Larkspur [COMPLETE]

Like I Belonged

Eileen was sitting at a table, humming softly to herself as she polished the painting's fools gold picture frame. With great caution, she slid the accurate phony picture of Van Gogh's Starry Night into the frame and took second to admire it. It really was an amazing forgery.

The bang of a screen door opened and closing made her jump slightly before turning to the sound of running footsteps as a little boy of most likely five years came running in. Dressed in an overly fancy Superman costume sprinkled with dirt and mud, he had wavy brown hair and sparkling green eyes, a Batman backpack was half on and half off his shoulders and a missing tooth smile lit up his face.

"Mommy!" She giggled before opening her arms to him which he jumped into willingly. "Hello William, did you have a good day at school today?" He nodded so hard it was as though his head would fall off. "Yep, Cathy beat up another one of my bullies today but daddy's at the school so you don't have to worry about leaving your work." Eileen rolled her eyes. "I'm glad to hear that, I think. Why don't you go outside and get another water balloon war ready for her arrival?" He squealed before running out the room and off towards the backyard. Eileen rolled her eyes before slipping the painting into a light grey briefcase, the light catching on her four carats diamond ring. She was just putting the case in the safe behind the couch with the others when she heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. An indescribable joy swept over her as she ran to the window and saw the sleek black car come to a stop as a thirteen-year-old girl jumped out. Eileen grinned before running to the front hall just as the door flew open and the girl practically charged into her arms.

"Catherine! I heard you got in another brawl today!" The platinum blonde teenager had a busted lip, a tear on the side of her bright pink tank top, what looked like blood on her light denim jeans and a black eye, but she was positively beaming, her hair in a messy ponytail that was close to falling apart.

"Yep, got 'em real good too." "And how did your father take the news?" "The same way he always does; with pride. Where's Will?" "Out back, with a bin of water balloons awaiting your victory." Smirking mischievously, Catherine cracked her knuckles and headed for the backyard, dropping her dark purple backpack by the door. Eileen watched her go before going to the living room as someone new entered.

"How was the meeting with the principal?" The figure shrugged. "Could've been better." Said the masculine voice. "Though at some point I desperately wanted to strangle his secretary." She laughed under her breath as she cleared the table. "Too chatty?" "That and she had a wandering eye." She froze as he chuckled. "Not that I was anywhere close to tempted." She was still a little stiff as she went to the window overlooking the backyard, gazing upon her playing children with an impassive face. He sighed before standing behind her, the hand wearing a gold band of a ring placing itself atop hers with the diamond, the two winking at each other. He lowered his lips to her ear and his voice to a whisper.

"You know I'd never dream of losing you, I love you too much." She paused before smiling, turning and draping her arms around his neck, he smiled as his arms slid to her waist. There was a loving sparkle in her eyes as she played with the ends of his hair.

"I love you too...Gunnar." The man smiled before their lips met in a joyful kiss.

- - -

Eileen jerked up from bed with what was a softer version of a scream, eyes wide and unbelieving. It took her maybe three minutes to sit up and state the obvious. "I just had a dream about starting a family with Gunnar Maelstrom." Then she really screamed, loud enough to wake her friends. Zack, who was still a little high-strung since the Duke incident, came in first, half expecting to see Dash crouching in a corner, a mad man's gleam in his eyes. When he saw Eileen was alone, he was relieved but it quickly fell to the side as he rushed to Eileen's side and grasped her hands. "It's okay Elly, you're okay, it was just a dream." Guessing immediately what was wrong. By the time Ivy and Carmen came running down the hall, Zack was gently coasting Eileen out the door and into the kitchen where he began making some tea to soothe her nerves. Eileen was sitting in a chair with a blank look in her eyes, shaking slightly.

"Geez Elly, that scream was loud enough to wake the dead." Ivy bluntly stated, Zack glared at his sister sharply, Carmen knelt by Eileen's side, gently draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Elly?" "Gunnar." The name made the woman in red's eyes go wide, Zack and Ivy slowed their action, why did that name sound familiar?

"Mom was right; he is a stupid flirt." The twins nodded to one another, remembering what Eileen's mom had said about the teacher Eileen had slept with. "If he's really that terrible, then why did you have sex with him?" Asked Carmen, Eileen stood and went to the window, palm pressing to it with a silent sigh, the rest of the team watched from behind, unconsciously holding their breath.

"You were right." She said after a long pause. "I've wanted to say that since you first came up with that theory, the father figure as you dubbed it; you were right." She opened her eyes, gaze falling on the fogged early morning.

"The moment I saw him I knew he was trouble, maybe that's why I was drawn to him; he was everything I had been raised to take part in." Another sigh, this one loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I remember how fascinated and scared I was when I saw him; those pale eyes, that ivory skin..." The hand pressed to the glass curled into a tight fist. "It was as though every last naughty thing was hidden behind those eyes, teasing me to come out and do something about it. And I did." Her other hand went to the front of her oversized t-shirt, pulling it down over her short shorts. "I went to him and gave him my virginity without...much hesitation." A slight smile tugged at everyone's lips.

"And that was fine, until I kept going back." Flashes of the past darted through her mind, a moment or two, then gone back to the depths of her mind. "Over and over again, he was my drug, my addiction, and I was his. It was as though everything we did was for the other's approval." Pause, her mind drifting back to the dream she had awoken from only moments before. "But now I'm starting to think our relationship has become something more...complicated." A longer pause.

"I dreamt last night that him and I started a family together." Everyone gasped, rather loudly, she continued. "There was a thirteen-year-old girl, blonde with blue eyes, a deeper shade like the sea, her name was Catherine, but her younger brother called her Cathy, as she called him Will. His name was William, he had wavy brown hair and green eyes a bit lighter than mine. She was the fighter, the one who beat up his bullies, he was the one who loved to start water balloon fights as their own version of victory.

"It was actually...kinda nice. I felt like I really belonged."

No one knew exactly what to say to this; all Ivy and Zack knew about the man was that he took Elly's v-card, Carmen had a family-related sort of relationship with him, as she had with the V.I.L.E. Faculty that raised her, but this was something entirely different, they all could sense it: lust, desire, passion...

Love?

They all shifted or straightened as the thought hit them at once, the idea felt like a feather coasting you awake; soft and gentle, but with enough potential to make you wonder how it got there, where it came from, enough to make you want to get up and follow it. They all felt it, but none more than Eileen, who took a moment to brush it aside before turning back around, eyes meeting Carmen's.

"That charity auction you're going to tonight, I'm coming with you." Carmen nodded silently.