Chapter 38. Back home.
The ride back home was as still as the morning had been. It was late now, the moon shining in the dark sky and the stars barely visible from the clouds. Grabbing his house key, Silas inserted it in the slot. He held it there as he felt the breathing of his family behind him.
Berlin was gone. The feeling of it was sinking in deeper and his hand clenched tighter around the keys. He would never stand in front of this door with him ever again.
He twisted the key and opened the door.
His body moved on autopilot, letting his family walk in first, his hand still on the keys. Katherine reached for the switch next to the shoe rack and turned the lights on, the brightness blinded him. Closing the door behind, he sat on the step to take off his black shoes. Kathy and Victoria finished taking their shoes off and walked to their room without another word.
Then only him and Liz were left in the entrance hall. He looked up at his wife, seeing her emerald eyes were focused on him. The entire time she kept her emotions in check. Even at the funeral, her tears were few.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
Elizabeth smiled, that smile of hers that held a thousand words. She crouched down to his level, putting her forehead against his.
“Not really.” Her voice was a whisper.
He sighed and took her hand, his thumb brushing against her palm.
Silas stood up and she followed him to the living room, the carpet still soft under his socked feet. The living room felt different tonight. It was colder.
The sectional sofa squeaked as they sat next to each other, his arms around her shoulders as he pulled her to his chest.
“I remember when we first moved here.” Elizabeth said.
“Yeah, it was just us.” He played with the ends of her silver hair, watching it glow slightly under the light. His other hand reached for a pillow. He put it under her legs as they were tucked to the side.
“Before the girls...before the world was normal again,” she added. The scent of vanilla was calming as he inhaled, his head leaning on the back of the couch. The ceiling light made his vision blurry.
He closed his eyes.
“That was a simpler time, wasn’t it?” He asked.
She snorted, “Hunting monsters is not simple honey...”
Elizabeth shifted to lay down on the couch, her head on his lap. He stroked her cheek.
“Maybe but you know what I mean,” he laughed.
His wife hummed. The sound of the showers upstairs was barely audible but the quietness of the house allowed them to hear it. They laid there for a while. Silas looking up at the ceiling and thinking back on the past.
Her head felt warm on his thighs. The sound of her breathing was clear in his ears. In, out, in and out. She was a constant in his life.
They were comfortable in each others arms. It felt like nothing bad could happen while he held her. Then the shower noises stopped. Doorknobs turning and then quiet footsteps down the stairs. He lifted his head to see his daughters standing next to the sofa. Behind them the stair had wet spots from the dripping water of their hair. Katherine had her towel around her shoulders and Victoria had her hair wrapped in a towel.
Something opened in his chest at the sight of them. He took in a deep breath. His girls were here.
Silas tapped Elizabeth’s shoulders so she looked too. Her eyes softened at the sight. She sat up, stretching a little.
“Kathy, Vic, grab some snacks. We’re watching a movie together,” Elizabeth said and went to grab the remote to turn the TV on.
With a nod the twins moved to the kitchen and Elizabeth selected the first movie that popped up on the screen. A cheesy rom-com. The sound started, the actors voices echoed through the house as Victoria and Katherine returned to the living room. Kathy placed a bar of chocolate for her mom on the coffe table while she sat down with a tub of strawberry ice cream.
“Thank you sweetheart.”
Elizabeth smiled and grabbed the bar of chocolate before finding her seat in between Silas and Kathy.
Victoria brought a bag of chips. Barbeque flavored. Her favorite and his. She sat next to him and opened the bag. A loud rustling sound came from it.
Taking a chip from his daughter, he popped it in his mouth. The light from the TV made their faces look bright in the dark room. His body felt heavy and his eyes got tired.
They stayed like that, watching the movie, eating their snacks. Elizabeth held his hand through most of it. The actors laughed in the background and Victoria leaned on his shoulder as she munched on the chips.
Halfway through, Kathy handed him a spoon of her ice cream.
The movie was funny, they laughed, they ate and they were together. With the final scene came the ending credit. In big letters was the word ‘end’ on the screen. They rolled and the room became heavier.
Silas felt the emptiness in his chest again.
Noticing his shift in mood, Liz grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, the sudden absence of noise filled their ears.
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“Are we not watching another movie?”
The clock read 10 pm.
Elizabeth shook her head, smiling gently at her daughters. She stood up, leaving space on the couch between Silas and Kathy before pointing at it.
“Kathy, come sit with your papa. It’s story time,” she announced.
The confused look on Katherine’s face was clear but she still put down her now empty tub of ice cream and moved closer, her head on her dad’s shoulder. Then she felt his arms around her.
Moving the table out of the way, Elizabeth sat on the carpet, in front of the couch, in front of the three of them.
A memory flashed in Silas’ mind of them telling stories like this when Kathy and Victoria were young. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about them when they were small.
“I am going to tell you two the story of how you were conceived,” Elizabeth said and Katherine choked.
Victoria blinked at her mom.
Silas could hear Kathy’s heartbeat increasing as he held her. The redness on her cheeks was apparent even in the dark room and her eyes were wide.
“Is it necessary?” She managed to mumble out.
He rubbed her back in small circles. His wife continued with a smile.
“Very much so. It is important to remember where you started from. No detail too small,” Elizabeth’s eyes were fixed on both of her daughters. She began the story.