An hour later and finally they were pulling in to one of the longest driveways Andy had ever seen. Trees lined both sides of the paved drive and finally at the very end stood an old Victorian house, large flowering trees flanking either side of the huge wraparound porch. Sunlight glinted off of the windows and Andy noticed one other car in the driveway, an old Cadillac that had been redone so that it gleamed in the sunlight. The car finally came to a stop and Odessa looked over at Andy.


“Well we’re here. I’m not sure if Moira is home or not, but if she is…prepare yourself.” She laughed softly, removing her seatbelt and opening her door quickly as Andy followed suit.

“I couldn’t believe she actually cried when she saw me. Does she really love our band that much?” He asked a bemused smile playing on his lips when suddenly a shriek pierced the calm air.

Moira was obviously home.

“Wha-What are you doing here?!” She practically ran at Andy, stopping short as Odessa held out an arm to shield Andy from his biggest and most devoted fan.

“He’s here with me. I brought him by to see the lair…” Odessa turned and winked at Andy and placed a finger underneath Moira’s chin, lifting up slowly so that her mouth closed all the way.

“I can’t believe you’re here…I have to go call Trish!” Moira moved to run off, but Odessa quickly caught her by the back of her pants and held her there.

“No one is going to tell anyone that Andy is in our house. Got it? He’s just a normal person…quit being obsessive.” Odessa sighed as Moira glared at her and stalked up the front steps, slamming the door behind her.

“I’m sorry about that…”Odessa blushed crimson as Andy waved a hand, a small smile playing on his lips.

“So what’s in this lair of yours?” He grinned down at her as they both made their way up the porch steps and walked through the front door.


The house was laid out like an old farm house, with a large kitchen straight ahead, a small dining room off to the left and a larger living room to the right. Andy peered up the stairs and saw a pair of light green eyes peering back at him from behind one of the wooden banisters. Odessa led him silently through the kitchen and around the corner where there was a pantry and a small laundry room. She reached out, pulling at a piece of paneling in the wall and soon a door popped into view. Andy just stood there awe and shock lacing his features as he followed her down the steep stairs. The air was musty at the bottom and soon the room was filled with an eerie glow as Odessa switched on her desk lamp.

Lining the walls, his favorite superhero stared back at him. Story boards were piled up in one corner next to a large shelving unit which held various mediums including colored pencils, markers and paint pots. Looking around, Andy noticed that not only did Batman grace these walls, but so did some of the best villains in the history of Batman lore. He tried to keep his composure and also he tried to keep his hands in his pockets, but that proved impossible when he came across one picture imparticular.

It was a watercolor so he knew it was her personal work and not something that she did for DC. Batman, in all of his armored glory was kneeling in front of a double grave, his fist clenched around a red rose. There was snow on the ground and the sky was cloudy in the background. Andy couldn’t believe the emotion that she had been able to convey with just a few strokes of a brush. He reached out, running his fingers along the paint and turned to find her sitting at her desk, sketching away as he marveled at her work.


“I love your stuff. What are you working on now…” He walked over to her and was surprised to find a rough sketch of himself laying in front of her. Currently she was working on shading in his eye makeup.

“For you…” She held the sketch out to him, that cute blush creeping back up her neck as he smiled down at her.Silently she stood, the top of her head almost reached the bottom of his chin and he laughed at how short she seemed compared to him.

“You are so unbelievably talented Dess…” He wanted to kiss her then, he wanted to show her the same compassion that she had showed him by giving him her sketch.

“Thanks. So are you hungry? I can go upstairs and get something cooking if you want?” She smiled, her small hands resting on her hips as she looked up at him expectantly.

“Sure, but we can just order something…you don’t have to cook for me.” He was the one blushing now…he had never met a girl with such a huge heart.


Silently they walked back up the stairs, Andy looking over his shoulder one last time at all of the artwork that still laid undiscovered in Odessa’s “Lair”. Once he reached the top of the stairs, Andy noticed two girls sitting with Moira at a small kitchen table in the corner; they both looked over their shoulders at him and then turned back and continued their whispering. Looking around he spotted Odessa out in the yard, bent over a small vegetable garden, picking what looked to be tomatoes. He took a seat on one of the bar stools and began to pick at his nails, a bad habit.


“Pizza coming right up. Trust me it’s quicker if I make it than it would be to order it.” She smiled over at him, her arms full of small tomatoes, mushrooms and what looked to be spinach leaves.


He watched her silently as she moved around the kitchen with ease. Removing premade dough from the fridge, Andy watched as she stretched and pulled the dough until it cooperated and finally formed the shape of a circle. She sliced tomatoes, quietly humming to herself as she laid them down on the dough, making sure to drizzle olive oil over top of them before laying down the spinach leaves. Lastly came the mushrooms, which she had sliced roughly and then topped the whole thing off with Mozzarella cheese. She placed the delicious looking pizza on a stone and then placed the stone in the oven, setting a timer as she wiped her hands on a nearby towel.


“It’s gonna be about 20 minutes. Trish and Brady…would you like to stay and eat before you guys head over to the mall?” Odessa turned, winking at Andy as she addressed the younger girls.

“Yes, please.” They both chimed quickly turning away from the two older adults and continuing their plotting.

“We can go upstairs to my room if you’d like.” Odessa suggested and Andy smiled over at her, his answer clear on his face.

They both walked up the stairs, Andy taking them two at a time, listening to the creaking sound the boards made as they both placed their weight down. She led him down to the very end of the hall and opened the last door on the right. Her room was painted a deep chocolate brown on one wall and her bed sat in the middle of the room, the frame cast iron and ancient looking. She had a few framed photos on her walls. Taking a step closer Andy’s mouth dropped open in shock. Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Odessa smiled at him from one photo. And in another Tim Burton himself was waving at the camera, one arm around Odessa’s shoulder and the other high in the air.


“You know these guys?” He asked, his voice cracking as he noticed Odessa was now sitting on the bed, leaning back on her elbows.

“Yeah I’ve been working with Chris on his movies and their concepts in relation to the comic lore and Tim is actually a friend of my dad’s.” She smiled up at him and patted the bed next to her. He sat down quietly, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he turned to look at her.

“You are amazing you know that?” He smirked, one eyebrow rising up as his hand came down and rested atop hers.

“You’re not so bad yourself kid…”She smiled over at him watching him blush and feeling some satisfaction at the notion that he felt as shy around her as she did him.

“Where have you been all of my life?” He asked, his voice low and serious now.

“Oh…around. Ya know just hanging out.” She smirked over at him and noticed that he had grown quiet.

“What if I told you I had feelings for you…”He said it so softly and his voice was already so low naturally that she had to strain to hear him.

“I would say that I have feelings for you too, but what’s going to happen when you leave? We’ve known each other a day.” She was practical and he loved that about her.


Softly in the background they both heard the loud dinging of the timer, meaning that lunch was ready. Getting up slowly Odessa looked down at Andy, noticing how child like he looked in that moment. She held out her hand and as he took it she helped him up off the bed. Instead of dropping his hands she held them for a moment and then wrapped her own around his neck. The top of her head rested against his chin and softly she tilted her head up and kissed his neck. He smiled down at her, sighing in contentment. The moment was broken by Moira, who was now shouting up the stairs for them to come down and eat.

They walked down silently hand in hand and once they reached the bottom step Odessa let go of Andy’s hand gently and walked off towards the kitchen. The three girls had already helped themselves and were now in the den watching some horror flick and shouting loudly. Odessa smiled over at him as she handed over a plate with two slices of pizza, the cheese oozing over the sides. They both sat in silence at the counter as they ate and once finished Odessa took his plate and placed it in the sink. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only a quarter after four, she looked to Andy, a mysterious smirk playing on her lips.


“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” She asked him and as he nodded she grabbed his hand and led him out the back door and down the deck steps.


Quickly she headed off towards the direction of the woods and as Andy followed he couldn’t help but drink her in. Her hair shone brightly in the sunshine, the pink tips a stark contrast against her slightly pale skin and hair. She was trim, but not skeletal like most of the girls he had dated in the past and her curves were in all the right places. She was nice to grab onto and Andy couldn’t help but admit that he wanted his hands on her in some way at all times. Silently they walked on until finally Odessa came to a dead stop and Andy noticed they had come to a clearing. Water rushed by in a small stream and the grass here was still green and soft looking, with small white flowers doting it here and there. Odessa walked towards the middle of the field and finally settled, resting her head on her hands as she stared up at the sky.


“My dad and I used to come here. I thought you might like it. I come here when I need to think about things without Moira being in my face all the time.” She sighed, glancing over at him as he settled in next to her, resting his head on one arm as he beckoned to her with the other.


She curled in to his side then, her head resting softly on his chest. Her hair tickled his nose, but it smelled of vanilla and the sun so he didn’t mind so much. His fingers drew lazy circles on her arm as they both stared up into the sky.

“What do you see?” She asked suddenly, referring to the shapes that the clouds were taking in the sky.

“I see…well it kind of looks like a dragon.” He laughed as he nodded his head in the direction of the cloud pattern he was referencing.

“Now it’s a dog…see the tail is short now.” She giggled, her laughter was infectious and soon he found himself seeing things in the sky he had never thought of before. They laid there in lazy silence for a while until finally Odessa sat up, her hair sticking up in the back and all Andy could do was smile.

“I should probably get you back to your bus so you guys can leave for your show tomorrow.” She bit her lip and he knew she didn’t want him to go. Truth was he didn’t really want to go either.

“Maybe you should come with us…” He suggested it lightly, but the words he expressed had a heavy meaning attached to them.

“I can’t just leave Andy…”She sighed, her eyes looked sad and Andy’s heart began to break.

“Well just come down to Virginia Beach with us then. We’re coming back to this area on our way up to the Pennsylvania show. Just one more day…please?” His eyes again got that puppyish look to them and she knew she wouldn’t be able to say no.

“You promise to bring me back? No kidnapping…” She laughed as he crossed his heart and held out his pinky.

“Let’s get back to the house then so I can pack a bag and leave a note for my mother.” She sighed as he jumped up, pulling her up with him and soon they were both speed walking through the woods.


What had she gotten herself into this time?

Notes

Another update. Reading over this I realized...I do a lot of fluffy things with Andy and Odessa. Haha...give me some nice reviews and MAYBE I'll update again today.