$witchblade - sequel to $carecrow. A $crim fanfiction.

Chapter 5: Planting the Roots to Only Fall Out of the Tree.

I pick up the note, reading it over, trying to think of an explanation but I worry nothing will be good enough. I look at Scott, who is looking back at me with a hurt expression on his face.

"Surprise..." I say,

Fuck. I'm too high for this. That's all my brain managed to think of. He looks at me insulted.

"It ain't a fuckin' surprise, Victoria, I thought ya were dead," he tells me.

"But I'm not! I'm here! And my name isn't Victoria," I say,

"I know it fuckin ain't, Tyla, ya had me for a while."

He gets up off the bed and starts to make his way out of the room. I quickly jump up, stumbling a little, I grab his arm just as he's opening the door.

"Wait.." I say to him.

He looks at me upset, he closes the door and puts his head against it, sighing.

"What?" He snaps,

"Just...hear me out." I say.

He walks over to the couch and sits on it. Resting his elbows on his knees and placing his head in his hands.

I stand up pacing as I'm about to explain myself.

"I came to LA for you." I say.

"What the fuck do ya mean?" He asks,

"I left my life behind in New Orleans because I couldn't live with the fact that you were gone. I came to LA with nothing, only a hope to find you, when I couldn't, I slept on the street until I landed the job at the club, your ex took me in, then I saw you when I was working. It was like the universe just sent you to me, I had almost given up trying to find you and one day I just walk into a private room and you're there getting a dance. I figured I couldn't let you find out I was Tyla, so I made up Victoria." I explain.

I skipped over a bunch of stuff because I was speaking so fast. He looks at me, slightly happier than he was before.

"So ya tellin' me, after I dumped ya on the street, ya came after me?" He asks,

"Yes Scott, I came after you...I wanted to find you after I found the note you left in my pocket,"

"Shawty-

"Tyla." I cut him off.

"Where do ya live?" He asks,

"Here, the tip you gave me the other night meant I could live here," I say.

"Come back with me?" He proposes.

"And do what? Leave my life behind again?"

"No, keep working, jus' come live with me, I don't wanna see ya living this way," he says,

"You're not mad?" I ask,

"If I was sober, I would be more upset, knowing ya did all of this for me, jus' doesn't give me a reason to be mad at ya,"

"I'm sorry Scott, for lying to you about who I was," I apologise.

"No, Ty, I should be the one apologising. I left ya on that fuckin sidewalk to die, I should've dumped the drugs and taken you to get help, instead I jus' let someone else do it,"

"Aristos did, I was living with him until I decided to leave, I didn't tell him, I just left," I say.

"Ya know, those nights ya spent at the club with me, jus' listenin' to me, made me start to fall for Victoria, she gave me the same feelin' ya did,"

"What happened when you left me?" I ask curiously.

"I thought ya were dead, I felt like a piece of shit, my panic attacks got worse because of it so I started drowning the pain in more drugs, I began forgetting whose bed I would be wakin' up in, nothing mattered to me because I ain't have ya, I didn't care if I ended up dead, I should've been with the amount of toxins I was puttin' in my body, obviously I told ya I don't talk to Oddy anymore, but I've been experimentin' with solo projects and collaborating with other artists. I still deal, jus' not as heavily as I did before,"

"I guess we both ended up rough huh? But at least we're alive," I comment,

"Ya don't understand how many nights I spent blaming myself for ya death."

He's showing empathy but he's high, so that could all be gone in the morning. I wasn't counting on the timer now since he knows who I am. I look over out the window to see it pitch black, the time was nearly three in the morning.

"You don't have to blame yourself anymore." I say softly, placing my hand on top of his.

"I know I don't, but I still do, I shouldn't have left ya...I wrote that note before I put ya down, I shoved it in ya pocket and left, hoping ya wouldn't come find me, but I should've known,"

"Scott, your time was up ages ago, but I don't want you to leave....or pay...just stay with me tonight?" I ask him.

"Shawty, this is ya job, I gotta pay,"

"No..please, all I'm asking is that you stay, keep me company for the night," I say.

"Okay, I'll stay, but I'm takin' ya with me tomorrow,"

"Scott, I can't..I have to live here for a while...if I just pack up and leave everything again, who knows what could happen," I tell him.

"I'm not askin ya to quit ya job Shawty,"

"But do you really want me coming home to you when you know where I've been working?" I ask,

"Are we forgettin' that ya were fuckin' Oddy behind my back? Shit like that don't get to me anymore,"

"Do you live with anyone?" I ask,

"A few people, they all make music, ya might know some of them, they ain't gon' bother ya though,"

"Okay, how about this, I go to work tomorrow and then after my shift, you pick me up and take me to yours?" I propose,

"Shawty ya know if I come to the club, I'm gon' be high as fuck, how about I jus' text ya the address?"

"Sure.." I sigh.

I've been away from him for so long that I don't know the full extent to what he's going through, so I don't really have a right to be upset at him not putting in any effort.

"Should we sleep?" I ask,

"Only if I can cuddle ya." He smirks.

I get out of bed to turn the lights off, then I stumble back to Scott, who's laying down facing me with his open arms. I've been dreaming of the day I was able to walk into these arms and now I can, it doesn't seem real.

He wraps them around me, looking down at me with his gorgeous deep blue eyes, he smiles at me, then he plants a small kiss on my forehead.

"Ya don't know how long I've been waiting for this."

A/N short chapter I'm sorry! But I hope it builds up for the next few, thank ya'll for all the support ❤️