JP - Susi lives

Tzeitel sighed and staggered towards Klaire’s room. She had kind of snapped at Klaire the last time she saw her.

Klaire opened the door before they could even knock, frowning. Her children had returned to the room with her and looked toward the door. "Go to your own room, please. I'm in no mood to be told caring about you isn't any of my business when you're both destroying your organs with that poison called alcohol." She explained in a frustrated tone just as James stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of jeans.

He just stared at Alex and Tzeitel.

Tzeitel winced and looked at her feet. “Piritta is out and I… lost my key… Er, I dropped it and kicked it under the door.” She confessed.

"Why should I help you right now, Tzeitel?" Klaire asked, narrowing her gaze. James turned away and went to distract the kids.

"Look I know I'm not the one who can speak right now when it comes to healthily dealing with their problems" Alex interrupted "but I also know that we've all been stressed lately. So can we please skip to the kiss and makeup scene? You girls are friends and we know this will happens at least once a week." Hearing a buzzing noise he pulled out his phone to check.

“You drank too much moonshine if you think you’re gonna get to watch a kiss and make up scene.” Tzeitel sighed and looked up at Klaire, feeling guilty even though it was her body she was poisoning, damnit. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I’m so fucked up today.”

"Your drinking habits are gonna damage your lives more than help." Klaire replied, not budging. "If you intend to get help from me you'll have to tolerate James being here. I'm not making him leave this time. Leon and Lotus love him like a father and…they need that." Stepping aside, she waited. "Get her into the bathroom." Despite how pissed off she still was, Tzeitel was her friend and she would help.

“He’s… He’s staying out of the bathroom, right?” Tzeitel still struggled with still seeing James from that other timeline, and alcohol did not help. She saw Megan on the sleeping bag, bleeding, burned and mutilated and muttered to herself ”it was fucking Canestone…”

"He won't be in the bathroom. He already showered." Klaire replied.

"I have ingredients for curry." James told them. "I can make some of that or something else. Figure you're hungry after such a rough workout." The Pyro had grown more polite, but was still gruff and had a haunted look in his eyes. All three of his children were gone. Four if you counted the woman he had once been with. She refused to let him see his own kid.

“I’m not hungry.” Anxiety still killed Tzeitel’s appetite. She unsteadily leaned against the wall.

"Let's wait until after you shower to decide that " Alex replied, helping her inside.

James shrugged.

"I'll be in there in a minute," Klaire said before going over to James and her children.

Tzeitel doubted it. She had a weird dream last night and could not get it out of her head. She sort of staggered to the bathroom.

Alex helped Tzeitel but nearly dropped her as the message on his phone finally loaded and Susi's voice played throughout the room. Watching the video Alex began to tear up as he saw Susi's face for the first time in 5 years.

Tzeitel managed to catch herself against a chair. She recognized Susi’s voice and looked at Alex’s phone. Sure enough it was Susi. Tzeitel noticed marks on the wolf girl’s face. Like from a muzzle. But she was alive.

Klaire heard Susi's voice as she grabbed clean towels and some washcloths. "Alex…" She said as she walked in, worry in her gold eyes.

Tzeitel sunk into the chair. “How did she send that video? Who sent it?”

"Probably Lyle…" Klaire whispered to Tzeitel.

Tzeitel nodded, touching her powers but not using them yet. “She’s alive, you’re closer to getting her back, Alex.”

"All these years I was worried I'd find her dead or worse" Alex whispered as he cried "but now I know she's alive."

“Yeah.” Tzeitel awkwardly patted Alex on the back, and realizing that Alex should probably be sitting down after receiving such news sort of slithered off the chair and sat on the floor.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting in the shower, young lady?" Klaire inquired and helped her friend to her feet. "Let's give him some alone time to his thoughts. If he needs to talk, James is here." She gently got Tzeitel into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

Alex sat on the bed replaying the video several times before letting out a sigh of relief. There's no way on Earth he could ever show Lyle how grateful he was.

Tzeitel practically flopped into the shower. Her muscles were angry at her for working them too hard and were on strike, she was more drunk from overdoing it than the moonshine. “I thought I was better.” Tzeitel muttered.

"You're relapsing, is all," Klaire explained as she locked the door for Tzeitel's comfort and started helping her out of her sweat soaked clothes. "Just sit and try to relax."

Being told that she was relapsing had the complete opposite effect. Tzeitel tensed up and shook her head. "I can't relapse. Fuck."

“It’s human nature, Tzeitel.” Klaire started the water once her friend was undressed and made sure it was warm enough to relax her muscles. “Think you can bathe yourself or do you need help?”

“It’s been six fucking years. I’ve been in therapy. I’ve been better. Things are okay. I have no fucking reason to relapse.” Tzeitel grumbled angrily and sat limply on the shower floor. “This is fine.”

Klaire sighed heavily. "Just try to relax, okay? You need me, I'll be in the next room and I'll make sure no one comes in here." She said before leaving the bathroom.

“Yeah.” Tzeitel muttered. After Klaire left she grabbed the soap and the damned slippery bastard kept getting away from her. Tzeitel cursed under her breath, which of course was perfectly audible to everyone with enhanced hearing. Tzeitel finally gave up after the soap shot out of the shower and landed behind the toilet. ”Fucker.” Tzeitel muttered and resorted to body wash.