In Too Deep ::Patrick::

[rowanashke]

Patrick stared at the whiskey; his shoulders were still slumped. "Killing her...us killing her...wouldn't solve anything." he said, his voice low and colorless. "If you're set in this maddness...there's no hope for it. We're going to have to fight. " He twisted his shoulder, his lips set in a thin, bitter line. "I'd say we need to gather the pack, tell them what's going on, and offer anyone who wants it the chance to bail. It's not really their fight, is it?"

The last sentace came out a bit harsh; he glanced at her, then away, ignoring the whiskey now. The last thing he needed to do now was get drunk. He was still hurting, still empty, but the need of the pack outweighed his personal feelings. As long as even one still looked to him, he would stay.

And he would fight.

He rubbed his face, then sat up straighter. "Where are they?" he asked, his voice still quiet but stronger now, as if he'd taken a burden back onto his shoulders. In a sense, he had. He pushed away the fight he and Ella had just had; if she'd come back to him, then she was back. He would deal with all the rest later.

If there was a later.

[ella]

Ella curled around his legs and buried her face into his knees. Where were they? Like she knew. They were always everywhere and no where at the same time. Tillie had been left at the cafe', but Ella had told her to go hunt down James. Ayden was usually somewhere with Tillie. Caleb was most likely working and for the rest of them? Like hell if she knew.

She slipped her hand around his ankle. She sighed softly. She felt better touching a portion of his skin. She didn't know if he wanted her to touch him at all, she almost didn't really care. It made her feel better. "No. I suppose it wouldn't."

She lost herself for a moment. His burden was her burden and she was beginning to feel overwhelmed and torn. She was going to eventually have to give up on James. One way or another. She closed her eyes. No. She couldn't. But she didn't know how to balance out her duty to keeping him safe and her obligation to Patrick and the rest of the pack.

Would they bail? Would any of them be too afraid to handle what was coming? She hoped not, but she couldn't be sure. She wasn't sure of anything at the moment. She was drawing blanks from every direction. "I can call James for you, if you want."

Ella peeked up at him. He had once told her that he would be nothing without her. She felt the same. This was ripping her apart. Damn you James. She hid her face back into his knees. "I want to do whatever you do." She did. She meant it. They had to be whole in each other to be able to do anything. She wanted him to pull her up in his lap and tell her that everything was okay. But she didn't think that would happen. Not for a while, if ever.

[rowanashke]

Patrick sat silently a moment. Twin desires raged through him.

Shove her away.

Pull her closer.

He closed his eyes; the choice wasn't really a choice, after all. He knew it. Reaching down, he pulled her up and onto his lap, holding her, his hands tightening on her back. "I don't want to speak with James right now." He growled, his teeth bared for a moment. "Not now. Not until I know..."

That I can control the beast.

"...until I know I can not be angry at him out loud. But call the rest of the pack. And keep the vampire away from here. I'm sorry. She can't stay here. But we'll..."

What? Work it out? Hah.

"..Deal with it when the times comes." He said instead. He wanted to reassure her that they weren't broken, that he wasn't broken, but the words caught in his throat.

"Go." Patrick said instead. "Get them together. We need to discuss this...bring James, but warn him to keep his mouth shut." He sighed. This was all so terrible.

The war was coming faster than he'd anticipated, and from a direction he'd never even considered. And it was James' fault.

[evey Knightley]

Evelynn ran as fast as she could to the pack house. She wasn't even sure if her beloved pack leaders would be there, but she had to try there first. Eve didn't understand what she had just witnessed in the park. What in the loving hell was going on? She obviously didn't know, but she was sure Ella would. Her Nike running shoes were slapping the pavement in a flurry of angry, yet scared, movements.

She rounded the corner and ran headlong into a human woman, knocking them both back wards. Scrambling back up, mumbling a hurried apology, she shot back towards the house. Evelynn had a huge stitch in her left side. It felt like a very sharp knife stabbing that tender area. She bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Evelynn stopped short, trying to catch her breath. She sniffed the air and knew it was the both of them. Yanking the door wide open, she shuffled her tiny body in, willing herself to go on. She heard Patrick speaking softly to Ella.

"ELLA!.... PATRICK!" she gasped out, holding her side. She saw them in the kitchen, Ella sitting in his lap. She had been crying, both had been drinking. She could smell it. She edged a little bit closer to them.

"Ella, ...I...I was in t.the pppark, and I...I saw James there..." Gulping down air. "and there was...w..ww...was a girl...a vampire girl. There was yelling, annnn and slapping....The BITCH slapped James." She stopped, looking between the two of them, gasping and struggling to re obtain the breath she had lost. She willed her body to slow her heartbeat.

"I don't know what they were talking about, but there was something about a marriage that would never work, and that James never wanted to see her again. If she didn't leave, he was going to burn her in the sun. She said she hoped he would always remember the girl who shredded our pack apart." she blinked at them both.

She had spilled her guts all over the floor, and she had no idea what to do next.

[ella]

The awkward pause. The few moments passing by seeming like years. He was debating on shoving her away. She felt her heart hammer into her chest. Finally, movement. She would have betted on him shoving her away, but instead he pulled her up in his lap.

She collapsed into him, she allowed herself to melt into him, relief washing through her. She felt like crying. But i was not a time for that. It couldn't be about them right now. They were whole again, that in its self was enough for right now.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, trying to move as little as possible. She wanted to stay curled with him until she absolutely had to get up. She dialed Caleb's number. She swore when it went straight to his voice mail. She began dialing another number when Evelynn burst in.

Ella jumped from Patrick's lap. "She put her hands on him?" Ella growled. She had promised that girl that she would personally kill her is she ever hurt James. She sure as hell didn't get to put her hands on him. Ella clenched her fist.

There was something odd, about this. How the hell was there a complete turn around in such a little time frame. Her phone began to vibrate. She answered it. Tillie. Tillie's mouth ran faster than anythinf Ella could think of. Finally she cut her off. "Tillie, come home now. bring anyone you can find. This is important." Ella slammed the phone shut.

"Go get everyone Evelynn. Now." She growled her words. this wasn't right. There was a catch somewhere. She turned and looked to Patrick. "What now?"

[rowanashke]

Patrick started when Eve came running in; he listened silently, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. When Eve was finished, he nodded to Ella's words. "We have to talk." He said flatly. "Find James..."

He curled his arms around Ella, unwilling to let her go quite yet. It was still too raw; he wasn't sure, yet, if it was real. So he snapped at Eve; a way to relieve the tension. He hoped she could sense it. "Find them, Evelynn. Bring them here. Tell them it's urgent. Spread the call..."

He turned his eyes back to Ella. "Keep calling them. Bring them in now." He closed his eyes a moment, praying they could find them all. Keep them safe.