FICTION: Lost and Found (Part 12a)
Title: Lost and Found (Part 12a)
Authors: PerfectlyLexy & DreamtoCreate
Pairing: Scott Barringer/Peter Scarbrow
Rating/Warning etc: Eventually NC-17.
Summary: Despite knowing better, and Scott’s denial, Peter and Scott realize they have feelings for one another that transcend that of student and teacher. Perhaps the lost truly can be found.
Continued from Lost and Found (Part 11b)
Shelby was doing her best to stay calm. She was finishing her packing and somehow she couldn't find the small stuffed bear she'd gotten for her sister. It felt as if a fist had settled around her heart, and normally she wouldn't have cared; would have blown it off. However, she was on her way to see her sister, and she _wanted_ that bear. The clothing she'd managed to throw into her suitcase was now strewn everywhere as was her bedding and anything else that the bear could have possibly hidden beneath.
"Fuck!" she all but screamed out as she stood in the middle of her room, her hands fisted at her sides, as she did her best not to break down.
Scott leaned in the doorway, watching silently for several moments. "I don't suppose this is a good time, huh?" he finally asked quietly. He had come to see her off, even if his ass would probably hang later for being in the girls dorm at all. "You look like you're losing it... Or lost something, anyway."
She whirled on him, blinking in surprise at seeing him there. Forcing her hands to relax, she sighed and glanced around at the mess she'd created. "I was looking for this little stuffed bear I got for my sister."
"Need help?" He stepped into the room, nudging a shirt aside with his foot.
"Please?" she asked softly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking the closest to being helpless as she'd ever looked before. "My Mom...she said she's going to be here at noon! And look at all this!"
"Fuck your mom," Scott retorted as he began to pick up items from the floor and hand them to Shelby. "You aren't going to run then?" He sounded hopeful; he was. If she ran, in his opinion she'd really be fucked.
Shelby shook her head, taking each item and folding them so she could put them in her bag. "No. Hannah...she uhm...talked me out of it. Said that they are working on the whole CPS investigation thing and that I need to give it a chance to work." She sighed in disgust and tossed her jeans into the bag behind one of her shirts.
"You're listening, huh? Congrats." He grinned at her so she'd know he was teasing.
"Asshole!" Shelby retorted, laughing slightly as she threw her jeans at him and smacked him in the chest with them.
He laughed, tossing the jeans back at her. "So I've been told numerous times." He spied something on the floor and dove for it, coming up with the missing bear. "Looking for this?"
Shelby all but dove for the small, brown bear and pulled it to her, hugging it close. "That's the one...I got it for my sister," she said, her lower lip quivering slightly as she tried to fight back the tears. She was going home. Truly going home to that house with that man, and her mother who turned a blind eye on everything! The only thing keeping her from running was a promise and knowing she was going to see her sister and finally find out if she was safe from her step-father's attention.
Scott hesitated a moment before stepping forward and pulling Shelby in against him. "It'll be alright," he told her softly.
She tried to fight it at first, not wanting to show any weakness. However, when he refused to let her push back, she buried her face into his chest and let him just hold her. "I want to make sure she's all right," she whispered.
"Your sister?"
"I've always worried about her...but never had a chance to get her alone to talk to her," she said softly. "What if he is doing to her what he...what he did to me? It would be my fault, wouldn't it?"
"No," he told her firmly. "It won't be. Why the fuck would you think that?"
She pulled back, retreating into herself again. "Because had I tried harder, maybe I could have stayed there and protected her."
"And done what, Shelby? You don't even know if he's doing anything yet." He
did not release her; refused to.
"You know I tried telling once," she admitted stiltedly, curling back in against him since he wouldn't let her go. Besides, it felt sort of good to have arms around her, holding her, in a way that wasn't sexual, and what would never be sexual if she read Scott right.
"And?" he prompted softly.
She shrugged slightly, trying to pretend as if it didn't matter.. "My mother called me a liar and beat the shit out of me...then told him and he...well, he threatened to hurt me even more, and to hurt my mother if I ever said anything again."
"Lovely man," Scott muttered sarcastically. His arms tightened a little, as if he could protect her like that. "You won't be there long. And this time, they'll find out the truth."
"Do you really believe that?" she asked cynically, pulling back to look up at him from where she stood held inside his arm.
"I have to," he answered softly. "I need some kind of hope. And so do you."
An actual smile lit her face. A smile not tinged with her usual cynicism and sarcasm as she pushed herself up on her toes and kissed his cheek gently. "Yeah...but they've actually given us that here, haven't they? And I wouldn't have it without you either...thank you."
"Yeah, they've given it," he agreed, blushing a little at the kiss. "And you're welcome. I mean, that's what friends do. Help each other out."
"Is that what we actually are? Friends?" she asked in her usual sarcastic tone, teasing as she pulled away from him now and started folding the last of her clothing; but not before ensuring the stuffed bear made it into her bag first.
"Well I'd like to think so," he retorted with a slight grin.
"Wow, what a concept. I made a friend in the last place I thought possible." Shelby stuffed the last of her clothing in the bag on her bed and then glanced around, sighing softly. "I think that's it."
Scott stared around too, as if looking for something else she could pack to keep her there a bit longer. "Who would have thought?" he replied aloud, voice catching slightly. "I'm a bit surprised myself. I hated my dad for bringing me here, and now I don't think I could stand to go home."
She smiled wanly at that. "Ironic, isn't it?" Picking up her bag, she pulled it over her shoulder and then sighed. "You don't have to go back, Scott. And with any luck," as if she believed in _that_, "I'll be back soon as well.."
"You will be," he answered softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "We both have that hope to hang on to. Even if you're too cynical to believe it," he added with a grin.
"As if you're not!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she led the way to the door of her dorm.
"At least we have that in common, huh?" He stepped out after her, feeling a lump gather in his throat.
"Always that much, at least, Scott," she retorted, grinning over at him. The grin slid from her face, however, when she saw her mother's car parked outside of the administration building. "She's here..."
"You want me to come with?"
"Please?"
He smiled and slipped an arm around her. "Come on," he said softly, beginning to walk towards the admin building.
Shelby walked alongside him silently at first. "I always felt I could take care of just about anything that came up in my life...but this..." She simply shook her head, unable to say anything more. What the fuck was this? Confessions 101? It seemed like now that she'd let Scott in, she couldn't shut up!
But he understood. God, did he understand. "I know," he told her. "I guess
sometimes we need others to help us through. We just don't realize it."
"God, Scott," she said, wrinkling her nose as she thought about it. "We've become like..._them_. Please, promise me we'll get over all this touchy feely shit if I come back?"
He laughed -- a real, wonderful sound. "Maybe. I think it's the sort of disease you're stuck with."
Shelby rolled her eyes at that and paused just outside the admin building, growing suddenly serious once more. "I'm going to be okay," she said softly, as if trying to convince herself.
"Yeah, you will be." Scott's tone was much more firm.
All she could do was hope that he was right. Because right at that moment in time, when she walked into the decidedly cold atmosphere of the office, Shelby wasn't so sure.
Continued in Lost and Found (Part 12b)
Authors: PerfectlyLexy & DreamtoCreate
Pairing: Scott Barringer/Peter Scarbrow
Rating/Warning etc: Eventually NC-17.
Summary: Despite knowing better, and Scott’s denial, Peter and Scott realize they have feelings for one another that transcend that of student and teacher. Perhaps the lost truly can be found.
Continued from Lost and Found (Part 11b)
Shelby was doing her best to stay calm. She was finishing her packing and somehow she couldn't find the small stuffed bear she'd gotten for her sister. It felt as if a fist had settled around her heart, and normally she wouldn't have cared; would have blown it off. However, she was on her way to see her sister, and she _wanted_ that bear. The clothing she'd managed to throw into her suitcase was now strewn everywhere as was her bedding and anything else that the bear could have possibly hidden beneath.
"Fuck!" she all but screamed out as she stood in the middle of her room, her hands fisted at her sides, as she did her best not to break down.
Scott leaned in the doorway, watching silently for several moments. "I don't suppose this is a good time, huh?" he finally asked quietly. He had come to see her off, even if his ass would probably hang later for being in the girls dorm at all. "You look like you're losing it... Or lost something, anyway."
She whirled on him, blinking in surprise at seeing him there. Forcing her hands to relax, she sighed and glanced around at the mess she'd created. "I was looking for this little stuffed bear I got for my sister."
"Need help?" He stepped into the room, nudging a shirt aside with his foot.
"Please?" she asked softly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking the closest to being helpless as she'd ever looked before. "My Mom...she said she's going to be here at noon! And look at all this!"
"Fuck your mom," Scott retorted as he began to pick up items from the floor and hand them to Shelby. "You aren't going to run then?" He sounded hopeful; he was. If she ran, in his opinion she'd really be fucked.
Shelby shook her head, taking each item and folding them so she could put them in her bag. "No. Hannah...she uhm...talked me out of it. Said that they are working on the whole CPS investigation thing and that I need to give it a chance to work." She sighed in disgust and tossed her jeans into the bag behind one of her shirts.
"You're listening, huh? Congrats." He grinned at her so she'd know he was teasing.
"Asshole!" Shelby retorted, laughing slightly as she threw her jeans at him and smacked him in the chest with them.
He laughed, tossing the jeans back at her. "So I've been told numerous times." He spied something on the floor and dove for it, coming up with the missing bear. "Looking for this?"
Shelby all but dove for the small, brown bear and pulled it to her, hugging it close. "That's the one...I got it for my sister," she said, her lower lip quivering slightly as she tried to fight back the tears. She was going home. Truly going home to that house with that man, and her mother who turned a blind eye on everything! The only thing keeping her from running was a promise and knowing she was going to see her sister and finally find out if she was safe from her step-father's attention.
Scott hesitated a moment before stepping forward and pulling Shelby in against him. "It'll be alright," he told her softly.
She tried to fight it at first, not wanting to show any weakness. However, when he refused to let her push back, she buried her face into his chest and let him just hold her. "I want to make sure she's all right," she whispered.
"Your sister?"
"I've always worried about her...but never had a chance to get her alone to talk to her," she said softly. "What if he is doing to her what he...what he did to me? It would be my fault, wouldn't it?"
"No," he told her firmly. "It won't be. Why the fuck would you think that?"
She pulled back, retreating into herself again. "Because had I tried harder, maybe I could have stayed there and protected her."
"And done what, Shelby? You don't even know if he's doing anything yet." He
did not release her; refused to.
"You know I tried telling once," she admitted stiltedly, curling back in against him since he wouldn't let her go. Besides, it felt sort of good to have arms around her, holding her, in a way that wasn't sexual, and what would never be sexual if she read Scott right.
"And?" he prompted softly.
She shrugged slightly, trying to pretend as if it didn't matter.. "My mother called me a liar and beat the shit out of me...then told him and he...well, he threatened to hurt me even more, and to hurt my mother if I ever said anything again."
"Lovely man," Scott muttered sarcastically. His arms tightened a little, as if he could protect her like that. "You won't be there long. And this time, they'll find out the truth."
"Do you really believe that?" she asked cynically, pulling back to look up at him from where she stood held inside his arm.
"I have to," he answered softly. "I need some kind of hope. And so do you."
An actual smile lit her face. A smile not tinged with her usual cynicism and sarcasm as she pushed herself up on her toes and kissed his cheek gently. "Yeah...but they've actually given us that here, haven't they? And I wouldn't have it without you either...thank you."
"Yeah, they've given it," he agreed, blushing a little at the kiss. "And you're welcome. I mean, that's what friends do. Help each other out."
"Is that what we actually are? Friends?" she asked in her usual sarcastic tone, teasing as she pulled away from him now and started folding the last of her clothing; but not before ensuring the stuffed bear made it into her bag first.
"Well I'd like to think so," he retorted with a slight grin.
"Wow, what a concept. I made a friend in the last place I thought possible." Shelby stuffed the last of her clothing in the bag on her bed and then glanced around, sighing softly. "I think that's it."
Scott stared around too, as if looking for something else she could pack to keep her there a bit longer. "Who would have thought?" he replied aloud, voice catching slightly. "I'm a bit surprised myself. I hated my dad for bringing me here, and now I don't think I could stand to go home."
She smiled wanly at that. "Ironic, isn't it?" Picking up her bag, she pulled it over her shoulder and then sighed. "You don't have to go back, Scott. And with any luck," as if she believed in _that_, "I'll be back soon as well.."
"You will be," he answered softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "We both have that hope to hang on to. Even if you're too cynical to believe it," he added with a grin.
"As if you're not!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she led the way to the door of her dorm.
"At least we have that in common, huh?" He stepped out after her, feeling a lump gather in his throat.
"Always that much, at least, Scott," she retorted, grinning over at him. The grin slid from her face, however, when she saw her mother's car parked outside of the administration building. "She's here..."
"You want me to come with?"
"Please?"
He smiled and slipped an arm around her. "Come on," he said softly, beginning to walk towards the admin building.
Shelby walked alongside him silently at first. "I always felt I could take care of just about anything that came up in my life...but this..." She simply shook her head, unable to say anything more. What the fuck was this? Confessions 101? It seemed like now that she'd let Scott in, she couldn't shut up!
But he understood. God, did he understand. "I know," he told her. "I guess
sometimes we need others to help us through. We just don't realize it."
"God, Scott," she said, wrinkling her nose as she thought about it. "We've become like..._them_. Please, promise me we'll get over all this touchy feely shit if I come back?"
He laughed -- a real, wonderful sound. "Maybe. I think it's the sort of disease you're stuck with."
Shelby rolled her eyes at that and paused just outside the admin building, growing suddenly serious once more. "I'm going to be okay," she said softly, as if trying to convince herself.
"Yeah, you will be." Scott's tone was much more firm.
All she could do was hope that he was right. Because right at that moment in time, when she walked into the decidedly cold atmosphere of the office, Shelby wasn't so sure.
Continued in Lost and Found (Part 12b)