Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 1

Author: LastMartian

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.

I wanted to scream. My life had become shambling trips between my bedroom and the living room, with brief trips to the bathroom to break up the monotony. Getting shot had been rough, but this was plain torture. I shifted yet again on the couch, hoping that I could find that sweet spot where I was comfortable and not in too much pain. Laying here for the past week was slowly driving me crazy; I don't think that I've ever been this still since I was a kid. Watching TV and reading was all and nice good for a relaxing evening, but I craved getting outside for a run or just simply going shopping. Of course, there was no way I would get within ten feet of a door without alerting…

"Rachel, do you need something?" Ivy had come to the doorway of the living room, looking intently at me. As if she could read my mind. Ivy had become my nursemaid during my recovery, taking it upon herself to be there for me when I needed her. It was really sweet at first, but it had worn down quickly. It reminded me too much of the nurses at the hospital when I was younger, always checking up on me, reading vitals and the like. I felt trapped in the church with her, which wasn't her fault, but I couldn't help myself.

Sighing a little loudly, I responded to her, "No, Ivy. I was fine ten minutes ago and I am still fine now." I knew that my tone was exasperated, which was unfair to her. She couldn't help her instinctual need to be a nurturer no more than any other vampire. Since vampires feel this way around children and the invalid, I just took it as her viewing me as an invalid. While it might be true, it still grated on my sense of independence.

Ivy gave a terse nod of her head and returned to the kitchen. She quickly resumed washing the dishes from our breakfast. I wanted to apologize to her, but I was too damn stubborn. I hated admitting I was wrong in any circumstance, especially when I knew that I had been wrong. I felt like that I had been saying sorry to Ivy multiple times over the days because of all the things she was doing and going through for my sake. I was tired of apologizing, just like I was tired of being in situation where I had to apologize so much.

Ivy had never complained once over the past two weeks since I came home from the hospital. She helped me to and from bed. She helped me get dressed when I got up and before bed, which greatly embarrassed me. She cooked frequently; it was so unlike Ivy to cook, that it had really thrown me off when she first did so. She had even insisted on helping me bathe the first day, but I had quickly shut that down. I knew that she was only offering because she felt responsible for my care and not that she was being lecherous, but it still felt too creepy.

It had been two months since our talk (well, Ivy's talk) in San Francisco, and Ivy had actually been more open with me since then than in our entire friendship. Nothing had changed since my trip to the hospital, but memories of her previous desires still flitted through my head occasionally. I kept wondering if Ivy really had moved on from me, always waiting to see that she had simply said those words without meaning them. I never had felt any kind of impropriety from her since we got back home, but the thought of her seeing me naked for bath time sent shivers down my spine. I wasn't sure if I really wanted that.

I reached for the water that Ivy had thoughtfully brought me earlier, drinking it down quickly. "Ivy, can you get me some more water, please?" I'm not really thirsty now, why am I asking for more? Ivy quickly appeared, drying her hands on a towel. Reaching over for my glass, she hurriedly moved back into the kitchen. I soon heard the refrigerator door open and water pouring into my glass. The refrigerator door closed once more, and, before I knew it, Ivy was back in the living room with my water.

"Did you need anything else, Rachel?" I noticed that her face had a concerned but guarded look on it; I realized that she was warring between being caring and being hurt from my previous insensitivity. Great, something else I need to apologize for. Do I do anything besides hurt her?

"No thanks, Ivy." She had started to turn back to the kitchen. I felt the guilt building up in me, and I knew that I had to say something now, before my guilt and her hurt got worse. "Ivy, wait." She turned back around, with the same expression on her face. She was wanting to help me, but she is also waiting for the other shoe to drop, I recognized miserably. "I'm sorry that I've been a grouch. I'm feeling too cooped up. It's not your fault that I can't do anything, and I wished that I hadn't taken it out on you. I can never thank you enough for willingly taking care of me when I've needed it so much. I just wish that I could go outside for more than a few minutes at a time; I would give anything to go root about in the garden, go running at the zoo, or just simply spend the day outside at Fountain Square."

A look of relief passed over Ivy's face; she came over by the couch to kneel by my side. She gave my hand a quick squeeze before withdrawing. "Dear heart, I wish that I could take this away from you. You just need time to rest or you won't get better." She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "I think it would be okay if we took a short trip into the Square or a park if you like, but you would have to promise to listen to me when I say it's time to go."

I felt a brief annoyance at Ivy, who sounded too much like my mother for comfort. It quickly passed as it sunk in that Ivy, by-the-book Ivy, was allowing me to go outside. No, agreeing. Allowing still felt like Ivy mothering me, and that felt wrong on too many levels. My mother had already been here during my convalescence, and, while I love her dearly, I was glad to see her go. She stayed here for my entire hospital visit and for the first week home. She and Ivy were almost competing to see who could care for me; I could tell Ivy was getting frustrated with my mom at some points. It was best for all parties when she announced that she was going back out west; a feeling of peace descended onto the church after her departure.

While I was eager to go out, I realized that I needed to take the time to dress somewhat more appropriately for the occasion. My ratty t-shirt and old gym shorts should probably never be seen in public. I knew this meant that I needed Ivy's help with getting dressed. Thankfully I had already bathed today, so that was at least one situation I could avoid. I suddenly was aware of her gaze on me, as I hadn't yet responded to her about going out.

"Thanks, Ivy. Going out sounds heavenly, even if it's only for a short time. I miss being out in the sun." I grinned sheepishly at her. "Can you please help me change? I don't think the public is quite ready for me to go out in this outfit."

Ivy chuckled, holding her hand out to me. Gently she pulled me to my feet, despite my wincing at the movement. I tried to suppress it as much as I could; Ivy had agreed to going out, and I wasn't going to give her any indication that she should change her mind. We slowly moved down to my room, with Ivy giving me little words of encouragement as I walked. Again with the mothering. It was cute until it wasn't. Still, nothing was going to make me say or do anything to prevent my outside excursion.

Finally reaching my room, I still was impressed by the amount of care Ivy dedicated herself to. My room was spotless. I don't think that I had seen this much floor since I moved in. All my clothes were washed and neatly folded and put away or hanging. I wouldn't be surprised if my clothes were now organized by color or function, if not both. Ivy had taken the time to vacuum, dust, and generally clean until my room looked immaculate. In short, it didn't feel like my room.

Ivy guided me to my bed, so that I could sit while she gathered my clothes and put them on me. Feeling very much like a life sized doll, I watched as she went to my closet to peer at my clothes. I really didn't want her dressing me up in anything too uncomfortable; I needed to make the decision now before she made it for me. "Ivy, my comfortable jeans please. No, not those", as she held out a pair for me," the ones to the left of that." Laying that pair on the bed, she moved over to my dresser to find a shirt. I really just wanted an oversized t-shirt that would be easier to get on, so I just readily agreed to the one she pulled out. It was the shirt she had bought for me from our trip to San Francisco; usually I used it as a night shirt, but it was in good enough condition to wear out.

Now comes the uncomfortable part, for both of us. I gave a hesitant smile to her, slowly lifting my arms above my head. It caused some pain to stretch my body like that, but it was tolerable. I could tell that Ivy was conflicted every time she changed me; she had always previously wanted to be in the position of taking off my clothes, but was doing so in a caregiver manner right now. I could tell it bothered her by the way she gingerly took my shirt hem, being ever so careful not to touch my skin. I would have rather her just get it over with. Slowly she pulled off my shirt, leaving me topless. (Yes, usually I wore a bra, but the damn thing is uncomfortable even when I am in good health.) I noticed that she was doing her best to not look at me while pulling the t-shirt on. She fumbled with it a bit but managed to get it on right the first time.

Now the jeans. She lowered me to the bed, so I would be laying down for the clothes change. At least I was wearing panties; no flashing body parts to worry about here. Butterflies erupted in my stomach when she reached for the elastic of my shorts. I quickly glanced at her eyes, but all I saw was the normal cinnamon color; the lack of black in her eyes meant she wasn't vamping out. Damn it, I don't need to be scared, she was just being helpful. Why did I freak out every time? She gently pulled my shorts off and laid them on the bed. Slowly she pulled the jeans on until they came up to my thighs. I knew I needed to raise my butt here so she could slide them on fully, but this would be a bit painful. Using my hands, I pressed down on the bed to lift myself up, causing a grimace to appear on my face. She quickly pulled them up so that I could once again relax. She stepped back, and I realized that she was leaving the buttoning and zipping to me. I was just as glad to do it myself.

A pair of socks completed the ensemble, with Ivy pulling out a pair of running shoes for me. While I was nowhere near in shape to go running, these would definitely be more comfortable than wearing boots right now. Kneeling down, she quickly ensconced my feet and tied the shoes. Ivy stood up and then sat down on the bed beside me. Using one hand behind me and the other to pull me up, she was able to get me to sit up in the bed. I grunted a little at the pain that shot out of my wound, which earned me a raised eyebrow from Ivy. Shaking my head, I motioned to her to continue the journey up. Complaining right now would have earned me a quick trip back to the couch.

The trip out to the car was uneventful but long. I was so afraid that Ivy was, at any minute now, going to decide that enough was enough and I was going back inside. Thankfully we reached the car without any words being spoken. She opened the car door for me, helping me get inside without much fuss. I'd argue with her that I wasn't a complete invalid, but it would be pointless to do so when I knew that the truth was a little too close to the mark for my comfort. Soon, she was in the driver's seat, and we slowly pulled away from the church. "Where to, Rache? A park or the Square?"

"Can we go to the Square? It should be nice and sunny there, and there is that Greek restaurant there that we both like. We can sit outside while we eat." I also felt like I could do a little window shopping. It wouldn't be anything more than that, as being out of work for three weeks had put a serious damper on my finances.

Ivy nodded her head and started off to the city. I was rather shocked at first; Ivy drove rather sedately compared to her normal. Usually I was holding onto my seat as if my life depended on it, which I sometimes felt it did. Vamp reflexes were incredibly fast, but my slower thought processes in comparison just couldn't handle how fast she would drive. I was sure that I was going to end up a nice bright red spot on the ground whenever Ivy drove. This time, however, she drove at speeds that I found comfortable, at decidedly less than Indy 500 speeds. I knew she was doing it for my benefit, which I did appreciate. I guess some mothering is a good thing, I mused.

Despite the lack of rush, we made good time to the square. Parking, as always, was a nightmare, but we found a relatively close by spot. We made our slow trek into the Square. I couldn't help but notice people going out of their way to not be close to us. Were they still unaware that my shunning had been reversed? Maybe they were afraid that being a demon was catching? In ways, I stopped caring what people thought of me, but it did make having any dealings with others very strained, if not impossible. Despite the fact that I had had my shunning removed, I knew that my situation had not improved in their eyes. I saved their sorry asses, and they hate me for me. That's my life, simplified.

We eventually made it into Fountain Square, and I was grateful to find an empty bench near the fountain. It was in a nice sunny spot; I wanted to curl up like a cat and sleep in the sun. Ivy sat down next to me after she had gently lowered me to the bench; I slumped up against her for support. I felt her tense for a moment before relaxing, as if she was still worried what my actions really meant. Is she still hung up on me, despite our talk? I pondered it for a moment, but then shrugged it away. Ivy had done nothing to show that she was still interested in me, which, in some ways, had been a big relief for me.

"Thanks, Ivy, this feels really good," meaning every word I said. Yes, it had caused pain to get here, but it all felt worth it now. Just being outside in the sun felt heavenly, making me feel more like my old self than I had in the past three weeks. Being next to her was also nice, as I could breathe in her scent. I always found Ivy's aroma comforting, as it meant home to me. Suddenly, the thought of scents mixing brought me up short; I pulled my head away from her. "Ivy, I'm so sorry. Are our scents mingling too much for you? I wasn't thinking…" as usual.

Ivy turned to look at me and smiled. "It's okay, dear heart. It's not bothering me right now; I've had your scent all over me the past few weeks. Leaning up against me is no problem. Anyway, we are outside; the slight breeze is dispersing our scents." With that, she put her arm around, coaxing me to relax again up against her. A slight tremble went through my body with this gesture; this meant a lot to me. Ivy and I rarely touched or hugged due to her sensitive nose; I never wanted to be the cause of frustration due to our comingling scents.

We sat contentedly for who knows how long, just simply enjoying the time in the sun. No words needed to be spoken; if they had, it would have ruined the moment. We could have gone longer if my stomach hadn't decided to rumble; the loud groan put an end to that silence. Ivy pulled away slightly, with a smirk on her face. I chuckled slightly and shrugged my shoulders; my body decided for me that it was time to eat. I hadn't wanted to stop that time together, but I knew we couldn't stay that way forever. Ivy eased her arm from around me and stood, stooping down to help me up.

We made our way over to the Greek restaurant there in the Square, asking for seats outside. While the seats weren't in the sun, they were still outside in the warm air and the cool breeze. We ordered souvlaki with chicken and shrimp, dolmadakia, and spanakopita. I knew I wouldn't eat half of that, but Ivy, with her vampire metabolism, would easily finish what I couldn't. They brought out chamomile tea for us, which I normally wouldn't drink. When in Rome… I did enjoy the taste of it; the tea here never seemed like it came out of a tea bag bought at the grocery store. I'd still prefer a nice coffee, though.

We talked of nothing important during our meal, just enjoying the moment without feeling the need to talk shop. It was heartening to see Ivy so calm and relaxed around me; before we could only really talk if we were in separate rooms in the church. It was also sad that it took Ivy leaving behind her feelings for me to be this, well, friendly with me. Was I really that bad of a friend? I had to wonder if, because I constantly was afraid of her biting me, I pushed her away too much so she felt that she couldn't have normal conversations with me.

"What are you so intently thinking about?" Ivy's voice startled me slightly; I had been so engrossed in my thoughts, that my face apparently had lost its calm demeanor. I tried to smile, but I felt that I failed to disguise my inner turmoil.

"Ivy, I know you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but I am sorry. This time today with you has been wonderful; it just reminded me that it was my fault for constantly pushing you away that we couldn't have this before. I just feel like an ass for what I put you through."

Ivy smiled at my words, feeling the sincerity behind them. She softly put her hand on mine as it lay on the table. "Rachel, first and foremost I have always wanted to be your friend. It doesn't matter how we got here; I'm just glad that we did." I felt a tingle going up my arm from where she placed her hand on mine. I was glad that we had gotten to a point where it wasn't taboo to touch each other. This felt like the perfect moment.

That, of course, is when the proverbial rug got pulled out from under us…

To Be Continued

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a continuing story line. I appreciate any and all feedback, provided that it is glowing and congratulatory. (j/k) I do read any and all feedback, so please let me know what you think.