^{Human Territory Chpt. 5}

*****

Sudo nodded. "They couldn't have gotten too far on foot." she said, running after him and easily catching up with, and then surpassing, him. She reached the cabin before he did and reeled back in disgust at the overwhelming smell of formaldehyde and rotting carrion. She rubbed her nose with a paw and growled. "Ugh... forgot how long it's been since anyone's been stationed here. Place is a hell hole, anyway."

"Jesus Christ.." The grizzly coughed, glaring into the direction of the kitchen. "E's still in there, then. Treatin' this place like his home." Kasshoku stepped into the cabin. "Well lookie 'ere.." The bear grinned a bear grin as he reached up his paw towards the light blue jacket which was draped on the armchair's arm. He touched it slightly before sniffing it closely. "S'human.." Kasshoku muttered.

Sudo moved closer and sniffed it also. "Male.. strong musky scent." she whispered. Could this belong to the human who killed Corp's second in command? We'll find out.. "They're not here... try to sniff out some tracks, at least find which direction they went, then we'll take this back to leader and ask her for guidance." she said. "It's clear we can't find the hybrids now that the rain has washed away their scents and tracks." she growled.

Kasshoku growled himself when he caught the scent of burnt firewood. "Yeh, alrigh'." The grizzly nodded, dragging the jacket off the chair. He picked it up with his teeth, his eyes narrowing at the taste of it. "'Ere.." The grizzly mumbled, throwing his head back and letting the piece of clothing land on the panther's back. "Yeh can carry it.. then Leader will know tha' yeh were the one who did most work." Kasshoku shrugged, his nose dropping to the floor as he began to follow the scent from the jacket which was leading back towards the door.

Sudo watched him with a nod and decided to look about, the jacket sagging on her back rather comically. "How humans wear these damned things is beyond me." she growled, shifting as the jacket tugged at her short fur. She moved into the bedroom, then the kitchen, and merely sniffed at the doorway to the basement. "These body parts are everywhere except for in the bedroom. And the fireplace still smells like smoke. They didn't leave very long ago at all."

"Bet they left abou' 'alf 'our ago." Kasshoku nodded, bringing his nose up from the floor for a moment before glancing out towards the door. "'Ere.. dunno if yeh can see.. but is tha' a pin or summa'?" The bear nodded at something outside, lying in the mud. It was purple, and glinted in the dim sunlight.

Sudo raised an eyebrow and moved towards it, sniffing it. She smirked a little and delicately grabbed it in her teeth lifting it up. It was a purple butterfly bobby pin, with the fresh scent of a girl's hair still wafting it from it. She grinned at Kasshoku. Now they had two scents to follow. "Let's go back to the leader with these." she said with the bobby pin in her mouth and pushed past him, going outside.

"Alrigh'." Kasshoku shrugged, plodding after her, wondering what all of the fuss was over the pin. He still didn't really know what it was, and he wasn't the brightest of creatures in the army, so he had no idea, either.

Sudo growled softly to herself, but out of pide and accomplishment. They wouldn't be coming back with the hybrids, but they'd be coming back with something just as good.

---

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Reid asked Aver, not coldly, but he didn't look at her. Frankly, he was still uneasy about leaving the cabin and following someone they didn't even know. He brought Aver's hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, though, to let her know it was alright. He hadn't liked that look Chris had given her either.

Chris sighed lightly when he heard the conversation between the two. You try to help someone, and what thanks do you get? He thought, quite hurt. But he shook it off, taking one of his hands out of his pockets and touching the handle of his favourite knife, just to check that it was still there. The rain had now stopped, and the sun was beginning to fight it's way through the forest canopy. Chris put a hand to his head, shadowing his eyes so he could tilt his head back and look out into the distance. "Wow, we're pretty fast." He said, nodding to some distant buildings, not too far away. "Another half an hour of walking, and we'll be pretty much inside the city."

"Good.." Aver mumbled, wanting some new clothes desperately so she could cover her bare skin which was visible. She felt extremely paranoid. Especially in front of Chris. I wonder if.. they've got scissors anywhere.. She thought to herself eagerly.

Reid moved closer to Aver as he looked out past Chris as well and saw the crumbles and ruins of a large city. He sighed and shook his head. "How any building could still be standing sturdy enough to be labeled safe is beyond me.. it looks like just a bunch of rubble." he grumbled, squeezing her hand.

Aver shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment as she did. "Don't talk like that.. If they will serve as protection, then they'll have to have some sort of safety within them." She whispered, eyeing the buildings herself. "Besides.. there's food in one of those things which you call rubble." A forced smile appeared on her face. And scissors..? Aver shook her hair out of her eyes as her lips thinned slightly.

Finally, after less than thirty minutes walk, the three of them stepped inside the city of New York. But.. it didn't look like what you would call a city at all anymore. It was deserted, and looked like a ghost town. No life existed whatsoever from what the three could make out. Like Reid had said, there were huge mounds of rubble as far as the eye could see. Dead bodies were dotted around the pavements which caused Aver to close her eyes tightly, whimper and move away from them as her eyes began to sting with tears. The place which was called New York, simply wasn't New York anymore. 'New' could have very well been replaced with or mistaken for 'Old' since dust from the rubble was covering the roads and pavements in a blanket.

"Welcome to the city.." Chris' lips thinned as he spotted quite a pretty blonde haired girl lying on her back with one of her arms outstretched on the floor, with her palm facing upwards. It was hard to tell what colour eyes she had. They were just pale, and stared lifelessly up into the sky. It seemed that she had been dead for a day at least. There was a huge, deep claw mark in her delicate neck which was of course, the cause of her death. Dry blood stained her skin around the wound, and already, a fly was hovering over it. "The mall is just over here, come on, guys." Chris muttered, not looking at the body again as he made his way onwards a little quicker.

Reid hugged Aver closer to him, an arm around her waist as they walked. Their footsteps and his jingling dogtags were the only noises he heard for miles besides crumbling buildings, made weak by the wind. There were so many dead bodies... he wondered why Chris' "others" couldn't have made a mass grave for them or at least taken them somewhere else to rot, but then again, there were animals on the look-out practically everywhere. He was surprised they'd been able to walk through the woods without a single sighting of animals on their way to the city also. It was like, they weren't there anymore. He swallowed thickly and looked around, spotting the mall.

There was a whizzing sound as an arrow suddenly flew past Chris' face, missing him by mere centimeters, and hitting the wall next to him, making the weak foundation crumble instantly. It meant that whoever had shot the arrow, was strong when pulling the bowstring. But there was nothing and no one to be seen.

Reid had stopped dead in his tracks and held Aver behind him when he'd seen the wall crumble, getting only a brief glimpse at the bright yellow arrow.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Chris ducked quickly, covering his head with his hands for a moment before finally reaching down and grabbing his most favourite and largest dagger from his belt. He turned his head to look at the arrow and his eyes widened. "Geez, if that thing got me.." He whispered, now looking in the direction of where the arrow came shooting from. "Hey! We aren't furry, you know!" Chris called out, but not too loudly of course. "So just.. drop your weapon and we'll try and sort this out calmly, huh?"

Aver was trembling madly behind Reid, her fingers wrapped around his right arm as she peered out from behind him. Her eyes were wide, too, and she was still in shock from the sudden noise of the arrow smacking into the wall. She couldn't speak, either, since she, too, like Chris, was imagining what would have happened if the arrow had caught him.

There was the sound of a footstep, a piece of wall crumbling and rolling down a pile, then the shadow of someone. She stepped forward cautiously, another arrow already loaded and drawn back in the string, her eyes examining them. She blinked and stepped out more, smiling. "Woops!" she giggled and relaxed the bow, putting it down. "I'm sorry! I thought you were another one of those dogs! Your hair color is similar to theirs!" she laughed. She was pretty, obviously part Native American, judging by her clothes and jewelry, her black hair short and only reached her shoulders. But she was strong too. "It's okay, Jack! They're humans!" she called behind her. A few men slowly came out from behind other buildings, all armed with guns and cross bows. Hers was the only hand-made bow and arrows.

Reid looked around at the five people in total that stepped out, his eyes wide. "What kinda city you running here?!" he asked angrily, holding Aver protectively.

An older man stepped forward by the girl and raised a hand as she replaced her unused arrow in the sling on her back, holding the bow by her side. "A safe one, obviously. You just nearly got caught in the crossfire, is all. Miracle is our best shot." he said, motioning to the girl. She giggled and nodded, waving at Chris with a polite, "Sorry!"

Chris gave Miracle a soft wink of his and a little nod before looking to the older man. "Yeah, I can see that." He chuckled lightly with a smile at the pretty girl and moved over to Jack with his hand outstretched once he had replaced his knife safely back in his belt. "It's good to see that so many of you made it." He nodded again. "We thought we were the only ones left." Chris looked over his shoulder at Reid and Aver, as if telling them to introduce themselves. "You can call me Chris." He said politely, once he had turned his head around again.

Aver blinked at all of the men holding their weapons. Even though they were humans, as well as her, she still feared them slightly. She wasn't shaking as much now, but even though Chris had motioned for them to both move forward, Aver stayed where she was, behind Reid. Her confidence wasn't high enough just yet. Even so, some of the men were smiling, making them appear quite friendly. But Aver just bit her lip and stared at them, her eyes darting to Jack and Miracle now and again.

Reid was hesitant as well, not ever being able to trust humans before. Why should he start now? Although... Miracle seemed pretty friendly despite that she had just tried to kill them.

Miracle giggled at Chris' wink and looked at Reid and Aver. Being her girlishly friendly self, she hopped over to them, swinging her bow on her forearm like a hoola hoop. "I'm Miracle! But everyone else calls me Mi-mi, for short! Who are you?" she smiled at Reid, studied him a moment, then peered around him to see Aver. "I won't bite!" she giggled.

Aver just blinked at her, hiding behind Reid a little more as her hair fell over her eyes. Miracle was a girl, sure, and she definitely didn't look like one of those.. things.. so why was Aver so scared of talking to someone of the same gender as her? Aver swallowed and closed her eyes tightly for a moment, before finally peering out again, her head further out this time. "I.. I like your jewellery.." She said quietly, putting some of her hair behind her ear so her eyes were visible. It was polite to look directly into someone's eyes in conversation after all. "It's.. very pretty.." Aver smiled a little.

Miracle blinked and looked down at her many native american necklaces and bangles, then giggled and nodded. "These? Thank you! Made 'em myself!" she smiled. "I can make you some, I have a whole bead collection at the mall! Jack! We should take them there!" she said, standing and turning to face him again.

Jack, the older man who'd been speaking with Chris, nodded. "Good idea, Miracle. They need a place to stay." he said with a small smile. He looked at Reid and Aver, then at Chris. "Follow us. We have to take a back route so the animals can't track our scents." he explained and turned, the other three men already moving on and keeping an eye out ahead.

Reid looked at Miracle as she smiled at them, then moved to follow Jack, wearing her bow on her shoulder like a purse this time, humming as she skipped over the rocks and rubble. She gave Chris a playful push as she passed him, then skipped on ahead with a gleeful giggle, excited to have more humans joining their ranks. Reid raised an eyebrow at her back, then grabbed Aver's hand. "C'mon.. no turning back now. We need the food and shelter." he whispered and started walking, bringing up the back of the group.

Aver nodded at Reid's words. "Okay.." She whispered, following on after the group. Although, she did feel a lot happier now that Miracle had offered to make her something, even though they hardly knew each other. They passed more bodies as they walked, but Aver just kept her eyes shut tightly as they moved past them, gripping Reid's hand as she did. So many.. Reva? Can you see this..? ... She's still not here..

"Oi, oi." Chris chucked again at Miracle's push as he regained himself when he almost tripped up over a pile of rubble. At least we've got someone to lighten up the mood. He thought to himself gladly. Ah, but I bet that's not all you are thinking about, is it, Chris, m'boy? But the blonde haired young man just shook off the voice in his head as they finally reached the back entrance of the mall. "Are the front doors of the mall sealed, Jack?" He asked.

"You bet they are. Sealed tighter than a crab's ass." Jack nodded, opening the door and letting everyone else in one by one.

"Jack! Don't use that language! I'm telling Anna!" Miracle giggled, giving Jack's shoulder a shove. Surprisingly, she nearly knocked him over. She waved for Chris, Reid and Aver to go in before her, Jack taking the opportunity before she could object. She kicked his butt playfully and smiled at Aver. "C'mon! We'll be able to have a girl's night, now! There's only a few other women besides me, Anna, an older woman named Jesibella, and a two year old named Karin!" she explained. It was good to have someone her age now.

Reid looked back over his shoulder and chuckled softly. "Girl's night. Doesn't that sound fun?" he asked softly and smiled.

Not being a very confident or outgoing person, Aver just chewed her bottom lip slightly before answering. "I-I guess.." She mumbled, wanting nothing more than to just get inside the mall and be as safe as possible with Reid beside her. When Miracle mentioned the other women however, and especially the toddler, Karin, a huge feeling of warmth spreaded throughout her body. It's like a family.. She smiled at Miracle and stepped inside.

"I thought it was ladies first, chicko?" Chris grinned at Miracle as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" He gave her another wink and stepped inside after Reid and Aver, giving Reid's back quite a cautious look. If he was too close to Aver, the guy would probably flip, so Chris kept his distance.

Miracle giggled at Chris and shut the door firmly behind her, locking it and barring it with a large piece of steel. "You're funny!" she smiled and followed after them. She walked past Chris and Aver, putting a gentle hand on Aver's arm as she did, a comforting touch, and moved on. After walking through a long, dark corridor, they came to another door and this time Jack held it open for everyone. On the other side was the mall, large and clean, still standing almost perfectly. Inside looked almost untouched, mostly because it had been between two other buildings that served as wind breakers. "Hey, everyone! We're back! And we have a few new family members!" Miracle called with a laugh, clapping as she ran to a nearby kids' store. She came out a moment later with Karin, the toddler, holding her hand.

Reid looked around the mall, holding Aver's hand tightly, as a few new faces appeared from inside the stores, a couple from inside a hardware shop, the older woman, Jesibella, from inside a shoe store, and Jack's wife, Anna came running from a nearby bakery. She embraced him with a relieved laugh and kissed him deeply. He smiled at Aver. "I think we'll get along great here." he whispered.

Aver nodded curtly as she eyed a clothes store not too far away from them. "Yes, I think so too." She whispered back, smiling as she rested her head on Reid's shoulder with a sigh of relief. But when she saw Miracle with the small child, Aver's heart almost skipped a beat. Karin was simply adorable. "She's beautiful, Reid." She said, watching the little girl in awe.

"You're a little young to be having kids, aren't you?" Chris asked, watching Miracle and Karin with his arms folded. He smiled, though, and moved into the middle of the main square in the mall, where a fountain was. It was still running, and the water was clear. Chris scooped up some water in his hands and splashed it on his face, giving a gasp from both the cold and freshness.

Miracle giggled and shook her head, scooping the two-year-old up into her arms and holding her on her hip. "She's not mine, silly! Karin belonged to another woman who was staying with us. But..." here she looked away sadly. Karin's mother had been attacked and mawled by an animal, and still only recently. "Karin is still getting used to not having her mother around... She still cries for her. But she's getting better, huh Karin? You're a good girl!" she smiled. Karin gurgled happily and clung to Miracle, her baby arms reaching around Miracle's neck as far as they could go. She looked at Reid and Aver, then Chris and hid her face in Miracle's hair, too scared to look at them.

Reid chuckled and nodded, hugging Aver to him. "Yes, she is." he whispered. "But not a match for you." He said this low enough so only Aver could hear and smiled, watching Karin and Miracle.

Aver laughed softly, poking Reid in the side gently in response to his remark. "Don't go all soft, now.." She whispered. "Show them the real Reid."

"Poor kid.." Chris said softly, folding his arms again as he smiled at Karin. "But hey, she's got you! So no sad faces in this place, alright?" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them as he looked around, grinning a little when he spotted a men's designer clothes shop. "Now I'm starving, and the rain soaked me right through to my boxers, so I'm in need of clothes." Chris grinned again, not seeming the slightest bit embarrassed about what he had just said to a group of strangers.

Miracle laughed and nodded at Chris, then motioned to the men's store with a nod. "Men's is over there." she said, then looked at Aver and waved for her to come with her. "And I'll show you where the girl's section is." she smiled. She turned, carrying Karin and making bubbly noises, causing the toddler to laugh.

Reid nodded in thanks at Miracle, smiled at Karin, then looked around at everyone else. They were all watching them. The three newcomers, and Jack was discussing the matter with his wife, Anna. He turned and smiled down at Aver. "Go with Miracle, stay close to her. I'm gonna go get some new clothes as well." he whispered. He kissed her, then pushed her in the direction Miracle had gone.

"Um.." Aver mumbled, feeling quite out of place now that she wasn't in Reid's arms anymore. She felt that she definitely belonged there, but she just looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile and a wave before hurrying to catch up with Miracle and Karin. She had to boost her confidence somehow.. "Hi, there.." Aver said softly to the toddler in Miracle's arms, smiling gently as she brought a finger up, offering it to Karin's hand. Tommy had always played with Aver's fingers, and would hold onto them for a long, long time. "..Miracle?" Aver whispered, biting her lip lightly. "Are there any.. well.. hair salons? In the mall?"

Chris gave the thumbs up to Miracle and looked to Reid. "You want to grab some stuff?" He asked, as friendly as possible, but not sounding too twee. "Ben Sherman do the most awesome shirts ever known to man. Come on, I'll show you." Chris waved a hand, motioning for Reid to follow him as he made his way towards the store. However he gave a nod to Jack and Anna as he passed them both. "Thank you, so much, by the way." He said gratefully, smiling one of his charming smiles at Anna.

Anna watched him disapprovingly and turned back to Jack, continuing their conversation. She was too old to fall for his boyish charms. She grabbed his arm and led him away.

Reid watched Aver go, and bit his lip, but once he was alone with Chris, the cold, normal Reid was back. He scoffed, but followed him anyway, in need of fresh clothes too.

Miracle smiled and nodded, bouncing Karin until she laughed, and reached out a hand, gently patting Aver's face. "Of course there is! Right next to the girl's clothes too! I'll show you. What did you wanna do with your hair?" she asked, leading her into the clothes aisles.

"I want.." Aver began, smiling softly at Karin, covering the toddler's small hand with her own on her cheek, holding it there for a while. "I want to cut my fringe.. I don't like it at all, and I feel rude everytime I meet new people since my eyes are always covered.." She let her hands trace along the metal bar which had hooks holding clothes hanging from them. "It makes me seem cold and mean." Aver shrugged.

Chris stuffed his hands in his pockets as he pushed the store door open with his shoulder, holding it there to let Reid through. "Why so glum?" The blonde haired young man asked, watching the younger male carefully. "You always seem pissed at me, so what's the problem, huh?"

Reid glared at him as he passed him. "I just don't like people. And guys like you aren't helping your case." he growled, moving into the clothes aisles and looking at the different outfits, fingering through them.

Miracle nodded. "I have the perfect cut in mind!" she smiled and bounced Karin again, making her laugh babyishly. She giggled too and set her down in a mobile highchair that had obviously been put there by her for such occasions when she needed new clothes, and started looking through the clothes selections. "But you need a new outfit to match! We're gonna make that boyfriend of your's jaw drop!" she giggled, smiling at Aver.

Aver's cheeks went a slight pinky colour when Miracle described Reid as her 'boyfriend', but she laughed lightly all the same, returning a smile. "Thank you.." She said quietly, but honestly as she let her hands run down the bar again. Her hand paused however when she eyed a certain black skirt with beautiful black lace around the hem of it. It had a very thin purple belt which was strapped around the waist of the skirt, and the skirt was much longer than the one which Aver was wearing now. It looked as if it reached just past her knees. "This is so pretty.." She said, admiring the lace.

"You don't like people, huh?" Chris raised an eyebrow at Reid as he let the door shut behind him and moved to one of the racks which had the shirts. "You dislike people, yet you and that chick are pretty close. She made you go all soft didn't she?" Chris grinned at him slightly as he picked up a black shirt. He stared at it, then frowned. "Nope." The blonde boy muttered, replacing the shirt back where it was.

Reid growled at him. "She didn't make me go soft, jackass. She's a girl and she needs someone to protect her, just like all girls do." he shrugged. He felt bad for talking about her like she was some weak child, but it was partly true. And he wasn't about to seem weak in front of Chris. "And you need to stay the fuck away from her." he said sternly and grabbed a new pair of dark pants that were his size, then a black shirt. He went to the underwear aisle, grabbed a pair of new boxers and socks, grabbed a pair of shoes, then went to the changing rooms and started to dress.

Miracle smiled at Aver and the clothes she'd pointed out, and nodded in agreement. "It is pretty! And you'd make it look even prettier on that body of yours!" she smiled. She went to Aver and picked the outfit out, hanging it up on a nearby changing room's door. "Okay! But before you put that on, let's do your hair!" She then grabbed Aver's hands and pulled her to the salon section, Karin following in her mobile highchair.

Aver's eyes widened as she was pulled along. "O-okay.." She stuttered, letting Miracle lead her. So many compliments.. I've never had any before.. well.. not ones like these.. She thought to herself, hearing their footsteps echo around the mall as they entered the salon finally. It seemed that like the city itself, the whole mall was deserted as well, and the last remaining humans were it's last living inhabitants. "I-I want to keep my hair this colour, though.." Aver mumbled, eyeing the streaking kits and hairdye on the shelves near the counter of the salon.

"Whatever you say, man." Chris shrugged and waved an arm in the direction of where Reid had gone. He looked again through the shirts, and spotted quite a smart white one. "Well hi there.." Chris grinned at the shirt as if it was a person, and picked it up gently, eyeing the buttons carefully. "Yup, this is the one." He nodded, moving over to the vest tops and grabbing a black one which he would wear underneath the shirt with the buttons undone. "Trousers.." Chris bit his lip as he looked around the shop for a moment. After a while, he had had picked out some boxers, socks and pants himself, along with some pretty handsome looking trainers. "Damn am I gonna look fine.." Chris shook his head and smiled as he made his way towards the changing rooms too.

Reid rolled his eyes as he dressed, then stepped out of the dressing room. He stopped in front of the three-wall mirror, fixing his pants. They were a size too big around the waist, the way he liked it so they'd sag around his boxers, and tugged on his shirt. He nodded in brief approval, then ran his fingers through his long black hair, fixing it up a bit. "Loser." he said softly, not sure if he was talking to himself or to Chris. He turned and left the store, as well as leaving Chris behind.

Miracle smiled and nodded, gently pushing Aver to sit in one of the styling chairs. "You bet! Your color is pretty anyway, I wouldn't even suggest changing it! Besides, dying is bad for your hair." she said and spun the chair. She let out a whistle and Karin wheeled her highchair into the salon, then sat in it contentedly watching the two with her fingers in her mouth. Miracle started with taking out the two pigtails in Aver's hair, then leaned her back and washed it, then combed it thouroughly, and grabbed up some scissors, not wasting any time in cutting it, making sure Aver's back was to the mirrors so she couldn't see herself.

"Do you..? I mean.. do you know what you are doing?" Aver asked quietly, hoping not to sound too rude as she blinked a few times when her fringe had finally been cut from out of her eyes permanently. Aver's eyes moved to look at Karin, and she smiled a little at the little one's body language. Just the same as what Tommy did. She then chewed her tongue a little. I hope my eye doesn't scare her..

Chris exited his own changing room after a while, at least ten minutes or so after Reid had left. It seemed that he had been having trouble placing the knives in his new belt, but he had overcome his problem and looked at himself in the mirror also. Chris gave a little wolf whistle at the blonde haired young man staring straight back at him. He did look extremely handsome. He had put the vest on which fitted quite snugly, showing off his well toned body. He had left the white shirt open over the top, and he had rolled up the sleeves by his elbows. Chris clicked his tongue and winked at himself in the mirror. "Go get 'em, tiger." He chuckled lightly and left the store himself, giving a slight sigh when he finally realised that Reid had left him. If he wants to be a jerk, let him be a jerk, Christopher, m'boy.

Reid was already looking for Aver again, wandering around the mall at a leisurely pace. He looked around. There was a women's lingerie store, a shoe shop, a candy shop, the large eating area with several kitchens for chinese food, a pizza parlor, a barbeque stand and even a McDonalds. He stopped at a sports store and looked into it, only half interested. He had never been a fan of sports. He sighed and moved on, wondering what was taking Aver and Miracle so long.

Miracle giggled and nodded. "Yup! Been trimming Karin's hair since I met her mother here! She's always so good about it." she smiled and kept working. After a while, she closed one eye and studied Aver's new hairstyle, then smiled in satisfaction, and set the scissors aside. She then grabbed a water bottle, sparyed her hair again and started to part her hair perfectly down the middle. When she finished, she turned Aver to the mirror. "Ta-daaaaa!" she smiled and clapped, stepping away so Aver could inspect herself.

Aver gasped when she saw a completely different person looking back at her in the mirror. Her fringe hadn't disappeared completely, it was just shorter. A lot shorter. Now both of her eyes were completely visible, and Aver's pretty features which had been hidden for so long could now be seen. "Miracle.. it's.. perfect." Aver smiled, taking a few strands of her hair and stroking them between her fingers. Her hair was soft, now, and it shined beautifully in what sunlight was offered through the roof of the mall. "Thank you." Aver stood up quickly, and hugged Miracle happily, despite stepping in all of the hairs on the floor. "I wonder what Reid will think.." She whispered, giggling a little. "Let's go back to the clothes store.." It was funny. Aver was feeling a lot more confident around another girl now, maybe because Miracle was bubbly, and seemed happy all the time.

Miracle nodded and smiled at her. "He'll drop dead! You are HOT, girl!" she giggled and gave Aver's bottom a playful spank. "C'mon, let's go get your new outfit on! Let's go, Karin!" she said and lifted the toddler out of the mobile chair. She led the way back into the clothes store and the changing room where Aver's new outfit was hanging. "I'll go find you some shoes to go with it! Get dressed." she smiled and left Karin there with her.

"Okay." Aver nodded and looked to Karin before taking the skirt from it's hanger. She loved the lace. It reminded her of her mom since she used to wear lace a lot, too. "What do you think, Karin? Pretty, huh?" Aver said gently, showing the toddler the skirt. She smiled again and kicked off her shoes. Her socks were soaked as well, so they came off along with the shoes. Aver was humming lightly as she changed into her new clothes, feeling a lot fresher now that she had new underwear. When she pulled the skirt on, it was a perfect fit, and so was the shirt-like top which she had chosen. It had a large, purple bow on the front of it, but it didn't look childish at all. It was just right for Aver, and she pulled it off quite well. Aver smoothed down the skirt as she looked at herself in the mirror. I look like a completely different person.. but.. I like it.. Another smile.

Miracle came back a moment later, giggling and talking to someone. "You bet! You're gonna love her!" she said and tossed the boots over the door of the changing stall to Aver. "Try those on, honey! I think I got your size right." she smiled. She turned back to Reid. "She looks SO different."

Reid nodded, but didn't say anything, smiling down at Karin with his hands in his pockets. He knelt in front of the toddler and grabbed her hands, bouncing her in her seat and making her laugh.

Aver had jumped a little as one of the boots hit her in the shoulder. She just shrugged it off, though, and pulled the boots on, admiring them as much as her skirt. They were flat boots, too, so she kept her same height. Aver stared at herself in the mirror and gave one last loving glance at the skirt before pulling back the curtain slightly. "Uhm, Miracle? Who are you talking t-" She stopped in mid sentence when she spotted Reid instantly. "Oh, Reid.." Aver whispered. "You look so handsome." She felt butterflies in her stomach as she stared at him, forgetting about her own new look completely.

Reid looked up at Aver and all his movements stopped completely, his eyes widening a bit and his mouth slightly parted in awe as he admired her new hair, her face and her new outfit. It all fit her perfectly and only made her figure stand out beautifully, her hair framing her face like a delicate portrait. He blinked a couple times, his eyes moving up and down her body slowly, then he swallowed thickly and blushed, realized he'd be staring and Karin was tugging impatiently on his hands to get him to play with her again. "Wow.." he said softly.

Miracle couldn't help but laugh loudly, clapping. "See?! Told you, he'd drop dead!" she smiled at Aver. "And he doesn't look half bad himself in those clothes!" she teased.

"You're right, Miracle." Aver nodded, laughing softly herself at the girls' remark as she stepped out of the changing room. "Thank you again, it was very kind of you." She merely glanced at her old attire lying on the floor of the room before drawing the curtain across. They were Reva's clothes after all, and Aver hated them. She turned around and ran a hand through her hair, enjoying the feel of it as she watched Reid, a happy smile on her face as she did.

Reid blinked and cleared his throat, blushing slightly and stood up, making Karin whine. She didn't like being ignored. He went to Aver while Miracle went to silence the toddler by picking her up, and he looked her over again. "You look... great.. Wonderful.." he whispered, still amazed. "Beautiful.."

Aver smiled at him, and moved over to where he was standing. "So do you." She said lovingly, straightening out the collar of his shirt. "You look older." Aver stared at the shirt for a moment as she let her hand run down to his chest where the logo was. "Ben Sherman.. my dad wore their clothes, too." Aver smiled, taking her hand away. "Did you see any restaurants or cafes..?"

Reid couldn't tear his eyes away from her, in fact, he couldn't stop staring. He felt like a kid, enchanted by what looked like a princess from the fairy tales. He smiled with a small blush at her comment about him looking older, and straightened his back a little at her comment. "Yeah." he breathed excitedly. "A whole food court and a fancy restaurant right back... that way.." he said, thumbing towards the way he'd come.

"Ooh! Aren't they cute, Karin?!" Miracle giggled to the toddler, who was busy playing with Miracle's bangles. Miracle smiled at them and gasped. "Jack is an excellent cook! He was actually a chef before the war, I can get him to make you guys a romantic dinner--OOH! And there's a move theater just a bit further that way, this place is huge! I know someone who can operate the movie reels!" she turned, bouncing excitedly as she walked in a quick pace, already concocting a romantic date for their first night in the mall.

Aver just blinked and gaped at Miracle and then shook her head. "That sounds.. lovely, Miracle, but honestly, it's okay. You've done enough." She smiled at her and laughed a little at Karin. "I think Karin needs food more than we do, anyway.." She said quietly.

Miracle stopped and turned, looking at them. "Oh? You don't want to...?" she asked, not hurt, but just curious as to why. They seemed to like each other quite a lot to her, and she always had a knack for helping relationships bloom. She had been known as the "Matchmaker" back in highschool. "I can feed Karin elsewhere, in fact, she has a whole fridge of her own back in the baby store. She should be down for her nap in a bit, also." she smiled. "Really, it's no problem."

Reid looked at Miracle and then back at Aver. "That... actually... sounds great." he nodded to Miracle. He then faced Aver and took her hands, blushing bright red. "Um.. I... Would you.. Go out with me?" he asked softly, mumbling a little. He had only asked a girl to go out with him once and though she had said yes, he'd never gotten over the anxiety of waiting for an answer. And he thought it unusual that Miracle and Chris were already calling them boyfriend and girlfriend, even though they'd only really known one another for a couple days, hadn't gone out on any dates, nor had he asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend. He watched her nervously, biting his lip anxiously.

Aver just tilted her head and stared up at him with quite a puzzled look on her face. Of course, being a girl who had had no idea wht Reid's question meant, and had never been in a relationship before, she answered with the most dumbest answer imaginable. "B-but.. I thought we were staying inside, Reid?" She asked quietly. "I don't want to go back outside.." She shook her head.

Reid blinked, and his blush deepend. Great, not only do I have to repeat myself, I have to rephrase myself.. he thought, looking away and stammering. "N-no... not outside.. I meant.. Um.. D-do you wanna.. go on a date with me. We're already at the mall..." he stumbled, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Miracle giggled and didn't say anything, waiting quietly for Aver's answer. If she said yes, she'd hurry off to get everything set up.

"Oh!" Aver exclaimed, suddenly feeling very silly. "Oh.. I'm sorry, Reid.." She said quietly, now looking away herself, down at the floor. "But yes, I'd love to." Aver looked up again and smiled awkwardly at Miracle, and eventually turned her head to look back at Reid, the uncertain smile still on her face as she watched him.

Reid let out a breath of relief and nodded, still holding her hands. He was just scared she'd reject him. But then again, why would she? They had been together for the past two days and she seemed happy enough with him.

Miracle nodded in approval and turned, not waiting for another word. "Be at the restaurant by three!" she called back over her shoulder as she left. She headed straight for Jack, holding Karin on her hip, and told him of her plan. He was only too happy too oblige. She nodded in thanks, then went to put Karin down for her nap with a bottle. When that was all done and Jack was heading towards the restaurant to start Reid and Aver's special dinner, she found another man that had worked at the mall before, and asked him to find a romantic movie for Reid and Aver to watch in the theater and to roll it for them. He nodded too, thankful for something to do. She then went to find Chris. I wonder if he'd go on a date with me? she thought with a girly giggle.

"Mm.. that was strange.." Aver mumbled, watching her leave, still feeling silly. "I didn't embarrass you in front of Miracle, did I, Reid?" She asked quietly, watching him with a worried eye. Embarrassing him in front of a complete stranger was definitely the last thing she wanted to do.

Reid smiled down at her and shook his head. "No.. You didn't. It's okay." he whispered, still blushing, and leaned down, kissing her. It actually surprised him. I have to lean down to kiss her now? She must not be wearing her tall shoes anymore... but she did say, before, that I was getting taller.. he thought. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her middle. "I'm just glad you said yes.." he said honestly.

Aver flicked his nose gently in a playful manner with a smile. "Well.. any girl would be mad to say no to such a handsome young man." She stuck out her tongue at him poked him in his stomach. "Black is definitely your colour, too." Aver commented.

Reid blushed bright red, flinching when she poked his stomach. "Um... thanks." he said, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his head, still holding one of her hands. It was easier when it was just the two of them back at the cabin, but now there were people around. He couldn't be the cold, tough Reid and the soft, affectionate boyfriend at the same time. It was definitely going to be hard.

"Come on," Aver whispered, beginning to pull him along now as she started walking. "Show me the mall." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. If any of the others are near, I'll let go. Okay?" Aver looked at him.

Reid smiled at her a little, touched at how she'd want to help him protect his reputation. But he moved to walk beside her instead of being led, and kissed her cheek. "Ya know what? Don't worry about it." he whispered and squeezed her hand back. "Let's see the mall. We have until three to get to the restaurant."

Aver smiled when Reid kissed her, just knowing that he was defintely feeling more comfortable now. "We might be late.. this place is so big.." Aver said thoughtfully, looking around at all of the stores which had their doors wide open with the lights on inside. "It would take a whole day to look in every store, I bet." She then frowned. "I don't remember the last time I saw a movie in the cinema.. I was probably a kid.."

"Well then, I guess we're lucky we have Miracle, huh?" Reid chuckled, walking with her past all the stores. "I saw a candy store on my way in. Want some candy?"

"No thank you, Reid." Aver shook her head lightly. "I still feel a little.. sick after seeing all of those poor people outside." Her voice was quiet, but it didn't sound too unhappy. She smiled up at him once she had regained her thoughts about a different subject. "I'll have the whole candy store when we are watching the movie." Aver giggled and looked straight on. "Uhm.. where do you want to sit in the cinema..?" She asked, remembering ironically how in the movies, the couple would always sit in the back seats, and would hardly watch the film they paid to see at all.

Reid shrugged. It had never really mattered to him at all. "Wherever, I guess... we'll be the only ones in there, I think, so we can have our pick." he smiled.

"Oh.. okay." Aver went to move her fringe out of habit, but just smiled when she remembered that it wasn't long anymore. She looked to the fountain in the center of the square and saw Chris sitting on top of the monument which he had climbed. "Who knows..? Chris might end up asking Miracle out since they were already.. uhm.. flirting? Earlier?" Aver shrugged. "He seems like the kind of guy to ask I guess. Plus Miracle is very pretty."

Reid nodded, his smile disappearing instantly when he saw Chris. "I hope so. It means that if he's with someone like Miracle, than he'd leave you alone. I don't like the way he looks at you." he whispered, pulling her closer.

Aver sighed gently. "I don't know what came over me that day when I was holding him after they came to the cabin.." She said quietly. "I guess it was because you weren't there when I was shaken.. I just held him and imagined as hard as I could that it was you who was holding me, too." Aver looked up at him sadly, her eyes soft. "I'm sorry if I hurt you when you saw us, Reid. I promise you that I feel nothing for him. Nothing."

Chris was using one of his knives to dig out any mud from under his nails, but of course, there was no mud in them at all. He just wanted to appear cool and casual. He had one knee up and bent with his arm resting over it, looking quite comfortable how he sat. When he looked up and saw Reid and Aver, he didn't call them or give them a wave or a nod. They're talking serious, Christopher, m'boy. Leave them to it. "I know, I know." Chris replied to the voice in his head as he looked back down again, focusing on his blade. If he let it slip, it would quite simply slice his finger in two. It was one very sharp and lethal knife.

Reid nodded slowly, smiling down at her softly. "I know.." he whispered and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Let's start heading to that restaurant."

Miracle hummed to herself as she skipped through the halls, making her rounds to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. She spotted Chris on the fountain, having not seen Reid and Aver on the other side. She looked at him, admired him a moment, then smiled and giggled, turning and walking away, her hands folded behind her back on her butt cutely.

"I'm onto you." Chris grinned, calling after Miracle as she walked. Her laughter had caused him to look up, but he hadn't noticed when she had watched him. Chris did his little party trick by throwing his knife up into the air and catching it by the handle. He replaced it back into his belt quickly and jumped down from the monument. It was tall, but Chris' body was too well built to cause him to fall. "Do you come here often, miss?" He asked, his voice as charming as ever once he had caught up with her. The handsome young man grabbed Miracle's hand and kissed it gently, smiling as he brought it to his lips.

"Alright." Aver nodded too, smiling a little when she saw Miracle and Chris. Then she moved her head to look around at the stores again as they walked in the opposite direction of where the other two were. She frowned. "Uhm.. where do we sleep?" Aver asked, thinking that the best place to sleep right now in their situation would be back at the cabin, and also because it seemed to Aver that it would be the only place where she felt safest. She had slept extremely well, too.

"I think we'd sleep in that bedding store, there." Sure enough, to their right was a Sleep America store, a mattress outlet, with a side shop selling blankets and pillows. "Something tells me that's where everyone else sleeps." he chuckled. "At least it's an actual bed."

Miracle looked at Chris and giggled bashfully, letting him kiss her hand. "Why yes, actually!" she laughed. "Do you?"

"Oh, no. This is my first time, here." Chris winked, letting her hand drop slowly. "You know, you still owe me since you almost killed me back there, chicko." He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "Someone so cute shouldn't be a killer." Another wink from Chris and a smile. That's it, straight in with it.. You don't hold back, do you Christopher m'boy? Even with a war going on.

Aver blushed brightly when she saw the store, thinking about the bed back at the cabin. She nodded slowly. "Yes.. and at least it won't be close to falling apart like the one we.. well.." Her voice faded as she spoke. Aver's cheeks still quite red. Since her fringe was shorter now, her real facial expression was visible, so she couldn't hide anything.

Reid chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah.." He pulled his hand from hers only to wrap his arm around her waist. He saw the restaurant and led her to it, smiling at Jack, who was waiting at their candle-lit table with their hot food already served.

Miracle smiled and folded her hands again sweetly, doing that cute sway. She ran a hand through her hair. "Oh? How much do I owe you, then?"

Chris put a finger to his chin, pretending to think, simply because he knew the answer to her question before she had even asked it. After a moment, he just smiled at her and took the hand which she had in her hair in his own. He kissed it again gently like before. "How about a date? Is that too much to ask?"

"That was quick.." Aver mumbled, avoiding Jacks' eyes as she moved over to the table hesitantly. "Why.." She began as she sat down. "Why are you doing this for us..? Aren't you afraid of being.. killed?" Aver whispered the last word, hating it. "I mean.. it's very kind of you, but.."

Jack chuckled as he fixed Aver's chair for her. "No, no, it's nothing. In fact, we're all thankful for something to do. We know this place is safely locked and we have good watchguards and everything. Don't worry and just enjoy yourselves." he smiled.

Reid nodded and sat down also, smiling at Aver. "Yeah.. Let's just enjoy ourselves. What could happen?"

Miracle giggled and shook her head. "No! Of course that's not too much to ask!" she said and grabbed his hand in return, then pulled him along in a run towards the candy store. "Let's start with some candy!"

"Candy? I was thinking of something more romantic, but yeah what the hell, lead the way!" Chris grinned at her as he allowed himself to be pulled along. Although he did sneak a few glances at her backside. Hell, he was a guy, and all guys did it didn't they?

Aver just sighed and bit her lip, her eyes staring down softly at the plate of food in front of her. "I don't know.. I've just got this.. feeling." She said quietly, her arms wrapped around her middle as she sat on the edge of her chair. "I think it's Reva." Aver mumbled.

Reid frowned a little and reached out, grabbing her hand. "Aver... just relax, okay?" he whispered. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Eat something. You need the energy, and we haven't had anything to really eat in a couple days.."

Miracle laughed. "I say candy first because it'll give us the energy to do everything else!" she smiled over her shoulder at him.

Chris swallowed hard and tried his hardest not to blush. What was this girl implying? He hardly ever blushed, either. "Uh, stuff like what, chicko?" Chris asked, slowing to a stop when they reached outside the store.

"I'm sorry, I'm causing a fuss again.." Aver said quietly, bringing her hands from around her middle and up to the table where she rested them. She just stared at the food for a while before finally picking up one of the stunning silver forks. The fork just toyed with the potato for a while before it actually scooped up some and made it's way into Aver's mouth.

Reid shook his head as he watched Aver eat, then ate a little too. But Aver's comment had caused him to somewhat lose his appetite. He sure didn't like Reva too much and he knew she hated him too.

Miracle laughed and winked at him back with a smile equal to his own in charm. "Why, don't you know?" she teased and let go of his hand, swaying her hips teasingly as she walked into the candy store and started picking through the selections of sweets.

Chris raised an eyebrow at her and grinned as he watched her movements, now feeling more relaxed since she didn't seem too serious about the matter. "Do I want to know?" He asked in the same teasing manner, following after her with his hands in his pockets. Chris wasn't really that hungry, but he still rummaged around anyway, picking up a few packets of mints and gum as he went along. "Mints. A guys' best friend when it comes to the ladies." He smiled at Miracle, shaking a packet of loose mints before stuffing them inside his trousers pocket.

"This is really nice." Aver finally looked up at Reid, smiling. She was already halfway through her meal since she was so hungry. "And I don't mean the food." Aver added, stroking the red tablecloth which had pretty swirls running along it.

Reid chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'm glad Miracle did this for us.." he whispered, munching his food a little slower. He was still nervous being on a date with her, but he was glad she had said yes. Now I just need to get through the movies..

Miracle laughed and nodded sweetly. "Yup! Smooth!" she agreed and grabbed a packet of sour bites. She munched on one and made a face, giggling. "Ohh! That's sour!" she smiled at him. "I love these things!"

"Aw, that's cute." Chris said, laughing with Miracle as he moved over towards her. "I wonder if I'll love them, too?" He whispered, taking one of the sweets from the packet in her hand. Chris winked at her yet again as he tossed one into his mouth. But then he winked again, but not meaning to, however since this time he was making an odd face himself. "Aw, man!" He laughed. "Damn, what are these? They're good!"

Aver nodded. "Yes, she's very sweet." Then she put the cutlery she had used neatly on her almost empty plate. "I'm stuffed.." She frowned, rubbing her arm. On the plate was only a small lump of potato and half of a sausage. "But the food was lovely, Jack is a good cook." She smiled.

Reid nodded, setting his fork and knife down too. "Me too. And yeah, he is, that was great!" he smiled. He sighed and looked down at his plate, then at her again. "So.. what do you wanna do now? Just head straight to the cinema?"

Miracle laughed, pointing at his face. "They're called sour bites! And that is probably the funniest face I have ever seen!" she teased, squeezing his cheek with a hand and smiling. "And what's funny is: you never get used to them. I've lived in this mall for maybe a year or so now, and I eat them almost every day. I never stop making faces!"

Chris chuckled at her. "Cute." He repeated again, taking her hand away from his face and holding it gently. His face was back to normal now as he thought of something. "Question.." Chris started. "I was in this city three days ago, and I didn't see you or any of the others. You guys must be pretty good at hiding, huh?" He smiled.

Aver shrugged, looking around the deserted restaurant for a while before answering Reid. "I don't mind.." She said softly, smiling. "You choose."

Reid smiled and scooted his chair closer to hers around the table and smiled, moving his face close to hers. "I think we have time." he whispered and nuzzled her nose before giving her a kiss. For some reason, he had no problem being open like this when it was just the two of them.

Miracle smiled and flipped some of her dark hair out of her eyes when she nodded. "You bet. We've been doing this for a long time." she nodded. "The boys and I are the lookouts and everyone else are the scavengers. They collect food, other clothes, things like that. Pretty much anything else that's salvageable. We have Jack, a chef, his wife Anna is a seamstress, we have a car mechanic named Billy, a nurse, Tracy, and Karin and I." she smiled. "And now we have you three new ones! What'd you say your name was? Chris?" she asked.

"Wow, that sure is a lot of handy people. Plenty of girls, too." Chris nodded with a cheeky smile. "And how could you forget my name, chicko?" He raised an eyebrow at her comically, poking her forehead lightly.

The dim lighting in the restaurant reminded Aver of the living room back at the cabin. The only light they had there was the fire, and here in the mall they had candles. Same thing, only smaller. She placed one of her hands on his cheek, kissing him back gently. When it broke, she almost fell off her chair since she was still sitting on the edge of it. She muttered an 'Oof!' and giggled, her eyes looking up brightly at Reid. It was probably because she too, was feeling quite happy and open with no one around. "It's the excitement I think.." Aver whispered.

Reid laughed and nodded. "Exciting.." he whispered back and helped her fix herself in her chair, then kissed her again, his hands gently wrapped around her neck, one going to tangle in her new hairstyle.

Miracle giggled. "Well, I obviously didn't forget it if I got it right, did I?" she retorted playfully and poked his nose. For once, her eyes seemed inviting, instead of playful. Her Native American bangles and jewelry jingled as she moved out from beside him and popped another piece of candy into her mouth as she walked out of the candy store.

Chris shook his head with a chuckle. "You really are one of a kind." He said, picking a single strawberry lace from one of the packets sitting on the stand near the door and following after Miracle. "So you've been here a year? What happened to you?" Chris asked her, nibbling on his red string.

Aver was actually a little shocked at how affectionate Reid was being there and then. They simply weren't alone anymore, here in the mall. And for all she knew, Jack could walk in very soon to collect their empty plates. But if Reid was comfortable, so was she. War or not, Aver responded with her lips, her hand taking it's place again on Reid's cheek, the other sitting on his shoulder perfectly as if it belonged there.

Reid smiled under the kiss and deepened it some, gripping her hair gently. He broke it softly and looked at her, keeping their faces close. "Ya know... I like being able to see your eyes.. they're very beautiful." he whispered and kissed her again shortly. "You're beautiful."

Miracle chuckled and shook her head. "You don't wanna hear about that. It's too depressing! This is supposed to be a fun date." she smiled at him and winked. "So what do you wanna do?"

"Aw, come on! People talk on dates don't they?" Chris laughed. "I want to talk. Talking can be fun too." He answered her question cheekily. "Then we'll go see a movie or something." Chris nodded. "Besides, what good is it if you go on a date with someone you hardly know? Plus I want to know all about you." He said this sounding quite serious as he watched her closely.

Aver smiled at him, her eyes twinkling as he commented on them. "So are you." She said softly. "And I like being able to see." Another giggle escaped her as she let her hand drop from his cheek to the logo on his shirt. "I don't know what I love more. You or this shirt.." She whispered, smiling again. "It makes you look so much older, which makes me feel.. well.. lucky. Really lucky."

Reid blushed. "The shirt's great.. sure. Not really my style, but the best thing in the store." he shrugged. "Does it really make me look older?" he wondered, looking down at himself.

Miracle looked back over her shoulder at him and nodded a little, but didn't seem so perky about the idea. "Well, I was an orphan before the war. So I didn't really have a family to look out for.. or for them to look out for me... So escaping from the calamity was easy." she shrugged. "Although, I don't think it was so easy for anyone else at the orphanage." she frowned. She shrugged again and sighed, continuing. "I was on my own for a long time, taught myself archery, which I had always been a fan of, I know how to defend myself and salvage anything I need.. Then I met Anna, Jack's wife in a convenience store, when I was looking for something to eat. She told me about the little survivor group they had managed to create, and I joined them. We arrived at this mall a year ago and have been here ever since." she smiled, looking at him. "See? Didn't I tell you it was depressing?" she giggled, though it sounded hallow.

"Well," Chris shrugged, moving over to her so they were walking side by side. "My story isn't that great, either." He took her hand again and kissed it gently, smiling a little at her as he let her hand drop. But he still kept his hand entwined with hers as he spoke again while still walking. "My family pretty much rejected me, so that's not exactly cool." Another shrug. "I told my folks two years ago that I wanted to go to university here in New York to study the military and all that jazz." Then he frowned. "My mom started crying wen I told her. She went off on one saying that I would grow up to be a killer of some sort. I told her to calm down since my dad ended up yelling at me 'cause I made mom cry which was kinda weird since me and mom were pretty close." He rubbed the back of his neck as he paused for a moment, and looked around the stores for a little while before speaking again. "I left. Just like that." He clicked his fingers. "Left mom and dad in Australia, and I came here to New York. Managed to get myself a little place and I've been studying ever since. Well.. not now, but, you know." Chris smiled a little. "When my flat was broken into by a pack of wolves a week or so ago, I managed to escape just in time, while grabbing my knives on the way out. Now I've been surviving ever since." Chris looked down at the floor, remembering the girl outside who had stood out amongst all of the bodies. He swallowed hard. "I never did find the courage to talk to her.. If I did, I might have saved her before the grizzly got to her."

Aver giggled again, moving her hands to his trousers where she placed her hands in the front pockets of them like she had back at the cabin. "Yes, yes it does." She smiled up at him, taking her hands out again and resting them on Reid's upper thighs comfortably. "You look.. say.. sixteen I think." Aver smiled again, but then it turned thoughtful. "I just hope no other girls try to look at you.." Uhm.. what? What am I saying? Am I really that protective of Reid..?

Reid blinked in surprise, both at her estimate of how old he looked, and her protective comment. "Well... hmm.. What's today? September.... 23? Yup... my fifteenth birthday has already passed.." he said, looking away. He remembered when he was still with his family, that they would always throw a big party for him. Drake was always the one to shout, "Open my present first, bro! It's the best, after all!" The voices faded in his head and he sighed, looking down.

Miracle tilted her head at Chris curiously, then smiled reassuringly. "Well, it obviously gave you a motive to talk to me, eh?" she teased and squeezed his hand while giving his arm a nudge with her elbow. It wasn't hard to see he was talking about a girl he'd known and liked before the war. "The best trick, is just not to think about it until it becomes important." she whispered, meaning the war. "So relax for a bit. We've been hiding out in this mall for over a year, so don't think the animals would suddenly find us now." she smiled.

"I'm not afraid, chicko. Not with you around, anyway." Chris grinned, squeezing her hand back. "After you almost got me in the head before, I think it's safe to say that you've got a damn good arm and no animals would come for you." He smiled now, but still, the image of the blonde girl was there inside his head. "Okay, it's your date, what do you want to do?" Chris asked her, his eyes watching her carefully.

Aver turned her head to the side, looking at Reid with a worried eye. All happiness had gone from her eyes, and they were just focusing sadly on Reid. She put a hand to his cheek and moved it up to his hair where she played with it gently like she had back at the cabin to reassure him when he had had one of his nightmares. "Reid..?" Aver whispered. "Talk to me. What is it..? You know I'm here."

Reid shook his head with a small sigh and rested a hand over hers in his hair. "I was just.... thinking of the good ol' days.." he whispered sadly. "My parents always threw me a big party for my birthday... And Drake always got me the 'best' present out of everyone." he chuckled a little, but shook his head again. "I shouldn't be thinking about it though.. this is supposed to be a date. Happy." he said and looked at her. He brought her hand down and kissed it, then nuzzled it.

Miracle giggled and nodded. "Hmmm... What do I wanna do?" she asked, tapping her chin with her eyes turned upwards in thought. She suddenly gasped. "I know! Follow me!" she said and started running, not letting go of his hand.

"Eh? Damn, excited aren't you?!" Chris laughed, running along with her, allowing Miracle to lead him. "Where are we going? For a trolley dash around the K-Mart?"

Aver shook her own head at Reid's reply and pulled her hand away from him, replacing it on the back of his neck. She put his hand on her hip and smiled up at him. "This date can be your present." She whispered. "I'll make it the best.. if I can.." Aver moved her head up to his, and kissed him softly, but it was still loving. It might have been the most gentle kiss she had given him. Reid might not have even wanted her to kiss him, so she didn't want to force herself on him.

Reid kissed her back just as softly, but it was still deep. When it broke, he chuckled. "Dunno how Drake could ever compete with this." he whispered, then kissed her again, wrapping both arms around her waist.

Miracle laughed and nodded. "I wanna show you my bedroom!" she said, looking back over her shoulder at him really quick, then looking forward again as she ran. She was fast, and didn't tire easily. In fact, she could run for miles without breaking a sweat or losing a breath.

"Y-your what?" Chris asked, his eyes widening as he stared at the back of her head while they still ran. "This is only our first date!" But he still laughed a little anyway, even though it wasn't exactly.. well.. like his real laugh when he found something very amusing.

Aver stopped and pulled her head away, watching Reid brightly. "I don't think your brother would kiss you. Not like this, anyway" She smiled, her finger moving to travel along his jawbone gently. "Anyway, you're mine." Her voice whispered as she moved her head again, this time to bury it in his shoulder while she hugged him tightly. "Happy birthday, Reid. I love you."

Reid smiled down at her and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back with his chin on her head. "I love you too, Aver.. Thank you." he whispered. "This is definitely one of the best birthdays I've ever had." He sighed, but this time it was happy, and tightened his grip on her a little, not wanting to let her go.

Miracle laughed. "You'll love it!" she said and pulled him to a service staircase. She threw open the rotted metal door and started up the stairs, slowling slightly so he wouldn't tire out too fast. They'd have to go up three flights anyway.

"Nice.. decor.." Chris chuckled, once he had looked over his shoulder at the rotting door. But when he looked back in front of him, he laughed again. "You do this everyday, chicko? Why not just sleep in the bedding store?"

"Hm.." Aver smiled into Reid's shoulder, nuzzling it gently with her nose. Her hand rubbed his shoulder as she admired the black shirt on him. "So you're fifteen now, huh?" She whispered. "Me too." Then she thought for a moment. "But.. being here.. like this, just the two of us.. Does it make you feel older? Like how your parents would be together?"

"Yeah.. it does." Reid nodded, closing his eyes and imagining his parents sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. He smiled softly and kissed Aver's head. "C'mon.. let's go check out that movie Miracle set up for us." he whispered and moved to stand, still holding her to him.

Miracle shrugged with a chuckle. "I like my privacy." she said and gave him a wink over her shoulder. She giggled and ran up the rest of the stairs, smiling. When they reached the top, and another rotted door, she pushed it open roughly. They were at the roof of the mall, or more, an attic. Over their heads was a large, glass dome, that surprisingly, was only cracked in a few places. Only one pain was broken on the far side close to the ground, and all the glass had already been swept up. She smiled and let go of his hand, moving further inwards and motioned around the room. It was decorated much in the fashion of Native American, with a wooden bed and a dresser on one end, under a concrete overhang. "I sleep over there. I even have my own dresser so I don't have to pick from the women's clothes anymore unless I really have to." she smiled proudly.

Chris folded his arms across his chest as he stepped inside Miracle's little bedsit of hers. He gave a little whistle as he looked around the room. He nodded. "You got taste, kiddo." Chris moved over to the dresser and touched the top of the dresser briefly before tilting his head backwards so he could look up through the roof. He smiled at the sun which was coming through it. "Reminds me of my flat, too." He added, looking back towards Miracle, twisting his body so he leaned against the dresser. "So what now?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her cheekily.

Aver nodded, not breaking the embrace either. "Okay." She whispered in reply, leaning down to straighten out the creases in her skirt, but keeping her hand on Reid's shoulder. When she was standing properly again, she looked at their plates on the table and smiled. "I think we'll be safe here." Aver said quietly, taking Reid's hand and beginning to walk.

Reid nodded in agreement, lacing their fingers together. "I think so too. There are a lot of people here with good heads on their shoulders, I think.. otherwise, they wouldn't have been here for so long."

Miracle chuckled and moved towards Chris with her hands folded sweetly behind her back, swaying her hips. "Well, if you think I kiss on the first date, you're sadly mistaken." she grinned. "I'm only nineteen after all." She giggled. "So what do you wanna do now?"

Chris laughed. "Only? Well damn, I'm on a date with a girl a year older than me." He waved an arm, shaking off what he just said. "But hey, that doesn't matter does it? What do people do on dates?" His body moved away from the dresser, and he walked over to one of the walls decorated with the Native American patterns. He traced one of his fingers along one of the swirls lightly.

"Yes. All of them seem to know what they are doing, and many of them appear quite happy." Aver smiled, tightening her grip on Reid's hand. "Even I'm happy." She said brightly. "I never thought I would be until you were brought in the cells. If I hadn't of been caught, I never would have met you." She shrugged. "So I have to be thankful for being caged for few weeks at least. I was in there for too long.. And Pete would always look at me.." Aver frowned a little.

Reid glanced at Aver slowly. "He didn't ever... touch you, did he?" he asked softly, moving to walk closer to her. I should have killed him anyway.. but at least now, I'd have a motive. he thought angrily.

Miracle chuckled and nodded. "It happens." she said softly and moved to his side, watching his hand trace the swirls. "Ya know.. I had a friend set up a movie for Reid and Aver.. we can catch it if we leave now, probably." she smiled at him. "Does a movie sound good to you?"

Chris stopped touching the wall and just let his palm rest against it as he turned his head to look at Miracle. "I guess we could." He said thoughtfully. "But that Reid guy is being a real jerk right now. He thinks I'm eyeing up his girl." Chris shrugged. "If we go, it would mean that us two would have to sit together kinda close so Reid will think I'm on to you and not his chick." He gave her a charming smile of his.

Aver shook her head lightly. "No, but he did.. try to. Reva would always stop him." She said quietly. "Which is why she is always so mad when I get close to someone, because she thinks that they will turn and hurt me. She tries to protect me. But she hurts all of the wrong people, and I'm too afraid to tell her to stop."

"That bastard..." Reid growled, clentching his free hand into a fist. "I should have killed him.." he whispered. "If I had known... I would have killed him. Men like him make me sick." he said angrily, glaring at the ground.

Miracle raised her eyebrows and smirked a little. "So who are you after? Her or me?" she teased and turned to leave, her hands behind her back. Her fingers were entwined around the handle of her ivory dagger that was held suspended on the back of her skirt, but not threatingly.

Chris smiled and shook his head, moving after her rather quickly. When he reached her, he put both of his hands on her hips lightly. "Let's find out, shall we?" He asked quietly, his head close to her ear. After removing his hands and heading on towards the door, he looked over his shoulder at her and gave her wink.

Aver flinched at Reid's words, but kept quiet as she bit her lip and carried on walking, her hand loosening only slightly around his. I shouldn't have said anything.. now I've ruined the date.. She thought.

Reid sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Damn me, I keep ruining the date.." he whispered, blushing slightly and looked away.

Miracle watched Chris' back for a moment, frowning a little. She stepped forward. Fine. We'll make this a game. she thought as she came up behind him and slid her hands around his waist, tucking them up under his shirt until she could feel his abs. "Just so you know... I'm not one you should play with." she whispered in his ear this time. For once since she shot the arrow at him, she sounded threatening.

Chris shivered at the feel of her hands on his bare skin and swallowed hard. "Who said I was playing, chicko?" He asked with a frown and moved away from her with his hands raised as he faced her. "You know, I'm not that kind of guy. We got a war going on here, and I don't play with girls, anyway. Especially now." He said seriously, still frowning. "Man, I thought you were different." Chris shook his head with a shrug and lowered his hands.

"All we do is apologise to each other.." Aver sighed, pulling her hand out of his and putting it around his waist. She held him close to her, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Pete isn't here now. It's just you and me." She smiled a little when she saw the film posters on the wall, meaning that the store which they were drawing closer to was the cinema. "Now let's see that movie." Aver whispered, leaning up and kissing Reid's jawbone softly, just the way she knew he liked it.

Reid smiled, closing his eyes briefly as he felt her lips on his jawbone and looked down at her, looping his arm around her shoulders. "Okay.. I wonder what they'll have picked out for us?" he wondered as they drew nearer to the cinema.

Miracle blinked and tilted her head at him in a playful curiousity. "What are you talking about?" she asked lightly, then laughed in that bubbly way. "I was only kidding!" She skipped towards, then past him, giving his shoulder a poke. "You're silly! Let's go see that movie! Ooh, I hope they didn't start it without us! It's one of my favorites!" she giggled and skipped out the door, stopping only when she reached the threshold and looked back at him. "Coming?" she smiled.

Chris just sighed and waved a hand at her, still not really convinced. "Yeah, I guess." He mumbled in reply as he moved out of the door himself. "I'm not the silly one, chicko." His voice said a little louder. Chris then grinned, grabbing Miracle by the waist and hoisting her over his shoulder, holding her there. "You're the silly one." He chuckled, practically running down the steps.

"Probably a romantic one.." Aver said quietly, blushing a little. She had pictured in her head a love scene in the film, and wondered how she would react to it.

Reid nodded, thinking the same thing with a blush. He'd never been one to sit and take romantic scenes calmly, especially the sex scenes. He bit his lip, pretending to be interested in a movie banner as a way to hide his blush.

Miracle had let out a shriek when Chris had hoisted her up onto his shoulder, giggling. "HEY! CHRIS! Put me down!" she laughed, even as he was running down the stairs, her hands on his back.

"Aw, c'mon you know you love it!" Chris grinned, gripping her even tighter as they finally reached the bottom of the steps. He let Miracle down slowly so she could catch her feet. "Now you know that I'm not a guy to play with." Chris raised his eyebrows at her with his hands on his hips as he watched her with another grin.

Aver pulled Reid along gently, trying the best she could to stop thinking about that particular subject. "Hm.." She mumbled, walking inside. It was actually quite large inside, and the cinema consisted of eight screens. Four on the bottom floor and four on the upper floor. Straight ahead of them was the food counter where drinks, popcorn and candy could be bought. To their right was the tickets and merchandise area, and to their left was the toilets. Upstairs was a small cafe and a sitting lounge. "Is anyone here, Reid..?" Aver asked quietly, inspecting the place.

"I dunno-" Reid started, but stopped when a voice caught him.

"Hey! You two must be the couple Miracle wanted me to play the movie for, huh?" came a male's voice from behind them. He waved and smiled. He was in his late twenties and had short brown hair that spiked on his head and a full beard. "Follow me then. Oh, is there anything you guys wanna eat first? The pop machine still works too. Popcorn, candy.." he suggested.

Reid looked at Aver and shrugged. "I dunno... I'm still kinda full from dinner... Do you want anything?"

Miracle laughed at Chris and gave his shoulder a playful shove. "You're so mean!" she teased and quickly leaned forward, kissing his cheek. "But cute. C'mon! Let's go before we miss the movie!"

Chris chuckled. "No kissing on the first date, huh?" He joked, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. "I bet it's a romantic one, knowing you." He chuckled again. "Anything for those two lovebirds."

"I.. think that the guy and the girl share a drink and a large popcorn on a date while they're watching a movie, don't they?" Aver smiled, and nodded to the man. "We'll have popcorn I guess.. and whatever Reid would like to drink." She squeezed Reid's hand gently.

Reid blushed and looked at Aver. Share? A drink..? he thought nervously. Well.. I guess that's not bad considering we did kiss... He smiled and nodded. "How about just a regular soda? Like... rootbeer?" he suggested. He happened to be a huge fan of rootbeer.

The man nodded and smiled, then went to get it. He came back a moment later, and handed the items to them, then turned. "Follow me! We'll show it in theater two, okay?" he asked, leading them downstairs.

Miracle laughed at Chris, letting him lead her. "Yup! Hey, it's a romantic date! And you shoulda seen how nervous Reid was when he asked her! He was so red in the face!" she giggled. "Poor guy, he was so relieved when she said yes! I just thought a romantic movie would best suit the mood." she giggled.

"So much for a fun date! I thought it would have been a comedy or something." Chris chuckled again, skidding to a stop outside the cinema. "And I thought those guys were already dating?" He said curiously, spotting the two inside. "They were pretty close when I first saw them anyways." Chris shrugged and led Miracle inside.

Aver's ears caught the sound of another male voice in the cinema before she followed after the bearded man. "Huh?" She looked over her shoulder and saw Miracle and Chris walking inside. "It looks like we won't be the only ones watching the movie, Reid." She whispered, tugging Reid's hand as a cue for him to look over too.

Reid blinked and looked over his shoulder, his smile instantly fading at Chris. But he tried to smile at Miracle. "Hey." he greeted, trying to seem friendly to her. She had, after all, led them to the mall.

"Hey back!" Miracle laughed, waving. "Guess what?! Chris and I are on a date too!" she said excitedly, giggling. "Ready to see this movie? It's one of my favorites!" she smiled. "Theater two, right? Let's go!"

Chris shook his head at Miracle with a smile on his face. "Damn, are you always this hyped, chicko?" He grinned, giving a soft wink of his at Aver as he led Miracle past them. Although it was a friendly one, Chris knew how Reid could be, and he would probably still blow anyway. So he avoided his eyes as he passed him.

"You both look.. sweet together, Miracle." Aver smiled at her, not noticing Chris' wink at all. She looked at Reid. "So.. where are we sitting?" One of her eyebrows raised, and she appeared to be extremely flirtatious. She had relaxed a lot now that Chris and Miracle had gone into the theater. Plus having Miracle around made Aver know what it was like to actually be a girl, and she had seen what Miracle had done with Chris, like push him playfully when they were outside.

Although Aver hadn't noticed Chris' wink, Reid did. He glared at Chris, even though Chris had avoided his eyes, as they passed, only looking back at Aver when she spoke. "I dunno. Wherever you wanna sit is fine." he shrugged. "As long as it's not in the very front.. I hate having to crane my neck to look up." he said.

Miracle smiled at the man she had gotten to play the movie as she led Chris into the theater and pulled him all the way up to the highest point in the back of the theater. "These are the best seats in the house!" she whispered as the boy headed into the camera both to start the previews.

"The back seats, huh? While we're watching a romantic film?" Chris grinned at her. "You really know what you're doing." He chuckled, moving to the middle seats of the back row and flumping into one as he stretched out his arms. "Well c'mon." Chris grinned, pulling Miracle into the seat beside him and resting his arm on her seat behind her neck.

Aver nodded. "Alright." She pulled him along again and mumbled a thank you to the bearded man since she wasn't too good with strangers. "Uhm.." Aver began, looking at the rows and rows of seats once they entered the theater. "How about.. uhm.. the back..?" She stammered, blushing, although it couldn't be seen since the lights had already dimmed a little, but they weren't fully down just yet.

Reid blushed too, deeply, and thanked the dimness of the theater for hiding it. "Um... It looks like Chris and Miracle are already sitting up there.." he said then nodded at the center rows. "How about just straight ahead?"

Miracle chuckled and smiled at Chris, leaning a little closer to him than any bashful girl would have, then turned to face the screen. "You bet."

"Damn.. I can't remember the last time I came to the movies with a girl on a date." Chris wondered aloud, looking at the screen too. "You know, chicko, you'll have to update me on what couples do when they come to watch a movie." He looked at her and winked, the arm resting on her seat moving to her shoulders.

Aver followed Reid's eyes and nodded. "Yes, okay." With the soda in her hand, she made her way through the rows slowly as to not drop it and stopped eventually in the middle of the row, taking her seat comfortably. I've never been to the movies with a boy before.. what do I do..? Aver thought nervously, biting her lip as she looked around the theater.

Reid blushed as he sat next to her, remembering the last time he was at the movies with a girl. She hadn't seemed to have a good time then, and neither had he. He cleared his throat as he sat next to her with her popcorn, sitting it in his lap lazily as he adjusted himself into a comfortable slouch, one foot up on the back of the chair in front of him.

Miracle looked at Chris again. "Why? Are you rusty?" she asked softly and giggled.

"Maybe I am a little, yeah, but we'll see about that, won't we?" Chris grinned at her and pulled her a little closer to him, moving his head to look back at the huge screen. "What's the name of the movie, anyways?" He asked, his eyes finding Reid and Aver. But he just smiled at them a little and looked at the screen again.

Aver pretty much sat normally as you would in an armchair. Both of her hands were in her lap before she moved one of them to Reid's hair again. She sighed lightly, resting her head on his shoulder while watching the screen. Since the movie they were watching was a romantic one, so were the films in the trailers which were shown. There seemed to be a lot of disruption in each film which the trailers were advertising. Some consisted of unwanted pregnancy, affairs, divorce, and there was ironically enough a war romance where a man left his lover to go to fight in the second world war. Aver looked away from the screen when this was being shown, not wanting to imagine anything from it at all. She already had enough worries, and she didn't want anymore. For now.

Reid had always liked the feeling of Aver's hand in his hair, and smiled down at her a little when she hid her face against his shoulder. He raised a hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb gently, whispering. "It's over, Aver." he said reassuringly, rounding his hand back from her cheek to tuck hair behind her ear. "It's okay. The movie's starting."

Miracle giggled a little, looking back at the screen also. She could see Reid and Aver were already getting comfortable with each other in their seats below, and smiled in satisfaction, rather proud of herself. "It's called Shakespear In Love." she whispered back as the commercials ended and the movie began with a romantic song as an introduction.

Chris nodded, smiling. "Mmm, smooth. I haven't seen this one, chicko." He said low, twisting some of Miracle's hair in his index finger gently as he focused on the screen. But was he really paying attention to it? He didn't know himself.

Aver blinked a few times and looked up at the screen again. Like Chris, she hadn't seen the film either. "Shakespeare In Love..? Mom and dad watched this I think.." She whispered, settling a little more in her seat and taking her first pick of popcorn from Reid's lap. Aver smiled and glanced at Reid before putting some popcorn into his mouth gently.

Reid smiled at her as he chewed the popcorn, then grabbed a piece and touched it to her lips, as if he was going to feed it to her, but then snapped it back and ate it himself, giving her a grin and a wink.

Miracle rolled her eyes a little, feeling Chris' fingers playing with her short hair, and watched the movie. Every so often, she would glance down at Aver and Reid.

Chris took a break from watching the movie himself a few times as he watched the other two, raising an eyebrow at Reid when he saw him joke with Aver. Then he looked back up at the screen and grinned at Gwyenth Paltrow's character. "Man, she's pretty cute." He chuckled quietly.

Aver giggled at Reid's little joke and shook her head, smiling. When she looked back to the screen and saw the two main characters of the film Viola and Will getting rather close and intimate, however, her smile faded and she felt her cheeks become hotter and hotter. Her teeth found her bottom lip as she bit it rather hard. She glanced away from the screen and looked to her left by the empty seat next to her into the darkness. Hell, she was only fifteen, so she would obviously be embarrassed by love making scenes in a film.

Reid watched Aver rather than the screen, embarrassed by love-making scenes easily as well. He blushed and pretended to be occupied with getting a drink and shuffling the popcorn to find a good piece, then faked a yawn to keep his eyes closed until the scene finally, and gracefully ended. He sighed and grabbed Aver's hand to let her know it was over, his face ahead again, acting like he'd been watching the entire time.

Aver didn't turn around at first, but she still squeezed Reid's hand gently so he knew that she was alright. When she did turn however, and saw that he was facing the screen already, she bit her lip again. Did he watch it..? She wondered, blinking up at him with her head slightly cocked. But she just shook off her thoughts and faced the front again without a word.

Reid looked at her and smiled softly, offering her a drink of their shared soda pop. "Want some?" he whispered softly, taking nother bite of the popcorn. In the dim and flashing lights of the movie theater, Reid did look older, and much more mature in the face than normally. His hair seemed longer too.

Miracle had been watching them for the past few scenes, not because she was embarrassed by love scenes, but because she found their relationship interesting. So.. Chris said that he thought they were already going out when he met them... Maybe they had been going out before the war? But then again... Reid was SO nervous when he asked her in front of me... it was like they'd never done this before with one another. But now they're acting like a normal couple.. Funny. she thought with a faint smile.

Chris tilted his head back slightly and yawned, moving his arm away from Miracles' shoulders and stretching it above his head with his other. He had never really been bothered by adult scenes in movies, simply because he was quite mature for his age, and he had made love once before, but even so, it was at least eight months ago. "Man, I'm kinda hungry now." Chris said low, reaching into his trouser pocket and taking out the packet of mints which he had grabbed at the candystore. He tossed one into his mouth and sighed at the familiar taste of freshness which he loved. Like Reid had offered Aver a drink, Chris held out the mints towards Miracle, poking her cheek gently to get her attention.

"Yes.." Aver whispered with a brief nod, taking the drink gently and taking a sip as she glanced up at the screen. When she put it back in the holder in the arm rest of her seat, she turned her head to look behind at Miracle and Chris. They weren't that close either. "Romantic.." Aver smiled, turning around again.

"Hm?" Reid asked, taking his eyes away from the screen again to look at Aver. For some reason, he found her much more enlightening to look at then the movie. He smiled softly at her and popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth.

Miracle blinked and looked at Chris, then at the mints in his hand before smiling. She nodded and took one delicately, placing it on her tongue so he could see it before it disappeared into her mouth. She turned back towards the screen and settled into her seat again.

"Well, now I know that my date has got fresh breath, who knows what will happen?" Chris grinned, his voice not sounding cheeky or perverted. He replaced his arm back where it was, but kept it on the seat this time.

Aver giggled lightly. "Miracle and Chris.." She whispered nodding behind her. "I don't think their date is going like the one they had hoped for." She shrugged, resting her head on Reid's chest comfortably, her left hand flat against his chest also. "Do you think they'll.. kiss?" Aver whispered quietly. "It would be nice if they did.. Miracle deserves a little something after everything she has done for us."

Reid made a funny face. "From Chris? Eww.." he said playfully and nuzzled her nose with his own. "I dunno if she wants it from him!" he laughed. "But you're right. She does deserve some kind of gift as thanks. But I doubt a kiss from Chris would qualify as a gift." he chuckled.

Miracle watched the movie now, too sucked in to have heard Chris' last comment, shifting a little to sit closer to him, somewhat leaning against his chest with her elbow on the arm rest that was between them.

Chris had heard Reid's laughter, and couldn't help but frown and tense slightly, just knowing that he or Aver had caught him offering Miracle a damn mint instead of a candlelit dinner or a kiss. Something along the lines of being romantic anyway. He did notice Miracle shuffle up to him, but he didn't let his arm drop around her shoulders. The charmer he was, he didn't like a girl to feel uncomfortable. Chris looked back up at the screen again, trying to gain interest the best he could.

"Shh, they'll hear you!" Aver put a hand to her mouth to silence herself since she was laughing too. "What about my kisses, Reid?" She whispered, once she had taken her hand away. "Do they qualify for you?" Again, she seemed flirtatious. Probably because Miracle was in the room and she didn't want to appear to be a bad.. girlfriend? I'm Reid's girlfriend now? Wow.. She wondered, smiling up at him sweetly, forgetting the movie altogether now.

Reid chuckled at Aver softly and shook his head, then smiled at her softly. "Of course they do." Here, he moved closer to her, adjusting himself in his seat so their faces were close. "Why do you think I keep coming back for more?" he whispered, smiling at her, his eyes tracing over her lips before they met hers.

Aver giggled again, moving even closer still to him so she could practically feel his heartbeat with her hand on his chest. "I don't know.." She whispered back in reply. "Maybe our lips are magnetic and are attracting each other?" She suggested, smiling sweetly again. But after a few moments, she frowned, more or less at herself. "Sorry.. I liked physics in high school.. eh.." She blushed slightly. Now he'll think I'm a know-it-all..

Reid blinked and smiled at her a little, then started to laugh, rather histerically. After he calmed down, he shook his head. "Don't apologize! I was actually a math nerd back in school." he winked. "Huge geek, I was." He blushed at this fact about himself. In actuality, it had been one of the biggest reasons he'd started being such a cold jerk to everyone around him, especially after the war had started.

"You know, Reid.." Aver started, pausing to think for a moment before she spoke again quietly. It seemed that the film had already ended while they were talking, and the credits were rolling with of course, a romantic orchestral piece of music playing over them. "The more we talk, the more we find out how much in common we have." She looked up at him, smiling a little with the blush still on her cheeks. But her face was a pinky colour for a different reason now. "I mean.. I know we are both young.. but.. some people meet their soulmates when they are young don't they?"

Reid blinked again, this time in surprise. Soulmates..? How do you know about things like that...? he thought and bit his lip in thought. He rubbed her forearm as it sat on the arm rest between them, then ran it up to her hand on his chest. "Y-yeah, I guess.." he whispered with a nod. I suppose it's been known to happen.. He looked at her, blushing again deeply. "D-do you think we're... soulmates..? Is that what you're asking?"

Miracle had stayed in her seat, even after the credits had ended, just smiling as she watched Reid and Aver. They had been sitting there talking for almost more than half the movie and hadn't even noticed it was over. Wow... they must really be in love. she thought with a happy smile. That's very rare.. I hope it lasts for them.

Chris, funnily enough, had closed his eyes and fallen asleep rather soundly. His head was resting against Miracle's, and he made no noise whatsoever. Then again, he hadn't slept at all for the past two days, and having someone else there with him to keep him warm made him feel even sleepier than he already had been before he came to the mall and met with Reid and Aver.

"Yes.." Aver nodded slowly, not really knowing what else to say. "If.. I feel this way about you after knowing each other for only three days.. and I get butterflies everytime you kiss me.. well.. I think that proves it." She smiled. "Don't you?"

Reid watched her for a moment, feeling very confused and nervous. "W-well... honestly, Aver... I don't know.." he whispered, looking down. He'd never thought about it before, nor had he felt this way before either. "B-but.. I know I've never felt this way about anyone before.. so... I guess.." he said softly, looking back at her and running a hand through her hair. "We can give it a tr-" he stopped as a thought suddenly hit him while his hand moved through her hair.

Aver's heart sank quite low when Reid had answered her, but she noticed that something was wrong. She took his hand down, out from her hair and held it gently in her lap. "Are you feeling okay? She asked quietly. "I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry." Her hand which was on his chest moved up to his shoulder where she squeezed it reassuringly and smiled a little.

"A-Aver... where's my mom's hairpin?" Reid suddenly asked, his eyes set on her, and for a brief moment he actually looked scared. He ran another hand through her hair, as if in another attempt to find it. She no longer had bangs or fringe to hold back with it, so where was it? Where had she put it and why hadn't she given it back to him yet? He refused to think she had lost it... she was more careful than that.. wasn't she? He hoped she was.. That pin meant more to him than anything else in the world, equal in value only to the dogtags around his neck.

Aver blinked at him and brought both of her own hands to her hair where she ran her fingers through it herself. "I-I don't know.." She mumbled, her eyes starting to sting as she searched through her hair again. "I-it must have.. fallen out somewhere.." Aver's lip began to tremble. "It's my fault.. I-I'm sorry, Reid.." A tear rolled down her cheek as she stood slowly, and sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I'll go and see if it's in the clothes store.." Her voice was shaky as she made her way along the row towards the theater doors. How could I be so careless..? Reid gave that to me.. He.. he loved it.. Now he won't love me after I've lost it.. More tears appeared now as she closed her eyes tightly to hold them back. But to no avail, they just kept coming. Aver was so devastated when she saw the fright in Reid's eyes.

Reid stared blankly ahead, his mind spinning. She lost it.... I can't believe she lost my mom's pin.. My mom.. he thought angrily. He stood too, his hands clentched into fists as he turned and left the rows slowly, leaving the theater. He hadn't meant to, but he slammed the door behind him, snapping Miracle to attention.

"W-what?!" Miracle gasped, sitting up. She moved out from under Chris rather carelessly, letting his head drop as she stood and ran after them. What happened?! Why are they both suddenly so upset?! They were doing great! she thought worriedly. She moved out from between the rows too, and decided to follow after Aver. "Aver!" she called as she left the theater.

Chris woke with a start as his head smacked the chair beside him. "Whoa- ow.." He mumbled, rubbing his head with a frown. When he looked up and saw Miracle following after Aver, he rubbed his head where he had hit it and frowned again. "What's going on, here?" Chris wondered out loud, raising himself and making his way towards the doors too.

Aver shook her head as she began to run, tears still rolling down her cheeks as she moved. "D-don't follow me!" She called out behind her, not turning her head or slowing down at all. "I-I'll just hurt you.." Aver whispered, this time talking to herself as she brought her hand up to her hair again. But she whimpered weakly when she couldn't feel th pin at all. She saw Reid's eyes inside her head, and they were full of hurt and fright. Aver closed her eyes for a moment while she still ran.

"AVER! Stop!" Miracle called worriedly. She was scared now. What had been said, or what had happened to make Reid angry and Aver upset? She had to know. "Aver! Please stop and talk to me! We can fix this!" she called, speeding up her pace and gaining on Aver quickly.

Aver shook her head quickly, refusing to do so. But as she turned one of the corners quite sharply without concentrating since her eyes were still clamped shut, she felt her knees lock, and her legs gave way on the slippery floor of the mall. She couldn't stop herself as she fell slap bang on her knees with a horrible thud. Aver whimpered, not moving to stand up. Instead, she hunched over with her hands covering her face, crying properly now. "R-Reid.." She mumbled quietly with a hiccough.

Miracle gasped when she had seen Aver slip and crash to the ground, and was by her side in seconds. "Aver! Are you alright?! Let me see your knees!" she said and grabbed Aver's legs without her say-so, looking them over. "No cuts... no broken bones... But they'll be bruised to all hell by morning.. Aver, what's wrong? What happened with Reid?" she asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and moving closer, her eyes full of concern.

Aver was far too upset to notice the throbbing pain in her knees when she answered Miracle. Well.. she tried to, anyway. It just came out in babbles since her throat was full of tears. "R-R-Reid.. I lost his m-mom's hairpin.." She hiccoughed again, but didn't look at Miracle, her eyes were far too puffy and red for direct eyecontact just now. "It.. it meaned so m-much to him.. and I lost it.. I'm so c-careless and c-clumsy.."

Miracle frowned deeply and sighed. "Damn... I'm so sorry, Aver.." she whispered and pulled her into a tight hug. She held her tightly like that for a moment, then gasped with an idea and pulled back. "Hey! I have a whole collection of beads and stuff! I'm sure we can make him a new one! It won't have the same sentimentality as the old one, I'm sure, but it'll mean something!" she suggested. "What do you think?"

Aver shook her head lightly. "N-no.." She said quietly. "I-it's very sweet of you, Miracle.. but.. R-Reid wants that pin.. the one I lost.. it just.. won't be the same.." More tears began to fall down her cheeks again as her lip trembled once more. "I have to find it.. I'll go back outside and to the cabin if I have to.. I.. I love him, Miracle.."

Miracle watched Aver closely, frowning. She felt so sorry for her.. She hugged Aver again tightly. "We'll check the entire mall. If it's not here, then I'll go back with you to this cabin and we'll look there." she whispered in a promise.

Aver tried to smile, but.. it simply didn't want to show. "Thank you.." She replied quietly, hugging her back. "B-but Miracle.. what if you get hurt..? I could never forgive myself if you did.." Aver whispered, sniffing and rubbing her nose with her sleeve one she had pulled away.

Miracle couldn't help but chuckle a little and she smiled down at Aver. "Honey, I doubt I'll get hurt. If anything, I'll have to watch both our backs." she joked and stroked Aver's hair back from her face. "C'mon. Let's go find that pin. We'll start in the hair salon, where I cut your hair for you. Then we'll look in the clothes shop, okay?"

Reid growled as he had paced the men's shoe store. He had stomped his entire way there from the theater, growling and slamming doors. He had knocked a few things over, but now he was alone and was trying to figure out just how this could happen. How could she lose it?! How could she?! She promised to be careful with it! SHE PROMISED! he thought angrily, glaring at the ground. "She promised!" he repeated aloud.

Chris yawned as he strolled along the wide mall corridors towards Reids' direction. He had no idea where he was going exactly, but he was more or less keeping an eye out for Miracle. One of his hands was still raised to his head where he had hit it, and he massaged it gently. "Damn.. where did they all go?" He asked himself, walking past the men's shoe store. But when he heard a familiar voice, he slowed his pace and looked thoughtful for a moment as he stopped. He wasn't outside the store itself, he was outside the one nextdoor to it. Chris stayed put where he was and listened closely. What's going on, here? He wondered.

Aver nodded, giving one last wipe of her nose and pulling herself up. Her knees weren't hurting anymore, but like Miracle said, they would be red, purple, and extremely swollen from falling so hard tomorrow. "Let's go.. I want to find it soon.." Her voice was hardly a whisper.

Miracle nodded and got up too, quickly and easily, and smiled down at Aver. "You bet! Let's go!" she said and grabbed Aver's hand, pulling her along at a comfortably slow pace, as to take it easy on Aver's knees.

Reid growled out loud and turned shortly in his pace, then spun in a kick and knocked down three shelves of stacked shoes rather easily, flinching as they crashed and clamored to the ground. "DAMMIT!" he shouted at them. He sighed and sat on one of the cushioned seats, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, closing his eyes. He had the stupid urge to cry. "My mom's pin.... gone.." he whispered shakily, the dogtags swinging and chinkling around his neck.

"You gonna pick those up?" Chris was leaning against one of the many pillars near Reid in the store. He nodded at the broken shelves on the floor in a heap. Sadly, Chris hadn't heard what Reid had said after he spoke the second time, so of course, he had said the completely wrong thing. "What's up with you? I thought you'd walk your date to her door and give her a goodnight kiss at least." He shrugged, sounding more serious than his usual self.

Aver didn't care for her knees yet again as she began to run instead, towards the hair salon. When she reached it, and hurried inside, letting go of Miracles hand as she did, she dropped to the floor by the chair next to the mirror which had a pile of her cut hair beside it. Aver's heart sank. No pin. Just two hairbands and.. well.. hair, really. "It's not here, Miracle.." She said sadly, touching her dead hair on the floor lightly, remembering how Reid had always stroked her head.

Miracle shook her head, going through everything on the counter as well. "Okay, don't fret. Stay calm. It probably snagged on your old clothes when you changed earlier, okay? Let's go check the clothes shop." she said and turned, helping Aver to her feet, then hurrying out again.

"Shut. Up." Reid snapped, not looking up, but glaring at the floor again between his legs. Every once in a while, his eyes caught a glimpse of his swinging dogtags, but they didn't make him feel better like usual. "Just go away. You're an ass and I don't want to talk to anyone right now." he grumbled. "It's none of your business anyway."

Chris folded his arms and frowned at him. "Do you always push people away who try to help you?" He questioned directly. "You're calling me an ass, but you're the one acting like the big kid by taking out your anger on shelves in a guy's shoestore in New York. I wouldn't call that helping yourself." Chris shrugged, looking around at the shoes on the shelves which were actually left standing.

Since the clothes store was only two doors away from the salon, Aver was already in the changing room in a flash. She rumaged through her clothes, whimpering as she did, just knowing that the pin wasn't between her jumper and skirt. When she picked up her skirt however, she felt something hard in one of the pockets. Then she remembered. Dad's pistol.. Aver thought sadly, taking out the gun and the six rounds. She stood up, throwing her skirt aside with her eyes focused on the weapon in her hands. "It's not here, either.." Aver mumbled, her eyes still on the gun.

Miracle sighed, in a slight frustration, and scratched her head, looking around at all the clothes on the floor. "Maybe it fell off on the way in?" she suggested. "Let's retrace our steps, 'kay?" She turned to leave, not paying attention to Aver and her gun. She wasn't a particular fan of guns, even though she used a bow and arrows, and figured Aver was dealing with past ghosts that she didn't necessarily need help with.

Reid growled and stood, going to Chris. "I said GO AWAY!" he shouted, giving Chris' shoulder a hard push, knocking him back. "I don't need YOU telling me his shit! You have no right!"

"You need to calm the hell down!" Chris retorted loudly in reply, grabbing the scruff of Reid's shirt, stopping himself from falling backwards after his push. He's actually kinda strong for a puny kid.. He thought, his eyes holding a serious tint in them as they glared at Reid. "You need someone to tell you what's right and wrong. You know as well as I do who that person is."

Aver sighed, touching the gun along it's handle. She stuffed it inside the belt of her skirt, and pulled her shirt over it so it remained hidden. "Yes.." Aver said quietly, nodding only slightly in agreement to Miracle's words. Without anymore hanging around, she made her way quickly towards where she thought the back door to the mall was. But little did she know, she was heading straight for Reid and Chris.

Miracle followed her at a good pace, determined to help her, and make her feel better. Being the person she was, she hated to see anyone in a bad mood, or upset, and sometimes she even cried with them for no reason. "Don't worry, girly. We'll find it." she whispered, trying to make her feel better, even though she wasn't so sure.

Reid growled and pushed Chris' hand away from his shirt collar. "Yeah! And it sure as hell AIN'T YOU!" he shouted and threw a punch at Chris, landing it squarely on his jaw. He took a step back out of instinct in case Chris was able to comeback as fast as anyone else Reid had fought was, and glared at him. It had happened so fast, he wasn't sure it had happened at all. But his knuckles hurt, his skin burned, and his face felt hot and flush with anger. It was real. "I said go away." he said in a deadly tone.

Chris didn't make any sort of noise when he had taken the sharp blow from Reid. His head was low for a moment as he moved his jaw around to make sure it wasn't damaged, and he massaged it gently. When he looked up, his own eyes were glaring too. "Sorry, I don't take orders from kids." Chris said calmly, moving forwards and smacking Reid right in his stomach with his fist. "You need to grow up." He added.

Aver didn't reply. She was still too upset and afraid that the hairpin was well and truly lost forever. She needed it. Just as much as she wanted Reid back beside her in his arms while just the two of them sat in the cabin together. She still walked quickly, and she would frequently trot a little, edging closer and closer to Reid and Chris. They were only a few stores away from them now.

Miracle frowned at Aver's back sadly, and looked up when she started hearing voices, noises. "What..?" she asked herself softly and picked up her pace.

Reid had gasped in a sharp breath of air when Chris had punched his stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of him, and stumbled backwards, catching himself on a wooden shelf of shoes. He coughed until he saw blood, spat at the ground and looked at Chris angrily with his hair in his eyes. "I'll kill you for that." he growled. And he was serious. He could, and he knew it. He pushed off the shelf quickly and threw himself at Chris, tackling him to the ground and amongst the shoes and broken shelves, throwing punches and kicks left and right.

Chris grunted and gasped between attacks as he struggled madly under Reid. He took many blows to his face, and he felt his bottom lip pop, tasting blood instantly. "Get the hell off me!" Chris demanded, pushing up one of his knees and butting it into Reid's stomach again. "Reid! Come on, man! We- agh, got the animals to take care of! Not each other!" Another blow to his face, this time hard in his cheek.

Aver's eyes widened as she stopped dead in her tracks when she was outside the shoe store. "Reid?" She whispered, recognising that angry voice of his instantly, and hurrying into the store, weaving her way around the shelves. When she saw the two teens fighting, her lip trembled. "S-stop.." Aver's voice was quiet at first. "S-stop.. stop.. STOP!" She cried, not caring if either of Reid's fists would catch her as she forced herself onto him, her arms wrapping themselves around his middle tightly as she pulled him the best she could. "P-please.. stop.." She begged.

Reid struggled against Aver, not knowing, or really caring if it was her, and continued to reign on Chris' face and chest. He let out a shout when Miracle suddenly grabbed both his hair on the back of his head and his shirt collar, jerking him back roughly and throwing him to the ground. She stood between the two teens and glared at both of them. "This is neither the time NOR the place to be starting petty feuds, boys!" she shouted, looking at them both sternly. "Get your asses up!"

Reid glared at Miracle as he stood shakily, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. His right eye hurt immensly and he could tell it would be a black eye in the morning. Not to mention his broken finger was in terrible pain. Just when it had started to heal and get better, he went and got in a fight, rebreaking it in the process. He growled and stared at the ground.

Aver looked at Reid only once as she moved away from him, rubbing her arms as if she was removing all of the hate which she had felt when she had touched him. No matter how much she was concerned and worried about him because of his injuries, Aver was truly frightened. Reid was a completely different person to her right now. She wrapped both arms around her own middle, one of her hands touching the gun in her belt briefly while she too, looked down at the floor.

"He needs to control himself." Chris growled firmly, his lip bleeding heavily as he pointed directly at Reid like a teacher would when punishing a student. He pulled his shirt straight with his eyes flashing at the other injured teen and left the store without another word. This simply wasn't the way Chris usually acted, and he needed some alone time to calm down.

Miracle watched Chris go, thinking to herself that she'd check up on him later when her and Aver got back, then turned to Reid and pointed a finger at him. "Don't ever do anything like that again, you hear me?! This is a safe haven, not a battle zone. If you start another fight with anyone else in this mall, we'll lock your ass up or throw you to the animals. Got it?"

Reid didn't answer, but simply nodded his head. If agreeing with her would end the conversation faster, then so be it. Besides, Aver seemed afraid of him now.. He didn't want that, no matter how angry he was about losing his mom's pin. He clentched his fists and nodded again to make sure she understood, then watched her feet as she walked away, mumbling to Aver about going to look for the pin. He frowned and slowly looked up at Aver's face, his own hurt and hurting. His broken finger was screaming at him to be rewrapped, blood pooling in his mouth from the loosened teeth and split lip, his eye already swelling and turning red. "Aver..?"

Aver nodded at Miracle's words and turned to go, her back facing Reid. She paused however when he had said her name, and closed her eyes for a moment before answering him. "I'm going outside to find the pin, Reid." She said, her eyes still closed. Her voice was shaky, but it still had a touch of confidence within it. Aver stayed where she was for a moment before finally moving on forwards again, not waiting for an answer from him.

Reid frowned in confusion. "W-what?! Outside?!" he finally gasped once it had registered. "Aver! It's dangerous!" He followed after her, grabbing her arm to stop her, but snapping his hand back when his finger screamed at him again, wincing in pain. "Ugh! Aver, don't! We just got here, there could be animals out there! Don't be stupid. Stay here." he said sternly.

"Don't call me stupid. I'm doing this for you, Reid. For you." Aver replied, her face expressionless as she carried on walking. Her heart told her to stop and take care of Reid, but she just.. couldn't.. "I don't know if I want to be with you right now. You're frightening me.. and.. I prefer the other Reid.. That Reid is the one I really love." Aver said, her eyes starting to sting slightly while she moved away from him, walking a good distance away from him as to hide her tears which were starting to fall again.

Reid looked at her both angrily and sadly, feeling hurt. Why wouldn't she look at him? She doesn't... want to be with me..? I'm scaring her..? He breathed deeply for a moment, trying not to shout at her. "Aver.. I wasn't calling you stupid. I was just saying that it's a stupid idea for you to go outside... And you don't need to risk your life for.." here he had to stop and sigh, "..for my mom's pin.." he whispered. He looked down at the floor, then at his broken finger, watching the blood drop from his mouth to his arm. He growled softly and wiped the blood away on his forearm. He probably looked like shit. Damn Chris.. "Aver.. I'm sorry if I.... scared you." he whispered, sounding truley hurt. "But.. this is who I am on the outside.. And you're the only one who knows what I'm really like on the inside. I..." he sighed. "I don't want to lose you too." He wasn't even sure she was listening to him anymore, wasn't sure she could hear him, because he could hardly hear himself now. He turned and started to walk the opposite way, looking for a medical kit.

What? You two are in LOVE? You actually love each other? Don't make me laugh, Ave! Aver's eyes widened when she heard the familiar older female sarcastic voice in her head. She had been listening to Reid, but.. she couldn't turn around and embrace him tightly, telling him that everything would be okay. Aver wanted to prove something to both Reid and herself. She wasn't weak. "R-Reva?" Yeah, I'm back. How does it feel to be called stupid, huh? By a guy who you are in lovey dovey with? "It.. hurts, Reva.." I bet it does. Forget about that dick. Now where are we going? Aver winced at her other half's insult, but answered as confidently as she could. "To find the pin.. will you help me..? Please..?" Aver pleaded. Whatever, I'm not gonna be friendly with that other kid, though, you know. Reva replied coldly, referring to Miracle. "She's nice to me, Reva.. but.. I can't force you into being friendly I guess.." Aver bit her lip and looked at Miracle.

Miracle looked back over her shoulder, pulling up her bow expertly. "Coming, honey?" she asked with a comforting smile. "Let's go check out that cabin of yours." she said softly and turned, heading for the back entrance they used to keep their scents hidden.

Honey? What are you Aver? Five years old? Aver sighed at Reva's little comment and nodded to Miracle, but didn't smile back. She wanted to, but Reva was stopping her. As usual. Your body is mine too, you know. And it makes me sick how you probably let that dick put his hands all over it. Aver swallowed hard, doing the best to ignore Reva as she walked on after Miracle and out of the mall.

*****

Back to: Human Territory
         Shi-Rudo