White Shadows

Chapter 23 - Lonely In Your Nightmare

***ALEX***

Uncle James and Aunt Becky get in touch with Mom sometime around eight o'clock and tell her Gabe and I are there, along with "all the other Masters of the Universe," as Uncle James says. They then cuss her out for not telling her that Gabe died - for which I don't blame her. Like me, she'd stayed out of contact with the world for days afterwards. They then try to see if Gabe and I can stay with them for the night, but Russell and Annie have other plans. They check everyone (by which I mean themselves, us, and all their friends) into a hotel for the night, promising to have everyone home by tomorrow. They also insist, just like at the condo, that no opposite-sex partners share any rooms.

The last thing Russell says when he's bringing Gabe and me to our room is, "Hey, as soon as we get back to the Second, I'll see about setting you up in the Guardian program, huh, Gabe?"

"The Guardian program..." Gabe mutters. "You mean-"

"Yep." Russell smiles. "I'm gonna sign you up to watch over your human. With your permission, of course."

Gabe scratches his cheek. "Hmm. Sounds interesting. But...you know what? I'll only do it if Fionna gets to join up too."

"Hmm." Russell purses his lips, then says, "Well, she officially couldn't get in, but...uh, considering how many guardians were lost because of Holly's purges - be glad you didn't witness those, guys - I think we can make it work." He chuckles lightly. "You could also work with Kyle. Or does that not excite you?"

"Not that way," Gabe laughs. "I think it's safe to say the Kabe ship has sailed. I mean, it could easily come back to port someday, but for now..." He shakes his head, and mercifully drops the extended metaphor.

"Sorry, man," Russell says. "But you want in on the Guardian job?"

Gabe stands up and shakes Russell's hand. "I'm in, yeah."

"Awesome! I'll give you more details when we get back home, all right?" Russell then turns and leaves the room.

Gabe sniffs under his armpit. "Jesus H. Christ, I smell like Satan's butt sweat."

"That'll be your demon blood," I laugh. "Go take a shower, all right?" I smell my own pits. "And don't take too long - I'm gonna need one too!"

Gabe flips me off before crossing into the bathroom. I'm not sure it's such a good idea for him to shower and then get back into the same clothes he's currently wearing, but without a change of clothes - all our luggage blew up with the condo - he doesn't have much of a choice until we get home.

Tears prickle my eyes when I remember that we now have different places to call home. God, I'm going to miss him so much, not to mention Fionna...

Someone knocks on the door. "Who is it?" I ask, wiping my eyes.

"Can I come in?"

Whoo hoo, speak of the Devil. "Sure," I say. Fionna comes in and makes to sit next to me on my bed, but I wave her off. "Sorry, but I kinda stink right now."

"That's okay," she laughs. "So do I." She plants her butt next to mine. Maybe it's my own pit sweat interfering with my sense of smell, but I can't really smell anything nasty about her. She rests her head on my shoulder. "Mmm," she says, digging her cheek into my collarbone. "My favorite pillow."

I carefully lift her head away. "Sorry, Fi, but I'm spoken for."

She pulls back, as if she finally realizes I wasn't kidding about my stink. "I know, I know..." She folds her hands in her lap, looking contrite, and genuinely so. "I'm sorry, Feathers, but...you know how much I miss you."