He had been leaning against the wood, intent on hearing if she was at least alive in there, and nearly stumbled when the door finally swung open.Įli took one look at her pale face and felt his heart sink. “I’d rather not have to burn it down, but -” “Jane,” he said, knocking again, when no answer came after endless minutes. After a moment of indecision, Eli decided to knock. More worryingly, he couldn’t hear anything - no crying, no yelling, no object thrown in rage. Jane’s door was locked, which wasn’t surprising. “She really needs you, right about now.” Eli stared at him, opened his mouth, closed it again. “Let me rephrase,” he said, with a wry smile. Logan looked at him with the mixture of sympathy and long-suffering stoicism he normally reserved for the stubbornest ghosts.
“Maybe you should go then,” Eli snapped, jealousy flaring before he could stop it. “She really needs a friend, right about now.” “I know it’s none of my business, but… Jane.” He paused, hesitated. With that, Vicky turned around and left, the main door slamming behind her. And I drink.” She flashed the three of them a cocky grin. “None of that, now, both of ya,” Vicky tutted, with a dismissive wave. Next to him KayKay bobbed up in down in what Eli now recognized as agitation. “What a clusterfuck,” Vicky sighed finally, running a careless hand through her disheveled hair. Logan, Vicky and Eli stared at each other in heavy silence. Eli stared at the stairs, unsure of what to do next.Sparks crackled at his fingertips, and he clenched his fists, startled at his loss of control.
Without saying a word, Jane ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. When they reached home, Mandana had long since disappeared back into her bottle. They trailed Mandana out of the station wordlessly. Get a grip, Elliot, he admonished himself. Kalash was dead, Mandana was grieving, Jane was heartbroken and he was … what? Jealous of Logan stepping in to comfort their friend, when he himself hadn’t? Turning away, Eli felt disgusted by his own selfishness. The sight should have been comforting, and in a way it was - but the sight of Logan and Jane’s closeness felt like a knife to the gut. Logan walked on her other side, with a careful hand on her shoulder. Vicky, walking on Jane’s right side, caught his eye and gave him a hard look.
She was walking much too fast for him to catch up, Eli quickly realized, and he stopped trying, instead glancing behind to check on Jane. Mandana shot up from her seat, graceful even in her haste, and strode out of the train without a backward glance. Logan had looked between the three of them, frowning, then had gone to sit next to Jane.įinally the train lurched to a halt as they reached their stop. So he had stayed in his seat, torn with indecision. Eli had almost followed her, not wanting her to feel cast out - but Mandana was his best and oldest friend, and she needed him, too. Tonight, Mandana had glared at her with such ferocity that Jane had physically recoiled, her face ashen, and gone to sit a few meters away. No matter how hard the day had been, Jane had never failed in drawing a smile - even occasionally a laugh - out of him. She would have kept asking progressively sillier questions about his book, upping the ante until she reached truly impressive heights of inanity. She would have pretended not to be reading over his shoulder, and he would have pretended not to like it. On a normal night - what passed for normal in their world anyhow - Jane would have taken the seat next to him. She looked small, and exhausted, and something inside him ached to ease her pain. But he had the sinking feeling that Jane herself didn’t quite understand it. Or would, once she had started to deal with the pain fueling her fury. He knew that, the rest of the team knew that - hell, even Mandana knew it, deep down. She hadn’t said a word since Central Park, and Eli couldn’t blame her.Įli glanced at Jane again, worry gnawing at his stomach. Next to him, Mandana stared straight ahead, statue-like. The trees are dripping, and though it’s December 10th there’s no sign of snow, just a wintry, driving rain that stings where it catches their faces.ĭoes anyone actually *like* Christmas? One found family figuring out their own way through.The subway journey home felt endless. What are you guys doing for Christmas?’ Vicki says as they pick their way through the underbrush. Paintedfences Fandoms: Unavowed (Video Game)
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