this is home [sync]

[Zoe Fitzpatrick]

Zoe didn't know a soul in the town. Everything was foreign to her. Everyone looked at her as the girl that had just arrived in town the day before. Well, that was basically what she was. She had landed the night before and had spent her evening in the hotel at the airport. Everything was now on a limited budget. She had blanched when she had seen what the taxi was going to cost to get her into the small town. This was something that she was going to get used to. Jax had left her something after he had died, but it wasn't much. The fact that she hadn't made much more working in a pub back home also saddened her. The money she was trying to save was basically so that she could get her loan horse to Italy. Caleb had offered to help her and so had Shane and Kris, but Stellan was her responsibility and with that she had to accept it. It might be another few months until she would be reunited with the grey gelding that she loved so much.

With Niko by her side, she could do anything, but she wouldn't be able to ride until she got Stellan. The apartments impressed her, but luckily she had bought one. With that, Caleb could help her. Sighing deeply, she took the keys from the landlord and entered her new home. Niko took off like a bullet, the lithe dog supple and quick despite his large size. It was furnished and smelled like home, but it wasn't. Not yet. Placing her bags down in the entrance hall, Zoe walked through the rest of the apartment and took in everything. The view was fantastic. The whole set up was fantastic. The summer weather was balmy and mild. Not too hot, but just enjoyable. Zoe, much more relaxed now, took her bags to the main bedroom of the three bedroom apartment. She found a pair of short shorts and a strappy tee that Caleb had given her. She also located her towels and toiletries and headed into the shower.

The hot water soothed her muscles and cleared her mind. The travel exhaustion that she had was nothing any more, and all would be alright. Stellan never left her mind though, and no matter how she looked at it, the gelding wasn't going to be coming to her any time soon. There just wasn't money for it. Maybe if she was lucky she would get a ride on another horse for the time being and be able to win one or two competitions. Pull yourself together Zoe, she muttered to herself. Wrapping the large, fluffy towel around her, she winced when she saw how much weight she had lost. This wasn't good. The distance from Caleb hadn't been good for her, and she wasn't picking the weight back up and that really scared her.

With her hair damp and finally dressed, she flopped down on the couch and laughed as Niko launched himself onto her. You big goofball, she scolded him fondly. Now all she needed was Caleb and she would be happy for now.

[Caleb Andreev]

Caleb was rightfully exhausted. The dark haired male had idiotically decided to refuse the help offered to him, thus missing out on chances to sleep and eat. He hadn’t slept more than an hour over the past three days, and eating? Forget about it. Now he found himself on his last legs, pulling into the yard of Pietra-Ruscello equestrian centre. Unlike Zoe, he had not flown from Park, he’d taken the ferry to France, allowed a family friend to take the horses the rest of the way to Italy and flown from there. He hadn’t been able to rest, sick with worry for his two prized possessions, and then met them at the airport on the other side. He’d had a five hour wait, but still had not taken the time to rest. It was his own fault really. Leaving Jake to sleep in the truck, he carefully slid from the vehicle. Stumbling slightly as he hit the ground, he growled in agitation as the heat stuck to him. Never one for the warmer weather, he knew he would have to accustom himself to the new climate. It did make him miss England though. He’d take that cool, damp weather over this any day.

Dragging himself around to the back of the trailer, he quietly lowered the door. Ignoring the excited whinnies and nickers of his two equines, he squirmed between them and began to back them from the trailer simultaneously. He’d never been gladder in his life that they’d been able to master that. Leading the inquisitive pair into the barn, he nearly cried in relief when he saw that the stalls were made up exactly how he’d asked. Letting Vanquish, and then Alisa, into their respective stalls, he watched for a moment as they checked it out before both going to their feed. His stomach gurgled hungrily as he watched, causing him to groan painfully and question how bad horse feed actually tasted. Yeah, he was that hungry. Before he could contemplate shoving Vanquish out the way and taking his feed, Caleb staggered tiredly back to the truck. Unhooking the trailer, he locked it up and let it sit, ready to be picked up later in the day. Giving himself a moment to regain control of his head, which had grown very light and he felt on the verge of passing out, he sighed deeply and pulled the collar of his t-shirt away from his neck. Cursing the heat under his breath angrily, he got back into the truck and started it up.

A smile crept over his lips as his thoughts strayed to Zoe. Food and sleep were now forbidden topics in his mind, which left the third most prominent to take over. He hadn’t seen her in three, nearly four, days and he just craved to be in her presence. Caleb found himself navigating through town easily, and he passed his new place of work. Whether he’d remember the route was another matter. In a matter of minutes, he found himself pulling up in the communal parking lot of the apartment building. Jake, who was now half awake with his head resting against the window, began to wag his tail. Caleb smiled, reaching over to ruffle the audits of his large Akita Rottweiler mix. ”Come on big man, let’s go see Zoe.“ He murmured sleepily, opening the door and letting himself and then Jake out. Grabbing his two bags, Caleb then locked the car and grabbed Jake’s collar. He didn’t need the dog running around and causing chaos before he knew which apartment was theirs.

His eyes blearily scanned each door for his own, and then smiled in relief when he found it. Testing the lock, he grumbled in frustration when he found it unlocked. Letting himself in, he dropped his bags and released his hold on Jake’s collar. ”I thought I told you to lock this door at all times.“ He called out, making his way into the living room. The smile that took over when he caught sight of her was breath taking. ”I missed you, gorgeous.“ He told her, his vocals soft and unable to keep the exhaustion from them.

[Zoe Fitzpatrick]

Zoe couldn't decide whether to actually move or just stay on the couch and veg out completely. She was tired, but she doubted that it really mattered in the end. She wasn't hungry, rather feeling slightly ill as she had for the last few days. Like a nausea that wouldn't go away. It was a constant presence for her, and that was the worst. She had taken enough anti-nausea tablets to last a while and for a few hours it worked, then it came back and Zoe was off her feet for that. Her eyes drooped, and she curled up against Niko, her breathing slowly evening out. She wasn't even alerted to the front door opening until she heard the all too familiar vocals wake her up. Sitting up, she grinned broadly when she saw Caleb enter the living room, but any movements away from the bed were stymied by Jake claiming her attention. Once the dog had had his fill, Zoe got off the couch and she went to wrap her arms around Caleb's neck.

Missed you too handsome, she murmured into his ear. When she had first come to know Caleb it had merely been a relationship for sex. Nothing more and nothing less. As the months had waned, she had become more and more jealous of anybody coming near him, that in the end she had taken Stellan out and just curled up into a ball waiting to die. Strangely enough, this event had also marked the start of their serious relationship. She couldn't think of anybody else to spend the rest of her life with.

What do you want for dinner? she asked, as she always did. She could see the exhaustion on his face and she heard it in his voice. There was nothing like cooking for Caleb, and even now she was deciding on keeping it simple. Home made pasta and a tomato and basil sauce was what she was thinking of making. Basically the question was a mere formality than anything else. Her mind was already made up on what she was making and nothing could change that. Her stubborn nature frustrated Caleb, but it was who she was. He would just have to get used to it.

[Caleb Andreev]

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, breathing in her scent deeply. His smile grew softer, more lazy, as he enjoyed her presence. He, of course, worried about the weight she'd lost briefly. He always did when she was in his arms. Pushing it away, he sighed and pulled back. Her question made him chuckle and lean down to kiss her forehead softly. ”Whatever you've just thought up.“ He smiled, before yawning widely. The heaviness in his limbs reminded him of his exhaustion. The heat in the apartment started to make him irritable again, a frown crossing his lips. Pulling away from Zoe, he began to open up almost every window he could get his hands on. ”And this was why I loved Russia.“ He muttered under his breath, picturing the snow covered ground and chilled wind. His body gave a delighted shudder as he reminded himself. He also made the mental note to take Zoe there at some point. Not everybody's ideal holiday destination, but Caleb's grandparents were dying to meet her.

”Sorry Zoe.“ He apologized suddenly, having remembered that he'd just moved away and started opening windows like a crazy person. ”It's really hot in Italy.“ He offered as explanation, his smile sheepish. Moving away from the window, he sat heavily on the sofa. A groan of pure delight left his throat at being able to sit. Though the sofa wasn't particularly comfortable, it was much better than anything else he had sat on in the past three days. His large frame curled up instinctively, and his eyes falling closed. In no time, Caleb had drifted off and was sound asleep. Quiet snores escaped him, a sure sign of how tired he actually was. It wasn't usual for Caleb to snore. Now the male looked dead to the world.

His dream would have worried him if he'd been able to comprehend it. He kept seeing to faceless blondes, each attempting to lure him toward them. Every time he took a step toward the smaller of the two, of which he found himself drawn to, the other would almost tug on an invisible robe and yank him into place. He never tried to go in her direction though. There was no pull. Eventually, both grew tired and began to stalk toward him. You'd have thought dream him would have enjoyed that, but no. It terrified dream Caleb. So much so he jolted awake with a yelp. Panting heavily, shaking away the remaining traces of his dream, he looked around in confusion. His eyes narrowed, his defenses flying up as he realized he had no recognition of the living room he was currently in. Standing, and looking around slowly, he relaxed at the sight of Jake and Niko. Huffing deeply, the memories flooded back to him. He was in Italy. The thought rose a smile to his lips. ”Zoe?“ he called out hesitantly, unsure whether she was there or not.

[Zoe Fitzpatrick]

Zoe merely shook her head fondly at the fact that Caleb was opening windows. She should have done it earlier, but she just didn't have the energy to make the slight movements. For summer, it was humid and she hoped for rain. There was nothing like the sluggish heat to remind her that she was homesick. She waited for Caleb to curl up on the couch before going to the kitchen. The pasta recipe was fairly simple, and as she waited for the dough to set, she went to the bathroom as another roll of nausea washed over her. Groaning softly, she suddenly had time to think. It had been six weeks since she had returned to Park town from looking after her father. She was supposed to have had her period almost four weeks ago, but through organising Italy and everything else, it had completely slipped her mind.

No. She couldn't be, could she? She was on the pill. No. Luke had made her stop drinking it when he realised that his evil plan wouldn't work if she was on it. Scratching her wrists nervously, she paced the small room, eyes wide in panic. So she didn't have a test on her, so nothing could be proven yet. Maybe her body was just adjusting to the fact that she wasn't on the pill any more after taking it for so long. Just because she was late didn't mean she was pregnant. She would wait another week or so before she took the test. That would confirm it, and maybe she wouldn't lose Caleb because of it. She knew that he wanted to be a father, but for her it was too soon. She still wanted to live her life more than anything else.

Hearing Caleb call for her, she went to him. Shh baby. It's okay, I'm here, she whispered to him, taking his hand and sitting down next to him. She brushed the faint strands of hair out of his face, and noticed the sweat pattering his brow. She also had had more nightmares than she could ever imagine. It was usually a small black haired boy that ran away from her. As she neared him, he would run faster. In the end she usually woke up screaming, the dream vague but the fear painful. Come join me in the kitchen, she murmured to him as she stood up, going to the kitchen. The pasta didn't take long to make and soon she was putting it in the boiling water, the pasta sauce already simmering.