Faith
Faith tiredly rubbed a hand across her eyes. She picked up her phone and dialled in Mouse's number.
She may as well tell her friends that she wasn't dead.
Mouse.
"Hello?" Mouse said into the mouthpiece after she picked up the phone.
Don't be Blakesley, don't be Blakesley, don't be Blakesley...
Faith
"Hey Mouse, it's, uh, Faith."
Faith settled on her couch.
Mouse.
"Faith?"
Mouse swallowed back tears.
"How are you? What happened?"
Faith
"You know how people say 'go to hell'? Well, I went."
Faith tried to smile.
"It was very hot."
Mouse.
"Thought it would be," Mouse said distantly.
"You're alright? Talked to Zac yet?"
She felt like she was swimming through water, trying to even think.
Faith
"I thought I'd do that tomorrow. I don't know how up to seeing him and going through the whole emotional thing."
Faith sighed.
"And I haven't spoken to you in even longer, so yeah."
Mouse.
"Yeah, I'm kinda running short on people who walk on two feet all the time to talk to," Mouse said.
She fiddled with the phonecord, biting her lip.
"When you talk to Zac...can you ask him if he's seen Taylor?"
Faith
"Yeah sure... why, what's happened with the Tay machine?"
Faith smiled slightly, feeling a little more ok.
Mouse.
"I...don't know."
Mouse squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears.
"It's all kinda bad and messed up at the moment. We had an argument, and he hit me and then he left and I haven't seen him since."
Faith
"He hit you?"
Faith clenched her fists slightly.
"Do you want me to kill him?"
Mouse.
"No..."
Mouse started to cry.
"I just want him to come back!"
Faith
"Aw, hey, look, do you want to come over here?"
Faith tucked some hair behind her ears.
Mouse.
Mouse got control of her voice again.
"I can't, the babies..."
Faith
"Oh... yeah... um..."
Faith shuddered at the thought of leaving her house.
"Did... did you want me to come over there?"
Mouse.
"I'm not really up to seeing people at the moment..."
Mouse shook her head.
"Um. So, I had the babies. Jason, Flynn and Melisande."
Faith
"Oh, cool."
Faith nodded.
"So, uh, what happened with Taylor? Unless you don't want me to know."
Mouse.
"God, it's all blurred, I'm not even sure..."
Mouse shook her head slightly, trying to clear it of the tearfogged feeling.
"Were you here on the 18th?"
Faith
"I have no idea. What's the date today?"
Faith shrugged slightly.
"I was back... I don't know, two or three days ago."
Mouse.
"Today's the 26th, so you wouldn't have been..."
Mouse couldn't help it. She started to cry again.
"Nyx died. It rained blood, so much blood everywhere, falling from the sky..."
Faith
"Oh God... how is... everyone?"
Faith was a little confused.
Mouse.
"I don't know..."
Mouse felt ashamed she was being so weak and crying over Faith who had her problems which were worse then hers.
"The blood...and Melisande just pushed me into it cos she's part vampire. I went wolf. Something...attacked. A Hellhound, Keltie called it. I nearly killed it. Then Taylor, then he..."
Faith
"Taylor didn't like it?"
Airlia made a little whining noise, then hopped onto the couch with Faith, curling up next to her.
Mouse.
"Oh, Taylor pulled me out of the house into the rain and I wolfed, couldn;t help it," Mouse said, almost bitterly.
"According to Bets and Faf, he was rabid. Mad. Maybe, I don't know. Not exactly being myself at the time."
Faith
Faith absently stroked Airlia's hair.
"Oh ok... and...?"
Mouse.
"That's when it starts to get hazy," Mouse said.
"He, we...we had sex."
Faith
Go Mouse. Go Taylor.
"And that was... nice?"
Mouse.
Mouse shook her head, hiccuping with tears.
"He...I...I bled, Faith, and, he made me feel like a whore, after...just something to be used so he could come and that was it..."
Faith
Oh Jesus, ouch. Dammit Taylor.
"Mouse, you said yourself he wasn't himself, look, maybe... if he had been himself I'm sure it would've been better."
Faith had no idea what to say. She'd pretty much always come.
Mouse.
"I just..."
Mouse cried harder.
"He just left the room in the morning while I was asleep. And when I woke up, I could barely remember anything and there was blood all over the sheets, and then I sorta remembered something he'd said and that made it all so much worse..."
Faith
"Hey, it's ok, look... he obviously wasn't himself, this isn't the Taylor we know, right?"
Faith grimaced.
It better not be, or he was going to get a kick up the arse.
Mouse.
"No, and that makes it so much worse cos when he is himself, he's gonna hate himself," Mouse said.
"And I love him so much and I just want him to come back."
Faith
"I'll talk to Zac."
Faith sighed.
"Did anything else happen?"
Mouse.
"I swore at him. Threw a glass at the door."
Mouse scrubbed her eyes.
"I'm just so sick of being the victim, Faith. I just always seem to be getting hurt and kicked to the ground again. It's like my whole life."
Faith
Faith nodded.
"Then change it. Mouse, stand up, and assert yourself."
Mouse.
"I tried that and Taylor left..."
Mouse pressed her hand to her mouth.
"And Blakesley rang, he wants my babies."
Faith
Faith sighed.
"I won't let him get them, ok? I will do everything I can to protect them."
Mouse.
"So hunted, all the time..."
Mouse wiped her face clean of tears.
"I want Taylor to come back. I'm sorry, Faith, I just...even after everything...I just..."
Faith
"Don't be sorry, it's ok."
Faith closed her eyes for a moment.
"It's what I'm here for."
Mouse.
"You shouldn't have to be, you have your own problems," Mouse said.
"I'm sorry, Faith..."
Faith
"Oh, Mouse, it really is ok."
Faith shook her head.
"I don't want my problems."
Mouse.
"Well, I've cried all over your shoulder, I'll listen," Mouse said hesitantly.
"If ya want to talk about it."
Faith
"Oh, I'm ok, really. Just a little tired, that's all."
Faith pinched the bridge of her nose.
"So, how are the kids?"
Mouse.
"They're fine," Mouse said.
"Difficult to look after, but fine. Sabre sent a...someone along to help. A waterhorse. She's nice. Odd. But nice."
Faith
"Oh... how very... odd. How is Sabre?"
Faith tickled Airlia slightly.
Mouse.
"When Nyx died..."
Mouse rubbed the still gleaming tattoo on her arm.
"I felt him and Priss scream. I haven't heard anything from them since."
Faith
"Oh dear."
Faith sighed.
"This is really not good."
Mouse.
"No, no it's not," Mouse said.
"The Claim tattoo is still all gold and gleam-y though...when Bastet died...it went grey."
Faith
"Do you think Nyx is still alive?"
Faith scratched her arm.
Mouse.
"It might just mean the power went on to Priss or one of the kittens," Mouse said.
"I think Logan's was the eldest girl..."
Faith
"Ah, ok."
Faith shrugged.
"Weird."
Mouse.
"People just keep dying, Faith..."
Mouse rubbed Fafnir's ears as he jumped onto the bed and settled next to her.
Faith
"It's life," Faith said simply.
"It happens."
Mouse.
"Yeah I guess..."
Mouse ran her hand through Fafnir's ruff and leant back against her pillows, closing her eyes.
"I just want to run, Faith. I was always very good at running."
Faith
"Hell, who isn't?"
Faith sighed.
"But you run now, and you'll be running forever. Don't run, Mouse, see this through."
Mouse.
"Who am I kidding? I can't do this."
Mouse curled around Fafnir.
"I'm stupid to even try."
Faith
"Hey, you can do this, Mouse. You'll make it. You're strong, real strong, I know that, and you know it too, deep down."
Faith felt like a pseudo cheerleader. But it was worth it.
Mouse.
"You sound like a selfhelp book," Mouse said flatly.
Faith
"Yeah, I suppose I do. Just trying to help though."
Faith sighed.
Mouse & Melusine.
"Thanks for trying, Faith..."
Mouse put her hand to her head as Melusine started to wail.
"Look, I gotta go. Mel just woke up."
Faith
"Ok, I'll talk to you later then. Bye."
Faith hung up and headed to the kitchen to get some food."
Mouse.
Mouse hung up the phone and rubbed her eyes. Then she went to go look after her daughter.