*****
Chapter 25 - So close
*****
"You sure you're okay?" Diego asked as he drove along, back towards Castle Rock.
Oakley nodded from her spot in the backseat, looking up at him in the rear view mirror. He gave her a small smile as he nodded.
Evan sat up front with him as the massive entourage drove back to the small town.
Oakley watched as she saw her brother's hand reach out between the two front seats. Diego placed his hand down as the pair interlocked fingers and gave each other a small smile.
She felt a small nudge by her side as she looked down to see Ace's leg nudging hers with his.
A small smile crept onto her face as she saw his hand slowly edge over to where hers was resting on her lap.
Comfortably she reached for it as their hands met and Ace's fingers slipped perfectly to sit between her own.
"Brilliant." Eyeball sighed from his spot on her other side. "Fucking third wheeling in a car with two fucking couples!"
The rest all laughed slightly as Oakley lifted her hand and gently brushed his cheek.
"You're still my lil poodle." She laughed out.
Eyeball groaned. "Why am I the fucking poodle?!"
"The curls obviously." Diego answered from up front. "And I've always wanted a poodle."
"Brilliant." Eyeball grumbled as he slumped in his seat slightly.
"Hey so you never said what sin I'd be." Evan piped up.
"Oh you're definitely lust." Oakley answered. "Especially with him." Her free hand gestured to Diego.
"Hey no you're lust!" Evan snapped back as he turned slightly to gesture between his baby sister and Ace.
"No way!" She fired back.
"Yes way!" He retaliated.
"I am not!" She moaned out.
"You bloody well are!" He fired back.
"They always like this?" Ace asked as he leant forward to Diego.
Diego only nodded. "Always."
"Wait hang on, lust isn't bound to just one person right?" Oakley stopped their argument. "Like doesn't lust just want everyone all the time?"
Silence fell in the car as everyone tried to work it out.
"Derek." Oakley, Diego and Evan all spoke in sync as they nodded.
Ace and Eyeball stared confused as the trio began to tell tales of Derek's many one nighters. The cobras were nothing compared to the stud this Taylor seemed to be.
*****
"Come with me?" Ace asked Oakley quietly as they all got out the cars and his hand quickly went back to hers.
She gave him a small nod as she followed Ashton into the entrance, each cobra feeling their hearts racing too fast.
*****
"You just gonna stand there?" Oakley asked as they all stood outside Charlie's room.
"I can't open the door." Billy finally spoke.
"What if he got worse or-" Jack started but stopped.
Eyeball turned and silently pleaded at Oakley. She gave him a small nod as stepped forward.
Yet with Ace refusing to let her hand go, he stepped forward too.
Slowly she opened the door and relief flushed over all of them.
"Charlie?!" Billy practically pulled apart Oakley and Ace's hands to push through.
Charlie's lips turned up in a smile as he saw his best friend come racing in.
"Hey..." his voice tried to crackle out as each cobra came inside.
Charlie was still strapped up and on the machine but the fact he was awake, meant more to them.
Charlie's eyes found Oakley as he tried to reach out for her.
"Jasp-" he forced out.
Oakley nodded as she stepped closer to him. "We know. He's gone."
Charlie nodded slowly as his eyes looked about, his neck still strapped up so he couldn't move it.
"What did I miss?" He coughed out slightly as every cobra turned to Ace and Oakley.
Charlie's eyes lowered as he saw their connected hands.
"Bout time." He mumbled.
"Oh and you're the chihuahua of the group!" Jack added.
Charlie's face attempted to scrunch up in confusion. "What?"
"Nevermind." Billy brushed it off as he sat down, closest to Charlie. "You're alright now, that's all that matters."
Charlie forced a smile at him. "I'm not a chihuahua though."
Oakley rolled her eyes as she looked towards the door, Diego stood there as he nodded towards himself.
Oakley gently let Ace's hand go as the group had automatically gone back to trying to pick what dogs they'd be, especially now Charlie was awake.
"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Diego asked as it was now just the two of them, he knew when something was bothering her.
"Before you all showed up, Jasper said he got a message from God telling him it was his duty to get rid of them." She explained quietly.
Diego shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So he was a nut job?"
Oakley shook her head slightly. "No I just can't-" she stopped herself. "It just doesn't seem right."
Diego stared at her blankly.
"Can one of you two tell Jack he's not being the husky because I wanna be the husky?"
Their conversation was cut short as Vince stood in the doorway staring at them.
"Next time we get a dog, let's get one that doesn't talk as much." Diego suggested as Oakley nodded in agreement.
*****
Captain Bryce Charleston sat at his desk on in his office. Carter had just left, telling him that Diego and Oakley would file their reports with him the next morning.
He sighed as he pulled a cigarette from his packet and lit it, chucking the pack back in his top drawer.
Pulling out a small black book, he placed the cigarette in his mouth as it opened it to the bookmarked page.
A list of each cobra and each View crew came up. Two of the View crew had lines through as had Charlie's.
Grumbling he picked up a pen and rewrote Charlie's name. "Fucker woke up." He mumbled.
He chucked his pen down as his fingers slowly brushed over the pages.
"So close."
He remembered how he had left the typed up notes and messages to Jasper, instructing him that it was God's wish to remove all sin from the world.
"So fucking close." He growled out.