Stay One More Night

Chapter One - Feelings Unclassified

*COLE*

The day that Isabel Culpeper returned to Mercy Falls was the day Grace rang. Well, really, there was a jumble of mixed calls, messages, and faxes. Actually there was no faxes. I just mixed reality up with a dream I had the night before last.

Grace was the last caller, also known as the-person-who-makes-me-rush-to-the-kitchen-from-Beck's-study-to-get-the-phone-in-time. I had been lounging around on the couch all day, watching pointless shows where sleazy men in stained suits tried to sell me assorted junk.

Apart from standing around in the kitchen talking on the phone and making a sandwich, the run was the only activity I'd done today. Annoying to have to go flailing upstairs for the phone, but worth it. Grace is the only person who's ever actually listened to me without attempting to ship me away to a mental asylum. So for that, she gets classed in my limited category of friends.

I managed to pick up the phone with a couple of rings to spare, lucky me. Grace talked animatedly on the other end about something I hardly heard, spacing out contributing to that. "Cole? Are you still there?"

"Oh, what? Wait, what did I miss?" She laughed, taking a second to answer me. "I was talking about the cure, Cole. It's been a month since I changed, and no wolfy signs yet. Isn't that great?"

"Cool, Grace. Right on. Nice job." I swear I could see the frown my half-interested reply generated. "Are... Are you... Alright, Cole? Has something happened?" I sighed. "More like something hasn't happened. I'm guessing you want to be little miss therapist, am I right?"

"I have the time to talk, Cole. What's happ- or should I say, what hasn't happened?"

"A text from Isabel. I've sent her a million, and no surprises, not one back."

"Well, that's alright Cole. It's fine, know why? She came home today, Cole. She's here in Mercy Falls. Actually, right next to me. Still got time to talk?" I could barely breathe in before the phone emitted sounds of its handing-over and then- "Hey."

*ISABEL*

I can't beleive that Grace set me up to this. Sure, I missed him, but not that much that I needed her to make the call. I could have done or myself. Well, I'd like to think I could, at least.

All of a sudden the phone is shoved into my hands and Grace pushes the mouthpiece encouragingly towards me. I take a deep breath, and hold it to my ear. "Hey."

A little chuckle comes from the other end and I realise that Cole definitely hasn't taken the cure: he could hear the apprehension in my voice. "Hi, Isabel. Long time no see." A month had felt like forever without the wolves, and Sam and Grace, and Mercy Falls, and Cole. "Yeah, has been a while.'

"Yeah." He said, and the pause that followed was painfully awkward and long. Finally Cole broke the ice and asked the big question. "You never called - why?"

I stopped before I could scream into the phone. My thoughts racing, I tried coming up with answers.

But God, Cole, if only you knew why. Maybe it was because during my time in California I had argued with my parents (though nothing new, I must admit) until they kicked me out. Maybe it was because everytime my phone's screen flashed with another text from you I cried, knowing that 'we' were never going to happen. That our relationship had never been, and when it might of started it tried to start on patchy ground. Maybe I love you, Cole. Maybe I lust you. Or maybe I feel neither emotions. It's hard to tell when you feel disconnected with reality.

All those answers spun through my head in a course of a second. In the end, I didn't have enough guts. "I dunno. Just busy, I guess."

"Busy, huh? That's nice. Glad you feel welcomed there."