All Your Fates (Currently editing/updating)

Prologue: I Killed Another One, Pepper ~ Carrie Cutforth

Then I climbed into the tub with him (after I changed the water of course), and settled his body against mine.

He leaned back and rested his head on my shoulder, face close to mine.

Finally he said, "Pepper...?"

"Yes?" I said, not too pleased it took him this long to actually acknowledge me.

"You are really here?" his voice trembled and I thought his eyes looked glassy and tearful.

"Yup," I said and then started to play with his hair so he could feel me alive on his body.

"That's good," he said and squeezed my hand. And for the first moment since stepping foot back in L.A. I didn't regret coming back.

And then he said with a croak, "She's gone for good, isn't she?"

I stopped playing with his hair. "Yes, baby, she's gone. And that's okay. You need to be okay with her being gone. You need to be okay..." I said and then squeezed his body to mine in a tight bear hug.

"Oh I am okay with it," he started excitedly. "She doesn't have to come back...I've got a plan...I can find her...another her...one that will love only me and not any of the other me's," he stated fast and furious.

"You can't do that, David," I chided gently.

"Atticus says..." he defended.

"Atticus is an asshole who is using you, David. If you only knew what he was capable of—" I started.

"But he's helping me do it...he's helping me find her..." David whined.

"He's helping you bury yourself into an early grave. Do you want to end up like one of those mice in that disgusting bin you keep in the lab?" I cried.

"I think I'm on a breakthrough. I can feel it," he said sitting up and away from me.

"You're not even listening..." I sighed in exasperation.

"I only need to figure out how to slow down time and then..." he whispered hoarsely as if it was the sanest statement in the world.

"Ugh," I said pushing him away from me and getting out of the tub. I wrapped my body in the warm and fuzzy complimentary hotel housecoat, pulled the plug and let the water drain.

"I'm such a fool," I muttered to myself as I dried off his hair while watching the soap bubbles slide down into the drain.

Yeah. So there's that.

Yay to being back.

***

David's POV

So Pepper's back. Well, has been back for quite some time. I told her she might as well move in because she's around enough but she just snickers anytime I suggest it. And laughs again whenever I try to show her any smattering of affection. Sometimes I think she has no feelings at all.

It makes no sense for her to keep paying for a hotel. She could at least get her own apartment again but she insists she is not sticking around, and is constantly reminding me not to get used to her being here for me. But she said that months ago, if not yesterday.

Then again, I can't blame her much. I'm such an asshole to her despite all she's done for me. The way I ignore her and she begins to blur out of frame and into the edges even while she is ever present making sure I take breaks and eat and see the sun. Going out and buying all my mice for me. You would think Pepper was born part cat.

If only she was more helpful at helping me make a breakthrough but not everyone is cut out for this line of thinking. Not everyone has vision like me. Or is a visionary. Like me.

And she helped me in ways I can't explain. You might find this hard to believe but I kinda went off the deep end for a while. But I'm all better now. My mind is quiet again. And sane. Thanks to Pepper.

Now...if I could just manage a way to slow down time.

"You can't slow down time," Pepper said aloud in an exasperated sigh, reminding me of her presence and that I had been talking out loud again.

"Why are you always so negative," I scowled at her. "You never support me."

"I???" Pepper cried at me from across the counter in the lab. "I?? Never support you???"

I turned to her coldly and replied, "Whut. Did I stutter?"

I saw her emerald green eyes flash as she began to tremble with rage. "Who brought you back to life? And took care of you when you were down and out? And still takes care of you?" she said while her chin quivered.

I just stared at her blankly. I had no time for this distraction. I needed to get back to my work. Couldn't she see how important it was?

"No, David. This is not important!" Pepper answered, reminding me again, I had been speaking out loud.  "All these alternate realities you keep pursuing are NOT as important as the reality you actually live in!"

She just didn't understand. How could she possibly. She had never been in love before. Not like I have. Not like this.

"Oh, I understand all right," Pepper challenged me, "I understand when to call it quits. Something I should have done months ago. And I'm determined not to be more of a fool than you are."

Pepper fussed around the room as she talked, her ears and cheeks burning bright red, and eyes flashing and I suddenly thought she looked terrifyingly beautiful. "If she is what you really want, then go," Pepper demanded, "Go find your fucking one true love. Because she is not in this reality. And certainly not in this room as you so eloquently keep reminding me."

With that she suddenly plugged the system back in and turned it on with a flick of her iPad and I thought I saw the beginning of tears -- but refused to believe it.  Pepper wasn't the type to feel deeply. Not like I do.

"I hope whatever reality you go to first is Hell on Earth," Pepper spat as the humming of the frequencies rose into a crescendo, and the polystyrene began to bounce up and form a perfectly brilliant opulent bubble like a shimmering pearl.

Then Pepper said something else about no longer willing to pretend she was in love with me and she was ashamed of herself for getting caught mothering any man or something like that before walking out the door, but I was no longer paying attention as I was mesmerized with the now presented possibility...

"Okay," I yelled over my shoulder at Pepper leaving although I was uncertain how long ago she had left. "See at you home."

... of finally finding Emma. The one out there I was certain who would love me. And I knew I would find The One.

And I knew this because a fortune cookie told me so.

// A/N

Happy New Years our lovelies!!! Tell us what you think of our new cover by Hugo Arias? Be sure to visit his website blamethesky.com

Friday we will release the next chapter, written by the lovely Willow Polson, and then the weekly schedule will be every Friday for at least the month of January. I'm back hard at work but I have 1) a hangover 2) coming down with something again...hmmmmm do you think those two items are mutually exclusive???

Oh and 83 k reads. WOOT!

Love,

C 

P.S. ANIMAL TESTING IS WRONG!!! 

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