freezerburned | IC Contact for Asgard

[The day that Scott tells her is a blur. She tells him that she's fine. She's going to be fine. She leaves a message for Sam. She tells him that she's just going to see her doctor, see Merlin. She's not lying, she does plan on doing all those things, but she also waits for Isaac. A message, a note, even a damn smoke-signal (in the form of a shadow) would be enough for her right now, but the longer she has to wait the heavier everything else feels.

The day after she's numb to it. She ignores anyone else that tries to talk to her. She writes Elena a letter while she's staring at a pile of books to reshelve. Elena's gone though. She can't even leave her a message to ramble forever about how hurt she feels. She still can't sleep, still feels unsettled and worries that something else is going to happen. She tells work that she can't come in the rest of the week. Tells them that she has doctor appointments. They believe her. Why wouldn't they?

She lays in bed and stares at the ceiling. She hasn't slept. She doesn't even want to sleep, not until she knows why it happened. Why them? Why did it have to be Isaac? What is it about them that no matter what world they're in -- something horrible happens to them?

Erica doesn't want to know the details of what Isaac did. She knew there were empty spots in her memory and she just wants to think that whoever ... she doesn't want it to be Isaac. She doesn't want it to be anyone. She wants this to be a horrible season finale to a show that ran ten seasons too long. She wants people to wake up and for it to all be a dream.

Her fingers keep touching to her bracelet and when another message pings she almost ignores it, but it's early and she decides that if it is work -- if they need her she'll just get paid to stare off into space for six hours.

It isn't work and yet the message itself sends irrational anger through her. Why wouldn't he come home? He can't -- he shouldn't want to just leave her again.]

--

yes you do have to come home

okay

[That's it. He had meant his message as an offer- if she doesn't want to see him, she doesn't have to. He doesn't want to force his presence on anyone right now- hell, he doesn't even want to be himself. But when Erica sends him the return message, Isaac understands that too. He'd abandoned her when he told her she died, he'd left her in the height of all of the murders... god knows, the only thing he's thankful for is that he somehow left her when he went out to kill the others. If he'd murdered her...

-well, Isaac doesn't know if he'd let himself live with that.

But he goes home. At Erica's request, because she either doesn't want to face this alone or she wants to be angry with him for what he's done, what he's said. Either thing is fine with him- he just wants to see her. So, he gathers what clothing and possessions he has on him in the castle and starts to move back toward Hel.

The knock on the door comes about twenty minutes later. He doesn't have his key, after all.]

[There's no argument from him and she's relieved for that. She just wants it to be over. She wants the waiting, the unknown parts to be done with. She sits up and moves to the couch. Erica listens for the sound of footsteps in the hallway, for them to slow near the door. When they slow and stop, she takes a breath and actually startles herself when he knocks. Rising to her feet, she moves to the door to open it.

Actually seeing him is a relief and it clearly shows in her expression that she's just glad that he's back and that he's there in front of her instead of arguing with her over text messages. There's nothing that she wants to say just yet, but she does step forward and hug him. He might not want that, but she doesn't actually care.]

That really sucked. [It's a general statement about the entire ordeal, but mostly that he had to die.]

[Isaac doesn't know what to think of the relief that suddenly washes over her face and the arms that are suddenly around him, pulling him close. And he doesn't know what to do, either, doesn't know how to react, so he just keeps still, presses his chin idly against her head, tries not to think about how he could have killed her. Like he's killed so many others.]

...yeah. Yeah, it did.

[Quiet, soft. He takes in a deep breath and buries his face in the expanse of her hair, arms wrapping around her shoulders suddenly to pull her tightly against him.]

I'm glad you're okay.

[She doesn't want to pull away once he settles in against her. She just exhales and keeps him close.]

I thought - I thought I would've known. [The words get mumbled, the meaning slightly pulling to the side of knowing that he'd died and also to knowing that it had been him.]

I'm glad it's over.

[Isaac doesn't pull away either. He'll hold her for minutes, as long as she'll let him, burying his face in her hair and just trying to keep her close, keep her there.

He could have killed her.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[The breath she exhales is slow and steady.]

I know. [She can't tell him that it's okay, she's pretty sure things are far from okay. She remembers how she felt even thinking that she had been responsible, so the thought of having to deal with actually doing it -- she can't imagine it.

Erica just stays with him, hand moving to rest to the back of his head. She had tried to deny what had happened and maybe she blames Sophie a little bit for it ending the way it did, but what matters is that he's back and he's alive and he actually came home. She had never had siblings before and maybe that's not what it means to be part of a pack, but she doesn't have a comparison either way. She just knows that it feels better knowing that he's okay.]

Can I tell you that you can never do that again? [She tries to make it into a light-sounding comment, but the stress and worry pushes through easily.]

I can do my best.

[But that's all he can offer, because Isaac had never thought he could do something like that in the first place, never even thought he'd be able to. Thiazi proved him wrong, this whole place proved him wrong, and he doesn't really know where to go from here.]

-I don't know. I didn't know anything. You have to- I didn't know, or I'd have...

[He doesn't know what he would have done, but- something different, surely. Removing himself from the situation, maybe even asking Hel for a quick death, something. Instead, it's this. It's burning half of Sophie's face off, and telling everyone that Erica is a killer.]

[She nods, her hand staying still against the back of his head.]

It's done. It won't change anything back. We'll just ... I know you wouldn't have if you had known. We'll just leave it. [She says it slightly unsure, because she knows if it had been her she'd think about it constantly. Blaming herself -- the things that are wrong with her for how easy it was for them to pick her for it.]

It's done and over. You're here. That's -- [She takes a breath in, her stomach twisting a bit as she tries not to think about someone making her think it had been her.]

That's what matters.

[He nods slowly, and he doesn't want to believe her honestly- doesn't want to just forget this ever happened and move on with his life, but why would that be such a bad thing? It feels disrespectful, sure, but when the alternative is self loathing, he can understand wanting to just put everything behind them.]

...can you forgive me? [It's quiet, soft. If Erica can, if Sophie can, if Scott can, then maybe this will be okay. If they can't, then he'll have to- he doesn't know. He'll have to figure out something else.]

[Erica shifts a bit, her head moving to rest to his shoulder as she just takes a breath. It's... it's odd to think that she has to forgive him. Maybe it's for the things that he told other people...

She's not even sure what all he told people. Most of that night is still slightly a blur.]

It'll be okay, Isaac. We'll always be okay.

['Not always,' he wants to tell her, but he doesn't. Isaac glances downward, biting at his lower lip and nods. It isn't an explicit forgiveness, of course, but he has to take it and do with it what he will.]

...I hope so. I hope this never happens again.

[She'll say the words eventually, but right now she's just relieved that he's alive and that he's there. It's difficult to even pinpoint what he is looking for forgiveness for, too, and she doesn't just want to say the words and not have them actually mean something.

Her hand moves to back, resting near his shoulder. Giving him a squeeze she nods.]

I completely support that. [Pulling back she looks him in the eyes and smiles.] I'm glad you came back here.

You asked me to.

[And he doesn't want to think about how he didn't last time- doesn't want to think about how he probably hurt her, made her mistrust that he would come back.

But he's here now, that's what matters. That has to matter.]

-kinda wanna sleep for a week, though. I feel sore all over.

[Erica nods. She's glad he came back, though she's not sure if it's good that it was because she asked or if she wonders if he'd wanted to come back if she hadn't... it's not something she wants to think too heavily on. Not right now, at least.]

I can get you something for the soreness and I'll sleep on the couch tonight so you don't have to worry about me kicking you in my sleep. [Not that she thinks she does, but she also figures that he might just want that space.]

I can take the couch.

[He shakes his head, not wanting to put her out any more than he already has. It's been bad enough already.]

Don't worry about it.

[Erica shakes her head, frowning at him.]

I said that I'd take the couch. You're sore and tired and it's darker and quieter in the bedroom. Really, I don't mind. [Her hand squeezes his as she moves to step away from him.]

I'll get you the aspirin.

...thanks.

[Isaac just nods at that and moves toward the bedroom, his shoulders sagging a little in exhaustion. It still feels like too much to handle right now

[Erica moves to get some aspirin from the cabinet and a glass of water, following him to the bedroom after him. She sets the glass on the small bedside table and sits on her side of the bed, even if she's not going to be sleeping there tonight. Her hand holds out the two pills.]

I want to talk about it, but I don't really know ... how to talk about it. I mean, there are things that I don't remember and I'm sure things you don't remember... but I know somehow stories could line up. If it was... [She looks at him.] If it was you that put the knife in my hand. [Her hand still shakes outwardly at him, gesturing for him to take the pills, because even if she's looking for answers, she's not going to be a jerk about his headache.]

IC Contact for Asgard

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