Isabel's Apartment - Las Vegas, Monday Evening

[izzyalienqueen]

There was cheesy reality TV on. Of course Isabel was watching. It was an added treat to be rooting for someone she knew.

Feet up on the coffee table, she kept up a running commentary at the TV. "Oh come, you can't really be that stupid could you?"

[Open for phone calls, visitors, etc...]

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[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah was curled against the bed on the floor with her phone. She had another phone call to make.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel reached for the phone when it rang. "Hey Savannah," she said, recognizing the number. "What's up?"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Isabel... are you still happy and going to school in Las Vegas?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I am," she replied, just a little confused by the question. "My summer class ends this week."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah let out a breath.

"What I'm about to tell you, I don't want you to tell Johnny. I'm telling him tomorrow or Wednesday night when he comes to get me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"My lips are sealed," Isabel promised. "What's wrong? What happened? Whose ass needs kicking?"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Isabel, do you remember when the angels invaded and I was missing for a few days?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going to forget that," she said quietly. Not when she'd come so close to losing Wyatt.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"This time, lots of us fell into comas and had our minds hijacked to the bodies of our otherselves in that world, Isabel. Everybody I love, our family, was so different. Myself there? I was losing my sanity and my control. I had my powers burnt out of me during a ritual to get help. Johnny, you, Karla, K-Mart and sometimes Sean were the people I was close to. Mostly you and Johnny. Gwynn turned Eve into a vampire and both of them spent two years torturing me and tormenting me, trying to shatter my sanity. Summer was a vampire and killed Chris. Wyatt pushed everyone that cared for him away and changed. Eve killed Johnny. I got my otherself killed there."

And that's when the cry in earnest started.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh sweetie," Isabel sighed, trying to sort that rush of information out in her head. "I'm sorry. That sounds horrible."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Isabel..." Savannah's voice was timid, not a usual tone for her. "Can I come see you? I need... I need to see for myself that my family is alive and well because... it was bad there."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You know you're always welcome here," she promised. "Anytime you want."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Johnny's coming to a hotel on the mainland to get me Wednesday night. Maybe we can sometime during the week or weekend so I can see you and I can tell you everything?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Sure. I've got to work some, but I can probably get you guys guest passes to the hotel pool if you want to go get some sun," Isabel offered.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"That sounds very nice. Until the last battle, it was even too dangerous to go out in daytime to certain places on the island."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I can't even imagine," she said honestly. "Can I ask why you guys got pulled there? Or was it just random weirdness?"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"That world's version of me and four other witches or wizards decided to try this ritual to get help to us. The spell was powerful. It killed three people and ruined the other two. Tara and I had our powers burnt out of us completely. That spell is what started everything. After a week of nightmares and random attacks of sleep, we went into comas and it hijacked our minds to our otherselves."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Did it work? Where you able to save them?" Isabel had experience with alternate realities. After all, she'd held and cuddled children she knew would never happen in this particular reality but that were well loved in their own. But to hear about a reality where they were fighting to survive was disturbing.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Yes," she whispered. "The ones left alive, we managed to save. Their island is in Greenland now because it's always sunny. The barriers were destroyed so they can leave. Some people died in the fighting." She swallowed. "Johnny died during the fighting... I died. You and Wyatt survived, though."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry," Isabel said. Because really, there wasn't much you could say to that.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"It's why... it's why I need to see you guys... see my family. I need to know you guys are alive and real."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Understandable. The door's always open," she replied. "So whenever you can get here."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah nodded. "Thank you. We're going to try to see you and hit California a swell. I just... I need to know." Her voice dropped. "I need to know that I'm still Wyatt's little sister and he hasn't locked himself down and distanced himself from me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It's not possible. At least not with this one," Isabel assured her. "I'd kick his ass."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"I lost my mom, Chris, Wyatt, a few others. All I had were you, Johnny, K-Mart and Karla. It was not a good life and my sanity... it was a constant fight to keep me in the real world there."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Because of her time on Antar, Isabel could understand that feeling. "Well you're in the real world now. It's just going to take some time to recover."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Thanks. I should go before Johnny get worried."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You'd better. Make sure he's taking care of you." Not that she doubted the job he would do.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"I think he'd feel better if he could get me to sleep, but..."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It takes time." Isabel knew from experience. "But it'll get easier."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"Trying to decide what I should and shouldn't tell him. I don't want him hurt or worried about me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"The truth," she said. "Just in small doses if it gets to be too much for him to handle."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"I'm pretty sure there will be a couple of those... but I also know I can't keep it from him. He always knows when I'm upset and hurting."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, Wyatt's the same," Isabel said with a small smile. Fortunately they hadn't had to deal with too much trauma recently.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"That's good. I'm going to get going. Talk to you soon, Isabel."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Whenever you need," she promised. "Now get some sleep."