accused of something. It had happened with her parents, and the multiple run-ins with store owners like the asshole back inside. She wanted to give her time to process.

Andy shrugged, her smile still present. “No problem, no ride, then.” If she were in Ren’s shoes, she probably wouldn’t take it either. Especially not in a town like Wicked’s Rest. “You don’t need to worry about it.” She neglected to explain how somebody had done the same thing for her. Even if it hadn’t happened that way, Andy would have stepped in anyway. She knew that she didn’t need to identify with whoever was in trouble, not always. “Ehh, the guy needed to be taken down a peg, it wasn’t an issue at all.” 

She looked towards her jeep, then down at the bag that Ren held. She hoped that she wouldn’t dig in and find the fifty dollar bill until long after she was gone. The last thing she needed was for the girl to try and give it back. Andy let out a soft sigh. “Stay safe, yeah?” Andy wasn’t sure if she would ever run into Ren again. The town was small, but not that small. “And just… if anyone starts anything like that with you again, hold onto what’s true, you know?” Even if it’s not, Andy wanted to say. 

—

Something closer to an actual smile graced Ren’s lips for just a moment. That warm sort of feeling filled her chest again and she found herself glancing down at the ground rather than look Andy in the eye as she fiddled with the bag in her hands. Still too frazzled to realize it was probably a lot heavier than it should have been. The tiny girl wanted to speak up. Wanted to properly express what all this meant to her, but that would require words she just wasn’t capable of arranging adequately. 

“Where the hell did I put them?” Andy cursed under her breath as she dug into her tote bag again. Inside were a few scraps of paper (useless) and napkins (usable), but no keys. “Fuck.” Andy took a step forward, cupping her hands around her eyes so that she could peer into the window of her jeep. The passenger seat was empty aside from the empty bag of bugles, and both the backseat and driver’s seat were empty, too. Andy angled herself awkwardly to get a better look at the ignition, but no dice. As she pulled away, she felt the familiar tingle begin to creep up the back of her neck. It was happening a lot these days, and it had gotten easier to ignore, mostly due to the fact that she’d gotten good at ignoring the sense of dread that Alex had brought on in the earlier days. But Wicked’s Rest was different. 

Andy squatted, looking beneath the jeep. All she could see were rusted bits that should probably be replaced, and once again, no keys. As she got to her feet, she heard footsteps nearing behind her, and as she turned around, she was surprised to be met with a somewhat familiar face. “Luis, hey!” The skin-crawling feeling continued, but she pushed it back. Andy put on a pleasant smile as she dusted her hands off on her jeans. “You haven’t seen any keys laying around, have you?” 

The weather at least was getting nice enough by now to make the idea of wandering without a set destination appealing. And wander Luis did, expending a chunk of idle time to take a look around the neighborhood for anything that might catch his attention - there was almost always bound to be something new or odd going on around town, he knew that well enough.

One thing to catch his attention turned out to be something a lot more mundane, though. Someone familiar looking in through the car window. Had she locked her keys inside by accident?

By the time he got close, that proved obviously false, though, given that Andy was also looking under the car.

"Hey, Andy. Can't say I have... Where'd you last see them, I can help look?"

The offer was made without a thought, already looking around for some sign of the keys possibly being dropped on the pavement somewhere.

Instead, he caught what looked like maybe...a dragonfly from a distance, carrying something.

Of course it would be.

"I think I might've found them, actually."

His gaze, wide and fixed on the flittering little 'insect' in much the way a cat may watch prey before attacking, Luis didn't look to Andy to confirm she was picking up on what he was seeing, though he hoped she did.

Better than shooting off chasing a hunch and looking crazy doing it, surely.

“Uh, I think in my bag, but I checked there. Emptied it out on the hood earlier, too.” Andy bit her lower lip as she began to re-think every step she’d taken before getting back to her jeep. She didn’t think she’d dropped them on the way from work, but it was possible she had, and maybe somebody had picked them up. Maybe they’d be on the community board later in the day. 

As Andy turned to look at Luis, she noticed his expression looked distant, as if he was focusing on something else entirely. “Luis?” 

And then he spoke, and Andy was left to follow his gaze. In the distance, she could see something hovering a few feet in the air. The strawberry keychain she had attached to her keys dangled, too, and seemed to be getting further away. “What the fuck—“ Not really thinking it through, she tapped Luis’s shoulder, suggesting he follow her. 

It didn’t help that the closer they got, the further it seemed they were from the— what was that carrying her keys? Even though she squinted, she couldn’t quite make out what was buzzing around. “What the hell—“ Andy grimaced as she caught a better look. She’d heard about pixies, had never seen them except in picture books, but that was what was ahead of her. How to deal with them, she had no clue. But she knew it’d be annoying. 

For the moment, Luis felt almost entranced. With his eyes locked onto a target to chase down, he felt the electric buzz of anticipation urging him to move the longer he stayed and watched.

The tap on the shoulder snapped him quickly out of it, causing him to jolt and look to Andy automatically.

At least it wasn't too hard to lock on again once he was facing onward, at first matching Andy's pace and then quickening his own when the large insect, or whatever it was, showed no signs of being caught up to.

What did it an insect need with a set of keys anyway?

"Since when are dragonflies this fast?"

Speaking in part rhetorically to himself, he focused on following the thief first of all.

Made harder when it vanished off around a corner before he could see where it went from there.

Confused, the balam scanned the distance, and spun around in place with eyes narrowed in concentration.

There it is! No, no keys. Could have been dropped? Oh, there’s more than one.

While spinning around, he’d thought he saw briefly the same sort of insect, though lacking the coveted keys with it. Another spin around revealed yet another practically right behind him and getting away quickly.

“Leave it to Wicked’s Rest to have bugs with a passion for collecting shiny things, huh? I lost the thief.”

“Merde!” She hated how the word slipped out of her mouth. Who was she, Kaden? Andy easily stepped over the curb and pointed it out to Luis so that he wouldn’t trip. “It’s getting away, let’s go!” There might have been a spare key somewhere beneath the hood, but this keyring had the keys to the cabin on it, and she didn’t feel like paying to make another copy. 

The keys disappeared from sight and Andy stopped just short of the next street corner. She looked at Luis who was spinning in a comical circle. She was annoyed, but extremely amused by her company’s antics. 

“Okay, um..” Andy knew that listening for them was pointless. With all of the noise on the street, it’d be hard to discern what was what. Frustrated, she ran both hands through her hair, yanking slightly at the ends before letting her arms drop down to her side. 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Whether or not she’d find her keys was up to whether or not the pixies decided to make a reappearance. Andy didn’t know much at all about them, but she remembered a few of the wardens at the camps they had discussed in an abundance of annoyance. She could now understand why. “I could probably break in and hotwire my jeep. Break into the window at my place. You know, normal things people do when they lose their keys.” 

Logically, the chase was off. But it still didn't feel right to just give up. Andy certainly seemed fully willing to, but the alternative just sounded like a lot of trouble and damage.

Luis didn't have a good solution to suggest. That was the problem here. And keeping an eye out was clearly not doing him any good here either. Great.

Just great.

"If they're dragonflies - are they dragonflies? - those mostly spend time 'round water, right? What's the nearest water source?"

Maybe that was a stretch. Well, it was probably a stretch. But it was something.

Turning to Andy was, in a way, giving up. 

"Anything else I can do to help? Sorry about the keys."

Despite his disappointment at himself, however, outwardly he'd still look as unbothered and calm as ever.

That feeling sunk in already, as if on cue the sharp little sound of metal clashing with cement and against itself came. 

Andy had no idea where dragonflies spent their time, but she was almost positive that what had her keys were not dragonflies. It wasn’t surprising to her that even being a shifter, Luis might not know what else was out there. Maybe his community stayed within its own and didn’t branch out much. 

“No, it’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize.” Luis even stopping to help was enough for her to deem him competent in high stress situations. Not that it was her job to do that, but still. 

She could probably ask one of the neighboring shops for a hanger so that she could get into her jeep. She wouldn’t have to break the window if she didn’t need to. Andy was lost in thought, mapping out how she’s get into her vehicle and how she’d get home. 

Until the sound of something clattering against glass made her look up. Andy noticed the shine of her keys on the ground, and the pathetic wings of the pixie flutter helplessly. “Hey!” Andy didn’t wait for Luis to follow. Instead, she jogged over and picked her keys up off of the ground, holding them to her chest as if she’d just been told something upsetting. Her eyes widened in surprise as the key-stealer was confirmed to be a pixie. “Luis, I’ve got them.” 

"Yayy." The celebratory cry was muted in tone, sounding almost sarcastic for it despite the intention behind it as Luis caught up. Where Andy's focus was understandably on the keys, he instead stared down at the little humanoid… something on the ground.

That did make sense. Certainly more than insects.

"Do you know what this thing is? I don't know if I've seen one before."

Despite what one might consider to be good judgement, Luis opted to pick up the pixie before it could recover enough to escape.

"It's like a fairy, isn't it?"

Andy looked at Luis, then to the pixie that was on the ground in a dazed state. As much as she didn’t appreciate them stealing her keys, the last thing she wanted was for it to get crushed. She didn’t know the proper etiquette in moving pixies, so she opted for scooting to the side of the building where it could regain its composure and later fly away. 

“Ummm….” It wasn’t uncommon that other supernatural beings didn’t know everything about the other kinds of species that mingled in their communities. Whatever Luis was, maybe he’d never been exposed to fae. “Yeah, like a fairy.” There was no use in concealing it from him. It wasn’t her job, and besides, it was clear he had a vague idea. “Just a little bit of a trouble maker, nothing else really.” She knew that pixies could be mean, but this one was now down for the count. 

She got to her feet, pocketing her keys. “I think we can leave it here, I don’t want to piss it off too much.” The pixie stirred slightly, a high pitched squeal leaving it, before it dazedly fluttered its wings and smacked back into the door in its attempt to fly off quick. Instead, it fell back onto the ground and Andy winced. 

While watching the pixie take off, Luis pointedly ignored the faint instinct calling him to smack it back down to the ground. Why would he even want to do that to something both sentient and probably magical to begin with? Just because it looked a little bit like a large insect?

He looked away once it had downed itself.

"Are you sure it won't get caught by a stray cat like that or something?"

Though if Andy, someone who might've known more about these fairies than he did, seemed apprehensive about the idea of helping more, it probably was the better option.

Andy’s more frequented trails were becoming less so with the way winter was rearing its ugly head. She didn’t mind a little snow here and there, but the patches of ice weren’t anything to fuck around with. It’d only take one deep freeze for her to fall on her ass, and she wasn’t keen on limping all the way back to her jeep. After her walk through the woods with Nicole, she’d been more alert– eager to sense something out of place, to find something that could lead her to the person who was doing this to her friends, but she continued coming up empty handed. It was frustrating, to say the least, but there was no reason she couldn’t keep looking. 

It was lucky she did. 

There was a mess of dark hair and dirt-smeared skin. The prickling feeling that rose up the back of her neck was a sensation unforgotten. Andy stood at the far end of the trail, breath hitched in her throat. She watched the steady rise and fall of the woman’s chest, and it was then that she realized she was alive. Without thinking, Andy surged forward, throwing her backpack to the ground. “Hello? Can you–” Andy moved some of the hair from the woman’s face and her stomach flipped. 

“Leticia?” Her breath caught in her throat and she was quick to remove her jacket, gaze averted from her body. It was just a body, but this felt– Andy wasn’t sure how it felt. “Leti, can you hear me?” Andy put the jacket overtop of her before unlooping her scarf from around her neck, balling it to fit beneath the other woman’s head. Funnily enough, the stupid thing had been meant for Leti’s stupid cutout. 

With cold hands, she dug her phone out of her pack and dialed Emilio– not much thought put into it other than the fact he was their mutual friend, and they had both thought she disappeared. 

“Emilio, it’s– Leti, I found Leti.” She stared at the woman on the ground, still in disbelief. “She’s– I’m sending you my location now.” Andy quickly tapped the share icon on her phone before bringing the phone back to her ear. “Please, hurry.”  

—

It was one of those rare nights that found Emilio sitting in his office instead of out on the prowl, a case file open and a furrow to his brow. The case was a particularly puzzling one at first, but had become a little more clear with the discovery of an angry, illegitimate son his client hadn’t disclosed, one who worked on the police force. He’d just about wrapped it up now, even if it had sucked him in a little more than he’d planned for it to. 

The ringing of his phone provided less of its usual annoyance as a result. Emilio picked it up without checking the caller ID, holding it in place with his shoulder as he began putting the case file away. Before he could grunt out a greeting, the person on the other end was already talking. Emilio nearly dropped his phone at the words.

“Found? What do you mean found? Is she…?” Dread built up in his stomach. Was Leti alive, or was Andy calling to tell him she’d found a body? Guilt ate away at him, the memory of how sure he’d been that she’d just skipped town sitting uncomfortably in his throat. “Where are you?” He was already on his feet, halfway to the door. He didn’t bother locking it behind him; this was too important. 

As soon as the location popped up on his phone, he was on his way. Teddy wouldn’t mind his ‘borrowing’ their ridiculous little car, even if Emilio didn’t have time to ask their permission. They’d get it, he knew; he felt no guilt as he tore out of the drive and down the road to Andy’s location, hands shaking a little when it was time to get out and walk. He made his way to the pair, immediately crouching beside Andy at Leti’s side. His fingers trembled as he felt the pulse on Leti’s wrist, undeniably present in a way that drew a sigh of relief. “Leticia. Hey, Leti. ¿Puedes oírme?”

—

The last thing that Leticia remembered was a young man calling her by name just a few feet from the front door of her apartment building. In hindsight, that should have been the first and only red flag she needed to run inside and call someone. But she had stopped and turned to face him, even going as far as taking a step away from her door and asking him if he was okay. He had a too friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes and spoke in a way that made her feel like he knew her. Not in the way that a fan would have collected every magazine that she had ever been in, but on the same level as a stalker that knew too many personal details about her that she hadn’t shared with some of her closest friends, 

The kind of knowing, she realized too late, that could get someone killed. 

The next clear memory she had was of cold. The kind of cold that she expected in the winter of Maine, but in September? She was freezing and whatever energy she had left was fading quickly, her heart beat faintly keeping time in her chest. But as time ticked away, the cold reached her bones. If the ranger didn’t find her now, in this exhausted state, the weather would finish the job for him. It would have been better if he found her. Kinder. Quicker. 

Her vision darkened again.

Leticia could feel the weight of something on her. Warmth? Something soft under her head. Her eyes felt too heavy to open, but she heard Andy’s voice. Of all the people who could have found her, she was relieved it was Andy. Sad too, if she looked as bad as she felt, she could only imagine her worry, But her voice chipped away at the exhaustion and acceptance of her impending death, replacing it with a sliver of hope. 

Emilio’s voice intruded soon after, his hand on her wrist and with his sigh of relief came a wave of guilt. How long ago had she been praying for a quick death so that she could rest? What would that have done to Andy, who had found her? Her body felt numb and her mind kept jumping from one dreadful thought to the next before emptying back into confusion and the one sensation she could feel clearly: cold.

¿Puedes oírme?

Her eyes flickered open for a moment, but snapped shut at the shock of light and colors. Leticia forced them open once more, just enough to see a blurry world through the distortion of her lashes. She couldn’t make out much other than the shoes of her friends, but it was something. Even as small as it was. Her pinky twitched in response, and a moment later she managed to part her lips. “Cold.” Her voice was hoarse and her mouth dry, aching from the lack of use over the past months. 

—

The time it took between Andy ending the phone call and Emilio arriving at her side was entirely too long for her liking. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with Leti, or what had happened, but she seemed out of it– disoriented, but breathing. The breathing part was what Andy held onto. She was cold, but warm enough that Andy didn’t think she was suffering from hypothermia of any kind. She’d been so quick to throw her jacket over the other woman that she hadn’t looked for potential injuries. They’d find them soon enough, she was sure. 

Andy watched as Emilio spoke to her, as he tested her pulse. The relief he wore in his expression settled some of the anxiety she felt, but not by much. She swallowed thickly, gaze wandering back to Leti who was on the ground, eyes barely opening. 

That was a start, she thought. 

The why and how questions littered her mind– the idea that something could have happened to Leti and she wouldn’t have known, it made her angry. But now wasn’t the time to be upset with herself, and she knew that– knew that Leti getting home safely, or to some kind of hospital, was their top priority. 

Leti croaked out that she was cold and Andy nodded, “I know, I know.” She looked back to Emilio while taking off her flannel, “I have an emergency blanket in the pack, can you get it?” It was the same kind she had given Chris after finding him. “Leti, can you look at me?” Andy hovered back over her friend, draping her flannel over the exposed part of her legs. The jacket she used wasn’t enough to cover but past her mid-thigh. “My jeep isn’t far. We can pick her up, we can–” She looked back over at the brunette, frustration building– frustration over the fact that she hadn’t been there to save Leti from whatever had done this.

—

Leti was awake. Not in good shape, but conscious in a way that sent another nauseating wave of relief over him. She said she was cold, and Andy was mentioning a blanket, and Emilio was so out of it that it took a second mention for him to come back to himself, for him to remember where he was and who he was with. “Yeah,” he agreed, digging in the pack. He retrieved the blanket, tucking it over Leti. 

His mind was reeling with what might have happened, with what could have caused this. How long had she been in these woods? Had it been the whole time that his messages to her had been going unanswered, or had there been some period where his first assumption — that she wasn’t replying because she was angry with him — was correct? Either way, the guilt churned in his stomach, made him feel sick. Could he have prevented this? Should he have? He knew Andy was probably wondering the same; he made a brief eye contact with her over Leti’s head before looking away, tucking the blanket tighter.

“Okay if we carry you?” The question was directed towards Leticia, soft and quiet. “Can crank up the heat in the car. Take you back to…” He trailed off, looking to Andy. The cabin? He wasn’t sure she’d want to be around other people right now. Teddy’s? It was big enough to provide some privacy, but unfamiliar. Leti’s apartment? For all he knew, whatever had happened to her had happened there. A hospital seemed out of the question. There was no telling what they might find. “Where should we go?”

—

The warmth of the blanket and the added jacket didn’t stop Leticia from feeling colder when Emilio finally released her wrist. Her hand dropped to the ground at first, nails scratching the surface of the dirt before she reached towards Andy, the tips of her fingers touching her friend’s shoe. Enough to comfort her. Ground her. They were there. This wasn’t some twisted dream she was having to help her peacefully off. 

“Sorry.” She couldn’t tell you what she was apologizing for. The inconvenience? The way she looked? The stress she was causing them? “A night usually…” Leticia breathed, fluttering her eyes as she tried to focus. “Doesn’t usually take this much out of me.” There were a few times where she was fighting for her life or anothers, but it had never completely drained her before. A few hours was nothing when it came to letting the jaguar have her time. Why was it different this time? 

Looking up toward Andy’s face, the world around them was still blurry at the edges, but the shapes and colors of her friends were becoming clearer with each passing moment. Her gaze shifted from Andy to Emilio, her head barely moving. “You can carry me,” Leticia whispered with a nod, an awkward smile. “Don’t think…” She took in a deep, labored breath. “I can get there on my own.” There was no time to appreciate the joke that didn’t land, because where they were headed sparked another burst of panic. 

“Not mine,” she said quickly, swallowing as she struggled with her words. Every sound from her mouth sounded rough and unfamiliar. “He was there. Waiting outside.” The shop was probably compromised too, she had no idea how long he had been following her and where he had snooped around. 

—

Leticia looked to be in pain– the kind that came with not fully understanding what had happened. That was only cemented by the fact that Leti thought it had only been one night. Andy kept her expression neutral, not wanting to rile up Leti by the fact that she’d been gone for months, not just one night. They’d tell her once they knew she was healthy enough to withstand the information, not before. 

Andy took Leti’s hand that was at her boot into her own, squeezing it gently. “Okay.” She smiled reassuringly at her friend before looking up to meet Emilio’s gaze. At his question of where they’d go, she paused. Andy wasn’t sure if Cass was still staying at the cabin, but that’d mean extra bodies, and what Leti needed was rest. 

But that wasn’t the only concern. Andy’s brows rose as Andy explained that he was there. Who was he? She wanted to ask, wanted to get the information as soon as possible to put an end to whatever hell Leti had experienced, but now was not the time. Andy steeled herself against the questions that pooled at the back of her throat. She closed her hand fully around Leti’s and gave it a tighter squeeze this time before leaning forward, tucking the blanket underneath and around the other woman. 

“I’ll get a room at the Bearcliff. It’s close enough.” She slipped her arms beneath Leticia, lifting her up slowly. “Okay, are you ready?” She shot another glance at Emilio. “My jeep is that way, it’s towards the main parking lot– you probably saw it when you pulled in.” She needed to stay calm if she wanted to get Leti somewhere safe. She needed to stay calm, because if she didn’t, she didn’t know what would happen. “It’s okay,” Andy muttered against the top of Leti’s head as she began the walk back towards the parking lot. 

—

It took him a moment to grasp the weight of Leticia’s words. A night. She thought she’d lost one night. How were they going to tell her how much more there was? Emilio made eye contact with Andy again, question clear on his face. Did they tell her now? Did they wait? Andy seemed to be leaning towards the latter and, since she was better with people than he was, Emilio followed her lead. One step at a time was better, anyway. Step one needed to be getting Leti someplace warm, someplace safe.

Maybe step two would be figuring out who he was.

The confirmation that this was something that had been done to her wasn’t strictly necessary. Emilio had gathered that there were outside forces at play, but to have it spelled out right in front of him like this… Rage flared in his chest, and he did his best to quiet it. His fingers twitched, that familiar yearning for vengeance burning just as hot as it always did when someone he cared about was hurt. Now wasn’t the time for it. It would come later — with help, if the look on Andy’s face was any indication. But now, the focus needed to be on Leticia. They needed to get her someplace safe, someplace warm.

The motel was a good idea. Anonymous, safe, warm. Emilio offered a small nod of confirmation, shifting to the side as Andy picked Leti up and then pushing himself to his feet as well. “Wasn’t paying much attention,” he admitted. A stupid mistake, the kind that got people killed… but when he’d pulled up, all he’d been focused on was Leti. He made his way back to the parking lot, anyway. Sure enough, Andy’s familiar Jeep wasn’t far from Teddy’s god-awful Bug. “I’ll ride with you. Can get back to the car later. Want me to drive?” He thought Andy might prefer the idea of sitting in the back with Leticia, given the way she was clinging to her now.

—

If she had been more aware, she might have caught them looking at each other right after she said it had just been a night. If she had been more aware, she might have even picked up on the cavern of silence it had torn through their already strained exchange of words. Something had happened, but all of Leticia’s awareness was focused on the warmth of Andy’s hand.

At the mention of a hotel, Leticia’s focus shifted again. Bearcliff? She couldn’t remember the place off hand, but her frantic mind filled in pieces on its own. Painting the place as owned by bugbears that were going to feed on the fresh memories that had driven her into the woods last night. How much would she remember? Would she remember the more intricate details of the man? Would they bring to the surface the memories she had while the jaguar had been given all control? Or would it just pray on her fear and give her nothing in return? 

For a few small details, she might let them have their feast.

Her thoughts jostled once more as Andy picked her up. A newfound feeling of safety washed over her, even as Andy lied and said it was okay. “It’s not,” she whispered in response, her ear against Andy’s chest and her eyes trying to find the back of Emilio’s head. “He thinks he’s a bad friend.” That conversation was still fresh on Leticia’s mind, but he had come here, hadn’t he? And he was still there, helping her. “And… I can hear your heartbeat.” She closed her eyes again, her arms moving closer to her chest as her head found a comfortable spot on Andy’s chest. Seeking out warmth and comfort, and maybe the most basic feeling of human connection. 

“I scared you,” she whispered, as if at confession. “I’m sorry.” 

—

Andy fought to maintain a neutral expression, to keep it from twisting into something venomous. Whatever she had saved Leticia from with the ranger who had hurt Alex and Alan, instead happened by the hand of another. There would be no stopping it, she realized. Her mind drifted to Nicole and the whole reason she’d been on the trail in the first place– of how no matter how hard she tried to keep them safe from one threat, there would always be another. 

Leticia’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, and Andy looked down at her, knowing well enough that the fact she was speaking at all was a good sign. Though, she wasn’t sure how long it’d last. It was getting colder and they needed to hurry. “Don’t worry about that right now.” Because even if Emilio did think he was a bad friend, him showing up for Leticia with barely any notice proved he wasn’t. Emilio’s self-hatred knew no bounds, Andy knew that much, but she wouldn’t let him hate himself when they had to help her. 

The next words to come out of Leticia’s mouth, however, garnered a soft laugh. “Your ear is right there, yeah.” There was a softness she hadn’t anticipated in her own comment, but she tightened her grip on Leti, anyway. She hadn’t realized how much she missed her friend until she was in her presence. The trail slowly turned to mixed gravel which meant they were close to the parking lot. That was good. Andy made a noise at the back of her throat when Leti apologized. “You don’t need to be sorry. I wasn’t that scared.” It was an obvious lie, but she wasn’t about to delve into how terrified she was. 

Emilio’s voice broke through the small bubble that’d formed around them and Andy’s gaze lingered on her jeep. “Yeah, my keys– they’re in the pack.” She looked down at Leticia with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We’re going to get you somewhere warm, okay?” 

Once the door to her jeep was open, she put Leticia down gently, careful to not jostle her too much. Before closing the door, she made sure that the blanket was secured tightly around her and then she made her way around the jeep, giving Emilio a firm nod climbing into the seat next to Leti. As gently as she could, Andy repositioned Leticia so that her head was in her lap. “I have some clothes in the back that I can give you, too. We’ll get you a shower, something to eat.” For three months, she didn’t look nearly as thin as one would’ve thought. Maybe the jaguar had kept her satiated. Andy smoothed some of the hair out of Leti’s face before resting her hand at the crown of her head. 

“We’re ready.” 

—

Leticia and Andy were talking in quiet tones, and Emilio pretended not to hear them. After everything, he thought, the pair deserved a quiet moment of reconnection, one that wouldn’t be compromised by listening ears. Later, he’d try to get more details from Leticia. Emilio was at his most useful when he was neutralizing threats, and there was nothing he wanted to be more than he wanted to be useful. His friends deserved the sort of companion who gave them something in return for all the shit he put them through, and this was how Emilio knew to offer that repayment. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t what they wanted, sometimes. But it wasn’t like he had much else to give.

He glanced back at Andy and Leticia, wrapped up in their moment even as they exited the woods. He’d like to think that, in the parking lot, the worst of it was over. He knew better than that. There were still hurdles to be cleared, still tragedies they’d have to speak aloud. What was the best way to tell Leticia how long it had been? What words would let her know the truth while doing the least amount of damage? There were none that were perfect, he knew. It was going to hurt either way. You couldn’t detonate a bomb without flinging shrapnel around.

At Andy’s instruction, he pulled the keys from the pack and jogged over to the Jeep, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting it. He turned the heat on full blast before getting out and circling back around to his friends, offering them a small nod. Carefully as he could, he helped load Leticia into the back with Andy, squeezing her hand gently as she settled into place. “You’ll be okay,” he promised her quietly.

With one last careful inspection of her body, tucked safely under the blanket and resting against Andy, Emilio moved back around to slide into the driver’s seat again. He closed the door, shooting a glance to the backseat before moving the car into gear. “I’ll drive fast.”

The silence in the car felt deafening. Like a tangible thing, a blanket wrapping around them. Emilio felt the unease seep into his bones as, true to his word, he sped down the street. Paranoia crept in, leaving his hands so tight around the steering wheel that he worried about cracking it. Abruptly, he shot out a hand and flipped on the radio. Anything to fill up that suffocating quiet, anything to make it a little easier to breathe. The tune that came on was unfamiliar, but upbeat. A voice sang words he didn’t quite understand with a name that seemed vaguely familiar, but not incredibly. Santa something. Whatever it was, it was so much better than the quiet, so he turned it up. “Almost there,” he muttered, glancing up to the rearview to catch a glimpse of the backseat. 

Almost there. As for what would come after… They’d deal with it when it came.

—

“I can’t stop,” she whispered, a strained laugh accompanying her words. Their last conversation had been burned into her mind, where he looked exhausted and told her to find better friends. Where the remnants of a broken phone were scattered across the floor of his apartment. Where she had walked away when she should have stayed and fought. “I should have fought harder,” Leticia said, this time louder, wanting Emilio to hear that she should have fought for their friendship harder — that he was worth the effort. After all, even after she walked away, he came the second that she needed him. 

He deserved that same loyalty. 

The spoken lie brought a melancholic smile to Leticia’s face. And while she listened to the thumping of her heart, she considered reminding her that she could hear her heartbeat and that she knew it was a lie. But a brief moment of contemplation and the steady tick of Andy’s heart, she decided to let them both have that lie. Pretend that Andy wasn’t scared. Pretend that she hadn’t been knocking on death’s door and nearly welcoming it. 

Tipping her head upward, Leticia looked at Andy’s face when she smiled. There was something wrong with it, but she couldn’t tell if she looked as bad as she felt, or if she was trying to force away any expressions of worry for her sake. Gritting her teeth at the movement, the stiffness in her muscles were more apparent to her now that she was warming up. But she could feel everything — that was a good sign. “Bad luck with the weather,” she tried to joke. “September could have given me a nice warm wake up but no. When it rains it pours, I guess.” Or it was something weird happening in Wicked’s Rest again. Nothing was off the table. 

She gripped Emilio’s hand as tightly as she could when he held it and then rested it on Andy’s leg when he turned to get into the driver’s seat. The feeling of Andy’s hand on her head reminded her of her old home in California. “Clothes, yeah,” she agreed. “A warm shower, er, bath maybe. Dinner and some trash tv?” Her mind wandered again, wondering if she could get them to watch The Real Housewives with her. Emilio would love the drama of it, she decided, and she’d have to explain a lot to both of them, but it would be a good distraction for everyone.