I Hate That I Love You ✔️

Not Alone

The others just left Tara alone and Elijah talked to Chad and Ethan for a while until he spotted Gale with Naomi. So, he went to the mother and daughter.

"This shrine thing is really insane, isn't it?" Elijah asked to them.

"Yeah, it is," Naomi agreed. "Seeing Dad's stuff like that was just...hard."

"I know it was, sweetie," Gale comforted, pulling her close and rubbing her back. "He would be so proud of you for how strong you're being right now."

"I don't think I'm that strong." Naomi said almost quietly.

"But you are." Gale encouraged her.

"You think we should check on Sam and Tara?" Elijah changed the subject for her sake which she appreciated.

"Yeah, it did look kinda bad earlier." Gale recalled.

"I'm coming with you guys." Kirby joined them after talking to Mindy.

"No thanks, we got it covered." 

"Mom." Naomi warned her.

"Fine..." Gale sighed, grumbling.

They went to the lobby where Sam and Tara's conversation just ended. Tara stormed away again up the stairs near the concession stand. Their conversation was heated apparently.

"I got her." Kirby said and followed the younger sister.

"That seemed intense." Gale remarked.

"You okay?" Elijah asked softly to the older sister who was standing by the concession stand.

"Ever since I came back into her life I've just...made a mess of it." Sam explained.

"Unfortunately, that's how life just is," He replied. "It gets messy."

"Where's your mother in all this?" Gale asked, cocking her head to the side.

"She cut me off," Sam looked down. "When I told Tara about Billy. Then Tara cut her off because she wouldn't talk to me. Now both of us don't have a mother."

"I'm sorry to say this, but fuck her," Gale said, making Naomi and Elijah smirk. "My parents suck too. But you can still make your own family. Even if it's with just one person."

"Or if you have two more." Naomi added with a smile, referring to herself and Elijah.

"And if you lose that one person?" Sam asked in a small voice, looking up at her. 

"You just keep going. Maybe you find another loner. And you'll look after each other." 

"You're not a loner, Sam," Elijah uplifted her. "You have all of us."

🔪

The next day, Detective Bailey had an idea on how to find the creep. Gale wasn't allowed to be with them because she was a part of the press. So, Kirby was still helping them with the case as she was in her white FBI surveillance van with the other kids. Except Naomi was with her mother and Oliver and Patrick couldn't make it.

Elijah was sitting with his friends inside Kirby's van out in broad daylight. They just finished eating lunch and were getting to work. Elijah was texting Quinn who was going to get out of the hospital today and Elijah wished he was there to help her, but she insisted that she was fine.

"So, we're really doing the phone tracing thing that never works in the movies," Mindy said. "It'll be all, 'keep on talking, Sam! Two more minutes! I almost got him!' Then he hangs up just before we can get a lock." 

"I can trace a call in under fifteen seconds." Kirby bragged.

"So can my father." Elijah smirked.

"Well, you get them out there as bait." Mindy leaned forward to her.