Sorry this took way longer than expected!
I got stuck down with the summer cold from hell! Chapter Fourteen
May 28th, 2006
Maria pulled out her key for Liz’s apartment and unlocked the door as quietly as she could. She slipped into the apartment and saw two sets of keys on the key hooks and smiled. Finally, Liz was actually home when she came to surprise her. She walked quietly into the apartment seeing the living room empty and heard water running in the kitchen. She headed into the hallway and peeked into the kitchen. Liz was standing in front of the sink. Maria stepped into the doorway and yelled, “Surprise!”
Liz turned around and smiled as Maria sauntered into the kitchen. “Hey! What are you doing here?” Then her eyes narrowed. “Did Isabel put you up to this?”
Maria wrapped her arms around Liz. “What? No. Michael is checking on a restaurant in Palo Alto for his boss. Big deal, He’s working there tonight as Executive Chef.” She pulled back and grinned. “He tells me it’s huge for him to be sent to check on his boss’s other restaurant up here by himself. I think he’s eyeing Michael for a big promotion with his new restaurant in San Fran.”
“Oh.”
“So.. are we going to celebrate or what? Where’s the champagne?” She smiled, “Ooh do you want to go out somewhere? Is Ava sleeping?”
Liz worried her bottom lip. “Oh umm, Isabel didn’t tell you?”
Her brow furrowed, “tell me what?”
“Ahh.. I think you should sit down.” Liz walked over to the table and pulled out a chair.
“What? Why?”
“It’s not bad.. well mostly.. not. Just sit down.”
Maria walked over and stopped in front of her. “You’re scaring me. Are you still having those terrifying nightmares?”
Liz grabbed her hands then pressed them to her stomach. At first Maria’s brow stayed marred with her confusion as her gaze dropped to her friend’s stomach. She spread her fingers out and felt the bump against her hand. Her eyes shot up to Liz’s and grew. “OH MY GOD!” Her face broke into a wide smile, “LIZZIE! Why didn’t you tell me! OH MY GOD! YOU AND ISABEL!” Then her brow scrunched together again and her voice lowered a few decibels. “Why didn’t you tell me? What’s going on?”
Liz chuckled, “nothing’s going on, Maria. I just.. well, this sounds cliché but I didn’t know.”
“What?” She glanced down and felt another hit. “How did you not..”
Liz rolled her eyes, “he just started doing that.”
“He?” Maria interrupted.
“Isabel figured it out because she’s.. Isabel.” Liz looked down at her stomach where their hands were still resting. “We connected and tried to see how far along I was. I’m a bit further than her and we saw that it was a boy.” Her gaze came back up to Maria’s. “He’s healthy and about 4 months.”
Maria face broke out in a wide smile. “Oh my god Lizzie..” Her eyes watered, “I’m so happy for you chika! For us! We’re having a baby!!” Maria wrapped her arms around Liz again as Liz chuckled.
“Yes. Ria.” She chuckled again, “we’re having a baby.”
~~
The next morning.
Michael and Liz were jogging along a route she had taken him on a few times before but he noticed a few differences this time around. The first stare he caught he had brushed it off but as their jog continued and so did the looks and whispers, he couldn’t ignore it. “So why do I feel like I’m back in high school?”
Liz slowed down to a walk and Michael followed her lead. She glanced around and saw two girls walking towards them then just as predicted they whispered to each other as they past them. She rolled her eyes, “because they are.”
“Soo.. is it..” He lowered his voice, “the baby thing?”
“I’m pretty sure no one else knows. I’m not really showing yet and except for that.. one incident in my professor’s office.. doesn’t matter. He thought I was sick. I thought I was sick.”
“If it’s not the baby then what’s with all the high school shit?”
She bent to fix her shoe strings, overhearing the horrible new spin on the rumor from the girls nearby. “I know you can hear what they are saying.” She raised her voice as she threw them a hard glance, “because everyone in the vicinity can hear their conversation.” She straightened and then started walking away from the direction of the now quiet girls.
Michael turned towards the girls, openly gawking now that Liz had turned away from them. He gave them a look that could kill and one that promised he would. Once the girls noticed him, one lifted her chin while the other shrank slightly then they both walked away. Michael jogged to catch up with Liz. “I’m sorry, why was the word slut even in the same..”
Liz rolled her head stretching her neck. “Rumors started to go around that I was sleeping with Sam Winchester’s brother. At least one of the rumors anyway.”
Michael nodded, “which is the truth. Why is that worthy of a gossipy rumor?”
“Because the same idiots also thought I was sleeping with the younger Winchester.”
“Wow.” He grimaced. “Gross.”
“Yeah. Well, you’re probably next on their list. I mean why not. They’ve just added a professor of mine to the list. Why not you?” She shrugged.
“I could set that all straight. Hell, I could sick Maria on the lot of them.” He grinned.
Liz slowed again then sat on a bench beside the path. “Fuck them. They don’t deserve any of my time or my friends’ attention.”
Michael’s eyes almost bugged out then he smiled and sat down next to her. He rested his elbows on his knees and turned his head towards her. “You know if I didn’t know any better I’d say you had a little Winchester in you.” Liz opened her mouth to give a rebuttal until his words penetrated the fog of her ever running mind. Her head snapped to face him and her eyes widened.
There were a few moments of silence before she barked out a laugh. She stared at him as his grin grew into a full smile. More laughter bubbled up and her eyes glittered.
Michael chuckled, “maybe he rubbed off on you a bit too much.”
She smacked his arm, “gross!”
He raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying.”
“Oh my god! Shut up!” She stood up and started walking away unable to stop the laughter spilling from her. “I can’t even look at you right now.” She glanced back and saw him stand from the bench, his chest shaking from his quiet laughter. He quickly caught up and fell into step beside her, slowing his long legs to keep her speed. She elbowed him. “You’re horrible.”
“I’m just honest and you know it.”
She smiled and looped her arm around his. “Thanks.” She tilted her head to lean on his arm.
“No problem. I love a good rumor.” He grinned then his brow knit together again. “Wait, didn’t a lot of your friends here think we were related?” Liz nodded against his arm. “Gross. More than sleeping with Sam gross.”
Liz threw back her head and laughed. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to haul in air and her cheeks hurt. There was no thought about stares from those around them, no thought of the rumor mill and drawing any more attention to herself. She was lost in the mirth that Michael had created. Once again, he had saved her from herself and the dark abyss that came from thoughtless, so called innocent, evil. Just like in high school, it was her closest friends who knew the truth and what to do to get her out of her funk even before she realized she was actually in one.
~~
A week later.
Liz blinked her eyes open and felt her muscles freeze up. It was pitch black, cold, and the earth underneath her was wet. She brought her hand up to touch her face wondering if anything was covering her eyes even though she didn't feel anything against her skin. She barely saw the outline of her hand and realized just how dark it truly was. “No.” She whispered as her heart raced and panic clawed its way up her spine. “No.” She croaked.
Blind fear clamped down on her lungs like a vise. She immediately jumped to her feet, fully expecting to hit a barrier and be slammed back down but nothing stopped her. She stood for a moment frozen between shock and relief that she wasn't stuck in a box.
A tickle on her scalp snapped her out of it as her hand shot to her hair brushing frantically. She felt something stick to her hand and she brought it slowly back in front of her. Unable to inspect it with her eyes, she sucked in a shaky breathe and hesitantly touched the thin, wet thing in her hand. It had a long hard spine, a smooth side and rough skin then her finger followed along its edge all the way around its structure. Then it came to her. Leaf. Leaves.
She brushed the rest of foliage from her hair and clothes. Immediately, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She swallowed thickly and glanced around. She still couldn't see a thing around her. She looked straight up again, knowing even without the moon she should see the stars. There's always stars. Unless of course, the box is bigger than you think. She shook the thought from her head, keep it together.
She dropped her head and padded her pockets for her phone but came up empty. The only other thing left to do was move. She peered forward wishing for any sign of light but just inky blackness lay before her until dark figures started to slowly take shape in front of her. She took a step back and cringed at the loud snap under her foot. Shit.
Almost as if in answer, another loud snap came from behind her. Her heart pounded as she spun but still remained in the dark with no hope of seeing whoever it was stalking her like the blind prey she was. The only thing she knew for sure was she was being watched, intently watched.
If it wasn't for her enhancements she'd be thoroughly screwed. She closed her eyes and forced her breathing to slow and deepen. She focused on the feel of eyes on her but what she found only made it worse. They were everywhere. Too many to bother counting.
Her instincts only had one solution and it was as old as any tried and true simple fall back- run!
She spun again and took off as if the starting gun had been shot in a race she never wanted to be part of. A searing pain shot across her face with an accompanying thwack!
Trees! Those shapes were trees! She threw her hands up as she ran to cover her face from what she figured must be low hanging branches. She felt the repetitive stings against her legs and prayed her instincts could lead her away from running headfirst at full speed into a tree trunk. Her heart pounded loud in her ears as adrenaline pumped furiously through her veins. She strained to hear any crashing through the brush other than her own but had no idea if that would be at all possible.
The feeling of being watched only intensified and she briefly wondered if that was just her own fear induced panic or truth. If it was truth then she was in far deeper than she thought and it was absolutely terrifying. The sound of heavy breathing and even louder crashing seemed to make itself known out of nowhere to her right but she refused to look. You can't see anything anyway, she told herself as the impulse to look gnawed at her but she felt any movement other than straight ahead meant certain death. So she pushed on, harder than before, hoping that she would break through the brush at some point and find safety because all she felt in that dark tangle of trees was oppressive and dark. And it was pulling at her very soul.
Liz’s eyes snapped open and she turned on her side, staring wide eyed at the clock. 3:33 am in bright red numbers. I need a new clock that doesn’t state the time in blood red. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, letting the last vestige of the nightmare slipped away.
Her heart started to return to normal and checked her phone for any new messages. None. She opened her group of texts with Sam and just stared blankly. She felt like there was something she needed to say to him but could no longer remember what that was.
~~
A week later. June 11th, 2006
Liz lay quietly in the grass enjoying the feel of the sun warming her skin as she read from the book open in front of her. She chose a flowy tank top that Maria had given her to ward off any more unwanted stares. She was finally engrossed in her book that she had forgotten about the world around her until she was startled by a loud obnoxious noise.
“BOO!” Her head automatically snapping in the direction of the intrusion and saw a boy standing in front of the bushes down the street. He had obviously scared two girls walking along the pathway. The girls shrieked then screamed his name, "ALEC!"
The taller one scolded him while the shorter blonde laughed. "God! You’re such a jackass! I could have pepper sprayed you! I still should!" She shoved her hand into her purse and rustled around, most likely searching for the weapon she threatened to use.
"Yeah, nice form of protection Rebecca. You might be able to use it if you could find it. Do you think muggers here on campus will be polite enough to wait for you?" The boy laughed and Liz agreed in her head.
No chance honey. If they so desired, you'd be dead before even reaching in your bag. Or possessed for that matter.
“Remember that story they told us about that girl that almost got attacked a couple years ago?” Liz heard their conversation continue as they moved out of ear shot. She sat up and watched them straight on instead of from the corner of her eye. She envied them. She was able to experience what it was like to be carefree for such a short amount of time, well as much as she would ever get. The future held promises of a certain kind of normal but now, she didn’t know what exactly lay ahead.
Her hand went unconsciously to her stomach and she looked down. Would her child ever get to experience a comfortable normal? Some place where he or she felt safe from all the evils that they encountered? Would a time ever come where they could be.. She tried to think of the word but the exact one she was looking for eluded her. What did she truly want? There would always be the evils in the dark that Winchesters and other hunters like them had been chasing for generations. Would her child ever know peace?
She remembered what Isabel had said about the fear that still nagged at her every now and then. It seemed impossible not to in their situation.
“Hey Liz.” Professor Adams’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and her hand slipped away from her stomach as her head snapped in his direction.
She stood up, suddenly happy she took the flowy, hippy clothes from Maria and decided to wear one today. “Hey. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
He smiled, “just wanted to see you and find out if the rumor is true.”
Her stomach dropped as her brow knit together, “ah what rumor?”
“That you’re leaving? Is it true? I haven’t heard from you since you called after your virus cleared up but I thought.. I don’t know. I was shocked when I heard because I thought you were going to try for a job here.”
It took a few seconds for her panic to finally slip away and she heaved a relieved breathe. She shook her head, “oh no.. I mean I haven’t made any decisions yet.” She frowned, “I don’t know how that started going around. I just recently started thinking about moving down to San Fran with some friends around the tail end of summer. Friends from home.” He nodded but couldn’t hide the dejected look on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to your office to officially say goodbye yet. I figured I had time and with everything else taking up my attention it slipped my mind.. I’m sorry.”
“Oh no,” he shook his head and smiled, “its perfectly understandable. I’m sorry about.. the last time you were in the office. I never meant to make anything awkward. I just.. misread some things. I should be the only one apologizing here.”
She brushed hair behind her ear. “Oh, that? No.. not awkward.. well,” She looked up at him as she trailed off not quite sure what to say then they both smiled.
“When do you leave? Can I get you a going away present? Maybe we could call it a graduate gift? Would that be weird?”
She chuckled, “no, not at all. As long as I can get you a thank you gift for being such a great teacher and mentor.”
He nodded and shoved his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts. “That sounds like a perfect gift exchange then.” Liz glanced down at the book in her hand and scratched the back of her neck. “Well, I should be on my way. I just wanted to stop in and say goodbye if you were leaving.”
Liz smiled, “thank you. I’ll make sure you call and let you know when I finalize my plans.”
He rocked back and forth on his feet. “Sounds good. Well, goodbye for now then. Nice seeing you. You look nice.” He smiled.
“Thank you.. you too.”
He smiled with a small nod, “I look forward to your call.” He turned and started walking away.
Liz let out a breath and felt a shiver run down her spine. The sun’s warmth didn’t seem to help the chill that suddenly felt. She picked up her towel and phone then headed inside deciding that she had enough sun for the day. Once inside the building, she glanced out the window looking for anyone taking any interest in the apartment of the grassy area she had just left but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
As she made her way up the stairs to her apartment she couldn’t help but wonder who the hell had started spreading the rumor that she was leaving and what could that rumor possibly be for? The others had the normal nasty connotation but her leaving had nothing to it. She was a graduate, it would be a given. So maybe that’s all it was, maybe it was just something else to talk about but she couldn’t push away the feeling that there was something to it. Something that might be important, if only she could wrap her mind around it. Or maybe she was just being paranoid, it’s not like she doesn’t have a good reason to be but paranoia could also make you see monsters in ordinary shadows.
She used to trust her senses but ever since the pregnancy, things hadn’t exactly been working as usual. She could ask Ava, she’d be a reliable judge but she also wanted to call Dean and this could just give her the excuse to do so. If she had a hard time with anything since they found out, Ava brought up telling Dean in one way or another until about a week ago. It was never ending as the days went on even though Ava may not actually say it out loud but she saw it on her face.
On the other hand, she had promised Isabel she would get the hell out of dodge and go to San Fran if something was going on here. Her thoughts moved to her nightmare that had popped back up last week as she walked into the apartment. Maybe she’d just calmly ask Ava if she noticed anything recently, either around her or the apartment. She could get her honest take from her instincts before she said anything but if something had caught her attention, she probably would’ve said something already. She dropped herself on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She just had to create a plan and everything would come together, hopefully.
