To Eddie Munson: My Knight in Shining Leather

Prisoners

Eddie woke you in the morning, nearly falling on you as he scrambled out of the boat and to the window. You fought the nausea that surprised you as the boat rocked. It was like an unpleasant water bed.

"Good morning to you, too," you groaned as you stretched.

"Yeah, uh, good morning. Sorry," he left the window to help you out of the boat, steadying you on your feet before letting go. He returned to the window, watching for something.

"What are we waiting for?" You asked as you joined his side, peering over the windows ledge.

"I'm waiting for our breakfast."

"Oh." You waited with him for a while longer before growing bored. "So, what do you do for fun in here?"

"Fun?" Eddie asked, sounding offended. "What about this is fun to you?" He looked at you over his shoulder, a grimace plastered on his face.

"No-nothing, Eddie. I was just trying to make conversation... Trying to, uh, lighten the mood. Take your mind off of things."

"Well, stop, 'kay?" He returned to his spot in front of the window.

"Okay." You sat on the box that sat under the window he wasn't looking out of. You were starting to have  regrets about telling him about your dad. You sighed quietly, putting your heels on the edge of the box and hugging your knees to your chest. "Hey, uh, where do you go to the bathroom at?"

He looked at you over his shoulder, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "The back door to the house is open, you can go there."

You didn't say anything in response, you just got up and exited the boathouse. The trail to the back door wasn't as well worn as the one to the front door, and you found yourself tripping over tree roots and hidden stones. You barely made it up the stairs and inside in one piece.

The first thing you noticed about the house was the smell; it was musty. Like it hadn't been occupied for a long time. You wondered how long Rick has been in jail for.  You found your way to the bathroom, down a long and dark hall. You didn't dare to turn the lights on, too afraid to attract attention. After using the bathroom, you searched for a phone. Luckily, the one he had still worked. You dialed your home phone and waited until the voicemail machine picked up.

"Hey mom, it's, uh, me. Um, I just wanted to let you know I'm, uh, staying with Robin tonight. I wound up crashing with her after Hellfire last night and we're just going to make a, um... girls weekend, thing out of it." You wiped the sweat off of your forehead and grew thankful your mom wasn't here to see you lie. "Um, anyway, I just wanted to let you know so you don't, like, call a search for me or anything. Okay, I love you, bye."

You hung up the phone quickly, strolling to the kitchen to search for something to bring to Eddie. You settled for bread and butter.

You saw him through the window, watching you walk back toward him with a disdainful expression. You chose to ignore it. If he wasn't going to let you leave, he'd have to get used to you being with him.

You opened the door and sat on the box, opening the half of a loaf of bread and smothering a slice with butter. Eddie switched his view from you to outside, then back again.

"Do you want some?" You asked. Eddie shook his head and continued his watch. You buttered a piece for him anyway, knowing he'd be hungry once he saw you eating. You took a bite and he snapped his head in your direction. You held out the slice you prepared for him, not looking into his eyes as he reached out and took it from you. He returned to his perch, watching out the window for the group to return. You cleared your throat before attempting to converse again. "I don't know what time it is," he looked at you, "but I think this is the earliest you've been awake on a weekend."