Roman awakes with a crick in his neck and his arm asleep. He cracks his eyes open to see the room illuminated in a golden hue. A strand of hair gets caught in his mouth, pulling his attention to the body sleeping next to him. Well, on him. Her eyes flutter open followed by two drawn-out blinks. "Hi," he whispers.
"Hi."
"You survived another full moon."
"One down," she smiles, still half asleep, "and the rest of my life left to go." Roman tries to sit up then, but her arm catches him. "No, sleep. Still tired."
"I've got to go get Peter," he reminds her, pulling her arm off of his waist.
"Where is he?"
"My house," Roman groans and sits up despite her protests. He hisses at the bitter air that hits him once he's free from the blankets. "I've got to go get him."
"How do I know you'll come back to me the same."
"I know her game now," he pushes her hair behind her ear. "I'm like her. Whatever she is."
"I'm coming with you."
"No."
"I'm going," she says and it's a promise.
"Please stay here."
"Where you go, I go," he tries to protest. "Don't. You know it won't work." He knows she's right.
"Well, let's go then."
"Okay, okay," Emma hesitantly pushes away the blankets to reveal her bare skin to the arctic tundra that's her bedroom. "Fuck Pennsylvania, fuck this weather," she mumbles. Roman stands the rest of the way and offers her a hand up. She takes it but doesn't let go. Instead, she pulls him behind her to the bathroom.
Shutting the door, she moves to the tub and waits for the water to heat up. "Em, Peter's waiting on us."
"And he can wait a little longer," she mumbles, hand under the faucet. "I need to shower."
"Okay, well... I'm going to get a cup of coffee from the kitchen."
"Nope," she shakes her head. "You're staying here."
"Why are you so adamant I stay with you?" He chuckles.
"Because I know the moment I turn my back on you you're going to leave me here," she told tugs his hands forward again. She's not wrong. Given the chance, he would leave before she could tag along.
He waits for her, leaned up against the counter with a steaming mirror behind him. Every 30 or so seconds her grumbles a 'hurry up to her' which ultimately makes her go slower.
.....
"Oh! Hi, Roman," Kay says, taken aback as they walk down the stairs. She's still in her scrubs, seated at the kitchen table with a magazine. She had barely glanced up, expecting to just her daughter. The sight of the impressively tall boy ducking his head as he makes his way into the room shocked her.
"Hello," he smiles back to her. As soon as he's past her eyeline she shoots Emma a look of bewilderment.
"What are you kids up to today?" She tries to play it cool.
"Oh, just some errands and stuff," Emma explains as they quickly zip up their outerwear "Roman," she nudges him. "Will you go warm up the car?"
"Of course," he takes the hint. Once the door is safely shut behind him Kay opens her mouth to speak but Emma waves her down.
"I'll explain tonight. I promise," she'll explain something. Not the whole truth, though. "Roman needs to stay with us."
"What?"
"He can't stay with his mom. I'm worried about him."
"Emma, are you sure? You guys have been fighting for months-"
"Yes, I'm sure. He can't go back there. It's not safe." She borders begging.
"And he's safe here?" Emma nods.
"Mom, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"Okay," Kay agrees. "But he sleeps downstairs."
"Of course," Emma moves past her mom to the door.
"Of course?" Kay sounds inquisitive.
"That's always been the rule," she shrugs.
"Then why was he upstairs with you?"
"We just fell asleep talking," Emma explains and it's halfway true.
"Emily Elaine Parker, you are a terrible liar, you know that?"
"I have to go, Mom," she motions to the door. She wasn't a great liar, but there still was a lot Kay hadn't caught onto. It was one of the few perks of being a latch key kid.
"Did you hear what happened last night?"
"No?"
"Some girl was found on the other side of the lake."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know, she was... spread out everywhere apparently," Kay sighs. "They're trying to do some DNA tests, figure it out."
"Shit."
"Yeah. Were you here all last night?"
"Yes," Emma lies right through her teeth.
"Please don't leave the house after the sun goes down, don't open the door."
"I know, I know," she tells her mother.
"The same rules go for Roman if he's staying here."
"We'll be back before sundown, I promise."
.....
Olivia's truck isn't there when they arrive which takes a weight off of Roman's back. He hadn't had the time or energy to decide how to proceed with his life. On step at a time, he'd been telling himself that all morning. One step at a time.
He parks near the back kitchen door, just in case they needed a quick way to escape without anyone noticing. They make their way in and up the back stairs. Emma asks him where he thinks Peter is, but he doesn't answer. He grabs her hand and keeps pulling her up the stairs- Roman knows exactly where Olivia stored Peter.
Poor Shelley had been kept out of her room for almost two weeks now. Peter sits in the hospital bed fast asleep, although he has begun to move slightly, a twitch here, and eye flutter there. Roman sits on the sofa. He peaks over his shoulder every few minutes to check on Peter.
Emma has kicked her shoes off and is curled up with her head in his lap. "Told you we didn't have to rush," she says as soon as they enter the room to find him still fast asleep. The minutes seem to drone on forever as they both lull in and out of sleep.
Finally, the noise of the sheets moving brings them closer to the bed. Peter moans and groans, trying to open his eyes. Roman was fully aware of how much the transition took out of him, but Emma was worried about it. When Peter's eyes fully open he tries to sit up. Roman places a hand on his chest and pushes him back down. "Hey, hey," he says. "It's okay, you're okay."
"My fucking head hurts," Peter rubs his eyes and looks around. "Did you drag me all the way back here?"
"Last time I saw you you were down."
"Down?"
"Chasseur shot you with a dart," Roman explains. Peter groans and swears at the woman. "She was going to take you away. I tried to tell her how it wasn't you but-Fuck!" Roman almost shouts. "Fuck.."
"What?" Peter sits up on his elbows.
"I should have been stronger for you," Roman bites his fingernails.
"Stronger?"
"I tried to stop her, I did! But she had a gun, and she locked us in the mill, and I didn't know what to do. Then one of the doctors from the institute shows up and lets us out. He said my mom had gotten you and brought you back here."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah, it's fucked."
"I'm no judge," Peter shrugs.
"Anyway here you are, my mom's nowhere to be found."
"There's more," Emma mumbles. Both of the boys turn their heads towards her. "My mom said they found a body this morning. They don't know who it is, it was pretty gruesome apparently."
"Fuck," Peter pounds his hand into the mattress. "My mom- I gotta check on my mom." He tries to stand but yelps in pain.
"We'll run down to the trailer and check on her," she offers, jumping forward to stop him. They stay still for a moment, eyes locked, her hand on his bare chest, before jumping back into action. She helps him lay back down and pulls the blanket tightly around him.
"No, no," Roman says. "You stay here, keep an eye on him, I'll be back."
"Roman," she calls to him and tries to catch up before he hits the stairs. "I'm coming with you-"
"Help Peter... Keep my mom away from her," he tells Peter before turning to leave.
Emma takes a seat on the edge of the hospital bed listening to Roman's footsteps trail away. "What's uh..." Peter trails off, pulling her from her thoughts.
"What's going on with me and Roman?" He nods. "I don't know."
"Okay?"
"It's complicated, Peter."
"Yeah, I can imagine," he scoffs. "So it's over? Whatever that whole thing was is over?"
"I don't think it ever will be."
"You and Destiny are so fucking cryptic."
"I'm not cryptic!" Emma defends herself.
"But you are," he laughs weakly. "Listen to yourself speak sometimes."
"I'm not as cryptic as Destiny is."
"Yeah, but she's hard to beat."
"Are you hungry?" Emma asks him. He nods his head vigorously. "I'll go find you something to eat." She starts to leave but hears Peter struggling to move behind her. "What are you doing?"
"Following orders," he explains, finally managing to stand. Completely nude, he waddles around looking for a pair of pants. "I'm keeping Olivia away from you."
"I'm not a child," she averts her eyes. "You need your rest."
"Look," he sighs and bends over to grab a pair of Roman's sweatpants that had been left for him. "Roman told me to keep his mom away from you, so I'm going to do that."
"Since when do you listen to what Roman tells you to do?" She scoffs but doesn't try to argue with him. The sound of his footsteps follows behind her.
"Since he finally said something I agree with."
"Huh?" She asks, opening the kitchen door.
"I agree with him. His mom is bad news, I don't trust her."
"No one does," Emma says. "Take a seat."
She begins digging through the fridge for something to cook the boy. Finally, a bit of butcher paper catches her eyes. She maneuvers it out of the crowded shelve and to the oven. Unwrapping it, she finds to perfectly cut, thick, pieces of steak. Peter lets out a sigh that borders a moan at the smell. "Rare, rare's good," he chokes out.
The steaks have barely hit the frying pan before Peter stands and grabs them with his bare hand. She watches as he ravenously tears it apart, blood dripping down his chin. He lets out a full, deep, moan at the taste. Emma's so engaged in making sure he doesn't choke that she doesn't hear the back door open. It's not until Peter stops eats and looks up that she notices they're not alone.
She might as well not be there, though. Letha shows no hesitation when she runs forward towards Peter. Emma adverts her eyes, feeling like an intruder. When the couple breaks their kiss apart Letha finally notices they're not alone. "Oh, hi Emma?" She greets her, surprised as ever.
"Hi," Emma gives her a small wave back.
"My dad called this morning," she turns her attention back to Peter. "He seemed really worried. They found another body."
"I know."
"What do we do now?"
"Well," Peter wraps her arms back around her and pulls her in tightly. "I guess, we just stand here like this until something else happens."
As if the universe is trying to play a cruel joke on them, something else happens. Something very bad. The sound of sirens and a car coming to a quick stop cracks through the room like a whip. Peter and Letha stare at each other in a panic but make no movements. Emma looks back and forth between the two. "Go hide," she tells them. "Go hide."
"What about you?" Peter asks.
"I'll talk to them," she peaks down the hall where there flashing lights reflect in a mirror. "Go!" She tells them again and the don't hesitate. The sound of running books on the porch scare them and they take off up the stairs. She watches them disappear before taking a deep breath. There's a loud knock on the front door, then another, and another.
Emma slowly approaches the door and cracks it open. "Hello?" She asks seeing the sheriff standing only centimeters away from her face.
"Open the door." He tells her.
"Do you have a warrant?" She asks.
"I don't need a fucking warrant," he growls.
"Go the read fucking Constitution," she shoots back and tries to slam the door. His foot catches it, though. "Don't do this," she smiles at him. "Do you really want one of the Godfrey lawyers down here?"
"Let me in, little girl."
"Come back with a warrant."
"I have a warrant," he smirks.
"Let me see it."
"It's right here," he moves his jacket a bit to show her his gun. He lets his hand linger on it before smiling back at her again. "It says let me in before I shoot you in your fucking face."
"You wouldn't."
"Don't make me ask you to open the door again." Behind him, another cop gets out from the car and comes up the steps to the porch. Emma shows no sign of the anxiety she has building in her stomach. "On the count of three, you can either open the door or we will come in anyway. One," she keeps one hand on the door. "Two. Miss Parker, let us in," she shakes her head. "Fine. Three."
Emma knew that they weren't just making empty threats, she knew they were going to get in one way or another. However, she didn't expect to be left laying on her back with stars in her eyes and a ringing in her ears. She groans and squints trying to see something other than the bright light shining straight into her eyes. Her nose smells something metallic but she can't quite place where from.
She hears running and shouting getting closer and closer. When she finally manages to sit up, she has to lean over and spit out a mouthful of blood. The noises are closer and she can hear Letha's voice. Ignoring a pounding headache and a wave of nausea, Emma manages to make it to the sitting room where they have Peter handcuffed an on his knees.
She can't quite make out what they're saying, it's all distorted, but she sees the smaller cop push Letha to the floor and yell at her. Letha looks like she's on the verge of tears. "Stop!" Emma calls out, alerting everyone in the room of her whereabouts. "She's pregnant!" Stumbling, she finally makes it to Letha. The cops make a crude joke about the baby being Peter's but Emma doesn't hear it- she's too busy trying to help Letha sit up.
"Fuck! Great," one of them calls out when a dark figure enters the room.
"Shelley! Go!" Letha calls out, crying softly. "Go upstairs."
"Shelley?" Another voice from outside the room calls to her. Shelley looks down the hallway and lets a small whimper out.
"Oh brilliant," the one who had been holding Peter lets him go and pushes him to the ground. The other one laughs and they both aim towards him.
"Roman, you're awake?" Letha says stunned.
"Stay back!" The smaller one yells. Roman keeps walking forward.
"You have a gun pointed towards your head! Do not turn around!" The other one shouts. Emma sees Peter and Roman share a nod right before he turns swiftly on his heels.
"Roman, be careful!" Letha begs. He keeps a speedy pace towards the cop.
"Put the gun in your mouth," he orders. The man does as he says. "Uncuff him," Roman tells the other cop.
"Screw you!" He keeps his gun aimed. "What are you doing?"
"If he's still handcuffed by the time I count to three pull the trigger," Roman gives the shaking cop a smile. "One!" The other officer jumps into action uncuffing Peter. "Come here," Roman tells him. He approaches nervously. "Get in your car," Roman instructs, ducked down slightly like a parent speaking to a child. "Take the 79 to the West Virginia state line. When you get there, you can take the gun out of your mouth. And you? You'll punch yourself hard enough in the face to break your nose. Bye now."
The two officers stumble out of the room, eyes wide in terror. Emma can see him wiping at his nose before turning around. "Roman," Letha steps slowly towards him. "What did you do?"
"I just suggested the relocate," he shrugs. "You're not safe here," he tells Peter.
"No shit," Peter laughs. "What do we do?"
"I... I have an idea," Letha pops in.
A/N: Hello! thank you guys for all the moments and likes after the last chapter! I was really nervous about it but I'm glad everyone seemed to like it!As so right now, it's looking like there might be 4 or mabye 5 more chapters left of this book which is crazy!!! I just wanted to check in and see what everyone thought about me moving on to season two? I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in it, but I do have a few ideas...Anyways, as always comments and likes are loved and greatly appreciated
Also, just in general how do we feel about my wine consumption? Like more wine? Less wine? More, stronger wine, more weaker winer? Should I just move on to hard liquors?