He slams his way out of the back door, with no more plan than to start looking and not  stop until he's found her. The beast itself is secondary at this point; he wants Alex back, and he'll do what he has to to make it happen.

He starts with a cursory look around the lake. It's just to rule it out; no animal is going to linger around an exposed ( Read more... )

He wastes no time in getting himself upstairs. He's only been dreaming of this kind of scenario for about three years now; he'd be lying if he tried to claim he weren't a bit nervous, but it's the good kind of nerves. He's definitely not going to let them stop him enjoying this.

Fifteen minutes, she said. That gives him time to have a quick wash and ( Read more... )

There was nowhere else he could spend Christmas this year, even if it means he'll have to put up with the whole thing twice. It's been OK though. Alex is sad about Molly, of course, but seems to be happy he's here. They'd spent Christmas Eve lazing about, drinking quite a lot and putting everything behind them for a bit.

So it's a bit of a surprise ( Read more... )

The sky has that bruised tinge that comes when it’s dusk, and might rain. The clouds are thick with it but the sun’s still burning behind them, turning them fat and purple, casting a dim glow over the streets. It’s even worse up here, in the ruins of the old cotton mills; the red bricks reflect the light and turn it orange and shades of deep ( Read more... )

He knows he's probably in trouble as he drags himself up the stairs. He only went down to have a quick pint, and pick up some more wine. He's been gone about five hours now, he estimates, though it's really hard to care. Sitting on the garage floor after a scrap has left him stiff as a board, and freezing cold. The half bottle of Scotch - not to ( Read more... )

 
[Following this:]

True to his word, he's only another fifteen minutes or so. He even remembers the bottle of wine she wanted, as well as another of Scotch to make sure the room's well-stocked.

He does smell of beer a bit though - occupational hazard - and smoke. Not that it would ever bother him, but women seem strangely adverse to such things.

' ( Read more... )

 He hadn't dozed for long yesterday. And it had been another restless night, although not as bad as before - he still gave up in the end though, and slipped out of bed before Alex woke up. He thought she'd be awake by the time he got out of the shower, but no.

He went downstairs for a pint. Ridiculous really, at that time of morning, but he always ( Read more... )

 
He holds the door open for her again, steps aside so she can go first. It feels like the right thing to do.

'Rats'll bring tea in a minute.'

 
The evening did pass smoothly, and it's been a long time since he's been so grateful for anything. OK, there was the inevitable drifting of his thoughts back to recent - and not so recent - events, but it helped to have a distraction. He forced himself to concentrate on what happened with her today, and it gave him some respite. In hindsight, ( Read more... )

Hours later, he couldn't honestly say if he's had any sleep or not. It's like hovering on the edge of consciousness, one foot in the land of the awake and lucid, the other firmly planted in the realm of nightmares. He jerks from images of blood and that gun, and his family, to Alex lying on his chest, comfortingly warm in the crook of his arm. ( Read more... )