"So did you ever manage to get the ball back?"
"Yeah. But the dog kept my other shoe."
"How... how long has she been like that?" Paul leaned over asking Jared as he stared at Azazel through the glass window.
"Ever since she found out the girl she thought she killed in an accident is actually alive." Jared answered pressing his lips together.
"I'm sorry what?" Paul's eyes widened in shock and Jared slapped his forehead.
"Right! You've never been on patrol with her yet... Yeah. She's not from this world and she's actually 22." Jared explained causing Paul's eyes to bulge out even more from their sockets.
Jared realized that perhaps this was something he should have eased Paul into more than how he had. Although Paul was handling the information a lot bette than he expected. It probably had to deal with the fact that literally shapeshifter so is a person from another world really that insane to believe? "That- there is so much to unpack, but let's just answer my first question?" Came out Paul's strangles question, "Who's the girl?"
"Well in the last world there was this girl Lunette and Az blames herself for her death since she was driving." Jared explains somberly. "I don't know if they were friends or more but every time we patrol with Az, we get to see her face."
Paul sat down, the weight of that information knocking out his air. "Damn... no wonder why you guys have never let me patrol with her."
"That and other things." Jared scratched the back of his head making Paul lift an eyebrow.
"Jared come on. If she only hit twenty in her past life ,shit can't believe I just said that, how much worse could it get?"
And so Jared grabbed two cans of Coke and sat down next to Paul, preparing the newest member of the pack for the things they might see when sharing a shift with Azazel.
"And whatever you do Paul, do not let Azazel know that I told you this."
~~~~~~~
When Sam came home again , he found Azazel in the same spot he left her.
Her eyes are sunken in, an obvious lack of sleep and it looks like she hasn't been eating, which is insane. It's been two days and that level of malnutrition doesn't appear in two days. It appears in weeks. There's a blanket thrown haphazardly across her shoulders, when Sam tried to keep her warm that first night when she refused to go indoors.
"Hey... how are ya?"
No response.
"Azazel?" He tried again stepping in front of her, only to not be seen. No, those emerald eyes were elsewhere. A universe away and if this continues she'd wither into the next. He'd sat by her, spoke with her... nothing seemed to rouse her from her state.
He briefly considered attacking her, to force her into action but the notion of attacking her while she seemed so hopeless.
It didn't sit well with him.
"Azazel... please. You haven't moved all day... for the past two days..." he spoke softly. "Leah's here... she said she's gonna bake cookies with us? Sound like fun?" He tried again only to remain unsuccessful.
"Or you can run patrol?"
"Or you can just sit there like a potato bag."
Sam sighed again waving a hand in front of her face only to give up and trudge back inside the house. "Hey... how is she?" Leah walked to Sam wrapping her arms around his waist kissing his cheek. Sam shook his head accepting the affection with ease. "What happened? Maybe I can-"
"You can't do anything Leah. Leave her be." Sam cut off Leah abruptly pulling away from her. " Sorry...Let's just get started on your bake sale."
~~~~~~~~~
Seth rolled his eyes.
It had been an hour and Sam and Leah were dancing around each other. Leah would try to be supportive and find out what was bothering Sam or Azazel and Sam would shut her down with a change of direction.
Sam would then try to make it up to Leah by being affectionately sweet which honestly was disgusting.
Before it had been normal but lately... lately it had felt forced. Like they had to prove to themselves how they did still love each other.
They were talking to each other but weren't really talking.
It made him uncomfortable.
And to make matters worse his Gameboy died.
So how else was a guy supposed to keep himself entertained?
He looked over the gross couples shoulder to see Azazel and decided that he'd entertain himself with her. At this point anyone was better than mushy "We're so in love!"
"Heeeeyyy Azazel!" He grinned plopping down next to the woman a bag of chips in his left hand and a cup of coke "It's been a while hasn't it?"
He held out the bag of chips in front of her as an offering but noted she didn't respond. Seth's grin faltered and he noticed her eyes.
How blank they were.
The way his favorite uncle's got in the middle of a conversation.
Seth dipped his hands in the coke pulling out the ice and slowly placed it in her hands closing her fingers over them. Then he started to talk, "Ya know the other day I went to a baseball game with my friends. Alex is a real good hitter. I've never seen her miss a single pitch thrown her way-" and just like that he was off, talking about how he skinned his knee trying to catch a dog while it's owner swung a cane at him. "- although if we're completely honest it's the Geezer's fault he dropped the ball on the apple pie."
A scoff made him stop and turn to Azazel with an easy grin. The color seemed to have returned to her cheeks and her eyes were aware and looking at him fondly and with a bittersweet nostalgia.
Seth smiles and with that offers some of the Doritos to Azazel who accepts his offer taking a handful. "So did you ever manage to get the ball back?"
"Yeah. But the dog kept my other shoe."
~~~~~~~~~~
Over the next week Azazel fell back into routine and discovered a better way to cope.
Fighting with Paul.
"Guys! Guys!" Sam shouted prying the two of them apart with his bare hands. Azazel and Paul glanced at each other , each of their hair a mess.
"Ugh, your deodorant doesn't work." Azazel grimaced rolling her eyes at Sam who just pinched the bridge of his nose. Paul grinned before reaching over to pull Azazel into a headlock and she reacted quickly moving and flipping him over.
Jared bit back a laugh as the breath was knocked out of Paul and he took a moment to catch his breath. "I'm regretting bringing you guys to the barbecue." Sam shook his head continuing the walk. "Come on. We're going to be late to the Clearwater barbecue."
"Last one there is in charge of cooking breakfast for the week." Azazel called out shoving Paul back to the floor and took off running to Leah's house. Jared was the first to run off after her.
~~~~~
"I win!"
"It wasn't a race."
"You're just saying that cause you're the new chef."
"Shut up."
~~~~~~~~~
Leah beamed the second she saw Sam. "Hey babe." She smiled kissing his lips briefly. He reacted with a soft tired smile and turned to see the rest of the pack including Azazel fake gagging. "Oh shut up." Leah laughed. "Everyone's in the back already."
Ms. Uley took off immediately but Leah didn't notice the subtle nod Sam gave everyone else before they followed the command. Leah pulled Sam aside and her lips pressed together. "Sam... why is Paul and Jared here?"
"They're my friends? We always invite friends to the family barbecues?"
"Friends Sam. Since when are you friends with Paul?"
"He's a cool guy."
"Like how Azazel is a cool girl?"
"I thought you liked Azazel?" Sam blinked in confusion. "Leah, I already told you there's nothing going on between us. Don't you trust me?"
Leah pulled back from Sam at the question. "I wish you'd stop acting like I'm the person with the trust issues."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're hiding something from me Sam."
"Leah. How many times are we going to have this conversation?" Sam scowled. "How many times do I need to repeat myself? You bring this up every time we see each other, and I've told you over and over-" Leah noticed his hands tremble and he took a deep breath. "Let's just enjoy the barbecue honey."
Sighing but not willing to let another argument cloud their day together Leah nodded.
When they got the backyard she could see Jared and Paul shoving their faces and lingering by her dad. Paul significantly more nervous than Jared. Azazel was leaning against the wall talking with Emily and Seth and the mothers were chatting up a storm.
Sam let go of her hand walking straight towards Azazel and Emily and Seth leaving Leah behind and confused. It was like a man possessed as he walked forward his arm reached outward towards them before he turned sharply and left. Out the backyard and away from Leah.
He didn't even look at Leah on the way out.
"What's with him?" Seth asked curiously.
"Too many fucking things to list." Azazel shrugged lifting a beer to her lips which Ms. Uley took away from her making Azazel scowl.
Leah swallowed looking at the closed door. Emily sensing the concern walked and wrapped an arm around Leah. "I'm sure you two will figure it out." Leah turned to glare at Azazel and Emily sighed. "Azazel is not sleeping with Sam. I don't think he's the type to cheat on you. I think he'd at least have the decency of breaking up with you before doing anything." Emily smiled. "Now come on. Seth set up Ping Pong."
The party continued and several hours later Leah's mom beckoned her daughter closer and whispered for her that Sam was on the front porch.
"Hey babe." Leah sighed sitting next to him. She noticed the tears immediately and wrapped her arms around him. "Sam, what's wrong? Sam? Sam? You can tell me anything. I love you."
And in one sentence Sam broke Leah's heart.
When Leah came back to the party, she couldn't imagine what she looked like. Her face red and she blubbered out her explanation to Emily who looked confused.
"Leah. Slow down." Sue Clearwater looked at her daughter in concern. "Take a deep breath. Tell us what happened?" At her mother's words Leah shakily inhaled, and the world came into focus a bit more... she noticed that everyone had gathered around her, and when did she sit down at the table, someone had shoved a cup of ice water into her hands.
"He broke up with me." She whispered out.
"Why the fuck would he do that?!?"
Leah lifted her head to see who had asked that but she already knew from the language.
Azazel looked so confused. So bewildered, her green eyes looked innocent. She has no clue. A small rational voice told Leah to stay calm and remain still.
That voice was drowned out.
In a split second no one could have expected Leah throwing the cup of ice water in Azazel's face and tackling her and throwing weak punches at the fifteen years olds face.
"You bitch!"
Everyone moved to pull the two girls apart, Azazel's eyes were narrowed but Leah remained in tact aside from her greatly bruised knuckles. Confirmation to Ms. Uley that Azazel let Leah hit her without retaliation.
"I... I think we should go." Ms. Uley whispered helping Azazel off the floor.
As they left Azazel glanced over her shoulder as the car drove off wondering what the fuck happened.