Ghosts and Werewolves Who: Lia and Gin When Evening Where: Lia’s home
Lia had spent the evening with Sophia, playing games in the living room and asking her daughter about school, and her friends. Lia harbored some guilt that she had been so preoccupied lately, and she never wanted Sophia to feel like she was being neglected. It was nice to have some alone time with her daughter again, though Lia held off on talking to the little girl about Riley being her father. She felt like Riley ought to be present for that kind of revelation.
She had invited Gin over earlier for a drink, and she expected her friend at any moment as she got Sophia ready for bed. A part of her wished she were at the ranch, able to wrap herself around Riley for comfort. But maybe they needed the space after the past few days, and especially after their argument earlier in the day. Yes, they had made up, but after spending her afternoon building herself a cage, Lia just needed to be by herself for awhile. Or, at least with a girlfriend. There was no baggage between she and Gin, and Lia needed a few hours of no baggage, for sure.
Gin had brought a bottle of wine with her and stood on the doorstep for a long moment, looking around her with a spooked expression on her face. She didn't knock. Just stood there, staring out at the world around her. Listening to the wind and the sounds of people moving around in close proximity. But was he out there? Watching her right back? Sometimes the idea of that made her skin crawl and sometimes there was almost an erotic naughtiness about the voyeuristic side of that. He could be anywhere and she'd never see him. And once she'd swear he had been in her bed when she was sleeping but that might have been part of one of the terrifying nightmares she'd been having recently.
Nevertheless, she had promised a drink and she wasn't exactly in bad spirits. She was just … in a state of flux or something. And being with Lia, drawing out delicious details about all things Riley, was going to be a nice bright spot and a very much needed break from the darkness of the things she'd spent hours painting lately. So she took a deep breath, smiled brightly, and knocked, hoping to be heard but not to wake the darling little Sophia if she were in bed.
Lia was kissing Sophia goodnight when she heard the knock downstairs. “Have good dreams,” Lia said, brushing her hand over Sophia’s hair before straightening to head for the door. “Night, mommy,” Sophia called before rolling onto her side to watch Lia leave. Lia had no doubt that Sophia would try to tiptoe out of bed to grab one of her books, but that was all right with LIa, as long as her daughter didn’t stay up terribly late.
Shutting the bedroom door, Lia headed downstairs, brushing her hair back from her shoulder and glancing out the window. She smiled when she saw Gin, and Lia unlocked the door quickly, pulling it open to greet her friend. Her smile widened at the sight of the wine bottle. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Lia asked before stepping back to let Gin inside so she could lead her through the hall to the living room and kitchen.
Gin's smile broadened, if possible, and she air kissed both of Lia's cheeks. "Oh, I know. I'm the greatest," she replied with a giggle as she breezed through to the kitchen. She set the bottle of wine on the counter and then sank dramatically into a chair at the kitchen table with a sigh. "You're also the greatest for inviting me over. Believe me, I could use the break."
She slipped out of the highly patched and reworked denim shrug she'd worn and brushed her fingers through her hair to perk it back up. "How is the little darling? How are you?" she asked after she'd taken a deep breath.
Lia went immediately to the wine bottle to get it open. She hadn't had a good glass of wine in what felt like ages. And it looked like they both could use one. "Sophia's great. She's pretending to sleep at the moment. I imagine she's got a book with her now. And I'm doing alright." Lia turned to grab two glasses from her cupboard. "Enough of the chit chat, Gin, tell me about this disappearing man. What happened, exactly? Do you know who he is? Does he have a name?" Lia was wondering if there were such things as werewolves, then maybe it wasn't so far fetched to believe there were other things out there that used to be mythical.
"Ah, the little minx," Gin said appreciatively with a giggle. "Well, at least it's books and not some other mischief, eh?" Gin canted her head as Lia rushed past how she was doing but was immediately distracted by the question she posed and the disappearing man. Her eyes went a little wild and she glanced around, getting goosebumps. "I was sitting in the mango orchard, I've been struggling with creative juices not flowing since I finished that nude. And nothing was happening so I was going to leave when all of a sudden I saw this guy. At first, I couldn't tell if he was just pale and wearing lipstick or something. Which was interesting. We started talking and it came up that I was lacking inspiration. So he offered some."
She paused to take a breath because her words had been tumbling so fast she hadn't inhaled. "His name is Cody. And really, who says yes to inspiration from a creepy stalker guy in the woods? Me, that's who. I should have said no. He disappeared, poof." She made an explosive gesture with her hands. "Which is when I felt this thing behind me. Like a presence, I don't know how to describe it but I felt like I was about to be attacked by a wild animal only nothing was there!" Her heart was pretty much pounding like it had been when the incident had originally taken place. "Then suddenly he says 'Boo!' in my ear and I jumped a mile. Seriously, Lia, I almost peed. I was so scared and pissed. But ever since all I've done is have wild, horrific nightmares, and I'm drawing and painting like a maniac."
Lia poured the wine, staring at Gin as she spoke, doing her best to keep up with the details, despite how crazy they were. She really had no idea what to say when Gin finished, because it all sounded so insanely unbelievable. But, then again, so did the existence of werewolves. “I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Lia breathed, setting the bottle of wine down and carrying the glasses over to hand Gin one of them. “I mean, it sounds like a ghost! Did he say what he was? Disappearing and reappearing, saying boo? And what kind of nightmares are you having? Was he creepy? Have you seen him again since it happened?” She was rambling on with her question, unable to stop her curiosity. It was oddly comforting to know there might be other weird, bump in the night things out there. Maybe she wasn’t the only potential monster.
Gin shook her head. "No, he didn't. I asked him how he'd done it but he countered with something like, 'Does it matter?' And I had to admit he had me there. It really doesn't matter how he did it. The fact he can do it has me a bit paranoid though. Yeah, he was definitely creepy but sooooo intriguing." She took a long sip of wine, trying to calm herself enough not to gulp it down all in one swallow. "Thank you," she said and licked her lips.
"And the nightmares. Oh. My. Gosh. It's like a found a portal to hell via some horror movie puzzle box and I'm walking around the demons. Some of the darkest and most lucid stuff I've ever dreamed. I wake up in sweats and sometimes screaming. My neighbor came over to be sure I wasn't being murdered last night." Her heart was still thudding in her chest, talking about this had her nearly breathless but she was energized, clearly upbeat as though fascinated by the whole thing rather than terrified.
“Of course it matters!” Lia sat and shook her head. “You can’t just poof on someone and not explain how it happened. That would drive me crazy.” She liked having answers, especially when it came to something that seemed to unexplainable. Despite the harrowing topic, Lia couldn’t help but grin. Only Gin would find creepy intriguing. Lia tilted her head curiously, studying Gin before she tapped her nail gently against her glass. “Gin, I’ve never known anyone to look so happy about waking up screaming in their sleep. That doesn’t sound healthy at all. Are you sure he didn’t do something to you? I mean, sure, it helps your creativity, or your muse, but what if something is going on mentally and you don’t know it?”
Gin was sort of the opposite. Sometimes not knowing the answers let her imagination run wild. Which it so clearly was doing lately. "Well, it didn't matter at the time but then I was completely petrified so I can't be held accountable for rational thinking, you know?" Gin bit her lower lip still she couldn't help but burst out laughing at Lia's question. "Sugar, you have such a way of making me feel good about myself. What do you think a disappearing guy could've done other than scare me? I'm not mental, I promise. It's just that it's an adrenaline rush. That's such a natural high that it's thrilling. I don't care that I was scared because once I'm awake, I'm wide awake, like something in my mind finally opened." She waved her hands about her head to mimic something being set free from her head then drank another sip of her wine.
“I’m pretty sure I would rather have something less terrifying open my mind,” Lia murmured. “Although I’m not creative the way you are, so I suppose I could understand where you’re coming from. Because I know if a man appeared and disappeared around me the way you’re describing? I would have peed myself!” Lia stifled a laugh and took a drink of her wine, wishing she could moan at the taste of it. God knew she had needed a glass after the past few days. It was a wonder she didn’t down the whole bottle in one go. “So do I get to see these amazing, horrifying pieces of art? I’d love to see what your brain came up with.”
Gin giggled and shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I lost the ability to be disgusted or freaked out or something after the zombies. Lord knows Daniel would have probably made sure the guy was a ghost if he were here hearing this." She grinned at the image of her husband doing battle. He would've been great. She sighed and smiled and then her face brightened and she started rummaging through her bag. "Right now, actually. Here's a little piece of hell for ya. Don't show Sophia!" She handed Lia a small 6x6 square of canvas on which she had painted Cody as he'd been in the orchard. Except in this scene he was in the midst of gruesome, half formed creatures doing who knew what against a dark, dirty background of fires and garbage. It was one of her more tame pieces but still had all of the depth of detail and obvious care she put into everything she created.
It sounded like Gin had been desensitized, but there was nothing wrong with that. Lia had a strong stomach but she still shuddered every now and then and she tried to avoid unsavory things as often as she could. She definitely didn't want a ghost anywhere near her. Lia straightened a bit in her chair and drew her leg up to place her foot on the edge as she leaned over to look at the painting. "Despite the subject, that's really amazing Gin. Is that... the ghost you're talking about?" It was a fascinating painting, to be sure, and no, Lia wouldn't want Sophia to see it, even if she had a feeling her daughter's first response would be Cool!, followed by Can I have it?
Gin smiled proudly. "Thanks, sugar. Yeah, that's Cody. Though I don't think I've got his face quite right just yet." She looked over at the painting with a critical eye, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully as she worked through how she might do it differently when she painted him again. "The puzzling thing about all of this is where the hell is the imagery coming from? It's so real but I don't really go for horror stuff, you know? Twilight was right about my speed."
Arching a blonde brow, Lia studied the painting more closely. She had never seen anyone in the dome who looked like that. But then again, if he was a ghost who could just poof whenever he felt like it, he probably didn't like to be seen. How many other ghosts like him were around? It was such a creepy thought. "I don't think you could even describe Twilight as horror," Lia pointed out with a smile. "And if that's your speed of horror, I need to find you a Dean Kootz or Stephen King novel. The painting is fantastic... not anything I would frame and put above my bed," she laughed, "but... I would say he definitely woke up something in your brain. I'm just not sure I like that you're having nightmares about it."
"Right, which is my point. If Twilight with it's sparkly vampires and sexy werewolves is enough for me, I don't really have the frame of reference for these places and things. And no way. No Koontz or King, thanks. I read a Koontz way back, Intensity I think it was, and I was terrified of going home with my friends on holidays!"
She nodded, smiling. "No way would you want that over your bed. I wouldn't suggest you hang it anywhere in your house. Might be bad mojo. I don't know." She wasn't sure that painting Cody and the rest of it was a good idea either but she felt such a positive creative release when she did it. "I wonder if it's past life stuff maybe. Ooh that's a thought I hadn't had before! I wonder!" She tapped her finger on her lower lip for a moment, thinking before she took another swallow of wine with a soft sigh.
"Bad mojo. God knows I don't need anymore of that," Lia said with a shake of her head. Sipping her wine, Lia studied Gin again and then smiled. "I love how your brain works. I feel like you're already creating another painting in your brain, and you can't wait to get out of here and go back home to start it." Really, the whole thing about Cody freaked Lia out, but it wasn't any of her business. She just hoped Cody wasn't dangerous or doing something sinister to her friend. Lia felt a weird urge to protect Gin from the bad stuff, even if she couldn't protect herself from it. And ghosts seemed to be bad stuff.
Gin giggled. "Aw you know me so well, sugar. I am but not wanting to get out of here. Not a chance. Especially since you never told me how you are doing. Don't think I missed that." She pointed her finger at Lia with an admonishing look. "What's up you don't want to talk about?"
“I’m fine,” Lia insisted, although… yes, she had wanted to tell Gin about what was happening. Obviously Lia had no intention of telling everyone she knew, but Gin was her closest female friend and it was different than talking to Micah, who was a doctor, and Riley, who was her husband. “Actually…” Lia set her glass down and wrapped her arm around her leg to lean in a bit. She knew Sophia couldn’t hear from her bedroom with the door closed, but she still didn’t want to risk it. “Something happened… and if you can believe a man can disappear and reappear, maybe it will be easier for you to believe what I’m about to tell you. Just… promise you’ll try not to freak out.” Or look at me like I’m insane…
Gin lifted a brow at that. While fine was on the list of things Lia seemed at the moment, Gin had a hard time believing it because she'd just been deflected twice with the same pat answer. But then it got downright juicy as Lia sat forward a little. The look on her friend's face as she spoke was enough to dim the smile on Gin's face into a serious expression. What Lia was saying sounded ominous and a wild thought went through her mind. She'd had almost a similar situation with a bar patron years back before the Zs. So she boxed up her tiny little shoulders and nodded solemnly at Lia. "Well sure, sugar, but if you're going to tell me that man of yours hurt you, even if you can’t remember him doing it, I am going to go murder him immediately. You know that, right?"
“Hurt me…” Lia trailed off in confusion before her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “Oh! No… no, no, no, Riley didn’t do anything. He would never.” She couldn’t imagine Riley ever physically hurting her. It was unfathomable to even imagine it. He had maybe hurt her in other ways, but she had done the same to him, so it wasn’t anything Lia thought important enough to say. “No, it’s not Riley. It’s me. It’s… you know how I was bitten by that wolf…well, since then things have been different for me. My senses are on overload. I can smell paint on you right now. I can smell your shampoo. I hear… I hear your heart beating.” Lia knew that would sound crazy so she pressed on before Gin could respond. “I spoke to Micah about it… he was bit too. And we both healed at enormously fast rates. Something apparently happened to us.”
Gin looked relieved and her shoulders returned to their normal, non-threatening angles. She didn't think Lia would even put up with that sort of thing, but you didn't always know. Working with her aunt and uncle in the bar had taught her you could never truly know what happened when someone wasn't there in front of you and you couldn't assume you knew either.
Gin leaned forward unconsciously as Lia explained what she really meant, and about halfway through she began chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "Micah, he's a doctor, right? Seems he'd know if healing was fast." She nodded, assimilating all of this into her thoughts. "Uh yeah, something definitely happened to you! But you mean something else, don't you? What?"
This wasn’t any easier than when she had told Riley. It was still a little embarrassing to say it out loud, even. Lia sighed and pushed her hair back before her eyes focused on Gin’s face. “Micah thinks… he’s confident, that we’re werewolves. And he thinks we’ll turn into… into them tomorrow night because it’s a full moon. I spent the afternoon building cages out by the trader’s circles with a bunch of people and it felt insane, like it wasn’t really me out there. I don’t even know what to think.”
Gin's eyes went wide at the word werewolf, only because it was so unexpected. She didn't sputter or laugh though. She only took in a breath. "Anybody else said that to me and I really would think they were crazy," she said after a moment of processing. "I can't see you spending all your time building cages though if you didn't truly believe it was real." Her gaze took a very concerned expression as it all sank in. She reached out to touch Lia's wrist. "Oh, sugar, you must be so scared. I would be. I'd be painting, but I'd be terrified as hell."
“I’m scared,” Lia admitted with a small nod. “But more because… I don’t know what to expect? I don’t know what it means, or what will happen. I don’t know if I’ll be myself again the morning after. I don’t really have a lot of time to process everything. I didn’t ask him,” Lia continued, watching Gin carefully, “but if something does happen to me, will you make sure Riley and Sophia are taken care of? I think he’s just starting to get used to the idea of being a father, and he might… need some help? Maybe just some guidance. I don’t know.” She felt a little embarrassed, asking Gin something so personal, but Lia didn’t think she trusted anyone else enough.
Gin hadn't even thought of that aspect of it. The whole not being the same and all. She'd been thinking about how scary it might be to lose control and hurt people. But to not be the same… wow. Even scarier. She shivered and finished her glass of wine. Lia asking her to take care of her husband and baby girl was going to make her cry though. She got up and poured herself another glass and drank a third of it immediately before answering. "Yeah… yeah, of course, sugar. Anything I can do, I will. But you better come back safe and sound to all of us, okay? You don't get to disappear from the middle of your epic romance that I am living vicariously through. You hear me?" And she was crying, just a little bit at the thought of possibly losing her friend. She knew she'd buck up and soldier on just as she had when Daniel died, but, like Daniel, Lia would be someone she never stopped talking to, never stopped missing.
Upsetting Gin had been the last thing Lia wanted to do, and she felt immediately guilty for it as she set her glass down and stood to cross over to her friend. "I promise not to disappear," Lia said, pulling Gin in for a hug, mindful of her wine glass. "I didn't mean to upset you, Gin. I just think if there's one thing the last several years have taught us, it's not to just try and prepare for the worst, but hope for the best, right?" And she really didn't have the heart to tell Gin that she and Riley had fought again, after she'd revealed the same secret to him. They were by no means perfect in terms of their epic romance, but she didn't want to admit it. "Maybe your next painting will be of ghosts and werewolves. We'll throw vampires into the mix too, just to round out the trifecta of creepy."
Gin clung to Lia for a moment, careful not to spill her wine on the other woman and then pulled back, sniffling and half laughing at herself. "Oh, don't worry about me," she said, shaking her head. She swiped at her eyes and wriggled her shoulders a little as though settling back into herself again. She put her glass down on the counter and pushed Lia's hair out of her face in a very maternal way and looked directly at her. "You need to worry about you, sugar. I'll worry about your family until you get back, okay? I'll be hoping for the very best." She giggled a little. "Ghost and werewolves and vampires, oh my. Oh, let's hope there aren't vampires too in this dome." She gave a shudder.
That was exactly why Lia wanted Gin to know. If there was anyone in the dome who would help take care of Sophia the way Lia would have, it was Gin. The woman was intelligent and creative and had a good head on her shoulders. But Lia needed to try and focus on just getting through the next night and coming home in one piece. “If you would have asked me two days ago about vampires, I would have laughed,” Lia said with a small shake of her head. “Now, who knows. I’m definitely more aware of the fact that the unbelievable might just be… believable.” She took Gin’s hand, squeezing gently. “Let’s… no more morbid discussions. Let’s just be shallow and girlish and talk about men and sex and forget the nightmares for awhile, okay?”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to keep hoping they’re not here too!” The entire idea of there being also vampires in the dome made Gin even more determined to take care of Sophia. All she knew of vampires was that either they sparkled or they were the boogie men in different cultures, waiting to pick off people when they least expected it. A tiny girl like Sophia would be easy pickings. Impulsively she hugged Lia again, the wine settling nicely into her system and calming the sudden fray of nerves. Then she stepped away and grinned. "Oh yes, let's do that. I'm only sad I brought just one bottle!" She grabbed her glass and helped herself to a seat in the living room instead of the kitchen table this time, sliding her shoes off and getting comfy. "So, men and sex, huh? You're the one with both right now!"
"One bottle should be plenty," Lia said with a laugh as she followed Gin into the living room. Her own glass was half empty but she wasn't exactly feeling any effects of the alcohol yet. She was doing her best not to think of Sophia, surrounded by uncertainty and potential danger. Even her own mother could very well be a monster. It was a terrifying thought, and a part of her wished she could lock Sophia away somewhere safe and keep her there for the next ten years. She sat down and smiled, happy to be off the topic of scary ghosts and werewolves. "Well, I was kind of hoping you would have one or the other. I need some juicy gossip..."
"I don't know," Gin said, eyeing the bottle though it was a full liter and a half. Then she giggled and shook her head at Lia. "Oh gosh, you're the one with the stuff gossip is made of. But I'm not going to ask details of a married woman. Hmmm…" she hummed, chewing her lower lip lightly with thought. "I returned the nude and I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to see it. That man, wow. And he brought in his partner. Double wow. Battle scarred heroes are so sexy. And I have a new commission from a tasty little blonde waif but I sort of ignored it the last day or so because of all the Cody stuff. I so need a life. Can I borrow a little bit of yours?"
Battle scarred heroes. The term reminded her of Riley, in a way. And he was definitely sexy. Sometimes she missed the days when they were teenagers and hot for one another, completely, and innocently in love without the weight of the world and their mistakes hanging on their shoulders. Life was so much simpler back then. She smiled as Gin spoke, sipping through the rest of her wine. "It sounds like you have a life," Lia pointed out. "Battle scarred heroes and tasty blonde waifs." And creepy ghosts, but she wasn't going to mention that. "You're doing something you love to do. You're independent, and have the ability to come and go as you please. And there's the freedom to sleep with whoever you want, if you want to." Not that Lia wished for that kind of freedom for herself, but she was aware some married women would. Looking down into her glass, Lia noted it was empty with a bit of a frown. Not even a pleasant buzz yet. "You don't want any part of my life," she said after a moment, reaching over to set the glass on the table. "Except maybe Sophia, because... well, who wouldn't? It's not as epic and romantic as you might think."
"Yes, well," Gin said and pushed a couple wrinkles from her skirt. "The battle scarred heroes bat for the other team and the blonde waif might not. Oh but she's so nice to look at. Guh." Gin sighed - she was definitely crushing. But when wasn't she in some capacity or other? She'd even crushed a little on the man who'd posed for the nude in spite of his very taken, very gay status.
"I'd trade some of that to be settled a little, I think.” Not too much but a little. “I definitely would want some Sophia. And the brilliant, beautiful, sidekick friend that is moi too!" She giggled at her pretend vanity but she knew that she'd probably step into Lia's shoes any time if given the chance. Not only did she feel like Lia had everything together in ways she never could, but it would be such an amazing source if inspiration for her art. A new point of view and one that did not, in spite of werewolf things, seem nearly as hellish as her current existence of nightmares and hellworld paintings.
“Oh! Well, how could anyone forget the brilliant, beautiful sidekick?” Lia asked, unable to help the laughter. Even when she was feeling a little low, Gin certainly knew how to make her feel better, even if she didn’t realize that’s what she was doing. “I’m still working on the settled part. Everything with Sophia is great. She’s doing well in school, and she has a few friends her age running around. Things with Riley are… they’re getting there. It’s harder than I thought it would be. It feels like every disagreement we have turns into this feeling that one or the other is fed up and ready to walk away. The rollercoaster is a bit exhausting.” She lifted her left hand to wiggle the finger wearing her wedding band. “I have this, but I’m here.” Lia motioned to the house around her. “It just… it’s hard,” she said again, feeling lame for even complaining on any level. She knew how lucky she was.
"That's the thing. No one could!" she giggled and tossed her springy fringe of bangs out of her eyes. She settled into a little more serious demeanor though as Lia started talking about things with her family. She nodded, a look tinged with a bit of pride on her face as Lia spoke about Sophia. She loved that little munchkin. The two of them had really fun, fast-paced conversations. "Oh that's no good, sugar," she said to Lia's depiction of her disagreements with Riley. "You already have so much on your plate, poor thing. I think maybe it's good that you're here then. I mean, maybe it means you have a little space from all the up and down." She eyed the ring for a moment and smiled a little. "It's beautiful, by the way. Did you pick it out or did he surprise you with it?"
Lia knew having the space was important, but she also wondered if it was healthy for their relationship to have separate residences to run to when things got tense. Maybe she was just overthinking things. And maybe Riley wasn't ready to live with she and Sophia just yet. It was a discussion Lia had decided to let Riley bring up again when he was ready. "It's the wedding band he bought me when we were married. When he joined the army, he gave it to me to keep. I brought them both with me when I left Australia." And the fact that she hadn't been able to part ways with her wedding ring should have been enough to have her second guessing her decision to leave in the first place. "The other night felt like the right time to give it back to him. I just hope I wasn't romanticizing everything... I don't want to push too far, too fast. Do you want more wine?" Lia unfolded her legs from beneath her and stood to head for the kitchen to grab the bottle.
Gin nodded. "Daniel insisted on picking all the rings. Fiasco extraordinaire because he didn't go to Jared. And what I ended up with turned my finger green after the first night in the hot tub on our honeymoon. Which, thankfully, I planned." She shook her head at the memory, a dreamily amused smile on her face. "So yours is definitely beautiful."
Gin held out her glass, head bobbing positively. "Yes, please, more!" she said in an almost childlike way. She bit the tip of her index finger, thinking as Lia left the room. "Are you afraid he's going to shut you down for wanting to be his wife?"
She brought the wine bottle back in and laughed abruptly but tried to stifle it by covering her mouth with her palm. “Oh Gin… green finger or not, it’s the thought that counted, right?” She had a feeling if Riley had put a fake ring on her finger and turned it green, they would have laughed about it. And Lia would have kept the ring anyway for sentimental value. The idea of a phony ring would have appalled her mother, for sure, which was probably part of the appeal, in Lia’s mind. She poured more wine into Gin’s glass, and then her own before flopping back down on the couch. “I don’t know what I’m afraid of. I can never tell what’s a good idea and what isn’t. If I’m pushing too hard, or not enough. We’re both stubborn and when we hear something we don’t like, we shut down. I do it. He does it. I told him… well, we argued earlier about… my werewolf thing. He just got this look on his face, completely blank and disconnected from me.” Lia shook her head and grabbed her glass. “I do it too, I know, only I either end up yelling at him, or I run. We’re still trying to get to know one another, who we are now. I wonder if he’s truly forgiven me for leaving in the first place, or if he’s trying to pretend he has to make things easier on us.”
Gin giggled along with the other woman. "Oh I know. He gave me his mother's ring on our first anniversary but I always kept the original one. Until the zombies." She shrugged slightly. Things were just things. What she held dear, her memories of Daniel, were something only death or madness could take away. She sipped her wine and listened to Lia for a long moment in silence though she did make a face at the fact that Lia sharing something so scary with her husband had escalated into a fight. Maybe she needed to have a talk with that man. Explain a few things about women. She'd never interfere in Lia's marriage for any reason though. "What makes you want to shut down? Does he holler at you?" she asked, looking fierce before shooting another question. "Have you completely forgiven him?"
It was when Gin talked about her husband that Lia felt guilty for complaining, for lack of a better term, about her problems with Riley. She knew she was lucky to have him alive, and with her, and Lia strived to keep that in the forefront of her mind. "He doesn't holler at me," Lia said with a soft chuckle. "I sometimes holler at him, but I've been that way since we were teenagers. I think it's that we're both still feeling our way around one another. It's been over six years since we were together, and we may still love one another, but we're different people too. Instead of changing together, we changed apart, on different contintents. If we have different views on a tense situation, we get frustrated, take things the wrong way, or say something we don't mean to say... sometimes it's easier to pull back and shut down for awhile." Lia rubbed her thumb up and down her glass for a moment, Gin's question causing her pause. Finally she released a breath. "I don't know if I've completely forgiven him. But I'm trying. It seems silly to hold onto the past so tightly."
Gin was just grateful to be talking about something that wasn't connected to the bizarre. Ghost people, werewolves, hellworlds, etc. As the wine relaxed her, she realized just how much that stuff weighed on her. Moreso than she had understood until she'd been able to just sit here and take a step back from it. There was nothing frazzling about talking about their husbands. Even if hers had died some years back. Her heart wasn't broken over Daniel anymore so she was able to talk objectively with Lia without feeling saddened.
"He better not ever holler at you. He's already walking a fine line with one, Gin Vickers. You're a damn good mom and a rather exquisite woman. He should be thanking his lucky stars you even talk to him." She nodded her head once, firmly as though that were the end of that in her mind. "Hm, I don't know if it's silly to hold onto it. You were really young, so in love, and he up and left to go toss himself at bullets. Kind of insensitive. I think it might've taken me a very long time to forgive that if Daniel hadn't already been in the military when I met him. I knew what I was getting into but you can't stop love." Gin was highly protective of her friend. Any foot out of line on Riley's part had her closing ranks and wanting to tell Lia she ought to just skip the heartache this time around but she couldn't bring herself to say that out loud. Not in so many words. "You heal at your own pace, sugar. Nothing silly about that. And if that man tries to push on you, you tell him to come talk to me!"
Lia tilted her head, a faint smile on her lips. “It wasn’t just Riley who made a mess of things. I hold my own share of blame. We both made mistakes…” Even if she felt like Riley had chosen the army over her, Lia knew now that it had been equally unfair of her to leave everyone she knew, including her husband, just to run away from her problems. “I think I knew what I was getting into when I met him. He had already planned out his life before he met me. I just thought, like a lot of women, that I could change his mind. But I don’t know how much it’s going to help to keep going around in circles about the past. We’ve just got to adjust to how things are now. And I promise, if Riley steps out of line, I’ll send him your way… once I finish with him,” Lia added with a broader grin and a lift of her wine glass.
Gin was satisfied with that answer. More than willing to double team the guy too if necessary. Gin had allegiance to Lia alone in this situation and she wanted to be sure her friend wasn't bullied around. Even if she did love the guy. "Mmm, yeah we all make mistakes but we should have to pay for them forever. I mean, unless we murder someone in cold blood which I'm pretty sure neither of you did. Can't you like wipe the slate clean and start over fresh? Or is there so much baggage that'll never work?" Gin wasn't ever sure she would ever understand why two people who loved each other couldn't just make it work but then she hadn't had a whole lot of time for things to not work with her and Daniel. They hardly ever argued when he was on leave because they didn't have the time. Maybe it would have been like Lia and Riley's marriage if Daniel had come back from the war. Who knew? A tiny blossom of loneliness began to bloom inside Gin's chest making it ache briefly before she took a drink from her glass and re-focused on Lia.
Lia shrugged softly. “I think we’re trying to wipe the slate clean but it’s not as easy as you may think. But I think that we’re trying is the important thing. As hard as it feels, I know in my gut we’ll make it. I knew from the second I saw him in school that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I already made up my mind,” she said, smiling a bit at the memory, “and I made it happen. I made some mistakes, and so did Riley, but when I saw him again here, in the dome, those feelings came rushing back. I can’t give up.” And she wasn’t going to. There was a sense of determination that rose within Lia as she spoke. Assuming she made it through the full moon, Lia was going to try harder with Riley. Releasing a breath, Lia smiled at Gin. “Thanks for listening to me ramble… I promise, next time I’ll have some epic romantic story for you.”
Gin nodded quickly. "Right, yeah, it's one of those things easier said than done. I gotcha. And if you really want this to work, you're right - trying is the important thing." She sighed and looked a bit dreamy. "See, there you go again with the epic romance. If you knew from the first moment… Guh. That is so epic. And you know, happily ever after doesn't exist because really? What prince in his right mind would settle in next to a princess who talks to animals and believes a pumpkin became her ride to a ball she would never have been admitted to without the help of a fairy godmother? Without some kind of therapy being discussed and setting off an argument. It would've been all down hill from there unless they kept trying." Gin looked off for a moment imagining how wonderful it must have been to know like that. She was so living vicariously through her friend. "I just want to see you happy, sugar, and mostly, you look like you are. Which is so good!"
Staring at Gin for a moment, Lia contemplated that and then burst into laughter. “Touche. But you know, Cinderella was gorgeous, so Prince Charming was obviously willing to overlook her mental instability. But yes, you’re right. It’s all about talking it out and the occasional therapy session.” She grinned and glanced down into her wine, which was nearly gone. “This is ridiculous. Almost two full glasses and I don’t even feel flushed yet. Either the wine isn’t really wine, or whatever dormant beast is inside of me is soaking up all the good stuff before it gets a chance to go to my head.”
Gin arched a brow sternly. "You're gorgeous. But," she said, and backed down, "not mentally unstable so maybe it doesn't count here." She was on her third (or maybe fourth? she couldn't remember) glass of wine and definitely feeling the buzz on the edge of full fledged of drunky-poo. Which she was able to pretty much handle without a change in behavior after so many years in the bar profession. She giggled. "The beast in you! Oh my word." Because that just sounded funny. "That's really not fair, beast. You need to let the beauty get her drink on!"
Lia laughed again. “Isn’t that a twist in the story? The beauty is actually the beast too! Talk about a mind bender!” But really, she couldn’t drink and feel anything? Was that really a side effect from being a werewolf? Maybe she would ask Micah. He seemed to be in the know about these things right now. “You need to stay tonight?” Lia asked Gin, because the other woman was definitely much more giggly and flushed. “I don’t want you getting lost on your way home!”
Gin nodded, giggling. "At this point, I think that twist makes the story a lot more interesting and maybe a tad more frightening. Which isn't a bad thing, is it? Am I making any sense?" She fanned herself and blew out a breath that sent her red bangs scattering across her forehead. "I guess I'm just saying that I love you whether beauty or beast." She smiled sincerely, or as sincerely as she could when she really just felt like giggling. "Yes, please. I think staying would be a good idea." She would have been fine to walk home in about half an hour's time as long as she didn't drink anymore, but she figured Lia would worry and she didn't want to add to her friend's burden tonight. Tonight was meant to be fun, girl times. "You're going to be good as a werewolf. It's just an extension of your mama instincts."
“Well, thanks,” Lia said, grinning when Gin said she loved her. “And I love you too, even though you’re just a beauty. And I’m glad you’re staying. There’s too many weird things out there after dark!” At least, she was assuming there was. If she was a werewolf, for real, then who knew what else crept about? And she didn’t want Gin out there to be the one to find out. Resting her head against her hand, Lia breathed in and out slowly, wishing Gin’s words provided some comfort. A werewolf wasn’t like a grizzly bear who would protect her cubs. She didn’t want to put Sophia in danger, and it terrified Lia to think that she could. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to vocalize those concerns. “I’ll do my best. I think the pack mentality is starting to set in… and a very intense, strange… uh possessive streak. Poor Riley.” Her lips twitched into a small grin.
"Of course, sugar," Gin replied with a decisive nod. There were few things set in stone in this crazy world they were living in, but her love for her friend was one of them. "I'm glad I'm staying too. Your house is so blissfully free of the dark paintings and sketches! Maybe I won't have nightmares tonight." That she might have one and wake up screaming here at Lia's house was a little mortifying. Especially if it woke up the munchkin. She prayed it wouldn't happen because she was feeling very peaceful just now here. "That's all you ever do, isn't it? Your best?" she grinned, pointing one finger at Lia playfully. "Why poor Riley. Isn't that what he wanted anyway? Family? Or do you mean something more… intense?"
Lia’s eyes widened briefly and she reached over to touch Gin’s arm lightly. “No nightmares! Keep Cody out of your dreams tonight. I understand that it’s woken up your muse, but I still don’t feel comfortable about it. I know shouldn’t be talking, given I might go all… grr!” She made a face quickly, “but ghosts weird me out. And I’m already worried about you as it is.” Gin was so bright and always cheerful. Lia hated to think what constant nightmares and darkness would do to her disposition. Setting her empty cup on the table again, Lia nodded. “More intense. I had this overwhelming urge to tear off his clothes the other night and devour him. Not literally,” she added with a short, nervous laugh. “But just… mark him somehow. I’ve always been a bit possessive of him. I instantly hated any girl in school, or woman, who ever shot him any kind of interested glance. But since I was bit, it’s been worse. I get agitated just thinking about him with anyone else. Like, I need to make him mine.” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Sounds like a horribly cheesy romance novel.”
Gin giggled at Lia's growl and grred right back at her, her fingers curled like claws in front of her. "I don't think you'd go all grr on me but I'll take that it to heart you don't want me dreaming about Cody. Hopefully my brain will follow suit!" She thought it might be nice to dream about Cody if it were just Cody and not the hellish nightmare backdrop she seemed to get with those dreams. She wondered if a ghost could control dreams. She supposed they could do anything and no one would know. Anything was possible in a world with zombies and werewolves, wasn't it? Gin's brows shot up with the word "devour." "Wow, that is pretty intense, sugar. How did he react to that? Or is he just as intense? I could picture him being all grr himself what with being a man of the military." Gin giggled again. “And what are you blushing over? He’s yours, you know.”
She laughed at Gin’s return grr, wondering what Riley would say if he knew she was making jokes about her potential beastlyness. It wasn’t funny, but if she didn’t laugh about it, she might end up crying. Or panicking. So this was the best alternative. “I didn’t actually get the chance to find out how he might react because I sort of stopped myself before, the uh, actual devouring. Something just felt off about it, in my head, and that was before I knew what had happened to me. I think Riley might have thought I was deliberately torturing him.” Lia smiled slyly. “Which I wasn’t, but… anyway. I guess I don’t want him to think I’ve turned into his insatiable, crazy, nymphomaniac! That doesn’t mean I haven’t been fantasizing about all the different places, and ways, I could seduce him. And… yes, it’s quite possible becoming a werewolf has turned me into a nymphomaniac. I know he’s mine… at least, I hope he is. Or maybe I’m hoping he’ll want to stay mine. I can’t predict the future, so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what it brings.”
Gin was glad they were giggling even if it was about possibly the worst thing imaginable. You had to see the positive aspect in it or you'd go mad. At least, in her mind anyway. She set her empty glass on a table and curled her legs up under her, getting more comfy. "You be a nymphomaniac if you want to, sugar! That boy is your husband and he's all yours. Besides, he's a big boy. He'll tell you when he's had enough, right?" Not that she could imagine any man being satiated. Didn't they all want a veritable nymphomaniac? The ones she'd been with, even Daniel, had all had voracious sexual appetites, but then perhaps she was simply drawn to that type of men and they weren't all like that. "I hope he wants to stay yours too, Lia. Especially if he's as good a man as you make him out to be. He just better always treat you well." Her nod was firm and precise, her lips pursed in a serious pout.
“I don’t know if he’ll tell me he’s had enough! I think men sort of show you whether they want to or not,” Lia said said suggestively, trying to get the words out between giggles. It felt so odd to be talking like this after the last few days she’d had, but it felt good. Normal. Like before werewolves, and the outbreak… back when she’d had real girlfriends. They had always wanted to know about Riley. His body… the sex. Lia had never minded dishing details, although some of the more intimate ones she kept to herself. “He’s a good man,” Lia confirmed once her laughter had died down. “And I can’t imagine Riley ever being anything but… don’t worry about me.” Sighing, Lia glanced at the wine. “I think it might be all gone… all I can offer is coffee and water, unless you’d rather ride the buzz to bed.”
"He's silly if he won't. But I guess I could see a man not wanting to admit he'd had enough of you," she said a bit naughtily with a giggle thanks to her wine consumption. "He doesn't have any single brothers here in the dome, does he?" she went on, knowing full well that was an impossibility. But the more they talked about Lia and Riley, the more lonely she began to feel. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling, but as the wine continued to work through her system it was triggering some emotions that wouldn't normally be there on the surface to agitate. "If I ride the buzz to bed, it's a sure thing I'll sleep way too deep to dream. I'm going to let this one go on a bit. But don't let me keep you! If you need to go to bed, I so understand."
Lia smiled, and she wished she was feeling as giggly as Gin. The lack of a proper buzz had to have been a side effect of her bite, because having gone through two glasses of wine, Lia should have been feeling something. “Unfortunately he doesn’t,” Lia said with a raised brow, “although there are plenty of handsome ranch hands who work with him. You should go by to see the horses sometime. Maybe one of the boarders will give you a tour.” And Lia was all about playing matchmaker if she could, especially for Gin. Sighing, Lia glanced up at the clock. “I guess I should get to bed. I have to teach in the morning, and Sophia will be up earlier than I would like. Let me get you a blanket and a pillow.” Lia stood and picked up her glass to take back to the kitchen.
Gin giggled and covered her mouth with one hand, looking off. "That'd be the day. I guess I could just go over and fish around. Goodness knows I have a good enough excuse what with you being the boss's wife and all and me promising to take care of all of 'em for you." But there was something a little mortifying just then in having to troll Lia's husband's ranch for a date. Howcome those things didn't just magically happen? "M'kay," she said softly, feeling a little small and not wanting Lia to go to bed just yet but knowing she needed to considering what was going on in her life outside of teaching and Mommy duty. She fought a yawn as she waited for Lia to return with her blanket and pillow. Truth be told she could've curled up and slept without them but her neck would thank her in the morning if she waited. "Hope you have sweet dreams, sugar," she said sleepily when Lia came back.
“I think you need them more than I do,” Lia murmured, setting the pillow and folded blanket on the couch beside Gin. Lia wasn’t sure if she would actually be able to sleep, but she supposed she should try. It was easier when she had Riley in bed with her, but… tonight she didn’t. It was a bit of a depressing thought, but Lia didn’t dwell too long on it. “Don’t stay up too late. I’ll make some breakfast in the morning for all three of us. I’m sure Sophia would love to talk your ear off for a bit.” Lia smiled and rested her hand on Gin’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Goodnight, hon.”
Gin puffed the pillow and set it in one corner of the couch before stretching out a little. "I don't know. I think you could use them too," she said and this time the yawn escaped. "No worries about me staying up. I'll be asleep before you get upstairs. Thanks for a splendid evening. Looking forward to Sophia talking my ear off. Love that munchkin." She pulled the blanket over her and giggled, feeling a little childish. "Goodnight, sugar." And she blew a kiss"