The Stewarts (rebooted- accepting new characters)

*Lucas walks away smirking and talking to himself.* Medical degree, yeah right if you count watching ER on Netflix is a medical degree, lets see if they buy it enough to be scared enough to exchange a little information with me. * Of course one thing he can be sure of is at least Zane was like him well not exactly he was sloppy and stupid but they have the same genetic disorder and chances are good that someone else if not all of his family has the same condition and from the way that one girl was screaming some sort of mental disorder ah who am I'm kidding that is one crazy *****!*
 
When Jeremy screamed about Zane being dead, Riley felt as though he'd somehow rooted into the floor. He watched his sister leave their room and listened to her scream at Jeremy and their other siblings. It was almost as though she was siphoning his own anger off to fuel her rage, because Riley couldn't move for several minutes. He listened dumbly from his spot in the center of the room, still standing, fists clenched, fingernails digging crescents into his palms; heard the muted sounds of people talking near the front of the house, heard the door close, heard Regina's furious screaming and he could do absolutely nothing.


When it seemed as though things had calmed down, and he'd gotten control of his body again, Riley left the bedroom he shared with his sister and went into the living room.


'Zane's dead.'


It rang like a mantra in his head, and before he was even sure of what he was doing, he'd wrapped his arms around his sister, still fuming and raging and wreaking havoc around the room and fastened them around her body, nearly pinning her to him. He tried to stay focused on the way her body felt against his, the way she gripped at him and looked over at Jeremy, feeling as though he'd been gutted.


“I want to know who did it.” Riley said finally, his voice dark. “I want to know who did it, and I want to rip their f**king spine out.”
 
As soon as Riley comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her, holding her against him in a manner that is almost as much of a restraint as an embrace, Regina's feelings of being out of control in her emotions begins to subside enough for her to be able to manage again what she is feeling. She takes in several breaths, relaxing back against him just a little, and lets him hold her up so she doesn't have to work so hard just to keep standing any longer. She knows that Riley can feel her shaking, knows that he can likely feel her quick breaths as well, but it doesn't bother her like it would have before the news of Zane, when she only had pregnancy to worry about.


Pregnancy. And she had just THOUGHT this was a problem...


She wraps her hands in Riley's, squeezing them until she hears one of his knuckles pop as she looks around the room, her eyes coming to rest on her sisters, who are obviously still upset, and on Jeremy, who is now pacing the room, not looking at anyone at all. She says to the room at large, but mostly to Riley, "Let's go. Right now, let's go to the f***ing school and find where that happened, and-"


"No," Jeremy said flatly, and Regina's eyes flashed blue fire as she nearly spat out at him, "WHY? What is your problem?"


"You're sick," he shook his head, backing away even as he did so, just in case she gained a burst of adrenaline and ran out to attack him. She might be smaller than him, but she could be vicious, he knew from experience, and Jeremy knew that if he lay hands on her again, Riley, especially in his current mood, would have his head. "What if the killer was looking for you too? You'd be easy prey right now. You-"


"Riley will go with me!" she said through clinched teeth, even as Jeremy again shook his head, glancing at Riley, almost pleading, for backup.


"Riley, tell her. You don't want her to get hurt. If anyone's going out, I am-"


"Riley, this is our brother. We have to go!"


***


Back in her dormitory, Rikarah checks her email calmly, smirking to herself when she sees the notice that has been sent out to her from the school. It was the same notice that was sent out whenever a student died, informing them of the student's age, name, and department, stating the same generic line about how missed they would be. Zane Stewart, 18...she highly doubted that any other than perhaps his siblings would mourn him, however, if he was always as obnoxious as he had appeared in class.


She wonders as she closes out her computer, glancing towards her roommate's empty bed, whether Professor Luna would wish for this particular murder to be investigated in line with his own research. If Zane had been a vampire, which would directly fit with what he was studying, what if he did ask that she study it with him? How would he react to her having been the cause of his death- pleased, that she had rid the world of a dangerous being, or would he think her to be a murderer?


As she leaves her room, deciding that she were feeling too restless then to stay alone for long, she is still thinking of the professor. Rikarah is not one to often drink, but she finds herself heading in the direction of one of the bars near campus as she remains lost in thought.
 
Riley's gaze flitted back and forth between the two of them, Regina, still tense and shaking with anger in his arms, and Jeremy, who looked completely lost. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around his twin, finding comfort in the way her curves managed to fit against his body.


Had the circumstances been different, Riley would have jumped headfirst into the opportunity to take Regina's side on something, especially if it was at the expense of their older brother, but this...


It was just different.


“Gina,” he said, fighting hard to keep his voice even, “Jeremy has a point. Right now, there are going to be police all over the place, if we...” he paused to take in a breath and rubbed his twin's side comfortingly. “We can't afford to take any risks right now.”
 
Jeremy has a point? Had Regina really just heard what she thought she had? JEREMY HAS A POINT?


When was the last time that Riley had ever said anything remotely like that, regardless of how right Jeremy might be? When was the last time that RILEY, of all people, had said not to take RISKS? Since when did Riley care about if Jeremy was right or how risky anything was, since when did any of that matter at all? This was their brother. Zane had annoyed her more often than not, and she had considered him so boring that unlike Jeremy and Juliette, he wasn't even worth teasing half the time. But nevertheless, he was their brother, and that should have been more than enough of a provocation for Riley to go out there and find his killer, right now, this second, regardless of any other factors. They should both be out there, slaughtering every person they saw until they got the killer if they had to.


She knew exactly what was keeping him back, and it sure as hell wasn't because Jeremy was right or because it was risky. He was worried about HER. He didn't want her to lose the stupid baby that she didn't even want to acknowledge to herself was a possibility of existing. It was complete bull**** to her, especially when her plan was to get rid of the thing, if it really did exist, as soon as she could find a way.


"I'm not keeping the damn baby, Riley," she snapped, heedless of the fact that Juliette and Maddy were both there, listening, and likely to start squealing and questioning. "If you start to treat me like a walking stomach instead of me, the second I get rid of this thing, I'm making you use rubbers."


Breaking away from him then, she started to stumble towards their bedroom, slamming the door behind her, though she didn't lock it, and curled up again on the bed. Jeremy looked at Maddy with a frozen expression, horrified at the questions he hadn't yet heard, but was certain were flitting through her head, about to be voiced.


Maybe HE should be the one to leave.
 
Riley stayed put in the living room after Regina left, his eyes moving around the room to take in the extent of whatever damage Gina had done in her outburst. There didn't seem to be much, luckily, aside from Jeremy's total mortification, which was honestly nothing new. Letting out a breath, he followed his sister into their room and stood next to the bed, knowing that she would probably tear his eyes out if he actually tried to get in with her just then.


"Regina," he began quietly. He waited a moment to make sure she wouldn't take violent action toward him, when it seemed like he was in the clear, he reached forward and put a hand on her shoulder gently. It was hard not to get frustrated when she was like this, especially since there was something much bigger to worry about. He let out a small groan and scratched the back of his neck.


"This isn't just about the baby. Look, I'm pissed too, okay? I just... this is f**king ridiculous! You're sick, and Zane is dead, and yes, I want to kill the son of a b**ch that did it. But it's way too soon. You have to know that, to understand that on some level."
 
Regina did understand. She knew exactly why Jeremy didn't want her to go off on a rampage, killing every person that looked like even a remote possibility of having killed Zane. She knew that would get them all in that much more of a mess, and she'd end up dead or arrested- if she could even manage to get out the door, into a car, and haul herself around causing damage when she felt as badly as she did. She knew that it was more likely she'd end up crashing a car, throwing up on someone, or fainting than tracking down Zane's killer and ending him. She knew that all that was perfectly logical and made sense.


But she didn't want it to make sense. She wanted to be able to do exactly as she pleased, and it was this knowledge that even if Jeremy forbid it, she couldn't, simply because she wasn't even currently able-bodied enough to be able to defy him, infuriated her.


Her brother was dead. Her brother was dead, and what could she do about it? Scream at people. That was it. Everything she could do about it currently was nothing more than a bluff, and the helplessness of the situation was enough for her to almost choke on the rage it produced in her.


Her shoulder is taut beneath Riley's hand, and when he talks to her, attempting to reason with her, she lifts her head, directing her glare towards him now instead of her pillow as she spits out her response to him. "Zane's killer could walk up to me right now, right this second, and if I ran after him, I probably couldn't f***ing catch him because of this THING in me. Because I feel like I'm going to throw up or faint or not be able to stand up every damn second. What kind of idiot would ever want to be pregnant? You get to feel like shit for 9 months and then your prize is some screaming thing squirting body fluids that I can't even let out of the house for eight years, so I'm NEVER apart from it? I'm killing it tomorrow, Riley, that's all there is to it. I'll stab myself in the stomach if I have to. And the second it's gone, we're going after whoever did this and that's all there is to it. We're GOING and I don't give a shit what you or JEREMY thinks about it, we're GOING."


She slams her fist into the bedframe, watching it rattle back and forth with narrowed eyes, as her rant shifts focus. "Zane was such an idiot. Why the hell would he go so long without feeding?! They always get on US, saying we're so careless or whatever, but we're not the ones who starve ourselves until we can't help ourselves anymore, we're smarter than him or Maddy or Juliette about it by far! He always did that! He's the one who made this happen to himself, I bet you anything he was being stupid and he got himself killed feeding on someone! You heard that teacher guy, you heard what he said about the marks on the other kid's neck! It's his own damn fault, it's just like what happened with Mom and Dad! That was his fault too! He probably deserved it. He probably got what was coming-"


But even she couldn't go that far, and she cut herself off, thinning her lips together tightly as tears came to her eyes. She turned her face away, not wanting Riley to see. "He was an idiot."


**


In the living room Jeremy looked around at his two remaining sisters, at a loss as to what to do or say for them now. Spreading out both hands helplessly, he says with uncertainty, "Um, Maddy, Juliette...we should..."


But he can't finish the sentence, because what exactly could or should they do now? Jeremy had no idea.


What he did know was he wanted to get out of this house, away from the tears and the hysterics and tantrums and rages. He wanted out, and he wanted a drink. Badly.
 
Maddy looked up at Jeremy questioningly. They weren't supposed to ask questions? At all? "But my teacher says that asking questions is good. Is it bad? Was Mr. Carlson wrong?" But it didn't really matter because the teacher man left without so much as looking at her or acknowledging her question. Mr. Teacher Man needed to go back to school to learn manners.


What came next was yelling, a lot of yelling. Maddy didn't like the yelling. It scared her like most loud noises did, like thunder or fireworks. She tried her best to cover her ears under her blanket so that no one would notice. She had never told anyone about her fear but she wasn't exactly good at hiding it whenever there was a storm or gunfire in the movies on tv so maybe everyone already knew. Still, she wasn't going to give up the charade. Covering her ears didn't work though as she could still pretty much hear everything that was being said. Especially the word "baby" and how Regina was going to get rid of it.


Juliette was a bit relieved to see Lucas leave but not enough to fully calm down from everything that had just happened and everything that still was. Honestly, she wasn't surprised by neither Regina's desire to quickly destroy the person who killed Zane nor the fact that there was a little monster growing inside of her. Juliette herself wanted to go out there and rip that person apart. And with the twins always acting like dogs in heat, a pregnancy was inevitable. But still, for all this to happen at the same time was too much for her.


After the twins left the living room, Jeremy tried to talk to both her and Maddy although it seemed that "tried" was the operative word here. Even if it was Jeremy, she didn't want to talk about it. Goddamn it. Why was all this happening? "Damnit! Zane's dead! Regina's pregnant! And now we're probably going to have to move AGAIN! I finally became one of the popular kids and now I'm going to have to be the new kid again?! Plus now we're going to have another brat?! And I can't have a new hair straightener?! God, why is everyone trying to ruin my life?!" And with that, she stormed up the stairs and a door slam could be heard.


Maddy however was still trying to process everything that had just happened. It was all too much for her although she was glad that at least the yelling stopped. So much drama and questions. The first thing that sunk in was Regina being pregnant. "Killing babies is bad," was the first thing she managed to say however only after Regina was already gone. But Regina wanted to kill the baby in her stomach? For one, how? It was in her stomach. Was she going to eat poison or something? But that would kill her too. And Maddy was sure that Regina didn't want to die.


But why would Regina want to kill the baby? Babies are cute, even if they cried a lot. Only monsters killed babies. And with that thought, Maddy looked down at the ground. That right. They were monsters . . . but still Regina didn't have to kill babies. That was just mean. Then another question rose in her head. The little girl turned her blue eyes up to her big brother. "Jeremy, where do babies come from?"
 
Riley watches Regina silently, not bothering to reach out and touch her this time. Judging by the steam she was building up, it would probably only earn him a clock to the jaw. He let her rage and lets his eyes close when she starts to yell about Zane, his own hands clenching into fists at his sides as he silently raged with her. How stupid could he have been?! How -


“Gina, listen to me.”


His voice is a little too uneven for him to continue, and so he pauses and swallows thickly. It's harder to collect his thoughts than it should be, and even harder still to see his sister and lover in the kind of pain that Regina is in. He knows that he has to find some way to distract her, to get her to organize herself, because he can't see her like this, and she can't stay like this.


“As soon as this is taken care of, we will find this motherf***er. I promise you. I want to, and I'll enjoy it. I'll hold your hand when we tear him limb from limb, but if we're going to do this, we need a game plan, right?” He sits down on the bed carefully and rests a hand on her leg, rubbing her thigh to comfort her. “Let's figure out how we're going to do this so that when we do it, we make it count.”


--------


Tegan runs a hand through her hair and fills a glass with beer, sliding it across the bar to the man buying it. One of the regulars sits half-slouched at the counter, talking to her incessantly. She pretends to listen, occasionally raising her eyebrows and smiling or saying something like “yeah?” and “no sh*t!” when appropriate. It's never anything she really cares about, but it does earn her better tips, so she just makes it work.


She's been working long enough that the steady din of chatter overlapping music doesn't really register with her. She hears and acknowledges it, but it's mostly just there in the background. Tegan's only focus is fixing the drinks ordered and making sure she makes decent tips.


When the regular at the table starts to doze off, she leans forward and slides the beer away from him, lips curling upward in a smile, “Why don't you let me call you a cab?”


He gives her a goofy smile, “Maybe that's a good idea.”


Still smiling, Tegan reaches for the phone and starts to dial, “I'll do that.”
 
If she were to listen to anyone when she were in this state of mind, as slim a chance as this was, it would be Riley. As he continued to talk to her in the calm, logical sort of tone that usually only made her want to close her ears and do the exact opposite of what was being said with anyone else, Regina didn't speak back to him for several minutes, still seething. But when he lay a hand on her thigh, rubbing gently, she began to relax. She was irritated by this at first, wanting to hold her anger close and tight against her chest, to let it radiate out to every part of her to continue to tense up every muscle, but with Riley stroking her, she isn't able to manage for very long, at least not to that extent.


She sighs, letting her shoulders hunch, and then sits up slowly, brushing his hand away, but then taking his arm, hooking hers through and hugging it against her side, entwining her fingers with his. Her head is aching badly, to the point that her eyes feel hot and dry, little colored sparks seeming to dance before them and enveloping everything she sees in a sheen of miniature fireworks, but she refuses to close them and let on that it makes her dizzy just to try to focus on seeing.


"Let's set up an appointment. Now. We're going first thing in the morning and scraping that thing out, I don't care if you want it or not because I don't. Then we're finding out about this kid that Zane was snacking on, and this professor guy too, because I pretty much hated him the second I saw him and if he's blackmailing us, or planning to, I want first dibs on making him fast food."


**


Jeremy had expected Juliette to yell and slam things in Regina's absence. Sometimes he wasn't sure if she was trying to copy Regina, like Maddy so often did, and simply doing a bad imitation. She definitely was loud and volatile and self-absorbed enough to seem like it sometimes. How in the world she could bring up her hair straightener given everything that was going on was beyond anything he would ever be able to understand. But that was Juliette for him, and at least she wasn't crying. At least she wasn't hanging on him wanting comfort.


He thought when she left the room that he could hang on, at least for a few more minutes. But then Maddy looked up at him and asked about Regina's baby...and then wanted to know how they were made in general...and that was it. The question would be mortifying to him in normal circumstances, and would be enough to make him flush and stammer and hastily leave the room. But now, with all the chaos of the day, and his own still tightly bottled feelings threatening to burst forth, it was the last straw.


"I don't know, Maddy, why don't you go ask our favorite sister Regina?" he raised his voice slightly, gesturing in an almost volatile fashion towards the hallway. "She's the one doing all the recent research and experimentation on the matter!'


Without another word he nearly stomped to the front door and threw it open, slamming it behind him in an unconscious echo of Regina's and Juliette's earlier slams. As he strode with hasty steps to his car, fumbling in his pocket for his keys, he had one destination in mind. Bar. Any bar. Sleazier the better. What Jeremy needed then was to completely forget that he had any siblings at all, that there was anything in his life to think or worry about other than getting drunk as fast as humanly possible.


The first bar he came across was a seedy-looking number only a block from the university, one the students often frequented and that Jeremy had rarely visited himself, not enjoying being around a college crowd due to the resentment it often provoked in him that he himself could not be among them. As he pulled into the parking lot, running one hand over his face and through his hair, and then made his way through the front door, his eyes shifted over the crowd before he moves straight ahead to slide onto a barstool. Might as well do this properly and sit right by the drinks, the faster to get to having them.
 
Riley squeezes her hand as a gesture of comfort and listens to her speak, watching her face carefully. He brings his other hand forward and wraps it around the back of her hand, sandwiching it between both of his. He wants so badly to just be able to worry about one thing at a time. It's so much easier to just be angry about things individually, then go out, kill some poor sap with Regina and come in at the crack of dawn, get Jeremy upset as usual and go about the day. Even during the process of moving, that's just how things were, and it wasn't like that now.


He leans forward and kisses her forehead, “I'll look up the number.”


Standing up, he walks over to their desk and opens his laptop, typing in the password quickly. He pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly to look up and finally just opted for searching for planned parenthoods in their area. After going through a few locators, he found one that offered abortion services and looked over his shoulder at Regina, “Okay, I've got it.”


Riley pauses, giving his twin enough time to pull out her phone and clears his throat, calling out the number for her. Quickly, he closes out the page and after that, closes the computer to join her back on the bed. His arm around her protectively, he gives her a light squeeze and watches her, waiting for whatever would come next.


--------


Tegan caught the newest addition at the bar out of the corner of her eye as she places a bottle of beer in front of the customer she's currently serving and moves to pour him two shots: one for him and one for her. She gives the man a playful grin when he holds out a five dollar bill as her tip. With her thumb and index finger, she plucks it from his hand and stuffs it into her pocket.


“Alright, alright. Let's see if you can do this like grown ups, sweetie.” He says and lifts his shot glass. Tegan lifts hers with him and clinks first the top, then the bottom, the customer chanting “Tits – ass” they tap the bottom of their glasses against the table and Tegan lifts it to her mouth, letting her head fall back as she swallowed the liquor inside of it.


Liquid heat floods her body on it's way down and she quickly chases it with a drink of water. “Thanks for the drink.” She smiles weakly as he grabs his beer and turns his back to her, probably returning to his buddies. It's then that she lets herself succumb to the brief shudder, the taste of tequila still clinging to the back of her throat.


She lets out a small cough against her shoulder and slides in front of the man who had sat himself down during her shot. Noticing how fallen and ashy his face was, Tegan opts to give him as genuine of a smile as she can muster, “What can I get you?”
 
(as an additional fyi: They can drink liquids but not very much of it at a time, they can process liquid beverages better than they can tolerate solid foods, but too much of any non blood liquid will make them sick.)


At least Riley was smart enough to know better than to even try to oppose her declaration about her intentions with the fetus- she wasn't even going to bothering thinking about the little parasite as a baby anymore. Whatever it was that he thought or wanted, he could likely tell by now that his opinion counted for exactly zero with this particular matter.


Watching Riley perform the measures necessary to set her up with an appointment, Regina softened slightly more, some of the heat in her gaze cooling as she took the phone for him and gave the information needed. Nine pm tomorrow, taking the earliest slot they had. Surely by the end of the day she'd be fine enough to go out with Riley and search for Zane's killer. This could all be over by the same time tomorrow.


This accomplished, she finally let herself give in, just a little, to the feverish aching that had cropped up a few hours ago to settle into her bones. She leaned her head on Riley's shoulder, hoping in spite of herself that he would take it to be a gesture of affection or seeking comfort rather than due to how badly she really was feeling. It was a little of the former as well, but there was no need for him to know about the latter motivation.


"Today f***ing sucks," she said quietly. "Good thing Jeremy's not here to make a pun, because I might have to kill him too then."


**


Jeremy had paid little attention to any of the others in the bar or what they were doing. He had no interest in any of them, or in anything other than getting as much alcohol into his system for as long as his money held out. Granted, he knew he would pay for it later, even more than the typical person might. The Stewarts did not handle alcohol, or any beverage which wasn't blood, very well. They could digest it better than they could solid foods, but more than one or two glasses would make them physically ill.


He knew this. He was always saying as much to Maddy about drinking juice instead of blood, to the twins about drinking alcohol. But that didn't mean that he himself always felt like abiding by the rules. If for just a few minutes or hours he could drink enough to make himself forget what a completely shitty day this had been for him and how stressed he was feeling, to keep the grief pressing against his chest from more thoroughly presenting itself, he would take it.


He hadn't intended on paying any notice to anyone else who might be nearby, as all were superfluous to this plan. But the bartender made it where this wasn't quite something he could manage.


She was sexy. There was no other word for it, but it wasn't at all in the manner that his sister Regina tried to present herself as, where there was no doubt of the intention and of its strong crossing over into "skank" category. In fact, most people at a glance might think this woman wasn't particularly attractive at all. She had a long sort of face, and her eyes, in spite of her smile, seemed somehow serious. Jeremy thought this was probably due more to their shape and color than this being a true quality about them.


He realized that he was staring, that she was probably thinking him to be very strange and intrusive, before he blinked, flushing, and cleared his throat, immediately lowering his eyes. It wasn't like she would be interested in HIM, even if she wasn't a normal person that he had no business in even flirting with, let alone really trying to pick up. Like he'd be any good at it anyway.


"Um...vodka straight," he muttered, the first thing that came to his mind. "Um...and...s-sangria?"


He doesn't particularly like the taste, but he likes its resemblance to blood.
 
He sat quietly while Regina set up the appointment, rubbing her side slowly. When she hung up and rested her head on his shoulder, Riley turned his head to kiss the top of hers, just glad that she wasn't angry at him anymore. Granted, they were never able to stay angry at each other for very long. That's just not how it worked between the two of them. They would fight and one of two things usually happened: one of them would crack a joke, or they would just have sex. Sometimes both.


When Regina mentioned Jeremy's puns, Riley snorted quietly and rubbed her side again, “I think I'd have to help you.”


It was then that the majority of the tension eased off and the realization of just how tired the evening had made him set in. “Why don't we just try to get some sleep?” He asked finally, “We have a long day ahead of us, and I just want to wash my hands of all of today.”


--------


Tegan watched him mindfully, sizing him up in her own head. She'd never seen him in the bar before, and while she certainly didn't know every patron that walked in, all of the faces were at least a little familiar. This man was different. Not someone from class or that she had seen around campus, or even in the area, really, and it being a weeknight, the place was far from packed, giving her more time to -


Well, to apparently give him more time to size her up also. When the guy blinked and looked down, clearly embarrassed, she couldn't help but smile a little wider. After he stammered out his order, she let out a soft whistle and reached for a clean shot glass. While the common saying was “beer before liquor, never sicker; liquor before beer and you're clear”, nearly everyone at least started with something off the tap. This man's dive straight into something stronger was telling, not necessarily about him as a person, but definitely about what had brought him to the bar.


She glanced down at the shot glass in her hand before putting it back in place and grabbed a double shot. “Tell you what, I'll start you off with a double.” She filled the glass with vodka, set it in front of him and gave him a lopsided smile. “This one's on me.”


Next was the sangria, which was easy enough to make. She crouched down beneath the bar and fetched a carton of limeade and a bottle of red wine that had been sitting in the cooler, pouring first the half shot of limeade and added the ice, trapping it along the bottom of the glass. Tegan poured the wine slowly, allowing it to settle on top of the limeade so the flavors could gradually mix, added the straw and set it in front of him on a napkin.


“So, rough day?”
 
(make that nine AM tomorrow in the post above, too lazy to fix it at the moment.)


Regina's head rests with increasing weight against Riley's shoulder, and as he rubs his hand over her side, she gives a small shiver, tightening her grip on his arm, before releasing it to instead wrap her arm around his waist, increasing the intensity of their physical contact. He knows that her sides are one of her sensitive spots, and this is undoubtedly why he keeps choosing to target them. She is slightly ticklish there, just enough so that his hand sends a faint itching thrill through her skin. Normally she would reciprocate in some fashion, but she is tired, though not wanting to indicate it, and simply rubs her thumb lightly over the side of his ribs.


When he suggests they go to bed, she looks at him with narrowed eyes, suspecting that he's making the suggestion for her sake rather than his own. But it's not one she's opposed to, as long as he brought it up first. She IS tired, she does feel drained of energy to do anything further for today, and the faster she goes to sleep, the faster morning and baby-killing will come. She finally nods, reaching to pull back the blanket.


"Okay....I guess so."


**


Jeremy registered the free drink with the smile he attempted to give the girl falling flat, not meeting his eyes or entirely curving his lips. His gaze lowered to the glass she placed before him and he concentrated on this, trying not to look up at her again. He had been unable to help himself from watching her backside each time she turned around or squatted down, and now his eyes were drawn in the direction not of her breasts, which were not very impressive in size, but to her prominent collarbone. His eyes traveled slowly up, taking in the slender curve of her neck and the slight hollow of her throat.


He found himself staring, almost certain he could see her pulse beating beneath her skin, before he hurriedly looked back down at his glass, ignoring the sangria for the moment. He took the vodka up and swallowed it in two gulps, keeping his head back for a few moments and letting the moisture remaining on his lip drip down before looking forward again. It was only practice that had kept him from shuddering at the taste. The first time Jeremy had tried alcohol he had choked and spit it out, to his mortification, but he was able now to keep from even making a face most of the time.


He was beginning to drink some of the sangria as well before the girl's question registered. Looking up at her with widened eyes, he cleared his throat, awkwardly removing the straw from his mouth to reply.


"Uh...yeah. Yeah, it was, yea h it was rough."


He sounded like a complete idiot.


**


The bar is loud, smoky, and more crowded with people than is usually Rikarah's preference. Even now she is not sure what, other than boredom, draws her to it, but she enters regardless, ignoring the tacky music playing overhead and the young man who catcalls her as she walks by. There is nothing sensual or deliberately provocative about her appearance or her walk, and she will not bother to lower herself in reply to such a person.


As she surveys the room, she decides that by taking a seat at the bar, she can turn her stool to observe others without having the risk of being elbowed, trampled, or "accidentally" groped by any passing by. She seats herself next to a young man with wavy blonde hair and two drinks already before him, though he does not yet appear drunk so much as restless and ill at ease. When she looks up, not intending to order a drink, but simply locating the bartender, she is surprised and somewhat pleased to see that it is Tegan. But Tegan appears to be in conversation with the young man- perhaps flirting? Regardless, Rikarah simply inclines her head in acknowledgement, allowing her space to proceed if she wishes.
 
(Sorry, short post. Well, it looks like someone's not going to be able to sleep . . . )


After Jeremy left the house, slamming the door loudly, Maddy sat on the couch for a minute just staring at the front door. Was Jeremy mad at her? She hoped he wasn't mad at her. She didn't like it when people were mad at her. But it seemed he didn't know where babies came from. Must've been the stick up his bum. So he had told her to ask Regina . . . That was a great idea!


Of course, Regina would know. She had a baby in her tummy, she must know more than everyone. Taking Jeremy's advice to heart, Maddy hopped off the sofa and climbed the stairs and went up to the twins' bedroom door. Knocking on the door, she tried calling out to her big sister. "Regina? Are you still in there? Where do babies come from? Jeremy doesn't know because he has a stick up his bum. But you know, right? You've got one in your tummy. Regina?"
 
Riley stands up long enough to strip down to his boxers and clambers into bed, wrapping his arms tightly around Regina. He lets his fingers graze along the small of her back lightly beneath her shirt. He hadn't realized how exhausted he really is until he's beneath the blankets and on his back, reaching to turn the light off.


Once the room is dark, it really hits him. Every muscle in his body feels worn down and heavy. Letting his eyes close, he takes a deep breath and tries to let himself relax onto the bed. He tilts Regina's face up to his and kisses her, muttering a soft “g'night Gina.”


Everything has just started to fade away when he hears the knock on the door, followed by Maddy's voice. His eyes go flying open at her question, and suddenly he knows that all of the effort he's put into getting her to relax has probably gone sailing out of the window.


“Maddy, christ! Can this wait until the morning? We're trying to get some sleep in here!”


--------


Tegan twists her features into a mask of sympathy and shakes her head, “I'm sorry to hear that.”


She fills a glass with water and hands it over to the man she'd called a cab for earlier. It's his third glass by now and he's far closer to sober than he was when she'd picked up the phone. “Cab should be here any minute.” She offers him a smile as he nods at her and brings the class to his lips.


Her attention returns mostly to the man in front of her as she dries off some of the glasses that Hap, the owner's son, had brought out fresh from the sanitizer. She's not entirely pretending to enjoy his company, being mostly used to her family's particular brand of awkwardness, his kind of awkward is interesting, and she'd be a liar if she said she doesn't like making him flush a little bit.


“So, I don't want to turn this into the typical spill your sob story to the bartender scenario, but if there's anything I can do from this end of the bar feel free to wave me down, okay?” For being as much of a stranger as this man is, it is fairly easy to smile at him without gritting her teeth, and she decides to give him another one.


When Tegan spots Rikarah at the bar, she manages yet another smile in her direction and nods back, “I never would have pegged you for a drinker.” She refills her own water glass when the thought hits her, “Oh! Uh, I got some sort of email from the school today, some kind of alert or whatever. I was on my way out the door though, so I didn't get a chance to read it. What happened? Someone get mugged on campus or somethin'?”
 
Regina had just started to truly relax.


She had just settled down beneath the sheets, turning to lie on her stomach- the better to make the baby as uncomfortable as possible before she got rid of it for good. She had just rolled herself over more closely into Riley's arms, turning her head so her forehead rested lightly against his, close enough that she could hear his soft, even breaths. She had just felt her own heartbeat begin to slow, her breaths beginning to fall into rhythm with his.


She was ALMOST able to fall asleep...and then came Maddy's banging on the door, and her hollered question. And every single bit of calm she had managed was mangled, shredded, and maimed beyond saving.


Bolting up in bed and throwing Riley's arm off her roughly in the process, she ripped the blanket off her side and threw it in a pile almost over Riley's face in her haste, screaming back at Maddy with murderous tones. "MADDY GET THE F*** AWAY FROM US, NOW! You want to know how babies are made? It involves people's body parts getting shoved into other people's body parts, much like I'm about to shove my fist down your throat if you don't LEAVE ME ALONE RIGHT NOW!!"


She starts to get out of bed to go to the door, fling it open, and repeat herself face to face, but gets vertigo from the sudden movement and has to catch herself on the bed's frame, almost falling. Knees weak, she clutches the frame, that much more infuriated as she screams at her again. "GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC, MADDY!"


She doesn't mean it, not really. But she's also not in the mood to amend the statement or take it back, at least, not immediately.


**


The girl is smiling at her. The girl is smiling, not with sarcasm, not with mocking or with pity...she is giving him a smile, what Jeremy thinks to be a genuine one.


This seems so incredible and unlikely to him now, after the hellacious day he's been having, and after the anger and mocking and disrespect he receives almost all the time, almost every day, that he can hardly believe it then. He stares at her without meaning to, blinking several times, and before he looks away, he can feel dampness behind his eyes, not quite tears, but close. He runs a hand over his face, nodding without speaking aloud, and by the time he is able to look up and order another shot he is not quite composed, but acceptably closer to it.


He doesn't notice the small girl next to him until Tegan addresses her in a friendly, familiar fashion, seeming to know her. Almost immediately upon seeing her he reddens, studying the countertop. She is very pretty, in a more delicate, waifish fashion than the bartender, and for her to choose to sit beside him, of all places...


Rikarah looks up with a smile at Tegan, shaking her head in reply to her comment. "I do not drink often. I do not want a drink now, actually. I just felt like being around people, and this is definitely a place with a lot of people in it."


Not recognizing Jeremy, she looks at him only briefly, seeing him simply as another college student depressed and heading to drink for self-medication when Tegan speaks again, her words this time rather more important to pay notice to. Rikarah pauses, careful to make sure that her face is only mildly interested but more so registering disgust and concern as she answers her.


"I did read it, yes. Actually....it is part of the reason I felt the need to be around people, I suppose. I was not in the mood to be alone in my dorm after reading that, it felt a little creepy, considering."


She paused, making sure she had Tegan's attention, before continuing. "That boy who was in class with us today, the one who talked a lot? Zane? He and another student were murdered in a bathroom this afternoon. It must not have been more than a few hours after we saw him. It is terrible, I'm sure his family is shocked by it."


"We are," Jeremy blurted before he could stop himself, his voice too loud, too raw for his liking or intentions. When he saw that both girls were turning to look at him, the flush already staining his cheeks deepened, creeping up his hairline, and he felt the need then to explain further. "He was my brother."


This, Rikarah had not known. Jeremy did not resemble the twins or Zane, except for his eye color, and she had not known nor cared that they had an older brother. Her surprise was genuine as she made a sound of sympathy, turning to face him more fully.


"Oh, I am so sorry to hear that."


Jeremy nodded jerkily, then, reaching for the newest shot that had been placed before him, took it and swallowed it down, avoiding meeting either woman's eyes. He was beginning to feel the effects of the liquid not just mentally, with his beginning intoxication, but also sloshing, pained, nauseating, in his stomach, slogging through his veins. He suspected then that he might be physically ill soon, and so with unbalanced movements he slid off the barstool.


"Bye," he muttered before making his way towards the men's room, throwing it open and having to swallow hard against the unpleasant odor that greeted him. Both stall doors were closed, but one, Jeremy saw when he opened the door, contained an already clogged toilet that only made him gag to see, swallowing bile. The other was locked, or jammed, but Jeremy, desperate, pulled at it anyway.


"Anyone in there, I need-"


The door latch broke with one particularly strong tug, and as the door swung open, Jeremy barely suppressed a scream as he took in its contents. Staggering backward, he vomited into the sink, his sides heaving, eyes tearing as he gripped its cool edges, almost panting.


There was a young man's body inside the stall, seated on the toilet with a belt wrapped around its neck. Dead, clearly, his face very pale despite the constriction to his throat.


This was more than Jeremy could handle as an ending to his day. Finally releasing the sink, he stumbled back into the main area of the bar, waving for Tegan's attention as he gasped out, "Someone's dead in the stall..." before he started to walk with a fast but very jerky gait towards the exit.


Clearly, this day was just not meant to end well for him.
 
Riley has absolutely no idea how to manage the current situation. When Regina lurches up and starts screaming at Maddy, he has all of half of a second to dodge the blanket before he can sit himself up too. He holds his hands out, ready to grab her if she decides to make a dive for the door, but instead jumps and sits up a little straighter when she stumbles. Once sure she isn't hurt, he sits up and eases her back down onto the bed.


When she's finished with her tirade, Riley wraps the blanket around her, “Just go bother Juliette, Maddy!”


He takes a deep breath and looks over at Regina, “Just lay back down, okay? I can... I don't know, we can put a movie in or something.”


--------


Tegan's eyes widen as Rikarah tells her about Zane and can't help but agree with Rikarah as far as the want to be around people went. Suddenly the bar, a breeding ground for drunken brawls and dirty old men offering her money if she went home with them, felt much safer. At least here there were witnesses, should anything happen. Not only that though, she felt bad. She didn't know Zane, and what she did know of him didn't impress her very much, in fact, it was quite the opposite. But he still had a life and family that would mourn him greatly.


When Jeremy admits to being related to Zane, Tegan's gaze instantly darts over to him. She sucks in a breath of surprise and gapes at him for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do to comfort him, knowing that nothing she says will help at all.


Rough day, indeed.


“I... I'm so sorry for your loss.” She and Rikarah offer their condolences at the same time, and Tegan isn't even sure if she's heard, but she becomes instantly concerned by the look on his face, attending more to his body language, in case there was some sort of situation. Not that she expected him to get violent, but people can do pretty crazy things when they're grieving, especially when the grief is as fresh as his. “Are you... hey, you're not gonna pass out on me are-”


And then he's saying goodbye and rushing toward the men's room. Tegan looks over at Rikarah and holds her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. When she's able to get ahold of herself again, she just stares at her classmate silently until the words come out on their own.


“Did that really just happen?”


She isn't quite sure how to proceed. The activity in the bar is suddenly way too slow for her liking, and she wants nothing more than to close up and end her shift with a few shots of her own so she can go home and try to make sense of it in the bath.


Out of the corner of her eye, she spots movement and her head turns to see Jeremy, looking even worse for wear now than he did when he went into the bathrooms. When he tells her about the body in the stall, she stares at him dumbly, as though she'd suddenly gone deaf. This has to be a dream.


Tegan turns back to Rikarah, “This is probably out of line, but can you... just... make sure nobody climbs behind the bar for a second?” She doesn't wait for a reply. Instead, she leaves her station behind the bar and maneuvers her way through the crowd into the bathroom. Clearing her throat, she steps in and ignores a wolf-whistle from one of the men unzipping his fly at the urinal and starts checking the stalls. She lets out a small scream when she finds the body, her hand returning to its place over her mouth and rushes back to the bar. She can feel the blood leave her face as she grabs the phone and goes into the back room, already dialing 911.


When the operator picks up, she doesn't even give him enough time to ask what kind of emergency it is. She spits out the address and the name of the bar, following it with “Some guy f***ing hung himself in the bathroom!”


Not knowing what else to do, mind moving way too quickly for her to make any sense out of the rest of the questions the operator asks, she tells them to hurry with the police and hangs up, returning to her spot behind the bar. As if by their own volition, her fingers found the shot glass she had used earlier. She topped it off with another ounce of tequila and threw it back, welcoming the burn a little more this time now that she felt as though she deserved it. Her face squinched up a little when the taste first bit her, but when she fixed Rikarah with her gaze, she has a good idea as to how helpless and frazzled she must look.


“I have no idea what to do.”
 
Well, that attempt at a casual sharing of the news of Zane's death by her own hand, albeit leaving out the part about her being the responsible party, had hardly gone over like Rikarah had expected. But then how was she to know the boy's brother was sitting right there gulping vodka like a Venus flytrap as she spoke?


Normally she would feel sympathy towards him; after all, he couldn't help it if his brother was annoying, or even if his brother was a murderer deserving of death. But in this particular instance, she was cautious, not letting herself feel anything towards the man but suspicion. If his brother were one of those creatures Professor Luna had spoken of, then it was possible that any family members of his shared the same genetic influence, or whatever it was that had made him what he was. This man could be monstrous as well for all she knew, and until proven otherwise, Rikarah would reserve any pity she might normally harbor for a man who did look so genuinely distraught and, well, pitiful.


As Jeremy began to stagger towards the bathroom, making an exit that looked as motivated by some pressing impending bodily function as by distress from her words, she watched him for a few moments, frowning, before turning her gaze back to Tegan, allowing a grimace that was partly for Tegan's sake, partly sincere.


"I just put my foot in my mouth far enough to scrape my tonsils, I think."


She exhales, tapping her fingernails briefly on the surface of the counter and lowering her eyes to watch them before looking up at Tegan again. "I did not want anything to drink, but if you have any soda...I suppose I should not take up space here if I am not a paying customer."


Tegan has barely fetched her drink before Jeremy almost trips his way out of the bathroom, gasping about someone in the bathroom. His face is so pale in hue it is almost translucent, and there is what looks like blood in the corner of his mouth. Did he bite his tongue? He is panting, barely able to get out words, but Rikarah is listening closely enough to understand.


A body in the bathroom? Another? This is becoming a pattern, and for two of the Stewart men to be associated...would Jeremy have had enough time to kill someone?


She does not watch Tegan go to check in the bathroom, though she does nod in response to her request to watch the bar for her. But most of her attention is focused on Jeremy as he shoves his way through the crowd and out the door, literally fleeing the scene, though in a slow and uncoordinated fashion.


What are the chances that he would also happen to be involved with a dead body and not have anything to do with it?


When Tegan returns, Rikarah wants to hear all the details of what she has seen without seeming ghoulish or strange about it. She carefully rearranges her features into ones appropriately stunned and disgusted, arranging her posture into a hunched, intimidated pose as Tegan returns, standing behind her, and swallows before replying.


"That...is frightening. I suppose...if he hung himself, it was not murder...still, all the same...three deaths in one day in bathrooms, that is just a bit too much Psycho for me to be okay with. I am not looking forward to walking alone in the dark after this...and I am really not looking forward to being alone in my dorm with my roommate being out of town this week."


**


Beneath the blanket Regina is shaking, partly because she is suddenly freezing after having gotten out of bed, partly because her anger is sending her adrenaline soaring at such an intensity that it is making it difficult for her to control her body. What she still wants is to get up, throw open the door, and shake Maddy, hard, at the very least, and then go after Jeremy too. She's sure he must have sent Maddy up there after them, just to get to them. But she also knows that if she tries to walk right now, falling is quite likely and would considerably dilute any threats she might attempt to make.


She can't even cause genuine harm to her ten year old sister if she wanted to right now, let alone Zane's killer.


"That little brat, do you know what she did earlier today? She took all my thongs out my drawer and was trying them on like they were EYEPATCHES!" she hissed to Riley, not responding to his attempt to get her to lie down and relax again. "She was playing PIRATE with them! I found her in hear MEASURING my clothes one day, she's such a damn stalker. She steals my clothes even though they don't even fit her, she's always following me around copying everything I do, I'm surprised she doesn't try to climb in bed between us every night. And then all just send her shooting my way like a cannon every time they get sick of her, like maybe I don't have other things to do then answer her stupid questions!"


The more she goes on about it, the more agitated she is becoming. In this moment, it seems that there is not one thing going right in her existence. She is pregnant. She feels weak, sick, and generally terrible. Her brother has been murdered and as of this moment, there is absolutely nothing she can do to avenge him. Her oldest brother is an irritating prick who does nothing but order her around, her younger sister Juliette doesn't care about anything but the state of her hair, and her youngest sister is nothing but an enormous, infuriating brat who could make her life way easier by simply utilizing wikipedia. There is no way she'll be able to sleep now, even though she's so exhausted she's shaking and barely able to see through the burning in the back of her eyes, and they will undoubtedly have to pack up and leave again soon, starting all over again, just like always. Nothing in their life will ever change. This was the third person in their family to die, to be murdered, and if her parents could die, if Zane could, then who's to say that she herself couldn't? Who's to say that Riley couldn't? And where would she be, how could she keep on if Riley was next?


"Why the hell does she care where babies come from when ZANE IS DEAD!" she almost screams the last few words. "He's dead, and all anyone in this family cares about is, is their hair straight, how can I get a f***ing baby some day, is everyone BEHAVING and not being RECKLESS, no one is talking about what actually happened at all! No one is saying that one of us is dead now, no one is saying that we've all been f***ed all over again!"


Her voice went hoarse then, choked, and she let herself fall back on the mattress, her limbs going limp even as her trembling continued. She shut her eyes, but that didn't stop hot tears from squeezing out from the corners of each as she concluded, "He's dead. And no one is doing anything about it...no one's even saying anything about it. We're just...shit, we're just going to our rooms and going to sleep and tomorrow we'll order f***ing flowers or whatever and then we're going to go on and be one big happy normal family like always, like Jeremy wants, even if we do kill the bastard who did this first, that's what we'll have to do afterward. And then we'll move again and set up like there never was a Zane, just like there never was a Mom or Dad, and then we'll never mention it at all. That's what we did before, that's exactly what we'll do now, and it's f***ed up, Riley. And if /I/ say something's f***ed up, you know it's over the scope of known f***ery."


It was shortly after she finished this monologue that Jeremy opened the front door to the house and shuffled his way inside, moving and looking like an old, defeated man as he made his way upstairs.
 
When the twins opened the door only to yell at her, Maddy began trembling, eyes wide. Scary Regina from that afternoon was back and now Riley was being scary as well. And it didn't help that they were being fairly loud, only scaring the ten year old even more. But she couldn't show them that she was scared. No, she was a big girl now. And big girls don't get scared or cried, even if she wanted to so much at the moment.


Realizing that it was only a matter of time before she started bawling again, Maddy began running away. "Fine then! I didn't want to know anyway!" Disappearing downstairs, she stopped running when she was in the living room. Coming down here managed to calm her down at least, but what was she going to do now? Juliette was probably still in a bad mood so Maddy couldn't return to her room. Regina and Riley had been replaced by mean aliens so she couldn't play with them. Zane was dead and Jeremy went somewhere she didn't know.


Maddy then began staring at the front door. Well, that was an option. So doing what Regina had said, Maddy went outside to play in traffic. She walked down the path of the house until she stood at the edge of the curb, feet partially hanging off the sidewalk. As she took her first step onto the pavement, Maddy felt a sense of excitement. This was the first time she did something so dangerous. Jeremy had never let her cross the street on her own before. It felt fun.


Maddy took another step and another, but before she could take the fourth step, a car ran right by. Maddy jumped back and crouched down. Now she was scared again. Why was that person driving so fast? She was tempted to continue across the road but what if another car went by? What if it hit her? Now too scared to continue her game, Maddy sat on the curb playing with the stones on the ground, stacking them up and knocking them down.


This game was boring. Then she remembered that there was a park nearby. She could play there. She didn't remember it being far at all and the streetlights were on so she'd be able to see the way. Maddy then began walking down the sidewalk to the park, trying her best to remember the way.


When she had gotten about a block and a half away from the Stewart household, Maddy looked back. Maybe she should go back . . . No! They didn't want her back anyway. They all thought she was annoying. Eyes glued to the ground, her pace slowed to a sluggish pace. Why did everyone hate her? Her vision started becoming fuzzy. "I'm not crying. I'm not crying," Maddy muttered. Chanting it as if trying to convince herself that the tears flowing down her cheeks were not real.


The sound of a car horn made her look up. There was a car that had stopped in the road, with a female driver staring at Maddy with a worried look on her face. "Are you lost?" Maddy shook her head, now wiping the tears on her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "What are you doing out so late?" "I'm -hic- g-going to the park to -hic- play." "Do your parents know where you are?" Maddy shook her head again. "Mommy and daddy are in -hic- heaven. It's just me and my big brothers and sisters." "Well, do they know where you are?" "N-no. -hic- They don't want me there."


Worried about the girl, the woman invited Maddy into the car and drove her to her house, only another block and a half away. When she opened the door and motioned for the little girl to walk in, Maddy was a bit hesitant. She had never been to someone else's house before but eventually she stepped in, only to hear a familiar voice.


"Welcome home, mom. Was work oka-Maddy?!" Maddy looked up to see Leo, with a face as surprised as her own. This was Leo's house?! The woman was Leo's mom?! Mrs. Winchester glanced at her son and then at Maddy. A slight chuckle slipped through her lips. "So this is the Maddy you've been ta-" Leo's face turned bright red and he began flailing his arms toward his mother. "M-mom! Be quiet! A-and what's Maddy doing here?!" "I saw her walking alone outside and it didn't seem like she wanted to go home. So I decided to take her here. I didn't know it was Maddy."


Afterwards, Mrs. Winchester invited Maddy to the living room to sit and maybe watch some tv. "Maddy, are you hungry? Do you want something to drink?" The girl shook her head. "No, thank you." It wouldn't be smart of her to take anything. Maddy, like the rest of her family, couldn't handle normal food well and it'd be impolite to throw up when in someone's home. She sat on the couch in silence, legs brought up to her chest. Leo sat down on the couch as well, making sure to keep ample distance between him and her.


There was an awkward silence before Leo picked up the remote and turned the tv on to a movie. "Did you have a fight with your family?" Maddy stayed quiet. She didn't want to tell him anything. What if Leo found out how annoying she was and hated her too? Another awkward silence rose though this one had the movie playing in the background. Leo looked down at his feet. He had never imagined he could feel so nervous in his own house. Maddy seemed to not want to talk to him. That coupled with what had happened that day at school, the boy had no idea what to say. He couldn't exactly keep asking about her personal life and if he didn't find something they could talk about he might yammer on about something stupid.


His eyes rose to look at the movie on tv. It was one of those supernatural action movies, with vampires fighting werewolves and the like. The main heroine was played by Camilla Gabriel, a fairly new but popular actress. Maddy liked acting. She was Little Red Riding Hood in last year's play. Maybe he could talk to her about this. "I-I really like this actress, you know. She really plays the role of the vampire well." Maddy looked at the tv and recognized one of her idols. She smiled. "Yeah. She's really good, isn't she? She's only been acting for a year but she's already got a big role like this. And . . . And . . . " Realizing how she was pretty much rambling, Maddy's face flushed a bit and she sat back, eyes glued forward. She remembered back to the incident at school when Leo had called her ugly (Not really). "And . . . she's really pretty, isn't she?"


Leo smiled at how talking about the actress seemed to put Maddy in a better mood. He liked Maddy better when she wasn't sad. "Y-yeah . . . But I think you're . . . pretty, too . . . " Maddy turned beet red and upon looking at Leo out of the corner of her eye, saw that Leo was red as well. H-How could he say something so embarrassing like that?! But she was happy. She was really happy. But she was mostly embarrassed. So she shoved Leo off the couch and onto the floor. "D-d-don't get ahead of yourself, idiot."


Soon, Leo's mom came back and asked Maddy to tell her the Stewarts' phone number. And although she was reluctant to let her family know where she was, Maddy eventually gave the woman the number. Mrs. Winchester then went to call the Stewarts. Unfortunately, it seemed like no one was picking up so she left a message on the answering machine.


"Hello, this is Mary Winchester of XXX XXXXX Street. I'm calling because I found Maddy Stewarts outside and she's currently at my house. She seems a bit upset though, so I'm wondering if it'd be okay if she stayed over tonight, just to calm down a bit. Please call when you get this message. Our number is XXX-XXXX."
 
Tegan felt like her head was about to pop. With the owner gone, and her impatience to get off the phone with 911, she was completely lost. Should she send everyone home? Or should she wait for the police to do that? Is it technically a crime scene if the death was a suicide? And most importantly, what the f**k was going on, today?!


When Rikarah started speaking, she turned to look at the woman, and listened to her carefully. She was scared too, though she wasn't alone at home. Granted, Evan would be little help if someone broke in and tried to kill her, but she still wasn't alone. Tegan swallowed thickly and ran a hand through her hair, tugging lightly at the end as she tried to gather her thoughts.


She could invite Rikarah over, certainly. It wouldn't be the first time Tegan had slept on her living room couch, and it definitely wouldn't be the last. What gave her pause was the fact that she still knew so little about the girl she was speaking to. She had never been in the business of letting strangers just waltz into her house, and with Evan living with her, it would probably cause some sort of scene in the morning, even though they'd met each other just earlier that evening. While he was making some progress, his routine was still very rigid, especially in the mornings. If he were to walk into the kitchen and see someone else, it could make for a very interesting morning.


“I uhm... I have to walk to the bus stop by the school after my shift ends. I'd be more than happy to walk with you if you want. To be honest, I'm not exactly in the mood to walk by myself either.”


--------


Riley listened to his sister quietly, knowing that if he were to try to calm her down or comfort her at this point, it would only make things worse. It's not only that, though. Everything that she was saying rang true to him. Not one person had really said anything about exactly what was going on. They had all used it to fuel their anger about whatever else they had to be angry about, but none of them had really addressed it head on.


Besides, he never really took a moment to stop her when she was wrong, why would he now when every word out of her mouth was basically gospel?


“Maybe we should start mentioning it,” he began quietly, not quite yet reaching out to touch her. He wanted to give her more time to cool down, or collect herself, or just do what she needed to do. “Maybe that's what we need, to just talk about it. And I'm not talking about those stupid f***ing family meetings Jeremy has us do, I mean we should actually sit down and talk about what's going on... figure out what our next move is.”


((sorry if this isn't the greatest. I'm having a little difficulty organizing my own thoughts today :P ))
 
Tegan’s offer had not been exactly what Rikarah was partly hoping for. She had not expected the girl to invite her home with her, exactly, though she had wondered if Tegan might suggest as much if Rikarah strongly implied she would accept if she were to do so. But her suggestion of walking Rikarah home was almost as desirable. Not because Rikarah was frightened- she certainly wasn’t. She knew precisely the cause of both deaths in the first incident, and if this recent death was a suicide, she had nothing to fear. If it was the oldest Stewart boy behind it, well, she did not fear him either, if his brother’s easy disposal was any indication of their ability to best her.





In any case, Rikarah could not remember many occasions in her life when she had truly felt fear as it was. In fact, when she briefly probed her memory in effort to locate such an instance, she could not think of a single one.








“Thank you,” she smiled slightly at Tegan’s suggestion, and inclined her head in a nod. “That would be very nice of you. I suppose I can wait until your shift is over…when does it end?”





She paused, tapping her fingers briefly against her soda glass before looking around the room. The impending presence of the police made her somewhat edgy, not because she believed they would recognize her or her true identity, but simply because she may be asked to speak with them as a witness. And if that were the case, then who knows what could eventually be dredged up.





“I have to say, I’ve never been one to enjoy being around cops very much,” she says to Tegan with a slight laugh. “They make me nervous. Every time I see one while I am driving I drop below 25 miles an hour…they make a person feel like a criminal. So…if I sort of blend into the background for a while when they show up…I did not disappear. I will wait for your shift to end all the same.”





**





Regina took in a deep breath in response to Riley’s words, then nodded slowly as she tried to pull herself together. Her eyes are still closed, a few more tears emerging all the same, but she can feel her limbs relaxing slightly as she continues to breathe in and out, eventually bringing her breathing rate closer to normal. She doesn’t try to sit up or to reach out to grasp hold of anger again, no longer having the energy. She is just tired, so damn tired.





Without speaking or opening her eyes she reaches out for Riley, fumbling to grasp a hand or arm or any easily held part of him to lightly tug at, wanting to pull him down beside her again. She hears Jeremy coming inside from downstairs, as he is not being very quiet about it, but doesn’t react.





When Jeremy sees the blinking light of the answering machine, he stops, staring at it for a few moments without connecting the light to a message, then walks over to it slowly, pressing play. He continues to stare at it for a few more minutes after having heard what Leo’s mother had to say, before coming to the decision that he could not trust himself to call the woman back and have a conversation with her in his current state, let alone to operate a vehicle. He would go to get Maddy in the morning….he would talk to the twins and Juliette in the morning.





Shuffling into the closet which held their freezer with its hidden blood, he took out a bag and drank nearly half its contents, not bothering to properly restore the bag or to wipe his mouth before returning to the living room, falling face down on the couch, and closing his eyes. Still, it was some time before he could truly let himself sink into sleep.
 
Tegan ran a hand through her hair, something she did more to comfort herself than fix her appearance and took a drink of water. She mulled over her question for a few moments as she chewed on a piece of ice. “My guess is that the police will probably make me shut the place down once they get here.”


She smiled weakly when Rikarah admits being uncomfortable around the police and nods, “I think that's pretty normal. I tend to get nervous around anyone who has a gun in plain sight, but cops tend to take the authority thing too far.”


Talking was remarkably easy for some reason, maybe it was just the shock and her mind trying to compartmentalize what was going on currently, versus what she had witnessed in the bathroom. As far as she was concerned, it was fine so long as she could keep herself together long enough to get home. She smiled again, but it was a little more difficult this time, “Blend in all you need. I'm not exactly itching to talk to them either.”


As if on cue, red and blue lights flickered outside the window of the bar. Heaving a deep breath, she reached over and turned the music off, “Everybody listen up! Make room for the EMTs and officers!”


Half the bar cleared in seconds, which certainly made room for everyone to get in and collect the body. She waited dumbly at the bar for the police to approach and question her. When they did, she answered the questions as best as she could, unable to give much information at all. The best she was able to do was tell them about the man who'd told her, whose name she did not know, that she went to check and immediately called the police. Since it was a suicide, she figured they were more or less just collecting a statement for the family, but either way, she wanted to be elsewhere.


Once they left, she phoned the owner and told him that she was closing early and sped through the normal closing ritual. She skipped mopping and turned off all of the lights before collecting her things from the back room.


As she stepped back out into the bar, she approached the door and locked it and bolted it methodically, “We have to leave through the back.” She explained to Rikarah, “This door only locks from the inside.”


--------


Riley squeezes Regina's hand when she grasps his and allows her to pull him into the bed. He lies down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist tightly as he pulls her close and plants a kiss at the nape of her neck.


He finally settles back down, almost ready for Maddy to come knocking on the door with another one of her obnoxious questions. Instead, the only noise from inside the house is Jeremy as he comes back from wherever the hell he needed to rush off to. It doesn't matter. He's exhausted, and he's warming up beneath the bed and he pulls Regina even closer to him as he lets his eyes drift closed.
 
As she had warned, the moment the police arrived, Rikarah had slipped off the bar stool and busied herself blending in among the other patrons, this made all the easier because of her small height despite sudden departures of many upon seeing the police. She simply leaned herself against a wall as far from the police and the bathrooms as she could get, turning in such a manner that she was showing only her profile, just in case there did happen to be some eager beaver rookie who had scoured old case files and just happened to recognize her face. It had been just under a year's time since she had reinvented herself, and her hair was slightly longer now, but she knew that nonetheless, she looked still quite similar to herself a year ago.


She had toyed with changing her appearance, to dying her hair or using makeup to try to change her looks the most she could. But in the end Rikarah had opted for remaining as is. After all, she was a small, usually quiet brunette. What about her was so distinct that she should disguise it? It would draw more attention to herself to be a blonde or redhead than to remain herself.


She watched the police do their required tasks of questioning Tegan and those who had witnessed the body in the bathroom and were willing to admit it, watched them begin to section off the bathroom as Tegan began her own tasks of closing. She wanted to stay a bit longer, to continue to flirt slightly with the danger of remaining in place with the police, people who could so easily destroy her self-made life with one stray recognizing glance. But before long Tegan came to her, indicating that she was ready to leave, and Rikarah followed a bit slowly, with one glance back.


As she and Tegan walked, she chose her words carefully along with her facial expression, making sure she conveyed nervousness more than anything else as she lead Tegan back towards her home. In spite of herself and the game of sorts she was playing, in drawing this young woman in, she did like Tegan and what she knew of her. Her instincts were generally good in judging people, and hers told her that Tegan was, if not someone she could fully trust, someone she could enjoy being with. Even if Tegan did not in some way provide Rikarah with self-protection or knowledge she needed, she would still get something, she suspected, from being around her.


As they reached the entrance to Rikarah's dorm, she turned and smiled at Tegan, tilting her head in the manner of a girl ending her first date, waiting her kiss. She played this up in a deliberately facetious manner, even trailing a hand up Tegan's arm as she said in an obviously teasing tone, "I had a good time tonight....maybe we can try this again?"


Then in her normal tone, giving a faint laugh, she removed her hand, shaking her head. "This day was...crazy, frankly. But I truly would not mind perhaps trying a more typical hang out with you at some time."


**


When Regina awakened in the morning, she was still curled close to Riley in his arms, not having stirred throughout the entire night. She had not set her alarm clock the night before, and when she slowly turns her head to see its numerals, she is immediately jolted awake by what it reads, and the memory it stirs in her.


8:35 am. That means that her appointment for her abortion is in, oh, 25 minutes.


Jerking herself up in bed and flinching at the aching pull of her muscles, the stir of nausea this provokes, she shoves Riley off of her and swings her feet out of bed, staggering to her closet and ripping out the first few items she sees without caring what they are as she calls out to him. "Riley!!! Get up, now, we have to go, right now! We still have to drive to the clinic and we're going to be late!"


Without waiting for his response she heads out the door, down the stairs, having to hold onto the staircase to do so, and into the kitchen, not bothering to get herself any blood. The last thing she wants is to be sick before having to leave. It is true, she notices, that she doesn't feel as bad as she had the night before, but she is still uncomfortable.


Seeing Jeremy still sprawled out on the couch, she rolls her eyes, then speaks to him in her normal tone of voice to awaken him. "Hey, drunkass, we're going to scrape out my uterus. Then we're hunting Zane's killer. I don't know if you plan to sleep all day or drink yourself into a stupor or just go to work and pretend nothing happened like usual, but that's the plan."


Jeremy sat up groggily, trying to process what she is saying, and blinks several times before he remembers his own agenda for the day. Maddy. Have to get Maddy. Have to look decent first, enough so that her friend's mom isn't going to take one look at him and call DSS on him, report that Maddy is not only living with a brother who lets her wander all hours of the night, but also one who wakes up with hangovers in the morning. Without responding to Regina, he pulls himself up painfully and shuffles towards the bathroom to shower and attempt to pull himself together. If he was going to work today, then he had to look okay for that too.


He knew better than to try to tell her about the events in the bar the night before. Somehow he doubted she'd be very sympathetic.


(I guess he'll tell her when she realizes she's not pregnant)
 
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