I am not a pet

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"I know I should be angry at Bee, but I can’t be. I’m glad Emma had Vengeance and Order and West through all of this." He gave Amber a sad look. "All I can hope is that Bee makes things right with Emma before it’s too late."

He stopped in his tracks. “I can’t do it yet. I can’t say goodbye to her. I just want to make sure they’re both going to be okay before I move on. I can’t leave them until I know they’ll have each other’s support.”

"That's fine..." She stepped in front of him, "It was just a suggestion that you do it before you leave." She reached up and held his cheek, "You don't have to leave, you can stay." She looked into his eyes and stepped back. "I'm sorry." She hesitated a moment and turned, heading back towards the palace. "Let's look for Betrayal."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"To be honest, I don’t know if I do." Looking at Amber, he asked, "Bee ran again, didn’t she?" He hung his head. "Can’t say that I blame her."

Eric released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Okay. Good,” he nodded. “At least they’re not naked.”

He walked along beside her in silence as he thought about her question. “I don’t know what I want to do. Part of me wants to stay with them but part of me realizes that I’d be miserable just watching and never being able to talk to them or touch them again.” He sighed. “I don’t know that I’m ready to say goodbye yet.”

"She did. She abandoned Emma. Vengeance and Order moved her in with them for awhile until she decided to get her own place. Vengeance helped her there too. West has been her salvation through all of it." Amber replied softly.

"Let me ask you, do you want to do this now or did you want to take some time first? Make saying good bye to Bee your last thing before moving on?"

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

Catching a glimpse of a strange look on Amber’s face before she looked away, he frowned. Something happened that she wasn’t telling him about. “Is everything okay with Bee? Did something happen with her and Emma?”

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a grimace on his face. “I don’t want to go in there either. Even if it is Emma, I don’t think that’s something I want to know…or see.” Turning his back on the tent, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’ve got to get away from here, though, before I go crazy. Much as I’m trying to remember that she’s growing up and that I actually like West, listening to this is driving me crazy.”

Eric started walking away from the tent, intent only on escaping the sounds of what he suspected was Emma and West getting it on in the tent. “Let’s go see if Bee’s back yet.”

"Everyone grieves in their own way. Order turned to drugs and sex for solace." She looked at him, "Do you really want to know?"

Taking a deep breath, she turned and stuck her head in the tent before pulling out quickly and returned to Eric.

"They are clothed. But they are together." She said tersely. There was a part of her that was proud that they hadn't gotten to the sex but then she realized that this could have been the first part of their evening. Shivering she walked back towards the palace.

"Eric... what are you going to do once you've done this for Betrayal?" She asked taking his hand in hers and stopping him for a moment, "Do you plan to stick around and watch them?" She was worried that this was too much too fast for him.

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"I'm glad he was there for her." He paused at her next statement. "Wait...but she had her mom, right?"

As they got closer to the tent he began to hear noises. Noises that made him stop in his tracks. "You don't think that they're...they aren't the ones making those...that can't be them."

Amber looked at Eric when he asked the question before looking away, not saying a word.

Swallowing she looked at Eric.

"I am not going into the tent." She stepped back and folded her arms, "You can if you wish, but it is no business of mine."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

Following Amber, he blurted out, “Wait, why would she be in West’s room? They haven’t been dating that long. You don’t think they’re…no, they’re too young for that.” He looked around West’s room, trying to see if there was even one wrinkle on the bed that would indicate the two of them had been on it.

He turned and left West’s room. “Then let’s check all those places,” he said with determination. Looking at her, he murmured, “I just want to make sure she’s safe after everything that’s happened.”

Leading the way out of the apartment, he kept up a steady stream of chatter, more to himself than to Amber. “Why would she not be in our apartment? She’s just a little girl. Where could she be? She better not be having sex.” He led Amber quickly through the palace, checking all the other places the kids could be inside before heading back outside. Scanning the groupings of trees around the palace, he spotted what looked like a tent underneath one in the distance. “Let’s check over there,” he suggested.

"They just started but they have been friends for awhile. He was there for her after you were killed, when others weren't."

Nodding her head, it was better to keep moving and looking otherwise he would go crazy. It was better to keep him busy.

Following after him, she kept quiet, replying when only it seemed appropriate. Spotting the tent she wondered why or who would be in the tent when the cabin was not far from the location.

Walking in that direction, she heard a noise that was ... suspicious and quite frankly made her falter. Hurrying towards the tent the noises got louder and louder and were definitely of a sexual nature.

Please let it be anyone other then them..... she thought.

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"As much as I want to wait here for Bee, I have to make sure Emma’s okay." He turned to look at Amber. "I can’t imagine where she could be. Do you mind if we go see if she’s with West?"

#eric #this could get messy

"Sure." Amber stood and thought for a moment. Walking to Emma's room, it was clear that she hadn't been around in awhile. But where to start.

"Let's check West's room." She walked out of Betrayals room and down the halls until she came to Vengeance's apartment. Taking a moment she walked through the door and looked around. The room was empty and it didn't sound like anyone was home. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Walking into West's room, she found the bed made up and neat but no sign of him or Emma. Looking at Eric, she pondered.

"They could be together walking around, there is the library, the movie theater, the mini putt putt course, the pools.... there are just so many places a young couple could go to."

The fact they were not in each other's rooms getting it on was a relief but still, it didn't answer anything and with the both of them Demis, they could be on earth too.

"We should come back around dinner time to see if they come home." She suggested, in the meantime, let's search the grounds before the house." she offered.

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

He walked into the bedroom he used to share with Bee and then out and into their small kitchen. “I think Bee’s been staying here. She’s got stuff thrown around in our bedroom and the kitchen has been used recently. I wonder why Emma’s not here, though. I hope nothing bad has happened.” He looked to Amber in concern. “You don’t think something’s happened to Emma, do you?”

"We can look for her if you like. I have not heard anything bad about her and... I've not seen here.... here." Amber watched him walk around. "Did you want to stay or look for Emma? She may be with West."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"I just had a thought…it’s something I did for her once when it first got cold enough for it in Asheville. She was sitting at the kitchen table—it was in front of french doors out onto our back deck—doing some work and I was coming in from the back yard." He smiled fondly at the memory. "There was frost on the window so I drew a heart in it with our initials in the middle and ‘forever’ underneath it. I think that’s what I should do."

Hearing Amber’s question, he walked over to Emma’s bedroom, but saw nothing in it that would show she was there. Turning around to face her, he frowned, “I have no idea. It doesn’t look like she’s slept here. Where could she be?”

"That's perfect." Amber had sat down on the couch and looked at Eric.

"Well, is Betrayal here? Maybe they are staying on Earth? That would be unfortunate."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"This is going to be weird, isn’t it? Just waiting around for her to take a shower. I guess that’s all my options are now, though, just waiting around and watching." Eric rubbed the back of his neck and grinned in embarrassment, "You’re going to think this is lame, but I want them to be ‘Love you forever’."

He walked with her through the palace halls toward the apartment he shared with Bee. Glancing at Amber briefly when they got to the door, he closed his eyes and stepped through the heavy wood. He opened his eyes on the other side and muttered, “Don’t know if I’ll ever get used to being able to do that.”

"There is nothing lame about that, Eric. Will she know that it's you?" She asked softly.

Walking through the door after him, Amber looked around.

"I'm still not used to it." She said quietly. "Where is Emma?"

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"You’re right. It is a lot. And it seems a bit unfair, but it’s all we have." He glanced at her. "It’s not selfish to want to be a part of their lives. Our time with them was cut short. It’s only natural for us to feel cheated."

"i think we can start with her and see what happens."

Walking towards the palace, Amber thought about what they could do.

"The easiest way to do this is to have in mind what you want to say and wait for her to take a shower. Then write the words on the mirror." She looked at him, "What do you want your last words to be? If you cannot do it, I want to know in case I can."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"I guess we’ll be able to see for ourselves how it turns out, though, right?" He glanced at her with a sad smile. "At least we’ll be able to see that our kids are happy. That’s got to be worth something, right?"

Eric nodded after a moment. “That seems like a good place to start. Between the two of us we should be able to get it to work. Start small with a message on the mirror and then if that works we can try other things.”

"To know they are happy and safe, yeah, I suppose it is worth it. It just seems like a lot to go through for their happiness." She furrowed her brow, "Then again, that's me being selfish."

Amber nodded thoughtfully.

"So.... shall we spook Betrayal then?"

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"I would never," he teased, waggling his brows at her. "I’ll be good…promise." He crossed his finger over his heart and grinned.

"I can just imagine," he chuckled. "Her mom was pretty good at keeping me in line. Poor West may not know what he’s getting into."

"I’m sure they’ll understand in time why you did it and know how sorry you were, even if you can’t tell them that yourself."

He frowned as he thought about what she asked. “I’m not sure what I want. I do know that I want them to be happy and safe. And I want them to move on…not forget me, of course, but I don’t want them to think that moving on and being happy is disrespectful to my memory. I would hope, as hard as it would be to see it, that Bee would be able to find love again. I don’t want her to be alone. I’d love to let them know I’m okay, but I have no idea how.”

"Ah the Order boys like their woman headstrong, he knows on some level what he is in for."

Amber thought, her brain full of ideas, mostly rubbish ideas...

"What if we haunt them, but in a good way, write a message on a steamed mirror? I've never tried that before. Think it could work if we try hard enough?"

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

"Thanks," he replied with a slight frown. "Well, feel free to touch as much as you like." He started laughing as he realized how that must have sounded. "Sorry…you know what I mean, though."

"My little girl has a crush…it’s so hard to think of her as old enough to even notice boys, much less have a crush on one. If I had a choice of who she ended up with, though—even short term—I’d choose West for her. He’s a good kid."

"That…well…that kinda sucks to be totally honest. I can see where it would be good to still be able to see those you cared about, but to know that they can’t see you and that you can’t talk to them." He sat down beside her on the grass. "It must be really hard to see him with Vengeance. I can see where that would make you wonder if staying was the right decision. I’m kind of glad you did, though. I think I’d be freaking out right now if you weren’t here."

#I've replied to this one twice as well #ugh #eric

"Don't tempt me." She grinned, briefly remembering their kiss.

"Not to worry, Emma seems to have a good head on her shoulders, she'll keep West in line." She nodded mater-of-factly.

"I did a bad thing, trying to ... take over Vengeance. Now they will always think of me as an insane ghost. I can't even tell them that I was sorry. It does suck most days. I'm not sure why I stayed."

She smiled at him.

"At least I can help you from freaking out. That's good." She walked on a little bit more.

"What are you wanting in an after life? The knowledge your loved ones are happy and safe? To try and let them know you are okay?"

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

He gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, I am…was…am. Yeah. You know I asked her to marry me. We were just starting to plan the wedding.” He grinned down at her as she ran his hand over her face. “You feel plenty solid too.”

"Well, then, I’ll defer to you as the expert in this case and let you show me what to do. You’re in charge of showing me what to do."

"So, I’m guess in a way you’ve seen my Emma, too. She and West had gotten to be pretty good friends. Bee seems to think Emma has a crush on your West." He frowned at her sad look. "You have me for company now."

"Oh, congratulations. I think." She pursed her lips and thought. "Well if you're waiting for me you're in trouble. I've only now discovered that I can touch other ghosts." She looked up at his face and held his cheek. "You've no idea how amazing this is."

"Emma does have a crush on West and West cares for Emma, I think he honestly has a crush too but doesn't identify his feelings, that poor boy got more of his father than me." She shook her head.

"Yeah I do, don't I? Well... ghosts don't have to sleep, can't get wet, can't really affect anything, well without really concentrating, you may be able to move things. Really, it's like watching a movie that you can't turn off." She shrugged and sat down on the grass. "There are days where I'm glad I was able to see that sunrise or watch the meteor shower but then there are days when... Vengeance and Order...." She sighed, "I wonder if not moving on was a mistake."

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

He smiled a little guiltily in return. “Sorry. Didn’t even think about that.” He frowned, “Damn, and the whole kissing and sex thing was one of my favorite things about being alive.” Glancing over at her as they walked, he said, “Good. I would’ve hated to cause you any trouble.”

It was more than a little freaky to get pulled through a door like it was nothing, but he went along with her, turning to look at the door after they were on the other side. “Huh. That’s definitely new. Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind, but it’ll take some getting used to.”

"So, what do you do to keep busy? I mean, what can we do other than just watch them live their lives without us?"

"That makes two of us. It was apparent how much you are in love with Betrayal." She turned and took him by the hand, running it up and over her face. "You feel solid enough." She would blush if she were alive.

"It does take time." She grinned.

"Well, I've chatted with other spirits. Watched Order and Vengeance and Lori and West. But that is it. So far as I can tell, there is nothing else." She seemed sad.

Lost Souls (Eric & Amber)

He walked alongside her and smiled, “Yes, I remember. I remember all our time together. You made me feel so welcome. And you’re not a bad cook or kisser, either.” He marveled that he was able to joke at a time like this, but maybe it was his mind’s way of blocking the pain. “Our date was fun…well, maybe up until the part where Bee saw us. But it all worked out in the end I guess. You didn’t make things rough. I just hope I didn’t make you feel bad. I mean, I basically ran off on you and left you there all alone.” He looked down at her as they walked. “How was everything after that? Order wasn’t mad at you, was he?”

Amber smiled as they walked along. "Oh, now you're just being naughty, reminding a dead girl about your kissing prowess. I do recall my knees going weak and thankful I was sitting down at the time." Starting off with good memories is a good way to transition into this state, she rationalized. "It's fine, happens all the time." She joked. "Order... no, he wasn't mad, just... sad. I think he was sad he put me and you in this weird position and sad that I went through with a date." She looked up and at the door to the outside, "But as you said... it all worked out in the end."

Walking forward, she passed through the door and pulled Eric with her, showing him it was nothing to move around.

"Doors, walls, chairs. You can pass through all of it. You can sit or lay down if you want, you just have to remember and recall the sensation and you can."