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mortemoppetere · 5 months

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TIMING: current LOCATION: the woods in wicked's rest PARTIES: @rhythmicmeow, @declinlalune & @mortemoppetere SUMMARY: guess who's back, back again. leti's back. tell a friend. CONTENT: memory loss (in relation to shifting)

Andy’s more frequented trails were becoming less so with the way winter was rearing its ugly head. She didn’t mind a little snow here and there, but the patches of ice weren’t anything to fuck around with. It’d only take one deep freeze for her to fall on her ass, and she wasn’t keen on limping all the way back to her jeep. After her walk through the woods with Nicole, she’d been more alert– eager to sense something out of place, to find something that could lead her to the person who was doing this to her friends, but she continued coming up empty handed. It was frustrating, to say the least, but there was no reason she couldn’t keep looking.

It was lucky she did.

There was a mess of dark hair and dirt-smeared skin. The prickling feeling that rose up the back of her neck was a sensation unforgotten. Andy stood at the far end of the trail, breath hitched in her throat. She watched the steady rise and fall of the woman’s chest, and it was then that she realized she was alive. Without thinking, Andy surged forward, throwing her backpack to the ground. “Hello? Can you–” Andy moved some of the hair from the woman’s face and her stomach flipped.

“Leticia?” Her breath caught in her throat and she was quick to remove her jacket, gaze averted from her body. It was just a body, but this felt– Andy wasn’t sure how it felt. “Leti, can you hear me?” Andy put the jacket overtop of her before unlooping her scarf from around her neck, balling it to fit beneath the other woman’s head. Funnily enough, the stupid thing had been meant for Leti’s stupid cutout.

With cold hands, she dug her phone out of her pack and dialed Emilio– not much thought put into it other than the fact he was their mutual friend, and they had both thought she disappeared.

“Emilio, it’s– Leti, I found Leti.” She stared at the woman on the ground, still in disbelief. “She’s– I’m sending you my location now.” Andy quickly tapped the share icon on her phone before bringing the phone back to her ear. “Please, hurry.”

—

It was one of those rare nights that found Emilio sitting in his office instead of out on the prowl, a case file open and a furrow to his brow. The case was a particularly puzzling one at first, but had become a little more clear with the discovery of an angry, illegitimate son his client hadn’t disclosed, one who worked on the police force. He’d just about wrapped it up now, even if it had sucked him in a little more than he’d planned for it to.

The ringing of his phone provided less of its usual annoyance as a result. Emilio picked it up without checking the caller ID, holding it in place with his shoulder as he began putting the case file away. Before he could grunt out a greeting, the person on the other end was already talking. Emilio nearly dropped his phone at the words.

“Found? What do you mean found? Is she…?” Dread built up in his stomach. Was Leti alive, or was Andy calling to tell him she’d found a body? Guilt ate away at him, the memory of how sure he’d been that she’d just skipped town sitting uncomfortably in his throat. “Where are you?” He was already on his feet, halfway to the door. He didn’t bother locking it behind him; this was too important.

As soon as the location popped up on his phone, he was on his way. Teddy wouldn’t mind his ‘borrowing’ their ridiculous little car, even if Emilio didn’t have time to ask their permission. They’d get it, he knew; he felt no guilt as he tore out of the drive and down the road to Andy’s location, hands shaking a little when it was time to get out and walk. He made his way to the pair, immediately crouching beside Andy at Leti’s side. His fingers trembled as he felt the pulse on Leti’s wrist, undeniably present in a way that drew a sigh of relief. “Leticia. Hey, Leti. ¿Puedes oírme?”

—

The last thing that Leticia remembered was a young man calling her by name just a few feet from the front door of her apartment building. In hindsight, that should have been the first and only red flag she needed to run inside and call someone. But she had stopped and turned to face him, even going as far as taking a step away from her door and asking him if he was okay. He had a too friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes and spoke in a way that made her feel like he knew her. Not in the way that a fan would have collected every magazine that she had ever been in, but on the same level as a stalker that knew too many personal details about her that she hadn’t shared with some of her closest friends,

The kind of knowing, she realized too late, that could get someone killed.

The next clear memory she had was of cold. The kind of cold that she expected in the winter of Maine, but in September? She was freezing and whatever energy she had left was fading quickly, her heart beat faintly keeping time in her chest. But as time ticked away, the cold reached her bones. If the ranger didn’t find her now, in this exhausted state, the weather would finish the job for him. It would have been better if he found her. Kinder. Quicker.

Her vision darkened again.

Leticia could feel the weight of something on her. Warmth? Something soft under her head. Her eyes felt too heavy to open, but she heard Andy’s voice. Of all the people who could have found her, she was relieved it was Andy. Sad too, if she looked as bad as she felt, she could only imagine her worry, But her voice chipped away at the exhaustion and acceptance of her impending death, replacing it with a sliver of hope.

Emilio’s voice intruded soon after, his hand on her wrist and with his sigh of relief came a wave of guilt. How long ago had she been praying for a quick death so that she could rest? What would that have done to Andy, who had found her? Her body felt numb and her mind kept jumping from one dreadful thought to the next before emptying back into confusion and the one sensation she could feel clearly: cold.

¿Puedes oírme?

Her eyes flickered open for a moment, but snapped shut at the shock of light and colors. Leticia forced them open once more, just enough to see a blurry world through the distortion of her lashes. She couldn’t make out much other than the shoes of her friends, but it was something. Even as small as it was. Her pinky twitched in response, and a moment later she managed to part her lips. “Cold.” Her voice was hoarse and her mouth dry, aching from the lack of use over the past months.

—

The time it took between Andy ending the phone call and Emilio arriving at her side was entirely too long for her liking. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with Leti, or what had happened, but she seemed out of it– disoriented, but breathing. The breathing part was what Andy held onto. She was cold, but warm enough that Andy didn’t think she was suffering from hypothermia of any kind. She’d been so quick to throw her jacket over the other woman that she hadn’t looked for potential injuries. They’d find them soon enough, she was sure.

Andy watched as Emilio spoke to her, as he tested her pulse. The relief he wore in his expression settled some of the anxiety she felt, but not by much. She swallowed thickly, gaze wandering back to Leti who was on the ground, eyes barely opening.

That was a start, she thought.

The why and how questions littered her mind– the idea that something could have happened to Leti and she wouldn’t have known, it made her angry. But now wasn’t the time to be upset with herself, and she knew that– knew that Leti getting home safely, or to some kind of hospital, was their top priority.

Leti croaked out that she was cold and Andy nodded, “I know, I know.” She looked back to Emilio while taking off her flannel, “I have an emergency blanket in the pack, can you get it?” It was the same kind she had given Chris after finding him. “Leti, can you look at me?” Andy hovered back over her friend, draping her flannel over the exposed part of her legs. The jacket she used wasn’t enough to cover but past her mid-thigh. “My jeep isn’t far. We can pick her up, we can–” She looked back over at the brunette, frustration building– frustration over the fact that she hadn’t been there to save Leti from whatever had done this.

—

Leti was awake. Not in good shape, but conscious in a way that sent another nauseating wave of relief over him. She said she was cold, and Andy was mentioning a blanket, and Emilio was so out of it that it took a second mention for him to come back to himself, for him to remember where he was and who he was with. “Yeah,” he agreed, digging in the pack. He retrieved the blanket, tucking it over Leti.

His mind was reeling with what might have happened, with what could have caused this. How long had she been in these woods? Had it been the whole time that his messages to her had been going unanswered, or had there been some period where his first assumption — that she wasn’t replying because she was angry with him — was correct? Either way, the guilt churned in his stomach, made him feel sick. Could he have prevented this? Should he have? He knew Andy was probably wondering the same; he made a brief eye contact with her over Leti’s head before looking away, tucking the blanket tighter.

“Okay if we carry you?” The question was directed towards Leticia, soft and quiet. “Can crank up the heat in the car. Take you back to…” He trailed off, looking to Andy. The cabin? He wasn’t sure she’d want to be around other people right now. Teddy’s? It was big enough to provide some privacy, but unfamiliar. Leti’s apartment? For all he knew, whatever had happened to her had happened there. A hospital seemed out of the question. There was no telling what they might find. “Where should we go?”

—

The warmth of the blanket and the added jacket didn’t stop Leticia from feeling colder when Emilio finally released her wrist. Her hand dropped to the ground at first, nails scratching the surface of the dirt before she reached towards Andy, the tips of her fingers touching her friend’s shoe. Enough to comfort her. Ground her. They were there. This wasn’t some twisted dream she was having to help her peacefully off.

“Sorry.” She couldn’t tell you what she was apologizing for. The inconvenience? The way she looked? The stress she was causing them? “A night usually…” Leticia breathed, fluttering her eyes as she tried to focus. “Doesn’t usually take this much out of me.” There were a few times where she was fighting for her life or anothers, but it had never completely drained her before. A few hours was nothing when it came to letting the jaguar have her time. Why was it different this time?

Looking up toward Andy’s face, the world around them was still blurry at the edges, but the shapes and colors of her friends were becoming clearer with each passing moment. Her gaze shifted from Andy to Emilio, her head barely moving. “You can carry me,” Leticia whispered with a nod, an awkward smile. “Don’t think…” She took in a deep, labored breath. “I can get there on my own.” There was no time to appreciate the joke that didn’t land, because where they were headed sparked another burst of panic.

“Not mine,” she said quickly, swallowing as she struggled with her words. Every sound from her mouth sounded rough and unfamiliar. “He was there. Waiting outside.” The shop was probably compromised too, she had no idea how long he had been following her and where he had snooped around.

—

Leticia looked to be in pain– the kind that came with not fully understanding what had happened. That was only cemented by the fact that Leti thought it had only been one night. Andy kept her expression neutral, not wanting to rile up Leti by the fact that she’d been gone for months, not just one night. They’d tell her once they knew she was healthy enough to withstand the information, not before.

Andy took Leti’s hand that was at her boot into her own, squeezing it gently. “Okay.” She smiled reassuringly at her friend before looking up to meet Emilio’s gaze. At his question of where they’d go, she paused. Andy wasn’t sure if Cass was still staying at the cabin, but that’d mean extra bodies, and what Leti needed was rest.

But that wasn’t the only concern. Andy’s brows rose as Andy explained that he was there. Who was he? She wanted to ask, wanted to get the information as soon as possible to put an end to whatever hell Leti had experienced, but now was not the time. Andy steeled herself against the questions that pooled at the back of her throat. She closed her hand fully around Leti’s and gave it a tighter squeeze this time before leaning forward, tucking the blanket underneath and around the other woman.

“I’ll get a room at the Bearcliff. It’s close enough.” She slipped her arms beneath Leticia, lifting her up slowly. “Okay, are you ready?” She shot another glance at Emilio. “My jeep is that way, it’s towards the main parking lot– you probably saw it when you pulled in.” She needed to stay calm if she wanted to get Leti somewhere safe. She needed to stay calm, because if she didn’t, she didn’t know what would happen. “It’s okay,” Andy muttered against the top of Leti’s head as she began the walk back towards the parking lot.

—

It took him a moment to grasp the weight of Leticia’s words. A night. She thought she’d lost one night. How were they going to tell her how much more there was? Emilio made eye contact with Andy again, question clear on his face. Did they tell her now? Did they wait? Andy seemed to be leaning towards the latter and, since she was better with people than he was, Emilio followed her lead. One step at a time was better, anyway. Step one needed to be getting Leti someplace warm, someplace safe.

Maybe step two would be figuring out who he was.

The confirmation that this was something that had been done to her wasn’t strictly necessary. Emilio had gathered that there were outside forces at play, but to have it spelled out right in front of him like this… Rage flared in his chest, and he did his best to quiet it. His fingers twitched, that familiar yearning for vengeance burning just as hot as it always did when someone he cared about was hurt. Now wasn’t the time for it. It would come later — with help, if the look on Andy’s face was any indication. But now, the focus needed to be on Leticia. They needed to get her someplace safe, someplace warm.

The motel was a good idea. Anonymous, safe, warm. Emilio offered a small nod of confirmation, shifting to the side as Andy picked Leti up and then pushing himself to his feet as well. “Wasn’t paying much attention,” he admitted. A stupid mistake, the kind that got people killed… but when he’d pulled up, all he’d been focused on was Leti. He made his way back to the parking lot, anyway. Sure enough, Andy’s familiar Jeep wasn’t far from Teddy’s god-awful Bug. “I’ll ride with you. Can get back to the car later. Want me to drive?” He thought Andy might prefer the idea of sitting in the back with Leticia, given the way she was clinging to her now.

—

If she had been more aware, she might have caught them looking at each other right after she said it had just been a night. If she had been more aware, she might have even picked up on the cavern of silence it had torn through their already strained exchange of words. Something had happened, but all of Leticia’s awareness was focused on the warmth of Andy’s hand.

At the mention of a hotel, Leticia’s focus shifted again. Bearcliff? She couldn’t remember the place off hand, but her frantic mind filled in pieces on its own. Painting the place as owned by bugbears that were going to feed on the fresh memories that had driven her into the woods last night. How much would she remember? Would she remember the more intricate details of the man? Would they bring to the surface the memories she had while the jaguar had been given all control? Or would it just pray on her fear and give her nothing in return?

For a few small details, she might let them have their feast.

Her thoughts jostled once more as Andy picked her up. A newfound feeling of safety washed over her, even as Andy lied and said it was okay. “It’s not,” she whispered in response, her ear against Andy’s chest and her eyes trying to find the back of Emilio’s head. “He thinks he’s a bad friend.” That conversation was still fresh on Leticia’s mind, but he had come here, hadn’t he? And he was still there, helping her. “And… I can hear your heartbeat.” She closed her eyes again, her arms moving closer to her chest as her head found a comfortable spot on Andy’s chest. Seeking out warmth and comfort, and maybe the most basic feeling of human connection.

“I scared you,” she whispered, as if at confession. “I’m sorry.”

—

Andy fought to maintain a neutral expression, to keep it from twisting into something venomous. Whatever she had saved Leticia from with the ranger who had hurt Alex and Alan, instead happened by the hand of another. There would be no stopping it, she realized. Her mind drifted to Nicole and the whole reason she’d been on the trail in the first place– of how no matter how hard she tried to keep them safe from one threat, there would always be another.

Leticia’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, and Andy looked down at her, knowing well enough that the fact she was speaking at all was a good sign. Though, she wasn’t sure how long it’d last. It was getting colder and they needed to hurry. “Don’t worry about that right now.” Because even if Emilio did think he was a bad friend, him showing up for Leticia with barely any notice proved he wasn’t. Emilio’s self-hatred knew no bounds, Andy knew that much, but she wouldn’t let him hate himself when they had to help her.

The next words to come out of Leticia’s mouth, however, garnered a soft laugh. “Your ear is right there, yeah.” There was a softness she hadn’t anticipated in her own comment, but she tightened her grip on Leti, anyway. She hadn’t realized how much she missed her friend until she was in her presence. The trail slowly turned to mixed gravel which meant they were close to the parking lot. That was good. Andy made a noise at the back of her throat when Leti apologized. “You don’t need to be sorry. I wasn’t that scared.” It was an obvious lie, but she wasn’t about to delve into how terrified she was.

Emilio’s voice broke through the small bubble that’d formed around them and Andy’s gaze lingered on her jeep. “Yeah, my keys– they’re in the pack.” She looked down at Leticia with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We’re going to get you somewhere warm, okay?”

Once the door to her jeep was open, she put Leticia down gently, careful to not jostle her too much. Before closing the door, she made sure that the blanket was secured tightly around her and then she made her way around the jeep, giving Emilio a firm nod climbing into the seat next to Leti. As gently as she could, Andy repositioned Leticia so that her head was in her lap. “I have some clothes in the back that I can give you, too. We’ll get you a shower, something to eat.” For three months, she didn’t look nearly as thin as one would’ve thought. Maybe the jaguar had kept her satiated. Andy smoothed some of the hair out of Leti’s face before resting her hand at the crown of her head.

“We’re ready.”

—

Leticia and Andy were talking in quiet tones, and Emilio pretended not to hear them. After everything, he thought, the pair deserved a quiet moment of reconnection, one that wouldn’t be compromised by listening ears. Later, he’d try to get more details from Leticia. Emilio was at his most useful when he was neutralizing threats, and there was nothing he wanted to be more than he wanted to be useful. His friends deserved the sort of companion who gave them something in return for all the shit he put them through, and this was how Emilio knew to offer that repayment. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t what they wanted, sometimes. But it wasn’t like he had much else to give.

He glanced back at Andy and Leticia, wrapped up in their moment even as they exited the woods. He’d like to think that, in the parking lot, the worst of it was over. He knew better than that. There were still hurdles to be cleared, still tragedies they’d have to speak aloud. What was the best way to tell Leticia how long it had been? What words would let her know the truth while doing the least amount of damage? There were none that were perfect, he knew. It was going to hurt either way. You couldn’t detonate a bomb without flinging shrapnel around.

At Andy’s instruction, he pulled the keys from the pack and jogged over to the Jeep, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting it. He turned the heat on full blast before getting out and circling back around to his friends, offering them a small nod. Carefully as he could, he helped load Leticia into the back with Andy, squeezing her hand gently as she settled into place. “You’ll be okay,” he promised her quietly.

With one last careful inspection of her body, tucked safely under the blanket and resting against Andy, Emilio moved back around to slide into the driver’s seat again. He closed the door, shooting a glance to the backseat before moving the car into gear. “I’ll drive fast.”

The silence in the car felt deafening. Like a tangible thing, a blanket wrapping around them. Emilio felt the unease seep into his bones as, true to his word, he sped down the street. Paranoia crept in, leaving his hands so tight around the steering wheel that he worried about cracking it. Abruptly, he shot out a hand and flipped on the radio. Anything to fill up that suffocating quiet, anything to make it a little easier to breathe. The tune that came on was unfamiliar, but upbeat. A voice sang words he didn’t quite understand with a name that seemed vaguely familiar, but not incredibly. Santa something. Whatever it was, it was so much better than the quiet, so he turned it up. “Almost there,” he muttered, glancing up to the rearview to catch a glimpse of the backseat.

Almost there. As for what would come after… They’d deal with it when it came.

—

“I can’t stop,” she whispered, a strained laugh accompanying her words. Their last conversation had been burned into her mind, where he looked exhausted and told her to find better friends. Where the remnants of a broken phone were scattered across the floor of his apartment. Where she had walked away when she should have stayed and fought. “I should have fought harder,” Leticia said, this time louder, wanting Emilio to hear that she should have fought for their friendship harder — that he was worth the effort. After all, even after she walked away, he came the second that she needed him.

He deserved that same loyalty.

The spoken lie brought a melancholic smile to Leticia’s face. And while she listened to the thumping of her heart, she considered reminding her that she could hear her heartbeat and that she knew it was a lie. But a brief moment of contemplation and the steady tick of Andy’s heart, she decided to let them both have that lie. Pretend that Andy wasn’t scared. Pretend that she hadn’t been knocking on death’s door and nearly welcoming it.

Tipping her head upward, Leticia looked at Andy’s face when she smiled. There was something wrong with it, but she couldn’t tell if she looked as bad as she felt, or if she was trying to force away any expressions of worry for her sake. Gritting her teeth at the movement, the stiffness in her muscles were more apparent to her now that she was warming up. But she could feel everything — that was a good sign. “Bad luck with the weather,” she tried to joke. “September could have given me a nice warm wake up but no. When it rains it pours, I guess.” Or it was something weird happening in Wicked’s Rest again. Nothing was off the table.

She gripped Emilio’s hand as tightly as she could when he held it and then rested it on Andy’s leg when he turned to get into the driver’s seat. The feeling of Andy’s hand on her head reminded her of her old home in California. “Clothes, yeah,” she agreed. “A warm shower, er, bath maybe. Dinner and some trash tv?” Her mind wandered again, wondering if she could get them to watch The Real Housewives with her. Emilio would love the drama of it, she decided, and she’d have to explain a lot to both of them, but it would be a good distraction for everyone.

Breathing deeply, she let her eyes close once more, knowing this time, there was nothing to worry about. The nightmare she had been experiencing was over, the next time she opened her eyes would be easier. But as the warmth lulled her to sleep in the back of the car, the sudden Christmas music brought the tension back to her shoulders. Why were they playing Santa Baby in September? The obvious answer floated to the forefront of her mind: it wasn’t September anymore. Dread rooted itself in the pit of her stomach, telling her that more time than she had thought had passed. Leticia furrowed her brows and kept her eyes tightly shut. The kids at the shop must have gotten out of hand without supervision and decided to be extra annoying today. It was just a stupid prank. Wicked’s Rest was just having a weird weather front and the music was a prank. It had to be.

#rhythmicmeow #declinlalune #leticia: all i want for christmas is you #andy: all i want for christmas is you #wickedswriting

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