Title: Angels in a Cage: Chapter Twenty-one, Answering Machine
Rating: PG-13 [language, tense situations, mature conversations]

Summary: Return of drama. Plus Kim gets to meet Alyssa. Imagine that.




Handing in her English assignment with a smile, Alyssa practically skipped out of the classroom. Most people did not find Wednesday very exciting, but then again most people did not have a date with a sexy man on Wednesdays either. All she had to do was stop at home, drop off her things and assure her mother she had no homework, and then she was free to see Chris. They had talked on the phone a number of times since Saturday, as soon as her phone privileges were once more reinstated. He eagerly agreed to meet her Discovery Park. She thought part of that had to do with Susan’s return on Sunday; something Chris had brushed off immediately when she brought it up. But she did not care in that moment. All that mattered was school was over and she on her way out.

Or so she thought.

Cornering her at her locker, David blocked her into the locker until she burst out giggling. He quickly kissed her temple before stepping aside and allowing her to close the metal door and fasten her lock.

“You’re going to go and see him again, aren’t you?” he asked, walking down the crowded hall with her.

“How could you tell?”

“You’re positively giddy,” David answered. “Plus you are looking even hotter today than normal, if that’s even possible.”

“You don’t get to meet him, David. Not today,” she claimed, pushing the high school’s front door open.

“Why not?”

“It hasn’t been two weeks yet,” she pointed out. “And you’re going home with Stephanie to study tonight.”

“I am?”

“You promised her!” Alyssa stopped. “I think she wants in your pants.”

“As she should,” he remarked. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

She shoved his shoulder playfully, “Anyways, I’m going. You have a good time. Hopefully Stephanie is not let down by your pinkie finger.”

His eyes widened, “Not my pinkie finger she has to be worried about!”

“Uh huh,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later, David. Here comes lover girl.”

Before he could say anything in retort, she hurried into the busy parking lot towards her car. Tossing her backpack in the passenger seat, Alyssa hurried around and jumped in behind the wheel. She locked her doors just in case David managed to wiggle away from his promises to Stephanie. She turned on her stereo, cranking up the music, and muscled her way into the queue of cars out of the parking lot. Driving a bit too fast, but not so fast she would get pulled over, she made it home quickly to dump off her backpack. Surprisingly her mom and Judith were absent, but a note was left on the fridge to remind her to not miss curfew again. Snatching it from the fridge before opening the appliance to grab a bottle of water and an apple, Alyssa reached for the phone before realizing she could not call Chris from the mainline.

Biting into the apple, she headed up to her room to call him, grabbing her backpack from the hallway where she dropped it upon entry. Kicking her bedroom door open with her toe, she flicked on the light with her elbow and dropped the purple bag. Her hazel eyes immediately went to the flickering caller ID box, drawing her over. Pressing down on the small gray rubber circle, she choked on the apple.

“Fuck. No. You can’t be calling me,” she muttered after coughing up the fruit.

Shakily her finger reached for the button on her answering machine. A computerized voice announced that she had fifteen new messages. Scowling she pressed play and listened to every single desperate message. Part of her wanted to erase them and forget about it. But she knew her father would not like that in the least. So she saved Zack’s messages, checked to see how much tape was left on the machine, and hoped if he did call again, the answering machine would be able to hold all of his asinine messages. Reaching for the nearby phone, she froze as it rang. Her eyes dropped to the caller ID and frowned as Zack’s number came up again.

The phone rang four times before the machine picked up. His message instantly sent chills down her spine.

“Baby, I need you so much right now. I know you need me too. I know you wore my favorite skirt today and I cannot wait to tear it off you and fuck you silly. I bet you’re wet for me right now. Oh god, Aly. I need you so bad. I have to have you. I have to have you now. I’m coming to get you. I know your house is empty. We can fuck in your parents’ bed. I bet you’d like that, huh, baby? I’m coming for you. Oh god, I need you.”

The message ended and Alyssa stared at the phone for a long moment. She could not be there when he arrived. But the cops should be.

Ejecting the tape, she snatched up the phone and quickly dialed Chris’s number, “Hey, Chris, I can’t make it to Discovery today.”

“Why not? Is something wrong, Lyssie?”

“He… I can’t talk about it right now. I don’t have any time. I need to take my answering machine tape to my dad right away. Um… you could maybe meet me downtown? I don’t want to be alone no matter what my dad or the police say.”

Chris remained silent for a moment, “I’ll meet you at City Hall Park. Will that work?”

“Yes. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes or less.”



Lighting his third cigarette, Chris’s eyes cast about the park worriedly. It had been much longer than forty-five minutes since her phone call. The fear in her voice struck fear in his heart, especially since she had mentioned he. Though he could very well be anyone, Chris knew it was not. He really truly wished there was more he could do for her. But other than stalk down to the police station, he was out of options. He would just have to wait her out, however impatiently.

Getting up from the bench, he started to head to the most logical entrance for Alyssa’s arrival. He nearly reached the sidewalk and finished his cigarette when his eyes landed upon her. In any other circumstance, he would find her dark pink short dress and strappy sandals cute… maybe even sexy. But all of those considerations he pushed aside as he flicked the butt of his cigarette into the trash can. Chris completely disregarded the fact they were in public as well and quickly enfolded her in his arms.

“Chris,” she pushed away, “we need to go.”

His eyes met hers, “Where do you want to go?”

“I know we can’t go to your house, but I feel really exposed right now and–”

“Sure we can. Susan isn’t going to be home until late. Out doing work of some sort,” Chris responded. “Or if you’re not comfortable with that, I am sure there is somewhere else we can go.”

“I… I just need to get to some place he can’t see me as I am certain he is watching us right now,” she glanced around.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, “We’ll go to my house then. Did you drive?”

Alyssa nodded, “But I told my dad I would leave my car in the parking garage. I can’t go home now anyways. He doesn’t want me to anyways. He… told me to stay with you.”

His eyebrows rose at that but he said nothing, nodding instead. His fingers reached for hers and he turned to head back to his car. She squeezed his hand, wordlessly indicating they should hurry for some reason or another. Picking up his pace, he practically dragged her to the car, unlocking it before they reached for the handles. Closing the door after she settled in the sports car, Chris quickly rounded it and slipped behind the wheel. Starting the car, he reached across and cupped her cheek. Without hesitation, he leaned over and kissed her gently, causing her to smile slightly.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, but… was it him?” he asked, turning his eyes and attention to pulling out of the parking space.

“Yes. He left at least fifteen messages on my machine – a number he is not even supposed to have. And they got increasingly graphic over the minutes between. The last one… the last one he said he was on his way over and that he was going to fuck me on my parents’ bed and… no one knows where he is right now,” she blurted out.

Chris glanced sideways at her, “He’s not going to hurt you, Lyssie. I promise you that.”

She nodded and turned to watch the traffic in front of them. Though she knew it was not her fault, just as she had when her mother beat her, Alyssa took Zack’s actions against her on as her fault. She was honestly scared, but she was also certain whatever he did to her she deserved. People never got what they did not deserve in some way or another. Anything that happened was her fault. For being too nice to the wrong people, for not believing in her prayers in church, for being snotty to Judith, all of those were causes for whatever negative actions headed her way. She was certain of it.

“Oh no,” Chris muttered as he turned into his neighborhood.

Her eyes went to him, “What?”

“Whatever down and depressed things you’re thinking right now, stop,” he instructed.

“I… how did you know?”

He shrugged, “I just know you. I can’t explain it.”

She nodded, turning her eyes back to their surroundings, hoping to not recognize anything amiss in the neighborhood.

“Oh fuck,” Chris muttered, his eyes on his house.

“What?” she followed his gaze, instantly seeing a car parked in the driveway she did not recognize.

“She isn’t supposed to be home,” he grumbled, parking his car on the street. “And she never brings work home. Why the hell would Jerry be here?”

“I…”

“Stay here. Lock the doors. If for some reason that fuck shows up, lay on the horn,” Chris instructed, leaned over and kissed her quickly. “I’ll be back before you can miss me.”

She nodded and watched Chris climb out of the car. He stood next to it for a minute, waiting for her to lock the doors as directed. Nodding once, he headed up to his house, pausing next to Jerry Cantrell’s car and glaring ominously at it. There was no reason in his mind for Jerry to be there – or for Susan to be either, even if she did live there. It was not even five on Wednesday yet. Susan never got home before seven and Chris was fairly certain Alice in Chains was playing somewhere that night. So why were they there?

Heading into the house, he found the living room empty. No dogs, no people sat about. Room by room he wandered, finding every single one on the ground level vacant. The dogs, at least his, lounged about in the backyard, their feet twitching in doggie dreams. But neither Susan, her dogs, nor Jerry were in sight. What the hell was going on?

Deciding the only place his wife could be was upstairs, he slowly ascended the steps. The first guest room and his studio room were just as empty as the rooms below. The closer he stepped to the master suite, the more his blood pressure rose. If she was… if she was…

The door to his master suite opened. His breath caught as Jerry stepped out – wearing only boxers. Chris immediately saw red and clenched his fists. He wanted to take a swing at the friend standing before him but Chris suddenly realized it did not matter. He did not love Susan. She could fuck whomever she wanted. It would make the divorce that much easier.

Instead, he turned coolly around and returned to the stairs. Allowing no emotion to show, he slowly walked down the steps, hearing Jerry hurry back into the bedroom to inform Susan Chris had returned home unexpectedly. Even if Susan bolted out of bed now and ran down to intercept him, he was certain he would be in the car and down the street before she even reached the front door. His cool, calculate pace increased as he reached the door and realized Alyssa still sat in his car.

Unlocking the doors a moment before reaching the car, he quickly pulled his door open and slid into the car. Chris started the car without saying a word, without even glancing at Alyssa. Her eyes searched his face and instantly knew better than to ask anything, at least not yet.

They sped out of the neighborhood, Chris not entirely sure where to take Alyssa. They needed to be some place safe for her, preferably some place that had alcohol for him. But no, drinking would not suit his need to protect Alyssa. They just needed to get some place safe. He would… take her to Kim’s; it was close and the guitarist could scare off anyone.

“Lyssie, I know we said we would keep to ourselves at first, but I don’t know where else to do. Will you be comfortable going over to Kim’s?”

“Kim, as in your band Kim?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“If you think it’s okay, then I’m okay with it.”

“It’s just… Susan was… fucking someone else,” Chris stated, glancing at the young woman. “I don’t really… I mean I don’t care because I want to divorce her. But…”

“I understand, Chris. I do. I’d like to meet Kim, especially if you consider him enough of a friend to go to his house in times as these,” Alyssa stated.

The remainder of the drive was silent, though Alyssa’s hand snuck across the car and covered Chris’s. It was rather fortunate they had each other that day, a day when both seemed to need the other’s support. Chris did not think for a moment that his circumstance was nearly as worrisome as Alyssa’s, in fact in hindsight it was a good thing. If Susan was fucking someone else, he was completely off the hook for wantingsomeone else. All was fair in love and war and their relationship just became war.

They pulled up in front of Kim’s house within thirty minutes. Hurrying around his car, Chris opened the door for Alyssa with little thought, his hand going to the small of her back. He led her up to the front door, pausing to kiss her temple after ringing Kim’s bell. A moment later, the burly guitarist opened up the door. He began to greet Chris in some brusque, raunchy manner before his eyes landed on Alyssa. His mouth snapped close and his eyebrows went up.

“Can we come in?” Chris asked.

Stepping aside, Kim nodded. His eyes focused on Alyssa as she walked past him, entering his modest house. Her eyes quickly scanned the messy house, not too terribly surprised to find it needing some care. But as they had not even been introduced, she did not find it proper to chide him about the dirty socks hanging from the banister. Instead, her fingers reached for Chris’s and she waited for instructions.

“Come and sit down. I’ll get you a beer,” Kim stated, stepping over a pile of newspapers and leading them into his living room.

Releasing her hand, Chris shoved magazines off the couch, making room for the two of them to sit. His eyes went to hers, trying to gauge her reaction to the space. Smiling assuredly at him, she stepped over to the couch and sat down. Chris instantly took a seat next to her.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“Of course, I’m with you,” she grasped his hand. “Are you?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to say more but instantly closing it when Kim returned with three cans of Rainier beer, “Kim, this is Alyssa. Lyss, this is Kim.”

“Thank you,” she accepted the offered can. “Pleasure to meet you, Kim.”

His left eyebrow shot up as he cracked open his beer, “Wow. Polite even. You’re too good for this fuck.”

She flushed some, “I’m not sure that I agree with that, but thank you.”

“No offense, Alyssa, but when Chris mentioned there was a girl in his life, I never in a million years imagined she was someone like you,” Kim stated.

“What do you mean?” she met his eyes, her lips still not touching the beer can though both men had drank half of their own.

“Well,” he finished his can, smashed it, and tossed it in the general direction of a large garbage can. “He’s been with Susan almost as long as I’ve known him. I figured anyone who caught his eye would likely be a different version of her. You, sweet thing, are not like Susan.”

“How is that?” she asked.

“I think it’s enough to know you’re not like the cold bitch,” Chris muttered before crushing his beer can.

Alyssa’s eyes turned to him, holding out her beer can to him, “Chris, what did you find in your house?”

He accepted the can and took a deep drink before responding, “Susan in bed with Jerry Cantrell.”

The room remained silent for a moment until Kim laughed, “Well fuck, sounds like we need more beer.”

Waiting until the burly guitarist left the room to fulfill his own self-defined task, Alyssa stated softly, “And what do you want to do about it?”

Chris’s eyes went to hers, “She just gave me the cause I needed to divorce her. I already met with lawyers yesterday about it and they cautioned against it since she manages my band. But now, I don’t think they’ll say the same thing.”

She nodded, her fingers slipping into his, “I’m sorry, Chris.”

“I’m not,” he squeezed her hand. “Because then I can be with you.”

“You’re with me now, aren’t you?”

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

She nodded, “I do. But… I don’t know that I’m ready to be that, Chris.”

“No, no. We are not going to go public about us. Not now. Not until you are comfortable with it. I would never force something like that upon you. I would never force anything upon you,” he quickly countered.

Her eyes left his, briefly touched upon Kim as he set four more beers on the messy coffee table, and looked away. Just using the term ‘force’ brought back the reason she was with him now in full force. How could she have been so stupid to even get involved with Zack? Was being involved with Chris just as stupid? Should she avoid moving beyond barista-drinker relationships with everyone who stepped into the coffeehouse? Or should she just quit her job?

“Lyss?” Chris tugged on her hand slightly. “You okay?”

Meeting his eyes again, she nodded. Not caring that his band mate was watching, Chris leaned forward and kissed her softly, his free hand cupping her chin. As he pulled back she was frowning which made him frown as well.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she muttered.

“Why?”

“I shouldn’t be with you,” Alyssa stated, getting to her feet.

“Why not, Lyss?” he stood as well.

“Just… take me back to my car.”

“No,” he replied. “You don’t know where that fuck is. I am not putting you in danger just because… I don’t know why.”

Her eyes dropped to the floor and she sat back down. Chris returned to his seat beside her, taking her hand in his without thought. Shrugging, Kim opened another beer and made a crack about sour beer face. Somehow, he knew just how to lighten the mood.



Leaning on the railing out in Kim’s backyard, Chris inhaled his cigarette deeply. Even though the guitarist did not care who or what anyone smoked in his house, the singer thought it best to step outside. Plus it gave Alyssa a few moments of privacy while she called to check on the situation with her stalker. What should have been a cute and sweet day together, had been completely turned on its head. First by that fuck and second by his wife. To be honest, finding Susan with Jerry – even if he had not actually see them doing the deed – did not really surprise him when he thought about it. She seemed to increasingly spend time allegedly working on things for Alice in Chains. And he was not even really that upset about it. He had not loved Susan for some time, if at all. Did he feel like he had failed his marriage? Perhaps the answer would be yes if he did not have Alyssa in his life. She changed everything.

And he needed to focus once more upon her. What she was going through was much larger than what he was going through. She had some stupid fuck out there, obsessed and stalking her, wanting to rape her. That was far greater than his wife sleeping with someone who might have once been considered a friend. He needed to figure out what he needed to do for Alyssa.

“Chris?” her soft voice interrupted his thoughts as she stepped out into the backyard.

He ground out his cigarette and turned around, meeting her eyes, “Sweetie.”

“They still haven’t found him. But my dad is heading home soon. So it’s time for me to go too,” she stated.

“Do you want me to take you home or back to your car?”

“Actually if you could drop me off at the DA’s office that would be great,” answered Alyssa.

His eyebrows rose.

“My dad is an assistant district attorney,” she explained.

“Oh.”

“Chris, I’m sorry about Susan.”

“I’m not,” he replied instantly. “That relationship has been dead for quite some time. But let’s not talk about it. I’ve got to get you back downtown.”

The two of them re-entered Kim’s house. Chris looked around for the guitarist and smirked, seeing him passed out on the couch. While he considered returning back to Kim’s after dropping off Alyssa, he suddenly had the desire to be alone with his thoughts. The decision to go to the cabin in the mountains was a simple one. Only he worried that he would be unreachable by Alyssa in the event she needed him.

“Lyss,” he opened the front door, “I’m thinking of heading up to my cabin in the mountains. But I don’t have a phone there. I don’t want you to…”

“You should go if that’s what you want, Chris. I can’t see you again until Friday anyways – if even then, depending on the Zack situation,” she headed out to his car.

Chris reached for her, pulling her to him quickly, “But I don’t want to be unreachable if you need me.”

Her eyes searched his briefly and she kissed him briefly, “Your soul is raging, Chris. I can see it in your eyes. You might claim that Susan’s indiscretion matters not to you, but I think it does. I’ll be okay for a few days without you. I have family and friends who will protect me. You don’t have to worry.”

He reached up with his other hand and caressed her cheek gently, “I cannot help it. And as much as I would like the solace of the cabin, I cannot beat down the fear in the bottom of my stomach that says leaving you would be more than just foolish, but also dangerous. I’ll find somewhere to stay or else come back here. I do not want to be unreachable, Lyssie.”

“I can’t make you go or make you stay. It’s your decision, Chris.”

Chris kissed her, “I will not be far away. I will call you once I figure out where I’m staying. Promise.”

The drive back to downtown Seattle was filled with silence, though it was not entirely uncomfortable. Chris was racking his brain as to whom to call to crash with. He needed to be away from everything Susan touched, something he likely would not have even realized had Alyssa not brought up the fact he was hurting from it on some level. And that kept leading his thoughts back to his best friend, back to Eddie. It made perfect sense, but he did not want to cause issues between Eddie and Beth, something he thought possible considering married couples generally did not care for their spouse’s friends to show up unannounced. Eddie was his only choice though, other than renting a room in a hotel somewhere. But Susan could find him and bother him there. She would leave him alone at Eddie’s.

Pulling up in front of the DA’s office, though he initially drove past it and had to backtrack, Chris shifted into park and looked around. He knew he would recognize the kid if he was lurking in the shadows anywhere. Had that been the case, he was not about to allow Alyssa out of the car. It seemed safe, no unsavory characters around.

Turning back to Alyssa, he was a bit surprised she leaned over and kissed him sweetly, parting her lips ever so slightly to allow his tongue to touch hers. She pulled out of the kiss briefly but then kissed him once more. There seemed to be some desperation in the kiss that he did not understand.

“Lyssie, are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, followed by another short kiss. “Call me any time you want. I’ll turn my ringer on its lowest setting and keep the phone close so it doesn’t wake anyone up.”

He caressed her cheek briefly, “I hope to call within the hour.”

“I have to go. Remember, Chris, just because you’re married, doesn’t mean you belong together,” Alyssa stated and got out of the car.

His eyes remained fastened upon her as she trotted from the car towards the building. Her words echoed in his mind and he knew she was wiser beyond her years, however many they were. She saw things most did not and it made little sense to him. She sawhim. And that was something big, very big.