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Ash squinted at the shopping list in his hand, wondering how he let himself get roped into this.
It wasn't like he didn't know, exactly. Beth wanted some 'quiet time,' which meant he got Kassie while she rested. He would go join Mia at the hardware store, but some of the customers got real pearl cutchy about a kid being in there near the sex toys. After everything Kassie had been through, he didn't see how being around a few packaged dildos and fluffy cuffs was gonna damage her psyche or whatever the fuck they thought was going to happen. Most of it wasn't any worse than the shit they had at the local pharmacy at actually worse prices.
Not sure what else to do, since Kassie didn't seem to have any interest in the park--too many people--and local arcade and other hangouts he remembered from when he was a kid had closed down in the last thirty years--and he didn't think she's wanna go explore the sewers like him and Chet used to when they got bored of playing pinball--he'd agree to take over the grocery run.
Sighing, he held the list towards her. "Kassie, what does this say?" He tapped a finger next to the item.
She barely glanced at it. "Frosted Flakes."
Beth had been trying to cut her back on the sugar after the latest little knife incident. Still, Ash glanced at the cereal, it had been a while since he'd had those... Real sugar had been something of a limited commodity in the future. He took a box, glanced at the ingredients label to make sure it was sugar and not that imitation stuff only to realize it was even smaller print than the shopping list, and tossed it in the cart with a sigh. "What's it actually say?"
Kassie climbed up the side of the cart and grabbed a box of Bran Flakes, dropping it in alongside its sweetened rival. Continuing her climb, she got into the cart and made herself comfortable.
The sight stirred an old memory of Cheryl doing that with their dad pushing the cart. He couldn't remember ever doing it himself, maybe when he was really little, back before Mom walked out. It was always a little fuzzy that far back. He swallowed, shoving the memory back to wherever it had come from, and looked to see what was next on the list.
He moved the paper closer to his face.
"Do you need glasses?"
"No, I need your aunt to write bigger."
Kassie rested her arms on the handlebar and stared up at him. "Mom used to wear glasses when she did her tattoo drawings." It wasn't said sadly, and Ash counted his single, lucky star for that. He didn't want to deal with a crying child in a public place. "You'd look good with glasses, Grandpa Ash."
"I look good in anything." He immediately regretted saying it and handed the list to her before she could come back with something. Living with several snarky and sarcastic adults had rubbed off a little too well on her, and that opening was just the type of thing he'd jump on if their roles were reversed. "Why don't you read these off for me?"
"Okay." She resettled in as Ash pushed the cart down the aisle.
They made it down the list and to the meat section--one section he didn't need it for. The non-pork bacon cost more, but it was worth it if it meant Kelly didn't have to skip out.
"Ash?"
He froze. He knew that voice. He pulled his hand back without grabbing anything and turned around. "Linda, I didn't know you were back in town."
"Just got back last week." Her smile was slightly strained. "I'm surprised you stuck around."
"It's home." Whether he liked it or not.
"It is." She didn't expand on that.
If she was waiting for an apology, it wasn't coming. Their last meeting--their breakup--hadn't gone smoothly. She'd said some things. He'd said some things.
He'd said most of the things.
He didn't remember half of what he'd said. Pretty sure there'd been something in there about not having to settle for her now that the town viewed him as a hero, but he'd been running his mouth with whatever thought popped into his head. Anything that'd make her want to run for the hills and away from him.
Her cousin had been extending an offer to her to come stay with them in the next town over for a while. Linda hadn't wanted to take it. Because of him.
But she was in mourning, and the relationship wasn't really working. Whatever feelings they still had, it wasn't enough to fill the hole Thomas and Linsey had left. His own way of dealing with grief was mostly running, drinking, and getting high with a side of deadite slaying. When it came down to it, there wasn't anything positive he could offer her. All he could do was destroy her.
When he'd first came back and started flirting, well, he thought her and Thomas' marriage was gonna end in divorce, not death. He could handle a divorcee who was bitter at her ex and who came with a pretty cool kid. He couldn't handle a grieving wife and mother. He definitely hadn't wanted Thomas or Linsey to die.
When he'd gone back in time to save Pablo, but he'd thought he could bring them back too. That he could bring them all back.
It wasn't until after the whole fight with Bill was long over that he realized he should've made more demands. That maybe, he could've done just that. He could've gotten her her daughter back, he could've gotten Cheryl--the real Cheryl--back and his Linda. Scott. Shelly. Annie. Chet and Amanda. Even Kelly's parents and Pablo's uncle.
He could've saved everyone. Been a real hero or something.
He'd had the opportunity handed to him on a platter, and he'd fucked it up like everything else.
Kassie moved slightly, just enough to draw Linda's attention, and her smile became real. "I didn't see you there." She came closer. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
Kassie shifted to the other side of the cart, silent, glaring.
"She, uh, she doesn't like strangers." Ash stepped forward, placing himself between them, but not blocking Kassie's view. "This is Kassie."
"You didn't kidnap another kid, did you?" The tone was teasing, but there was a sudden wariness in her expression that made his heart twist. Bad breakup aside, he thought she knew him better than that.
"No."
"You kidnapped someone?" Kassie's voice was a whisper.
"He was a demon, it didn't count." He glanced back. "No one told you about that?" That was actually surprising. Some stories got censored, but he knew Brandy had talked at length about how those first couple days after meeting him. He figured that would've come up.
Kassie shook her head.
"Wait, how do you know about that?" Linda had already left town by the time that demon bitch Ruby had gone spawning.
"My husband was the sheriff."
"Right." He'd actually forgotten anyone who'd worked for the sheriff's department under Thomas was still alive. Or was alive again. He'd done the time travel fixing stuff himself, and he still didn't understand exactly what he'd done or what he'd changed. The timeline never seemed to bend in the ways he'd expect. And none of the aftermath made any fucking sense in who was alive and who was dead and who remembered what.
But he was just there to saw and shoot, let other people figure out things like paradoxes and cause and effect.
And he was still the town legend--good or bad, and the town's opinion there flip-flopped more often than a politician's--he shouldn't be surprised they were gossiping about him.
"I didn't kidnap her. Kassie's my-- my, uh--" He waved a hand at her, grasping for a word. Was there a word for 'daughter of my daughter's half-sister?' Did Linda even know he had kids? Did he want her to know he had kids?
Kassie, taking the worst possible moment to get over her stranger-danger, blurted out, "He's my grandpa!"
Ash closed his eyes. He could feel her stare on him.
"Your grandpa?" she asked, slowly.
"Yeah! He's the best grandpa ever too. He let me get Frosted Flakes."
"He sounds like the best grandpa."
Ash opened his eyes. "Guess that didn't make the gossip mill."
"I heard some people moved in with you, but..." Linda shook her head. "Is she really?"
He could argue it. Could explain that she wasn't. "Yeah. She is."
Linda met his eyes, hers were sad, longing. She looked away. "I should let you get back to shopping. It was nice to meet you, Kassie."
He could just let her leave, but he took a step towards her, almost reached for her, but stopped himself. "Linda, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"I know."