Welcome to Wherever You Are.
What Does He Want
A/N - I am very sorry this took me so long to post. And the thing is, I'll not be able to look at this again until January at the earliest. I have a new NaNo on the go, and it's taken up most of my time at the moment. Again, very sorry and I will hopefully be back soon and with longer chapters now I know exactly where it is going again.
If Sam thought getting through Thorn Hill in a wheelchair was bad, he wasn't expecting having to get on a train to Carrefoure. Ellie had woken him earlier that morning, telling him to get ready as soon as he could. Not wanting to face her wrath, Sam tried his best to find some clothing that wouldn't restrict his movement. He had ended up becoming faster on the crutches, but wasn't allowed to use them outside yet. As soon as Sam had hobbled into the kitchen, Ellie ushered him onto a seat, passing him a large breakfast.
"So why are we awake so early?" Sam mumbled to the plate, rubbing his eyes free of sleep. Ellie mumbled something along the lines of going Christmas shopping and needing to get an early train before the crowds started to form at Carrefoure, and disappeared back up the stairs. Sam frowned, looking down at his leg and resigning himself to a day stuck in his wheelchair once again. Picking at the food in front of him, Sam was soon joined by a bleary-eyed Nick, Cody and Kale. Ellie bustled about the kitchen, placing a plate in front of everyone before sitting down to sip on her coffee, stating she had already eaten.
"So why are we getting the train Ellie?" Nick queried, "we could just take the car..."
Ellie gave him a look that quietened Nick in seconds, making the male shrink back into his seat.
"Just eat up please. Its a long way and we won't be stopping for food until we get at least half of the Christmas presents we need", Ellie flashed them a devilish smile, reminding them that her threat was a very real possibility. All four men bent over their plates, cleaning them within ten minutes. As the only female in the kitchen cleared away the dirty things, Sam and Cody moved to the front room while Nick and Kale went to get dressed.
"Where's Jake today? Haven't seen him since the beginning of yesterday", Sam asked Cody, practically falling onto the sofa and lifting his leg onto it. The cast was starting to make his leg itchy, and he longed to scratch at it.
"He said he would meet us there, also said something about needing to do things last night", Cody sounded as vague as the text Jacob had sent Sam the night before, saying he'd meet up with them the next day. Sam just made a face, lifting himself from the sofa and going back to the kitchen where Ellie was still sat at the table.
"You okay Sam?" she didn't even look up from her coffee, cradling it in her hands lovingly. Sam moved and sat on the chair next to her, his fingers tracing patterns on the wooden table top. Ellie placed her hand on top of Sam's, looking up at him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, concern flooding her eyes.
"I'm just not looking forward to a full day in that chair, was bad enough just getting around Thorn Hill in it, never mind anywhere else, El", Sam looked at their hands, shifting his leg to try ease the constant itching.
"I know Sam, but it needs to be done now, while its still early than later when all the good things have been out of stock for weeks", Ellie reasoned, squeezing his hand, "the chair isn't too bad, and you'll have everyone pushing you."
Sam nodded, knowing he was beaten, but at least he didn't have to wheel himself around if others were willing to do it for him.
"I don't even know what to get everyone though", Sam told her, looking up at her. "I haven't been here all that long."
Ellie smiled at him tenderly before standing form the table.
“None of us know what to get others for Christmas, that's the whole fun of it. Didn't you know?” She helped Sam off the seat, passing him the crutches that had fallen onto the floor.
“If you're sure though Ellie. I know what I'd like for Christmas, but I'm not sure who would buy it me”, Sam tilted his head, thinking hard about if he should mention it or not, “I would love a laptop, but failing that, a new camera and accessories are always good.”
Ellie smirked at him, her mind already forming a plan about what to get Sam.
“You will have to see what you get at Christmas”, she said, going to the hallway and leaving Sam to hobble back into the front room.
“Heard from Jake yet?” was his first question to Cody, collapsing back onto the sofa and growling at the itch on his leg, “Also, have you got something long, hard and thin that I can shove somewhere tight?”
Cody burst into laughter at Sam’s phrasing, offering him a pencil. Sam looked confused at why Cody was giggling, but just shrugged it off, jabbing the pencil down his cast and sighing as it hit the itchy part of his leg.
“You need to be more careful with your wording, Sam. Someone could easily twist it around you know”, Cody managed to say through his giggles. Sam tried to remember his words, full blown laughter starting just as Ellie came through the door from the kitchen with a red faced Nick and Kale following behind her.
“What's so funny?” she asked, eyeing the two laughing males. Both of them shook their head, gasping for breath as they calmed down, “right... well, as we're all here now, we can set off.”
“I received something for you last night, I think you'll like it”, Sam blinked, trying to think what Jacob had bought him without even being told anything.
“What is it?” Sam sounded rightfully wary, surprises always making him nervous. Jacob must have noticed his look, as he was soon placing the bag that had been on his back onto Sam’s lap. Sam eyed it for a minute before opening, there, nestled in the bag surrounded by a few of Sam's sketches was the laptop Sam had been looking at when he'd been able to get to a computer. His head shot up to look at Jacob, tears starting to shine in his eyes. He could not understand why he was feeling rather emotional, putting it down to being stuck in the wheel chair for God only knew how long. He wished he could find something just as fancy for Jacob, money permitting of course.
"So, shall we split up?" Ellie's cheery voice broke him out of his thoughts, looking up wish surprise etched in his face. he hadn't realised that they had entered the large shopping centre, all dressed up ready for the upcoming holidays. A slightly out of tune version of "Jingle Bells" rang through the walkways, just loud enough to hear over parents shouting at their off spring and the odd high pitched squeal of excitement of teens on a shopping spree. Sam's head already felt as if it would explode from the noise, looking around at Jacob and seeing the same pained expression on his boyfriends face as what was probably on his own..
"Who goes with whom?" Kale asked, eyeing Jacob then Cody.
"I'm not sure, who would you like to go with?" Ellie raised her eyebrow as Kale shot over to Cody, while Nick sauntered over to stand beside Sam. "well, I guess that leaves me and you then, Jake."
Jacob's pained expression soon turned into one of sheer terror at being left with Ellie as they all disbursed in different directions. --- Ellie and Jacob had managed to find all the presents they had set out to buy, deciding to wait in one of the many coffee shops littered around the shopping centre.
"What's going on between you and Cody?" Jacob finally asked her, fingering the cup in his hands. Ellie raised her eyebrow and shook her hair back from where it had fallen over her face.
"Why do you ask?" she returned, her face turning slightly red.
Jacob shrugged, "He is my brother, and despite being the youngest, I'd like to know. He has been hurt before."
Ellie looked down at the table, carefully thinking out her words.
"I want to see where it will go. Some of his mannerisms feel familiar, yet foreign at the same time," she started to pick at the frayed edge of her tops sleeve, nibbling on her lip. Jacob only smiled to himself at the information.
"I do know he does like you, quite a lot. But I shouldn't even mention the noises heard when he thinks I'm not in the house," he smirked slightly, taking a sip of the warm coffee. Ellie's head shot up, hope dancing in her [colour] eyes.
"He's- he has done that? Really?" her smile grew as Jacob nodded his head.
"yeah, not often, but when he thinks he is alone he does," Jacob smiled as Ellie drifted into her own thoughts, a comfortable silence falling over them. --- "Nick, what are you doing? Wait, where are you going!" Sam tried to get the older males attention as he ran off. Sam wheeled after him, apologising to anyone he bumped into. The odd glare from the other patrons didn't phase him, Sam just wanted to get back to Nick. he finally caught up with the elder male, shaking the blood back into his arms.
"what the hell was that for?!" Sam hissed, looking up and seeing Nick's spooked face.
"I just saw your cousin and my ex. that was not the meeting either of us would have wanted," nick pressed against the wall, catching his breath, "have you got everything? we need to get back to Ellie soon."
mas just nodded, unsure on how to deal with a scared nick, and a cousin who was certainly up to no good. --- The large group had finally joined back up, with Jacob taking over pushing Sam’s chair. not that Sam minded, his arms still felt stiff from the frantic wheeling after nick.
"Has everyone bought what they came for? good, then lets get going. our train home is in ten minutes," Ellie clapped her hands, looking every bit of a nursery teacher trying to round up a group of rowdy three and four year old children.
"Ellie, if you don't mind, I’m going to take Sam back in the car. it will be easier on him than the train, don't you think?" Jacob sent her a meaningful look, one she knew right away.
"Of course, just don’t be late back. it has been a long day today," Ellie gave them a smile and nod before herding the other three men towards the train station.
"Why did you send them away? they could have fit in the car with us," Sam looked confused, clinging onto the bag that was resting on his lap.
"Did you honestly fancy spending god knows how long on a train with two sort of couples gazing at each other, or in a car where you can stretch out and be with me?" Jacob had a point, Sam had seen the way Ellie had been looking at Cody when he and kale had returned from their shopping expedition.
"Good point, but what on earth did you tell her when you two were alone?" Sam was sure he didn’t really want to know.
"Oh, just a few bits about Cody when he thinks he is alone," Jacob replied, a smile playing on his lips. Sam just shrugged, he was right. he didn’t want to know.