Vemyere

Roleplay



The year is 2533, along the West Coast of what remains of America. There is a constant threat of invading countries, Rebels outside the walls, and wild, starving animals. What does the Democracy not want its citizens to know?

Vemyere Chapter One: The Run-In
Vemyere Chapter Two: Getting Settled
Vemyere Chapter Three: Undercover



A caravan of vehicles made their way across rugged terrain in the designated direction. Erai took up the lead with Tray right behind her while several of the others took up the rear, hoping this helped so that no one would be lost in the move.

They'd been driving for almost 12 hours at this point and Erai prayed they were getting closer. She heard chatter in her ear but never once did she join in on the conversations. Most of it was about Leif and what had happened, until Tray put a stop to that conversation. She was too deep in thought to even care. Had Jason been the one sent to kidnap Leif? Had he changed his mind? Had he lied to her?! These thoughts filtered through her mind as they came into an abandoned town. Almost all the houses were destroyed, but in the center lay a huge hotel. What she thought used to be called a Hilton.

Pulling into the underground garage she smiled softly. "They would be well hidden here..." She spoke softly, knowing no one would respond. Parking her bike she waited for everyone to get situated before she spoke. Climbing off of her bike, she removed her helmet and looked around. "You've all been previously assigned to your floors and rooms, most families have rather large suites with multiple rooms, some are just on the same floor. If this doesn't work out, we'll come up with something else. The electricity is already pumping as is the water and such so we all should be good to go. For now let's all head upstairs and get some rest." Erai headed over to the van that her bag was in and grabbed it. Flinging it over her shoulder she headed for the elevator. She had been given the penthouse since she did most of the work, Tray felt like she deserved the most luxury and space. 

As Erai walked by, Tray grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. "Are you okay?" Concern was etched across his face as he watched her carefully. She looked like a caged tiger, ready to pounce.

Erai shrugged him off of her and nodded her head. "I'll be fine. If you need me, I'll be sleeping." Her eyes flicked over to Leif for a brief second before she sighed and entered the elevator. She pressed the button that said PH and waited for the elevator to rise. Stepping out as the doors opened up for her, she looked around with little interest before heading over to where the bedroom was. Throwing her bag aside she crawled into bed and almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

Leif had watched Erai's and Tray's encounter with soft worry in her eyes, but when Erai walked off, she looked at Tray with a frown and a tilted head. "I'm sure she's alright." she whispered, biting her lip. Rixon was standing not too far away, his arm protectively wrapped around Simi's shoulders, and after a beat of silence, he turned and steered her away with her bag on his shoulder into their own room, leaving Roux in Leif's hands. Leif shifted on her feet for a moment, then shifted her eyes back up to Tray from Roux, and she gave him a small smile. "S-so... Where's our room?" she asked softly, trying to be playful, but she was cautious, in case this wasn't quite the right time.

Trays eyes remained on the elevator for quite some time before he turned back to Leif. "We're below Erai. All of the team is. So Rixon and Simi will be right down the hall." Tray went over to the van and grabbed their things before leading the way over to the elevator. "You're wrong, you know. I've known Erai for quite some time now and she is anything but okay." Erai's quiet demeanor worried him but he needed to get them upstairs to sleep before anything else went on. Ushering Leif into the Elevator he pressed the desired button and waited for the doors to reopen. Stepping out of the elevator moments later, he walked down the hall a little ways to one of the honeymoon suites and opened the door for Leif. "Everything is still in pretty good shape."

Leif nodded with a small frown at the floor, obediently following him into the room and setting Roux down on the floor. She moved around, checking everything out. He was right, everything was in good shape, hardly used, clean despite the outside apocalypse. She moved to sit on the bed in the bedroom and looked around again with a subtle bite of her lip. When she looked ahead again, her eyes instantly found Tray and she sniffed. "Y-you were all I thought about, ya know... When I was snatched up? My first thought was that... I-I might not see you again.."

Tray set the bags down and came back over to her. Wrapping his arms around her he shook his head. "I would have never allowed that. I would have found you. Do you understand me?" pulling back so that he could look into her eyes, he cupped her cheek gently before pressing his lips to hers affectionately.

Leif sniffled under the kiss, but she didn't hesitate to kiss him back firmly, closing her eyes and whimpering against his lips. She wrapped her arms up around his neck and hugged him. "I-I'm so sorry... It was my fault, I walked away... I was looking for Roux and I left your line of sight..." she whispered shakily. "I won't, ever again, I promise..."

"Don't worry about it. Everything's alright now. Come on, let's get some sleep. When we wake up I need to set up our equipment. And then the boys need to put down sensors around the hotel so that way we know if anyone's coming for a visit." Smiling he thought of the pool downstairs. If the families worked on it the pool would be functional once again. Standing, he pulled Leif to her feet and led her into the bedroom. Taking his shirt and jeans off he tossed them aside before climbing into bed and groaning softly. "So tired..." They'd driven for so long his entire body ached.

Leif smiled weakly as she watched him, and she slowly crawled into bed with him, after taking off her jeans, shirt and bra. Now she was only in her panties, and she curled up against his side, her head on his chest, her arm across his middle. "Mmm..." she hummed against his warm skin as she planted a light kiss on his ribs. "Thank you, Tray... for everything."

Tray threaded his fingers through her hair as she closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. Throughout the hotel the other families were getting their children into bed or feeding them with the food they had brought. A shipment was due to arrive tomorrow so they'd be able to stock the kitchen. Rixon would finally get to cook that huge meal he'd been wanting to do.

---

It was well into the early morning. Jason was sitting outside of the San Francisco compound, a toothpick between his teeth and his eyes studying the compound through his shades. He moved towards the doors and flashed his badge at the guard, and he nodded, letting Jason in. Good, that meant the call hadn't gone out about his warrant yet. He slid into the building. He would have to work fast though. He walked through the halls of the compound, studying the doorless rooms and the girls inside, some of them crying, some starving. He walked straight to the office, seeing the Compound Manager and the nurse inside. "I need to see Vex." he said firmly. "She's been bought."

"Already?" the nurse mused with a raised eyebrow. "She's not old enough yet..."

"Do you want to argue with the Senator?" he asked with a shrug, reaching for his phone.

"N-no! No, that's quite alright..." the manager said quickly, clearing her throat and glancing at the nurse as if she was stupid before digging around for a file. She offered it to Jason across her desk. "Don't open it. It's confidential, only for the Senator." she said firmly.

"Roger that." Jason grumbled, taking the file and tucking it into his jacket. "So..? Where is she?"

The manager and the nurse both moved towards the door, waving for him to follow them. "This way." the nurse grumbled. She led them down the halls and up a flight of stairs to the second floor, then down more doorless corridors until they reached a room. Inside was Erai's youngest sister... Vex. She was curled up, crying. She was only fourteen. "C'mere, dear. You've been bought, isn't that wonderful news? You're going to be taken away from this place."

Vex sat up, her eyes wide on Jason. He was almost taken aback. She looked almost exactly like Erai. He cleared his throat and straightened up. "I'm here to take you." he explained with a shrug. Vex almost looked disappointed. She wouldn't have been so upset if Jason had been her buyer. He smiled at her softly, and offered his hand. "Gather your things. We're leaving immediately."

"But it's three in the morning!" the nurse scolded. "Can't it wait until morning?"

Jason turned to look at the nurse and scowled a little. He reached into his pocket, seemingly for a cell phone, and she held up her hands to stop him. He relaxed and sighed, but then reached for something else: his second gun. He flipped the safety and aimed it at the nurse and the manager, narrowing his eyes. "Call the guards. Tell them to load all the girls up into the vans and get them away from the compound. I'm calling in a bomb threat." he growled.

The manager and the nurse both gaped, and he nodded at Vex, waving her over. "You can't do that! I'm calling your bluff!" the nurse growled, taking a step forward, her eyes hard on him.

"No?" Jason asked, holding up a button in his fingers. "I push this, the place blows from the ground up." he snapped and she stepped back again. "Call. The. Guards." He focused on the manager and she pulled out her cell phone, dialing in for the intercom. Her voice came over the speakers in every room a moment later, shouting orders to evacuate the girls into the largest transportation vehicle they had, which was a semi with a long trailer, big enough to hold all the girls inside. "Tell them to wait at the city gates." he hissed. She did, then hung up. "Good. Thank you." he whispered and pulled Vex into his arms. He subtely handed her a small knife, looking down at her briefly. "Know how to use this?" She nodded and smiled, taking the knife from him happily. She was getting out of here... and the other girls were going with them. Jason then smirked at the women, waving for them to step into Vex's bedroom. They acquiesced, shifting into the tiny bathroom with no door on it. He kept his aim on them, then once they were inside the bathroom, and he made sure Vex wasn't watching, he shot them both in the head, before turning Vex's mattress up against the doorway to keep them hidden. He then grabbed Vex's hand, moving into the hallway just as the girls were being hustled out and down the stairs. "Go go!" he called to all of the girls, hiding his gun inside his jacket again so he wouldn't scare them. All the while, he didn't release his hand around Vex's.

Once they were outside, he watched the guards load all the girls up into the back of the semi, watching them all take their seats with whimpers of fright. The bomb threat, coupled with hearing the gunshots, had them all terrified. They didn't argue though, sickly-looking, most of them pale and broken. He nodded at the guards. "Thanks boys, I'll take the semi, you guys sweep the building for the bomb." he ordered, flashing his badge and they nodded, all hustling back inside as they were told. He helped Vex into the back of the semi and closed the doors gently, then climbed into the driver's seat after pulling the guard that had been sitting there out and knocking him unconscious. He pulled himself in and revved up the engine. This was easier than he thought. He drived out of the city gates, heading back onto the highway towards the city Erai had pointed out. Another two day drive... It would be a long one. But he had the girls. He had Vex. And soon, he would have Erai, just like he'd promised.

They were just out of the gates, though, when he saw cars coming up behind him, flashing lights and sirens. He cursed, stepping on the gas. He would have to lose them somehow. He pulled out his gun and checked the chamber. Twelve more bullets, plus another clip of fifteen in his jacket. He cursed again. He really hoped this worked out in his favor....

---

Erai awoke eight hours later. Fully rested and wide awake. Ruffeling through her duffel bag she grabbed her shampoo and soap. Making her way over to the bathroom, she tore off her clothes and climbed into the hot waterfall. Letting the water drum against her for a while before she began washing and soaping her body. After all trace of suds were gone and swirling around the drain she shut the water off and grabbed a towel that was waiting just outside of the shower. Wrapping herself in the towel she grabbed another and wrapped it around her damp hair. Sighing heavily she moved into her room and grabbed a pair of shirts and a purple tank top out of her duffel. Slipping into the clothes she tugged her boots on and headed to the elevator. She rode it all the way down to the main floor and wandered towards the kitchen. She didn't see anyone so maybe she was the only one awake.

There was a small clutter in the kitchen, before Rixon came into view, holding a couple of frying pans and a slab of bacon, carrying them towards the stove. He looked up when he heard Erai and he smiled slightly. "Hey." he whispered softly, watching her as he rubbed his hands on a cloth of the bacon grease on his fingers. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine...I guess." Sighing heavily she saw a stool off to the side and decided to climb up into it. Getting comfortable she watched him with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing?" Erai watched him closely, unsure how to be around him now. Apparently he was sleeping with her younger sister and she wasn't at all sure how she felt about that. Was he just making his way through her family, or did he really care about Simi? Sighing she shook her head and looked out a nearby window. There were men outside setting up the sensors they used. Smiling she shook her head. "Tray already hard at work?"

"Yeah. Him and half of the guys." Rixon nodded seriously, starting to cook the bacon and some eggs. He glanced at her and smiled slightly. "I'm making Simi breakfast in bed. She's exhausted from the trip yesterday." he explained with a shrug, looking back at his task at hand. "I know we haven't been together long... but she really is something... Especiale." he whispered in Spanish and sighed, shaking his head with a whistful look in his eyes. He looked at her and tilted his head. "What happened to what's his face?"

Erai stiffened visibly at the mention of Jason. "He had something he had to do." Furrowing her eyebrows in anger, Erai jumped down from the stool and hurried out of the room. Sure Rixon didn't know what was going on, but his question still felt heartless to her. Shaking her head, she headed across the main room and into where the pool sat. Of course the water was empty of debris, it being inside and all but the water was rather cloudy. Making her way over to a storage closet, she noticed a bunch of chemicals and began dumping them into the pool. Flipping a switch, she turned on the pump and smiled. Should be good as new and ready to swim in no time. Glancing around she saw a bunch of loungers and decided to go lay on one. She had nothing to do right now. The boys were taking care of everything which made her feel very useless.

---

They were almost there... He had to keep telling himself that, they were almost there. "Sh-shit.." Jason grunted, adjusting himself in the seat as he gripped one hand around the steering wheel and the other pressed a cloth into his bleeding side. He had gotten shot during the firestorm yesterday... and it wasn't deadly, but if he didn't hurry, it might get infected, or bleed out.

"Jason, c'mon, you can't keep driving! You haven't gotten any sleep and you're hurt! Let me drive! I can do it, just tell me what to do!" Vex insisted with an exasperated sigh.

Jason looked at her and grit his teeth, breathing heavily through his nose, but he gave her a warm smile. He had a black eye and dry blood on his lip from where his nose had bled. But the bullet wound was the worst. "I'm fine... Besides... the pain keeps me a-awake.." he grunted and gave a forced laugh, but winced and cut himself short, looking ahead again. "J-just relax. We're almost there.." he whispered breathlessly. His head was starting to feel fuzzy.

---

Leif bit her lip as she sat on the bed, Roux asleep beside her, curled up on pillows and blankets. She stroked his ears slowly. She was nervous. She'd been spending a few hours every day, just quietly thinking to herself as she watched Tray work from the windows of their room. She wanted to talk to him.. but she was nervous.

Erai had kept to herself since they'd gotten there. She hasn't even talked to her sister. Rixon never left her side and that irritated her. Today she was out and about, walking the abandoned streets. Their shipment of supplies had arrived without a hitch and now they were left alone for a good while longer. Sighing heavily she leaned against an old car that most likely didn't run anymore and stared up at the sky. What was she going to do, just sit here and wait to see if he actually came back? Forget him, because she knew he wasn't coming back? Or hold onto the hope that he actually did love her and would return to her?

There was a sudden loud honking. A semi truck was headed into the city, with the customary logo of the compound from San Francisco. It barreled down the street before coming to a screeching halt about twenty feet from Erai. The passenger door opened first, and Vex jumped out, stumbling a little. She noticed Erai first thing and gasped, standing completely still, her eyes wide on her older sister. A moment later, the driver's side opened and the driver moved around the backside, unseen thanks to the semi, where the back of the truck was unlocked and opened and all of the girls from the compound came pouring out into the sunglight, sheilding their eyes and crying for joy at their new freedom. Vex, amidst the other girls, ran in full sprint for Erai, crying happily. "ERAI!"

Familiar faces surrounded her as her arms wrapped around Vex protectively. "What..." Glancing around she buried her face in her babysisters hair. Instantly she felt several pairs of arms surround her. "Oh my god..." Removing her gun from her holster, she held it up at eye level and waited for the driver to come their way. She didn't know who it was so she wasn't taking any changes. She could care less if they freed all these girls or not. They could still be a danger. "Girls get behind me." Vex of course did as she was told, but others were a bit more hesitant.

After a few minutes, the driver limped out into the sunlight from behind the truck, Jason leaning heavily against the trailor of the semi and panting with a gulp. Blood was staining his shirt, both old and dry, and covered in new patches from his wound. "H-hey..." he called weakly. And just like that, he lost it. He collapsed, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his legs having given out from under him. He'd lost so much blood.

Vex gave a squeal, breaking from Erai, and all of the girls followed her in a run back to Jason's limp body, kneeling and shaking him. "ERAI! Get someone! Hurry, he's been shot!" she whimpered.

"Don't touch him!" Pressing her finger against her ear, she spoke softly. "I need two men out on the right hand side of the motel. Tray, Rixon, you might want to join them. We have a big surprise out here." Within moments two men were jogging out of the hotel towards where Erai was pointing. Tray came out shortly after and stared at the group of girls. "What did he do, steal them all?" Erai smiled softly and came up behind the two men carrying Jason. "Appears so... Take him up to my room boys." They did as they were told and one of the women, who was a doctor, was called upstairs as well. Once they were in the pent house, they laid Jason on the long table and waited for the doctor to arrive. When she came up, she frowned at him and began getting to work on him. "Well good news is he doesn't need a transfusion. He just needs to be stitched up and rest. Lots of rest..." She was there for an hour before she decided he was done. "I'll be back when he wakes up to check on him." The woman patted Erai's arm and left them alone. Erai sat down on one of the chairs next to the table and stared at him. Moments later, her door opened and Simi and Vex both came and sat with her, their arms wrapped around her. "He'll be okay..." Simi mumbled softly, her lips pressed against Erai's head.

"I owe him everything... We all do." Vex whispered to her sister, watching Jason sadly. "He shot the compound manager and the nurse.... after he had them call the guards to evacuate us because of a bomb threat." she laughed as she remembered. "He got us all out safely... And then the cops came after us... They knew who he was and he got shot.." she whispered. "He was starting to get delusional towards the end of today's drive... he kept saying your name and how sorry he was." she explained and sighed, nuzzling Erai.

There was a soft knock at the door and Leif and Rixon both poked their heads in. Leif moved to the other side of the bed, opposite Erai and her sisters, and she gazed down at Jason's limp body. She sniffed and gave a small smile. He had let her go... and then had gone and rescued all the other girls... including Vex. If Erai was still mad at him after all of this, she wasn't sure what he could do to earn her forgiveness. She bit her lip and looked at Erai, nodding slowly. "Glad he's back." she whispered and then moved to leave, wanting to find Tray.

Rixon stayed silent, watching the guy on the bed, his face serious. He had dogtags around his neck just like Rixon's and Tray's. He really was Army from the city... and now he really was one of them. He looked at Erai and her sisters, nodding slowly at Simi. "I'll be in our room." he whispered softly before moving to kiss her. "Te Amo." He then turned and left the room slowly, closing the door behind him.

Erai reached out and clasped Jason's hand in hers. She wished she could tell him how sorry she was that he'd been injured. Sorry that she hadn't gone with him. Sorry she'd been angry at him. Sighing heavily she laid her head against his arms and closed her eyes.

Simi stood and kissed her sister on the top of her head. "I'll be in my room..." Nuzzling her sister affectionately, she sighed softly and crossed to Vex. Giving her younger sister and tight hug and a smile. "Glad you're here." Kissing her temple, she moved out of the room and went to join Rixon.

Vex, instead of leaving Erai's room like everyone else, she walked over to a large sofa and curled up on it, intending to take a nap. "Wake me if you need me, sissy..." A few short moments later you could hear soft snores coming from her baby sister.

It wasn't much longer that Jason began to stir, grunting and groaning in pain. His stitches were burning, achey, and they itched. He gulped and coughed a little, wincing and opening his eyes, tears stinging at the corners. "Ugh.... getting shot sucks..." he whispered hoarsely, scuffling on his bed a little uncomfortably.

"Jason...Oh god..." Erai jumped to her feet to hover over the table that he was laying on. "Vex, go get the doc!" Vex jumped up from where she was sleeping at her sisters words and bolted from the room. "Hi..." Looking down into Jason's face she forced a soft smile to her lips.

Jason looked up at Erai and blinked a couple of times before giving a small smile. "Hi..." he whispered and groaned. "I'm dead, aren't I? I mean... I know I got shot... and then everything went black... but I think I'm in the wrong place. There's an angel in front of me. Someone get the paperwork wrong?" he grunted and smirked up at her a little.

Erai rolled her eyes but couldn't help the huge smile that took over her face. "Don't be a dork." Her hands itched to reach out and grab ahold of him, afraid he may leave her again. Leaning down she kissed his forehead. "Thank you for bringing my sister..." Looking down into his eyes she smiled lovingly at him. God he was gorgeous and...REAL! He was right in front of her. He may be hurt but at least he had come back to her.

Jason coughed a small laugh and shrugged noncholantly on the bed before he winced and stilled again. "It was nothing... just some murder, sabotage, a few explosions... normal stuff." he lied and gulped up at her before giving a small frown. "And why not? Maybe I like being a dork..." He pouted, but it broke with a smile all too quickly. "I told you I would come back." he whispered, as if reading her mind.

"I know but then with the whole Leif thing...I was so confused. I didn't know what to think." Pressing her forehead against his she sighed heavily. "Never leave me again...Please..." Gently she ran her fingers through his hair, wanting desperately to crawl up and lay with him but not wanting to hurt him, she decided against it.

Jason sighed deeply, guiltily as he felt their foreheads pressed together and he closed his eyes with a sinking feeling in his chest. "Listen, Erai, I wasn't completely honest before, and I don't want to lie to you anymore.." he whispered with a strained voice. "I was the agent that was supposed to take Leif back to the senator. I was the one who let her go... And I killed the senator and my boss. I can only hope it's a START to the path of forgiveness from you." he gulped, opening his eyes to look up at her with shame pooling in them. They were dark blue... glinting grey. Sad. "I'm so sorry, Erai..."

A slow smile spread across her face as she waited for him to finish explaining. "I know. I'm a smart girl, give me some credit. I think deep down I knew it was you all along...but I just didn't care." Biting down on her bottom lip she looked into his eyes and shook her head. "None of it matters to me as long as you promise not to hide anything from me anymore." As if to seal the deal she kissed his lips softly, affectionately.

Jason let out a deep breath against her lips, his eyes closed happily. He raised his hands to tangle his fingers in her hair, holding her mouth against his happily and kissing her back deeply, before breaking it with a small wince and a hiss of pain, gingerly lowering his arm back down again. "You are a smart girl... a very smart girl to have figured that out." he nodded and smiled up at her warmly. "My smart girl.." he whispered, stroking her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "I mean... that is, if you still want to be mine?"

"I dont-" Just then she was cut off by the doctor coming into the room. Biting her bottom lip she shook her head. That had not come out right at all. "We'll talk in a little bit." Kissing his forehead she smiled, hoping he wouldn't take her cut off sentence to heart. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk, let alone tell him YES! "Oh thank goodness, your awake. How do you feel? Like hell I bet!"

Jason watched Erai closely, in silence, fear and anxiety crossing his eyes briefly before he put on a faux smile and looked at the doctor charmingly. "Yeah, like I got hit by a freight train. Wait, those don't run anymore... like a ghost of a freight train." he nodded and chuckled before wincing with a hiss of pain. "Shit... Got pain meds or something for me? Numbing cream? Something?"

The doctor frowned before turning to Erai as if asking for permission. Erai nodded her head gently as she rested against a nearby wall. She watched the doctor as she pulled out a needle and administered it to Jasons arm. "It'll take a bit to kick in but when it does you'll be right as rain." And with that she walked from the room leaving him in Erai's care. Erai looked over at Jason almost nervously.

Jason had tensed visibly at the sight of the needle, and when the doctor had injected his arm, he had to turn his head away and close his eyes with a grit of his teeth. He breathed slowly and pressed down on the spot to stop the bleeding, watching the doctor go with a nod. Once she was gone, he rolled his head to look at Erai, gulping a little. "That was an adventure." he whispered. He shifted and grunted in pain. "Do you think I can have another pillow..?"

"Why don't we move you to the bed instead? That way your more comfortable." Walking over to him she held her arms out, intending on walking him the ten feet to the bedroom. "Unless...you'd rather have your own room..." Her eyes turned away from hi--clearly she was upset by the thought of him even leaving her sight. But If its what he wanted then so be it.

Jason watched her, then tenderly reached his arm out and grabbed her hand, holding it a moment so that she'd look him in the eyes. "I will go wherever you need me." he whispered and gave her a soft smile, and hopefully it would be clear to her that this was a promise for more than just his recovery. He would really go wherever she wanted and needed him. No matter what. He truly had no strings attached anymore. With that, he slowly began to sit up, grunting and wincing in pain, but managing to get up onto his feet.

"Take your time. Go slow." Just then it hit Erai. They had no more girls to save. Jason had gotten them all out. Tears pricked her eyes as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "We will lay down and relax. How does that sound?" Smiling softly she kissed his cheek. "And to answer your question earlier...I don't just go around kissing anyone. Of course I want you. All of you. All the time." She felt the heat rise up her chest and to her cheeks as she said this knowing she was laying her heart out there to be hurt.

Jason grunted as he limped with her, leaning on her a little and taking deep breaths to steady himself. The pain meds were very slowly but surely starting to work their way into his system. He smiled at her and very carefully laid his head down against hers as they walked, nuzzling her hair and smelling her before whispering, "Ditto." He kissed her temple, then sighed in relief when the bed drew nearer. He cautiously slid himself onto the mattress and winced as he laid down, sighing and closing his eyes with relief. "Now get in here." he whispered and patted the empty space beside him.

Erai let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "I'll be right back." Leaving the bedroom she glanced around. Vex hadn't come back with the Doc. No big deal she'd be fine in a building full of Shield members. Going to the door she locked the dead bolt and made her way back to Jason. Even if they were just going to lay together, her room wasn't a train station, she didnt want people barging in at random. They had their mic system for reason. Shaking her head she crawled into bed beside Jason and carefully cuddled close to him.

Jason sighed happily at the feel of her warmth. He'd been starting to doze off when she'd disappeared to lock the door. Her movement on the bed made him peek out of one eye, and he carefully wrapped his good arm--the side that hadn't been shot--around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Mmmm... much better. The cure for what ailes me." he grumbled tiredly and smirked with his eyes closed.

Erai rolled her eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder. Placing her hand on his chest she sighed softly and closed her eyes as well. She could do with a small nap. There had been a lot of excitement today. When she'd gone for a walk she hadn't expected to find him and a semi full of girls. A smile spread across her face at the sight of him when he'd came around the semi. Gods she'd been so happy to see him.

---

Leif yawned slightly from the bed, Roux curled up at her feet and she just stared at the ceiling. "Jason is back, huh?" she asked Tray, glancing at him slightly. "How do you feel about that? He brought all those girls... I wonder how he did it?"

Tray sat at a desk, riffling through papers and blue prints of the surrounding buildings. They were going to be positioning bombs in case the government came after them. Before they'd left the old place they'd set off the same type of bombs, destroying the town and everything in it. Leaving behind no trace of them. Turning in his chair he shrugged. "I don't feel anything about it. I'm sure he'll tell us how he did when he's ready. Either that or Erai will." This time he'd better not leave her, that's for sure. He thought to himself.

Leif nodded slowly and sighed whistfully, her hand rhythmically stroking Roux's fur. He was already getting bigger, thanks to the food they'd been giving him. Poor thing had been so thin and fragile when she'd found him. But over the last week or so, he'd been eating so much, gaining weight, exercising... the little pup had promise. "Maybe we can start training Roux to be an attack dog?" she asked and smiled at Tray almost playfully. "You can take him with you on your rounds."

"That's actually not a bad idea. Damn good idea." Tray watched the two together and smiled. It was as if the dog had been made for her, a perfect match. His intercom beeped just then and a voice came over it. "Tray, all the girls have been assigned rooms. We're all good." Tray smiled softly and pressed the button. "Awesome, thanks."

Leif smiled at the sound of the voice over the intercom and the news that all of the girls were now settled in rooms. There had been about a hundred and fifty of them. No doubt, almost every room in this hotel would be occupied now. Some may even have roommates. But that would be a pleasant change for these girls that were forced to live alone, in rooms without doors. Now they would have beautiful rooms with comfortable beds, pillows, baths, and good food, without fear of having their privacy invaded... or molested. She stood up slowly and swayed her hips as she moved up behind Tray, her hands massaging into his hair against his scalp and she smiled down at him. "Come to bed..." she whispered, leaning down and nipping his earlobe with her teeth.

Tray visibly shivered. He knew he needed to say no, that he had work to do, but his mind, heart, and crotch all told him differently. Clearing his throat he looked around the room. What if something happened and he was needed? He'd have to keep the intercom on and the door unlocked. "Okay..." Standing, he quickly turned and scooped her into his arms bridal style. Walking her over to the bed he gently laid her down on top of it before leaning down and kissing her lips.

Leif laughed as she was scooped up, and she adjusted herself on the bed gently beneath him, but being sure to raise her hips to grind against his provocatively. "Mmm.." she hummed against his lips, her hands tangled in his hair. "Make love to me, Tray... please..." she whispered. "Let's chisten these sheets."

Tray blushed softly and searched her eyes before shaking his head. "No, Leif. I don't want our relationship to be based around sex. That's all we ever do." Sighing heavily, he gently pulled away and sat at the edge of the bed and looked down at her.

Leif sat up slowly, watching him with a disbelieving frown. She stayed silent, opening her mouth to say something, then closing it again slowly, looking hurt. "I know I have limited experience in the matter but... I was under the impression that sex and making love were two entirely different things." she whispered sadly. She shuffled to the opposite edge of the bed and hugged herself a little. "Sorry I asked." She sighed and got up, moving to the door silently, sadly.

"Hey...that's not at all what I meant." As she walked by Tray gently grabbed her arm and brought her to a stop. "I'm just not in the mood. I've got a lot on my mind and a lot still to do to set up. It's my job to keep these people safe, especially while Erai is busy taking care of Jason. So please don't make me feel bad for telling you no for the first time ever." His eyes were soft but behind them he felt himself growing angry. She was mad at him because he didn't want to have sex. They'd had more sex in the past couple weeks then he'd probably had in his life. She was a distraction to his work and in the first few days it was vital for him to focus. "I'm not trying to be mean Leif... I just have a responsibility. You understand?"

Leif frowned down at him with a small pout. "Sure. I understand." she whispered and gently tugged her arm free. "You have work." She then scooped Roux up into her arms and cradled him, moving to give Tray a kiss on the cheek. "It's not about the sex for me either." she whispered softly in his ear. "I just want to spend some time with my boyfriend." She didn't want to have to remind him yet again that she'd never had a boyfriend before, hadn't even known what one was, that she'd never done this before. Sex was all she knew right now. What else was she good for as his girlfriend? What else could she do for him? She stood up again and tried to give him a forced smile, then turned to go. "I'm gonna go feed Roux."

Tray watched as she walked away and sighed softly. His words never came out properly. Shaking his head, he left the room behind her and walked down the hallway to Erai's room. Knocking on the door, he listened and when there wasn't an answer he frowned and went back to his own room. Sitting back down at his desk, he looked over some more blue prints.

Jason jumped awake a little at the knock on the door. He sat up a little, then was frozen mid-action from the pain in his side, making him gasp and wince in obvious agony as he felt back onto the bed beside Erai. "Sh-shit!" he coughed and writhed a little. "Fuck me sideways, that hurt..." he groaned in a whine and glanced back up at the door before looking for Erai. "Erai?"

Erai stepped out of the adjoining bathroom and rushed over to Jason's side. "Im here." Pressing her lips to his forehead she scooted close and wrapped a gentle arm around him. "I'm sorry. I should put a sign on the door or something. Gods, are you okay?" her tone was soft but laced with worry as she watched him carefully.

Jason relaxed visibly when he saw Erai and he laid back down on the pillow, a hand over his stitches. "Ugh.... Yeah, I'm alright." he whispered. "The knock on the door just kinda startled me, that's all... I'm not usually such a light sleeper.." he frowned. It was also strange considering he'd been on such strong pain medications. He closed his eyes a moment and relaxed, just breathing and getting his heart rate back down, then opened them again and looked at her face with a soft smile. "Mmmm... I still got to wake up to your beautiful mug though, so it's all good..."

"Mug?" Raising her eyebrow in a questioning manner she shook her head and giggled softly. "The beautiful part kind of gets vetoed when you use the word mug, silly." Leaning forward she pressed her lips against his cheek with a soft smile across her lips. "But I'll forgive you."

Jason chuckled and shrugged apologetically. "Thanks." he whispered and smiled, tilting his head a little more so he could kiss her lips lightly, humming against them. "Now that's the stuff..." he whispered and smiled against her mouth, wrapping his good hand up into her hair and holding her mouth down against his. "Mmm... Sorry, I'm sure I taste like morning breath." he frowned.

"I-I wasn't really focused on your breath." Swallowing nervously she shook her head. "You can't kiss me like that in the condition your in. It gets me all...Hot and bothered and I don't want to hurt you if I can't control myself and jump your bones." Frowning slightly she sat back and looked down at him. Gods he looks yummy...

Jason smirked up at her a little with a cocked eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. His hair felt messy... knotted and curled around his head from his sweat over the last couple of days. He just felt completely grimey. "Oh really? Well, I'll have you know, Miss Erai, that I'm shot, not broken." he winked. "But before we do get down and dirty again... I need to clean up. I feel disgusting. I wouldn't touch me either." he nodded seriously. "Wanna help me shower, nurse?" he smirked playfully.

"How about I sit on the toilet and make sure you don't hurt yourself? I'm not really up for taking a shower right now." Smiling softly she climbed out of bed and came around to his side. Holding her arms out she waited for him to grab on so that she could help him. He may not be broken but she didn't want to hurt him either.

"Mmm, what about a sponge bath then? I'm really not picky." Jason teased playfully as he helped himself up with her arms, grunting and hissing with pain as he managed to get up onto his feet. He sighed deeply and smiled at her reassuringly, then leaned heavy on her as he limped to the bathroom. He felt sore all over today... like he'd been exercising for a marathon over the last three days. Every muscle hurt and protested with his movements. "Actually... maybe a bath would be better..." he said, seriously this time.

"Alright. It's a jacuzzi, so the jets should help with pain." Walking him into the bathroom she placed him on the toilet and walked over to start the water. The jacuzzi was huge, as the water took a while to fill, but once it was she turned on the jets and smiled. "Come on, let's get you naked." Smiling she came over and began taking his clothes off.

Jason chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I like that idea." he winked and helped her strip himself of his clothes very carefully, moving slowly with his protesting and tired muscles, and the burning itch of his healing stitches in his side. He sighed with relief once his shirt was over his head and he sat naked in front of Erai, giving a glance down at his side. It was red and moist, meaning it was healing properly. He sighed and struggled to stand up again, then slid very easily into the bath, relaxing with a hiss at the warm water as it kissed his stitches. "Ooooh..." he groaned and closed his eyes, letting the jet-propelled water just clean him. "That's great... There's only one thing that could make this better." he said, peeking out of one eye suggestively at Erai.

Erai chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and sighed. "Fine, but if it hurts it's your own fault!" Shedding her clothes and tossing them aside, she padded over to the jacuzzi and climbed in, carefully positioning herself next to him. Looking down at his stiches, she frowned. She felt bad that he had been hurt.

"Hey..." Jason's voice rolled softly as his fingers curled under her chin, lightly tipping her head back so their eyes could meet. "Don't stress over it." he whispered and kissed her forehead, then her nose, then each cheek, her chin, and finally, her lips, holding the kiss there as his hand stroked back into her hair, resting at the nape of her neck and stroking her jaw with his thumb as he deepened the kiss, closing his eyes. He moaned lightly against her lips, glad that the hot water and jets were soothing his muscles. It made it easier to concentrate on the hot woman in front of him.

Erai gasped softly against his lips as he kissed her. Carefully she pressed her hands against his chest, running her fingertips up and down ever so slightly. She didn't go down to far for fear of agitating his stiches. Flicking her tongue out against lips, she smiled softly. "Mmm... I've missed you."

Jason chuckled gently, careful not to irritate his side, and nodded in agreement. "I missed you too." he whispered honestly down against her mouth, peeking out at her through his lashes and smiling charmingly. "I've only been gone for--what--five days? And you only knew me for two." he joked, sliding his hand down from her neck, over her shoulder and teasingly down her side towards her hip. "Not that I'm complaining... They were the best two days of my life."

"Which amazes me. I've never gotten attached to someone so quickly or strongly." She refused to say she loved him. Because it was too soon. How could she know if she did? What if he didn't feel the same? No, it was best to keep quiet and have him say it first...if ever.

Jason smiled down at her, looking genuinely flattered and touched for a moment before his playful smirk replaced it. "Well, ya know... I have that effect on women." he winked and chuckled, kissing her again firmly to hide his wince of pain from laughing. He wrapped his arms around her gently and pulled her closer to him, admiring the feel of her naked body against his under the water. "Mmmm... I could get used to this special treatment." he mumbled against her lips. "Maybe I should get shot more often?"

Erai glared down at him. "I'll kick your ass." She threatened. She hated seeing him hurt. The urge to cry when she first saw him, bleeding and then him fainting was still fresh and she couldn't shake it. He could have died, his injury could be much worse. What would she have done if he'd died? Oh gods, just the thought brought tears to her eyes. Shaking her head she leaned her forehead against the side of his head and sighed softly.

"Hey, hey..." Jason whispered softly, soothingly, his arms wrapping around her and stroking her hair, leaning his head against hers as he crooned to her. "I'm okay... how many times do I have to tell you that? I'm one lucky son-of-a-bitch, for more than just one reason." he whispered into her ear, then pulled her back so she'd look him in the eyes. "I'm alive and kicking, okay? Want me to prove it to you?" he asked and started kicking his legs in the water a little, splashing it all over the place outside of the tub and smirking at her. He then grabbed her hand and placed it on his achingly hard cock, gasping a little at the contact. "Alive." he reassured her, though it wasn't a joke. He was watching her firmly, just trying to reassure her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Erai gasped as her hand came into contact with him. Biting down on her bottom lip, she nodded her head gently. "Okay..." Sighing heavily she turned her eyes up to look into his. Blushing slightly, she frowned. For some reason she was very nervous, as if it was her first time being naked in front of him, which it wasn't. They were lovers now and had been for a few days but being away from him for almost a week made her giddy and bashful.

Jason smiled softly at her as she nodded, but he couldn't help notice she was nervous. He stroked a hand under her chin and kissed her lips, then released her and tilted his head. "What's wrong?" he whispered, watching her seriously, all joking playfulness gone from his tone and his posture. He wasn't sure why he cared so much for this woman, but he sure as hell did. Why else would he go and rescue over a hundred girls from the breeder's compound? Kill his boss and become a fugitive? All for her. Only her. "Tell me."

"I'm not sure. For some reason I felt as if it was my first time being naked in front of you. Which is entirely wrong." Giggling softly, Erai shrugged her shoulders as she laid down a bit more comfortably. Throwing one leg over his so they fit a bit better in the jacuzzi.

"Entirely wrong." Jason echoed and nodded firmly with a mock seriousness as his hand squeezed her ass lightly, and he smiled down at her. "But maybe it's just that... you might feel that I'm looking at you in a new light?" he asked with a shrug and tilted his head down at her. "We're not just fuck buddies anymore.... are we?" He didn't want to assume anything...

Erai inhaled deeply as a deep crimson rose up and covered most of her body. Shaking her head, a small smile spread across her face. We're not just fuck buddies anymore... are we? That sentence had more meaning in it than she had expected. Was he asking if they were an...item? She'd never had an actual partner before, just fuck buddies. At one time Tray had wanted to be more but, that would have just been weird. Looking up into Jason's eyes she blushed more deeply than before.

Jason smiled widely at her unspoken response, leaning his forehead down against hers and closing his eyes as he whispered, "Good... because I'm not sharing you with anyone." he growled playfully, but it was sincere. He tightened his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, kissing her shoulder. "You're mine, Erai... If that's alright...?"

Erai groaned loudly as she wrapped her arms around him and carefully straddled him. "Gods, that's more than alright! That's wonderful!" Sighing heavily she leaned down and kissed his lips, passionately, roughly, as if she'd needed this for a very long time and she was finally getting it. Perfect... he wants me all to himself!

Jason laughed a little from under her lips, his hands moving to hold her hips and help keep her up on his lap. He kissed her back hungrily, moaning against her lips as he felt her weight on his cock. "M-mm... Good." he smirked at her playfully and wrapped his arms tighter around her shoulders, pinning her body against his as he continued to kiss her.

"Careful.." Wrapping her thighs more snugly around him, she rocked her hips ever so slightly. She couldnt tell if she slid against him easily from her own dampness or from the water and it really didn't matter. Because she wanted him, and she wanted him bad. "Jason...Mmm... Make love to me..." Her lips trembled against his as she asked him. Once again as nervous as a first time lover.

Jason gasped a sharp hiss of air from the feel of her sex against his cock and he rolled his head back, closing his eyes and kissing her hard. "not here... Mmm-bed..." he mumbled against her lips. They were clean enough now. He could shower afterwards and really scrub away the day, but for now... he wanted her so badly it hurt. "Help me up." he commanded gently, giving her hips a squeeze before letting her go.

Erai groaned softly and shook her head as she slowly stood. Reaching down she unplugged the drain and held her hands out to help Jason up. Why couldn't they just do it here? They were already here and she was aching for him, her crotch dripping wet as anticipation sank in. Gods she needed him. But she'd have to be patient, she didn't want to end up hurting him.

Jason stood up from the tub with a grunt, not of pain, but of soreness. That jacuzzi bath had helped a lot, as it turned out. He carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him and kissing her hard, hungry and passionately, then took her hands and led her into the bedroom again with his signature limp. He stopped beside the bed and pulled her to him again, kissing her again and again, his hands exploring her body lightly. One hand slid down her front and to her crotch, cupping it lightly before massaging a finger against her, sliding it in. He gave a hiss of pleasure. "Mmn... you're so wet already..." he whispered appreciatively, then moved to sit on the bed, pulling her into his lap.

"Only because I want you so damn bad..." Erai turned slightly so she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. Her voice was breathy from having him probe her crotch just seconds before. Sure it was nothing compared to having him inside her but it felt good none the less. She wanted more...so much more.

Jason hummed happily against her lips at her words, smiling and blushing a little before kissing her again deeply. He then shifted to lay back on the bed, so she was laying on top of him and he whispered, "You're gonna have to be on top.. my movements are limited at the moment." He opened his eyes to hers, but they were playful. "Ride me, Erai..."

Erai carefully straddled him. Instead of sliding down him right away, she slid her wetness along the length of his cock, pressing her clit against the head every so often. "Ah.." Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply. Go slow... She wanted to take it slow, make it last this time. Normally he felt so good inside her that she wanted to cum right away, today, she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of him pleasuring her.

Jason breathed deeply, closing his eyes and relaxing his head back with his hands on her thighs, thumbs stroking in small circles up her legs towards her clit, then pulling away when he was just short. He liked teasing her. "Mmmf... Fuck, Erai..." he groaned at the feel of her wet slit on his shaft. He wanted to be inside her so badly. He gave her thighs a squeeze, then moved his hands up to her hips, then up further to her breasts, kneading, massaging, and teasing the flesh, tugging on and rolling her nipples teasingly.

Erai rose up and placed the head of his dick just at her entrance. Looking directly into his eyes, she slid down the length of him. Groaning loudly, she him all the way in her for a few moments before moving, just relishing in the feel of him being inside her. "You fit so perfectly...so good..." Shuddering slightly, she began moving up and down along his length.

"A-ah... oh fuck..." Jason breathed shakily and his eyes fluttered closed a little before he opened them again to look up at her. He wanted to watch her... to see her in her pleasure. He held her hips lightly in both hands, massaging the flesh as he helped her move slowly, groaning and breathing heavily. She was right... it was a perfect fit every time. Like they were made for each other. He moaned and relaxed back against the bed, licking his lips and watching her. "You're so beautiful..."

Moaning softly she continued her slow pace but having him go deep with hard thrusts. Placing her hands on top of his she squeezed gently as she continued up and down. Rolling her hips slightly she slid the length of him all the way into her to grind her clit against him. Crying out in pleasure, she threw her head back. Groaning she shivered slightly and shook her head. "Slow..." She wanted to keep herself going slow but was getting increasingly more aroused and her body wanted her to move faster.

Jason bit his lip, watching her and breathing deeply, moving his hands from her hips to hold hers to help keep her steady, their fingers laced on each hand. "Erai... mmf.. J-just a little faster? Please?" he whined, rolling his hips under hers, closing his eyes. He wanted to enjoy this too, and go as slowly as she wanted to, but this was torture.

Biting her bottom lip, Erai groaned. "If I go faster we wont last long..." But even as she was speaking her speed increased, and continued to increase until she thought so couldn't go any faster. "O-Oh! Mmm...." Gripping his hands tightly she moaned loudly as whimpers escaped her lips. Throwing her head back she closed her eyes as pleasure began over taking her.

"Nn! Erai! Oh gods.." Jason panted, trying to raise his hips to meet hers as best as he could. "F-fuck! I'm gonna... Mmf, I'm gonna cum, baby..." he whimpered, looking up at her through hot eyes. "Cum with me, baby... come on.."

"Yes...Yes...Yes!" Rocking her hips faster and harder she cried out in pleasure as her pussy lips tightened around him, throbbing violently as he sent her over the edge into a blissful orgasm. "O-oh Jason! Im...Cumming!" She let out a soft scream of delight as she peaked her orgasm, clamping down on him in a vice grip.

Jason moaned out loud too, watching her face as she came around him before closing his eyes and leaning his head back into the pillow, feeling her body clentch and pulse around him, milking him for everything he had. He let himself go, blissfully releasing deep inside of her and panting deeply as his orgasm overcame him. He gulped and breathed deeply, clutching her hands still and slowly relaxing beneath her. "Wow..." he panted with a slight blush, smiling to himself.

Erai rolled off and laid beside him, propping her head on his chest. Her heart swelled as she laid beside him. Overcome by emotion, tears pricked her eyes. Sniffling softly, she inhaled deeply. Calm down, stupid, you don't want him asking what's wrong...

Jason breathed deeply, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and hugging her close to his side, admiring the feel of her head on his chest, his heart thudding under her ear. He smiled happily, his eyes closed, until he heard her sniffling. He shifted to look down at her slightly, tilting his head. "Overcome by a cold all of a sudden?" he asked, though it was a joke, and obviously he was asking her what was wrong, especially with the look in his eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Running her hand up and down his side she closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Yawning gently she reached over and laced their fingers together. Swallowing past the lump in her throat she willed herself to fall asleep.

Jason watched her silently a few moments, just watching her sleep and studying her relaxed, blissful and innocent face... She looked so peaceful when she slept. He brushed his fingers against her face, stroking her hair back and behind her ear, gulping nervously as he laid there with her. This woman was amazing to him... So amazing. Very slowly, thanks to the bath, the sex, and any residual pain medications still running through his blood stream, he fell asleep.

Erai awoke a few hours later in Jason's arms. Moving ever so slowly, she slipped out of bed and headed into the kitchen. She had grabbed a few things a couple of days ago, so she hadn't needed to be around people and stashed it in her room so she had some stuff to make breakfast. She decided on scrambled eggs and sausage and began fixing it.

Jason woke up about twenty minutes later, groaning and wincing in pain. Whatever had worked last night, wasn't working anymore. He breathed in deeply, his breath hitching in his chest at the pain it caused. He probably had a bruised rib or two... He shifted on the bed and realized Erai's weight wasn't on him... or even on the bed. "Erai..?" he called gently, not wanting to freak out just yet.

Erai was in the middle of setting up the table when he called out. Setting the final plate down, she rushed into the bedroom, completely naked. "Yes.. You okay?" Her voice was soft and laced with worry and she hurried over to his side of the bed.

Jason looked up at her and sighed in relief, giving her a tired, thankful, and pained smile. "I-I'm... surviving." he whispered with a grunt of pain as he struggled to pull himself up into a sitting position. He cradled his arm against his ribs, wincing and looking down at his stitches. Still red and moist. Good. He sighed and looked up at her, then sniffed the air. "Something smells really good..." he whispered, realizing then just how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten over the last five days... too busy saving lives and taking others.

"I made breakfast. Think you're up to sitting at the table? I have more pain killers you can take." Smiling softly, Erai moved to his side and wrapped an arm around him to help him to get up. Her stomach softly growled as she leaned over to kiss his lips. Blushing, she let out a soft giggle. "Oops..."

Jason laughed lightly, but stopped short with a wince and a grunt, watching her. "It's alright. I know how you feel." he said with a soft pat on her stomach with his hand. He chuckled and pulled himself up from the bed with her help, limping out to the table and he slowly sat down, breathing deeply once he was comfortable and looking at the food, smelling it, and starting to drool. "Dear gods, that looks and smells amazing!"

Erai placed a needle in front of him. "You can do it or I can. We haven't converted it to pills yet." Shrugging her shoulders, she began filling their plates. Sitting down beside him, she placed her hands in her lap and crossed one leg over the other. She was glad the door was locked. It would be awkward if someone walked into them eating breakfast in the nude.

Jason gulped at the sight of the needle in front of himself, but at the same time, he couldn't refuse the mediciation. He was in a lot of pain from his gunshot wound and he wanted the relief. Especially from his bruised ribs. "C-can you do it?" he asked, not willing to even touch the needle. "Please?" He looked at her, nervous fear crossing his eyes slightly.

Erai chewed on her bottom lip and nodded her head. "Sure..." Standing, she moved over to his side and picked up the needle. Biting her bottom lip, she found a vein in his arm arm and pressed into it. Shooting the liquid into his arm, she frowned deeply before removing the needle. Sittng back down,she smiled at him. "Give it a minute..."

Jason had turned his head away and shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself and resisting the urge to tense up when she injected the medication into him. He breathed out in relief when she withdrew the needle and, shuddering, he folded his arm to stop the bleeding and gulped back the lump in his throat. He looked at her with a forced smile and nodded, clearing his throat and turning back to his food. Thankfully, he still felt really hungry. "Mmm, This is great." he said after his first bite.

Erai smiled softly as she began chewing her food and sighed. "Oh it is good..." Blushing she looked over at him and nodded. "Thank you. So are you up for going downstairs? The boys fixed up the pool and it looks amazing. That or we can sit in the hot tub..." Smiling she took a big bite out of her eggs and groaned. She loved scrambled eggs, absolutely loved them!

"I would love to, I think that sounds amazing, but... I'm not sure I should be sitting in chlorinated water with my bullet wound..." Jason shrugged slightly with a frown. "We can ask the doc, I guess. But I don't wanna risk anything." He then took a bite of his bacon and groaned happily. "Man... Your bacon might just be better than your sex." he teased playfully, winking at her with a grin.


"Im not entirely sure that that is a compliment." Raising an eyebrow at him, she frowned gently before smiling. "I already asked the Doctor, she said the stiches are good enough that the water won't bug it and the chlorine may even help clean it a little better." Finishing her plate she set her silverware aside and watched him through smiling eyes.

"Oh... well, then alright!" Jason laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck as he finished his bacon with small bites, then greedily scarfed down his eggs and gulped back his orange juice. That was the best meal he'd had in days. It was the only meal he'd had in days. He leaned over in his chair towards her and kissed her deeply, closing his eyes. "Gods, I missed you."

Erai moaned against his lips and shook her head. "I cannot help myself enough as it is around you, please don't make it harder on me." Blushing deeply she pulled away from him and began clearing the table. You love this man, you idiot... Sighing heavily she moved away from him. But she couldn't quite tell him that, now could she? No, that might push him away and that she wouldnt be able to live with.

Jason watched her with a small, playful smirk, and he sighed a little, pulling himself to stand before looking around. "Have you seen my pants?" he asked, noticing he was still naked. So was she... not that she was a bad sight. He loved admiring her figure. "On second thought... screw the pants." He moved towards her with a small limp, pulling her backwards against him so his erection pressed into her lower back and he kissed her neck, his hands sliding around her front.

"Jason!" Gasping loudly she shook her head and hurriedly wiggled out of his embrace. "No..." Pressing a hand to her forehead, she sighed heavily and wandered out of the room and into the bedroom. Tossing his pants out of the bedroom, she closed and locked the door to get dressed herself into her bathing suit and a pair of shorts. Running a hand through her hair she came out of the bedroom and looked over at Jason, almost apologetically.

Jason had frowned deeply, like some chastened puppy, when she had pulled away and said no. He blushed and sighed, running a hand through his hair before leaning to pick up his pants from the floor and pulling them on with a pained grunt at having to bend and shuffle into his pants. Once he was done, he sat down in a chair and shook his head, his forehead in his palm, and he closed his eyes. It's alright... She can say no. It's not a complete deal breaker. It doesn't mean she doesn't still like you. She's just not in the mood. He gulped and looked up when she reappeared, his brow furrowed. He cleared his throat and pulled himself to stand with a wince, limping towards the bedroom and passed her. "Sorry..." he mumbled sadly as he shuffled passed her and into the bedroom, moving to lay on the bed with a deep breath of relief once he was on his back.

"I should be the one saying sorry. I tend to push people away when I feel...unknown feelings towards them. I very much want you. I just...Don't want to get hurt is all..." Sighing heavily, Erai leaned her head against the doorframe and closed her eyes, a headache growing increasingly more annoying as time went by.

"What's unknown about it?" Jason asked softly, his eyes opening to stare up at the ceiling, his hands resting on his chest. He was comfortable on his back, the pressure on his spine and off of his bruised ribs and sore stitches. "I'm pretty sure you know how you feel, Erai. I know I do." He shifted to look at her slightly, then waved for her to come into the room.

Erai came over and sat beside him. "Not really. It's clear you like fucking me... But beyond that I'm not entirely sure how you feel. And it's unknown because...I've never felt like this before." Letting out a deep breath, she shook her head and looked away from him as a deep blush covered her chest and face.

Jason frowned at her a little in confusion, then grunted and pulled himself to sit up, leaning back against the headboard of the bed and watching her with his hands in his lap. "Erai... I love fucking you." he said firmly. "But it's not just because you're a very sexy woman that I can't keep my hands off of..." He blushed and sighed, rubbing his neck shyly. "I've never really had a relationship before, Erai. Well, I have, but it didn't last long and it wasn't that great. Sex is kinda all I know." He shrugged and frowned at her. "But I know for a fact that I miss you when you're gone... and I love being near you. I love touching you, smelling you, tasting you... I can't get enough of kissing you..." he whispered, reaching out and taking her hand. "C'mon... gimme a chance."

"I'm trying. I really am. I guess I just doubt things. My greatest fear is being hurt. I've been around men for the past two years who have devoted themselves to NOT hurting me." Shrugging her shoulders she looked down at their hands with a sweet smile.

Jason gave a small, short laugh, and shook his head. "I left you so that I could blow the compound and my boss--and the senator--to bits, and bring back your sister and every other girl in that hellhole. I know that hurt you... to find out that I was the one that was supposed to take Leif back. But I swear, that was the only time I would ever willingly hurt you. It was to protect you. Trust me, Erai... hurting you is the last thing I want to do." he whispered, giving her hand a squeeze and smiling at her softly. "I want to protect you. If you'll let me."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Erai nodded her head gently. "Yes..." She whispered softly as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. "Forgive me for doubting? Please..." She begged softly as her lips brushed against his neck. Love... Tell him you love him... No! It's too soon. This isn't love! It's...extreme liking...

Jason smiled and hugged her tightly to his chest, nuzzling into her neck and closing his eyes as he admired the feel of her against him again. "Always." he whispered in her ear, then shifted to lay down again, pulling her up to lay with him. "Erai..." he whispered, just wanting to say her name, then sighed softly in her hair, happily, closing his eyes again. "For the record... the day I left you? That wasn't fucking to me." He kissed her neck. "That was the first time I'd ever made love. And I'm glad it was with you."

Erai turned her head so she could look up at him and blushed. "Me too..." Burying her face in his neck she sighed contently, cuddling close to him. It was an amazing feeling, just to lay there in his arms, relaxing. "Have the pain meds kicked in yet?" She trailed her fingers up and down his chest, making sure not to go near his wound for fear of irritating it.

"A little bit." Jason nodded with a small hum, his eyes closed and a soft smile at his lips as his own hand ran up and down her shoulder, just feeling her skin. "But I think I need a little something sweet to give it a boost." He grinned down at her cheekily, and leaned down, just kissing her deeply. He wouldn't go much further than that, seeing as how his ego and pride were still recovering from her rejection earlier, but he liked just kissing her too.

Erai kissed him back, running her fingers through his hair. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. This is all new to me." Sighing heavily she laid her head back on his chest feeling slightly off kilter. Sure she enjoyed their sexual encounters but she didn't want it to just be about that. She wanted to know him as a person as well.

Jason nodded and shrugged, hugging her to his side and closing his eyes again. "It's alright, Erai. You don't have to apologize. You reserve the right to say no." he chuckled. "I kind of understand." He shrugged and kissed her head, stroking her hair gently. "This is all new to me too, for the record."

"You've never had a girlfriend before? Really?" Erai looked at him, completely shocked that such a good looking man such as him has never had a girlfriend before. "Come on..let's go swimming... Please." She looked up at him almost bashfuly.

Jason smiled down at her and nodded, letting her go and struggling to sit up again, grunting in slight pain. The medication was kicking in, but not nearly enough for when he moved. He got up and moved to grab a pair of shorts. They weren't swim shorts, but they would work. He changed out of his pants and pulled his shorts on, then smiled at her and waved for her to join him.

Erai hurried over to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Helping him out of their room and downstairs to where the pool is, she glanced around. The kids must be in "School" because none of them were in there. "All to ourselves." Grinning happily, she helped him over to a chair before stripping her shorts off and tossing them at him, teasingly.

Jason blinked, catching the shorts against his chest, and he smiled at her cheekily before dropping them aside. He shuffled to the stairs of the pool's shallow end, and then gently waded down into the water with help from the pool's wall. He sighed in relief when the cool water touched his warm skin, and soothed his stitches. It stung a little when the chlorine got into his wound, but it soon numbed and he relaxed. "That feels great... come on in." he smiled at Erai and relaxed back on the steps.

Erai dove into the deep end and resurfaced near him. "oooohhh. It does feel good..." swimming circles around him she sighed happily. "I love swimming..." Slithering around on her back, she closed her eyes and floated along the water.

"Me too." Jason whispered softly, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to hear with her ears under water like that on her back. He simply smiled, watching her float nearby, relaxing on the steps of the pool and closing his eyes.

---

Leif hummed softly to herself as she stood in the kitchen of the hotel, putting together a couple of sandwiches. One for her and one for Tray, which was stacked high with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. She looked down at Roux, who was sitting between her ankles and looking up at her with a tilted head and floppy ears. She laughed and bent, feeding him a slice of deli meat, making him growl happily and wag his tail as he ate it up in a few small bites. She then lifted the two plates and turned, Roux padding along behind her into the elevator and she headed up to hers and Tray's room again. She pushed the door open with her foot. "Knock Knock!" she called. "Lunch is served."

Tray looked up from his notes on his desk and smiled as he pushed away from his desk. Running a hand through his hair he smiled softly. "Thanks!" pushing away from his desk he stood and moved over to the kitchen area to set the table.

Leif gave him a short smile, carrying the plates to the table and setting them down gently, then moving to get them both drinks. She set the cups down on the table as well and sat down in her chair, watching him. "How's work going?" she asked gently. She was still in a bit of a sour mood after what he'd said earlier, but she was calmer now.

Tray grabbed her hips and pulled her into his lap before kissig her cheek. "Done for now. The boys need to search the surrounding buildings and such and then I may have more to do...but nothing as of right now." Tray could tell she was still prickly with him. Signing softly he pouted slightly. "Leif...forgive me? I truly am sorry."

Leif gave a small yelp as he pulled her into his lap, and she squirmed a little, looking at him with a frown and sitting back from him a little, her hands on his chest. "Tray... I forgave you a long time ago... I just.." She frowned and blushed, sighing as she shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "I'm frustrated, ya know?" She sighed and shifted out of his lap, moving back to her own chair and sitting down, taking a bite of her sandwich. "I'm not used to being said yes to... So I'm sure as hell not used to being said no to."

"Leif... I've never said no to you until now, no one has since you arrived." Tray stared down at his food for a moment before casting his eyes back at her. "So you may want to get used to it. Your not a child anymore and you can't get everything you want. Especially sex. If I'm not up for it then you have to accept that. You cant get mad at me, and make me feel bad every time I dont want to fuck you." His voice rose at the end of his rant as his anger took hold of him. He knew he probably shouldn't be yelling but she had no right to be making him feel bad for not wanting to have sex.

Leif blinked at him, blushing both in embarrassment and anger at how he was yelling at her for this. She then growled and clentched her jaw, the muscle twitching as she grit her teeth. "It's not about fucking me!" she growled, pushing her plate away and standing up. "I was never given the choice, Tray! I grew up in a compound where everything was decided for me! No one wanted me for anything other than breeding! Now I finally can make my own choices, and it hurts to be said no to! No, I'm not a child, you're right, but as an adult, I get the right to make my choices." She moved away from the table and sniffled, turning her back on him. "I was also never loved there. I'm glad to hear you only look at it as fucking. Now I can stop hurting over the rejection so much." she grumbled, folding her arms and heading back out of the room, slamming the door. What had she gotten herself into? He didn't want her... did he? He wasn't acting like it.

Tray jumped up and went after her. Gently grabbing her arm he stopped her. "Hey, we're not done. You dont have the right to freak out on me and then run away. That's not how relationships work. Now please, come back inside so we can talk this over." Glancing around he carefully ushered her back into the room and closed the door. "And no, I didn't consider it fucking, but you've got me all upset and backed into a corner here, Leif. I've never had a woman get pissed at me for working and not wanting to have sex. So we need to talk this out." Tray glanced at her and frowned. She was a very unforgiving woman, and he knew that.

"Me? Freak out on you? Oh that's rich, you're the one that was just yelling at me!" Leif countered angrily, pulling her arm from his grasp and glaring at him, her hands in fists at her sides. She had her back to the door, and she felt sort of cornered, but she wouldn't back down. "And I told you that I understood that you had to work and I forgave you for that! But you keep calling it fucking! Like I'm just some toy!" she growled. "I don't like that word, Tray!"

"So say that, damnit! We've had this conversation before. No one can read your mind, you have to tell me these things. Ok, I wasn't fucking you, we were having sex, I'm sorry. And you may have forgiven me but your still upset about it. I'm not stupid, I've been around women all my life, Leif. I know when one is upset about something." Tray ran his hands through his hair and sighed, defeatedly. Maybe they didn't belong together.

Leif gulped and watched him, her eyes pained, and she clutched at her heart slightly. She trembled and bit her lip, sniffling thickly. "I-I'm sorry... I just..." she whimpered and shook her head. "No one ever cared about me, Tray. Or any of us. Anything we felt, or thought, or said... no one cared. It's just... it's still new to me, being cared about... Y-you do care... right?"

"God, of course I do, Leif! I wouldn't be so upset if I didn't care..." Quickly he pulled her into his arms and held her close. "I'm sorry I yelled, it was just the first reaction I had." Burying his face in her neck he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry..." Sighing heavily, he held her tightly against him, as if refusing to let her go.

Leif whimpered and clutched his body to hers in return, her arms around his ribs and her head buried in his chest, closing her eyes as she cried softly against his shirt. She sniffled and choked out a couple of sobs, trembling in his arms, then she coughed and gulped, looking up at him. "I-I'm so sorry... c-can you just... tell me you care every once in a while? Remind me?" she pleaded softly.

"Of course...but do you think I wouldn't care? I don't have sex with just anyone, you know..." Leaning down he brushed his lips gently against hers before crushing her to him once again. "We just need better communication skills, that's all..." Sighing he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent.

Leif hugged him back tightly and gave a forced giggle at his words. "Agreed... we both suck at it." she whispered and sniffled. She nuzzled his chest and kissed it, then looked up at him shyly. "You mean a lot to me, Tray... I know sometimes I may not act like it, but you do. I don't know where I would be without you..."

Tray nodded gently and sighed into her hair. "Now, lets eat this delicious meal you put together for us." Kissing the top of her head, he led her back to the table and sat down. Taking a sip of his drink he smiled at the sandwich before taking a generous bite out of it.

Leif smiled slightly and nodded, following him to the table and sitting down again, taking a smaller, more reserved bite. She chewed silently, sipping at her juice and watching him with a blush of guilt. when she finished, she stood and started to clear the plates into the sink, finishing off her juice and sighing heavily once it was done.

"That was very good, thank you." Sighing contently he stood and walked into the living room to plop down on the couch and relax. Leaning his head back he closed his eyes and smiled. "I have to go talk to Erai later, would you like to come with?"

Leif shrugged silently, before realizing he couldn't hear that, and she blushed, turning to look at him. "No... I'm gonna stay here with Roux. Maybe have a bath." She moved around to him where he was sitting on the couch and knelt in front of him so that she was positioned between his knees. Her hands moved up his thighs and she watched him, biting her lip slightly with a deep blush. "C-can I... um... try using my mouth on you?" she asked softly, raising her brows. She'd never done it before, and she was curious.

Tray blushed deeply and looked down at her, biting her lip. Groaning he nodded his head. Instead of getting himself out for her, he sat back and watched her intently. Clearing his throat nervously, he smiled at her. Only one person had done this to him, and she was somewhere with Jason. "Sure...Just dont bite me." He chuckled playfully.

Leif blushed deeply and frowned a little at his words. She hadn't been planning on biting him... She hadn't ever done this before, but she was pretty sure that wouldn't feel good to him either way. She wasn't completely stupid. She bit her lip and reached forward, shyly undoing his pants and pulling them down just a little, springing him free with a small gasp. She shuffled up a little more and grabbed him in her hand, seeming to examine him. She had never done this before. "Tell me what to do?"

"I'm not really any more experienced in this than you are. Just...do what feels right." Tray ran his fingers through her hair, gently. His eyes were trained on her as his breathing grew slightly more erratic. Her hands around him felt wonderful but he knew her mouth would feel even better.

Leif nodded slowly, closing her eyes a little at the feel of his hand in her hair, then opened her eyes to him again. "Okay." she whispered. She licked her lips thoroughly, then leaned down and planted a wet kiss on his head before wrapping her mouth around him, her hand around his base to hold him upright. She closed her eyes, just letting her tongue explore his shape, size, length... Every dimension she could. He tasted good. Salty.

Tray let out a soft moan as he leaned his head back, his eyes drifting closed. "Good..." He whispered through parted lips as his fingers stayed knotted in her hair. Looking down at her once again, he gasped at how sexy she looked and it just turned him on further.

Leif moaned at his words, getting a small thrill of accomplishment at the idea that she was actually doing a good job on her first time. She got chills at his moans. She took him in a little further, suckling a little harder and running her tongue over him, her hands massaging his base, his thighs, and even his balls a little. She wanted so bad to make him feel good... and do something to make her feel better about their arguement. This was her apology.

Tray whimpered loudly as his fingers tighten in her hair. "I wont be able to last long like this." His hips bucked slightly, driving himself further into her mouth. Her hands wringing along him sent shivers through his body, causing his cock to twitch.

Leif moaned around him deeply, letting him feel the vibrations of her throat and dragging her tongue up along his shaft so he could cherish each of her taste buds as the tiny bumps caressed his skin. She tightened her hands on his thighs a little more, taking him in as deeply as she could and sucking hard with her teeth sheathed by her lips. She wanted him to finish, wanted it so badly.

Tray groaned loudly as his hands caressed her cheeks. His member began throbbing as he was sent into an amazing orgasm, shooting stream after stream of cum down her throat. He moaned loudly as his thighs tightened and he bucked his hips into the air, forcing himself further down her throat. "Oh Leif!"

Leif winced as the salty, warm substance shot down her throat, swallowing it back as best she could before releasing him and sitting back from him a little, coughing and blushing. She gulped and licked her lips, wiping her mouth before looking up at him, watching him. "S-so it was good..?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

"Amazing...you are a natural." Tray's head fell back and he closed his eyes. "Mmm, nap time." Yawning deeply, he reached down and slid his hands under her armpits and lifted her gracefully onto the couch beside him to cuddle. "So.... Why?"

Leif blushed, still tasting Tray on her tongue and at the back of her throat, and she coughed bashfully. "U-um... well... I've never done it before. I wanted to try it with you." she shrugged honestly, looking down at her hands as she cuddled up with him. "I wanted to do something nice for you... to help you relax." And since he hadn't been in the mood to have sex with her, she figured it was the next best thing.

Tray chuckled softly and shook his head. "Well thank you. I enjoyed it very much." There was a short pause before he turned to look at her. "So I hear the boys got the pool all nice a fixed up, want to go for a swim with me? If you can't swim, I'll hold onto you." He smiled softly as he kissed her forehead.

A chill ran up Leif's spine. The compound didn't want the girls knowing how to swim. They didn't want them knowing how to do anything but be obedient. She bit her lip and gulped, staying silent for a moment, then shaking her head. "Y-you can. I'll watch." she mumbled shyly, shifting uncomfortably beside him.

"What if I teach you? I promise to keep you safe..." Tray ran a hand up and down her arms gently, as of to reassure her. Leaning his head against her temple he smiled softly and tightened his arms around her possessively. "Im not going to force you but it would be fun..."

Leif gulped, a small shudder running through her at the idea of being surrounded by water in a hole far deeper than a bath tub. She closed her eyes, then looked down at her hands in her lap, fiddling with her shirt as she let Tray nuzzle her. She finally nodded, sighing slightly. "O-okay... but if I want to stop, we need to stop. Okay?"

"Of course..." Since neither of them had bathing suits, Tray stood and picked Leif up and threw her over his shoulder, chuckling loudly he smacked her ass playfully and headed out of the room and downstairs to the pool area. Once inside he glanced around and grinned over at Erai and Jason. "Hey guys, Look what I caught!"

Jason looked up from where he was sitting in the shallows of the pool, and he smiled widely at the squirming and squealing Leif over Tray's shoulder. "HA!" he laughed, throwing his head back. "A real pretty one, Tray!" he teased, hearing Leif curse and protest. "Best put her down though, or she'll kick somewhere you don't want her foot to go."

Instead of setting her down, he flipped her around so he was holding her bridal style and kissed her lips quickly before she could scurrying away. "I was only playing." Gently, he placed her feet back down on the hard surface of the concrete of the pool room floor.

Leif let out an annoyed huff, and frowned at Tray, but she had let him kiss her and set her down. She turned and stopped, looking at the large pool. The deepest it went was eight feet. She shuddered and took a slow step back from the edge, her eyes not leaving the rippling surface. Jason and Erai seemed so at-home in the water, but she was terrified by it.

From behind her she could hear Tray removing his clothing. Coming up behind Leif, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snugly against his body. "Keep your bra and panties on, please." Kissing her shoulder he moved away and walked a few feet over to the little stairway that descended into the pool, waiting for her.

Leif frowned a little at his words, then glanced at Jason, her brow furrowed slightly. She carefully stepped out of her pants, but left her bra, panties and t-shirt on. She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she carefully moved towards the shallow end of the pool where Jason was lounging on the steps and Tray was waiting for her. She hesitated at the top step, biting her lip and looking down into the water, then very cautiously stepping down into the water. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was comfortable. She gulped, stepping so both feet were in the water, then stood there, watching Tray, as if for guidance.

Tray took her hand and very slowly led her further into the water until it reached up to her hips. Pulling her close against him he sighed softly. "It's alright..." Kissing hide forehead gently he ran his hands up and down her back. The water lapped against them causing her shirt to get wet. Tray looked down and blushed. Sure he'd seen her naked but this seemed more erotic. Her wet shirt plastered to her, showing off her curves. Kissing her lips softly, he smiled.

Leif gasped, obviously tense as he led her deeper into the water. She watched the surface of the water coldly as she stood in it, her hands gripping to Tray's arms tightly, her feet planted firmly. "W-what now?" she asked in a small, squeaky voice, too terrified to move on her own. She was standing hip-deep in water that was churning, pulling on her every which way, though subtly. Her skin was covered in goosebumps.

"For now let's just stand here. I don't want you getting overwhelmed or anything." Smiling softly, his arms remained securely around her, clutching her to his muscular chest. "Just let me know when you're ready to move again." At this age she should pick up fast on how to move in the water, but he really didn't want to rush her, so he remained patient.

Leif gulped and nodded slowly, grateful that he was being so patient with her. She simply stood there in his arms, looking around at the water around them, studying it and how it moved. It seemed to swallow her up... and yet not. She slowly looked up at him again and bit her lip with a whimper. "O-okay... I'm ready.." she whispered meekly.

Tray moved further back in the water, moving her deeper into the pool. Once deep enough he intended to get her to kick her feet to move herself through the water. "Let me know when to stop..." His words were soft as he continued to move ever so slowly through the cool waves.

"Stop!" Leif whimpered suddenly when the water lapped at her breastline, making her breathe in short, quick rasps. Her heart was racing now. She could still touch the bottom, but the deeper she went, the more profoundly trapped she felt. She clutched at his arms tightly, shaking a little as she stood in the water. She felt... light. Really light. Like she didn't weigh hardly anything.

Tray stopped, holding her against him. Pressing his forehead gently against hers he smiled softly. "Tell me when." kissing her lips softly, his arms wrapped gently around her waist. The cool water against his bare skin felt wonderful, cooling him off and making him feel good.

Leif gulped thickly, trying to keep her breathing under control, looking around slowly. She could see Jason, still sitting in the shallows, relaxing on the steps with Erai nearby, and she bit her lip. She felt like a fool, trying to learn to swim with them around. She looked back at Tray and frowned, blushing bashfully, and she bit her lip. "I-I want to stop."

"Okay... That's okay. Do you just want to sit with your feet in?" Tray slowly walked her back into shallower water, all the while looking down into her beautiful eyes. Running his hands up and down her back ever so slowly until finally she could touch the near by wall.

Leif sniffed and shook her head, looking down at the water and wading past Jason and Erai, stepping out and moving to grab her pants and shoes. She hugged them to her chest and whimpered as she hurried out of the pool area and back towards their room. She felt like a foolish child.

Tray stared after her for a moment, in complete shock, before he hurried out of the pool and back up to their room. Closing the door quietly behind him he looked around. Not seeing her in this living room he moved towards the bedroom. "Leif?"

Leif's clothes lay in a trail on the floor towards the bathroom, and inside, the shower was running. She was sitting on the floor of the shower, her back to the hot water as it beat down on her hair and skin, her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them to her chest. She sniffed and shuddered with small sobs, but it was hard to tell if she was actually crying or not, as shower water ran down her face.

"Leif?!" Tray hurried into the bathroom, causing the door to slam into the wall, creating a small hole from the lock. Stepping into the shower with his boxers on, he scooped Leif up into his arms and carried her out of the running water. Sitting down on the tiled floor he held her against his chest and rocked her gently. "What's wrong?" He didnt at all understand. But that was mainly her fault. She didnt talk to him, she just ran off, that's how she always reacted. How was he supposed to make their relationship work if she never talked to him?

Leif sniffed and snuggled herself in against him, curling up against his chest and shutting her eyes tightly, shaking slightly. "I-I can't do it! Not in front of other people... I feel like a stupid child! Not knowing how to swim!" she scoffed, shaking her head. "You have no idea how terrified I am of the water either! My skin was crawling and I felt like I couldn't breathe!" She shook her head and whimpered into his shirt, clutching at him.

"You shouldn't feel stupid. Erai went through the same thing. No one is here to judge you. Your caring too much about what they think. Erai is your friend, she isn't going to laugh at you." Tray's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He wasn't sure he could deal with this. Leading a group of refugees was easy, but taking care of someone who seemed to refuse to open their eyes and grow up, it was just getting harder for him.

Leif sniffled and shuddered, shaking her head and biting her lip hard. She pulled back and looked up at him, then frowned and sat back from him, pushing herself out of his lap. "I'm sorry. I know I must look like such a child to you." she snapped, moving to shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. "I'm sorry my pain and frustrations are so hard for you to understand." She sniffed and wiped her eyes, heading into the bedroom to get dressed.

"Leif...I have been very patient with you, more so than most girls who have come through here and all you do is throw shit back in my face. If I'm such an asshole, then I'll leave." Running a hand through his hair he picked up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and headed to the door. He was tired of fighting. She took everything he said out of context and made him out to be a bad guy. Well he was done, he didn't need that sort of drama in his life.

Leif flinched at his words, feeling her heart ache in her chest. She sat on the bed and curled up a little in on herself, hugging her clothes to her chest, whimpering into them as Roux barked at her feet. "F-fine... leave... I don't deserve you anyways..." she whispered shakily and hid her face. He was far better than any man she'd ever encountered anyways.

"Why are you being childish?" Tray sighed heavily, leaning against the door frame, facing away from her. Slamming his fist into the wall, he turned around to face her. "Are you trying to push me away? I mean... I thought we were doing good. But now your just... The slightest thing sets you off. Your not even trying to bond with your new life. Instead of getting stronger your still hiding from the world..." His words were soft and calculated as he spoke, knowing he would most likely upset her anyway.

Leif visibly flinched when he slammed his fist into the wall, crying out and hiding her face a little, her tears intensifying. She sniffled a sob and whimpered, then sat up slowly and looked at him. "Because this is all I know!" she cried. "That compound was all I had! I'm t-terrified of everything! Of everyone! I thought it would be different out here, that people would be nicer, that I would feel safer, but I don't! You and Erai still yell at me, Jason tried to kidnap me, and everyone looks at me strangely! The only one who doesn't seem to judge me is Roux!" she cried with a motion towards the sleeping puppy at her feet. "You say no one judges me, but you and Erai and everyone else still call me a child! That I'm hiding from the world! I'm trying to get stronger, Tray, I really am! But I can't do it overnight, and I don't know if you've noticed, but it's only been about a week and a half since I was rescued!" she snapped. "I'm sorry I'm not as fast a learner as you'd like! And if you don't have the patience to help me, then maybe you don't care about me!" She whimpered and clamped her mouth shut then, tears overflowing down her cheeks and her body trembling with contained sobs.

Tray clamped his mouth shut tightly. A week and a half... Could that be right? So much has happened its felt longer. "I'm sorry I yell. And you never speak to Erai anymore so she obviously doesn't yell at you. And I believe that once Jason was here he had no intention of kidnapping you." Jason looked down at his throbbing fist and flinch. Blood was trickling from his cut knuckles. Shaking his head he sighed softly. "Leif I would never harm you. You should know that. And I guess I just didn't realize it's only been a week and a half. Have you tried talking to some of the others? Maybe they look at you funny because your standoffish." flexing his fingers he glanced up at the wall that had his blood splattered against it. "Great..." Shaking his head he made his way into the bathroom to wash off the blood. "I'm trying to help. Honestly. I'm not very good at it obviously. I want you to be open and not be frightened. No one here is going to hurt you. Except maybe me since I'm a fucking prick..." Sniffling slightly he realized he had tears running down his cheeks. Grumbling, he wiped them away, mumbling, "And a fucking pansy..."

Leif's arms were suddenly around Tray from behind, her face pressed hard into his back as she shuddered and cried. "Y-you're not a prick... and you're not a pansy." she whimpered. She then released him and moved around to his side to help clean his knuckles, dry them, and helped wrap them gently in some bandages from under the sink. Once they were tied off, she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "I just need patience.. That's all I want." she whispered, looking down at her hands and at the ground rather than at him.

Tray took her head in his hands, pressing his forehead gently against hers. "Okay. Patience. But promise me you'll try a little harder to get out there. You keep yourself cooped up in here all the time. Ask Erai to show you around. I hear she found a nice clothing shop that was abandoned. Maybe she can take you by there and get something?"

Leif sniffled thickly and nodded with a quivering lip, a few more tears running down her cheeks. "I-I'll try. I promise." She gulped and slowly looked up at him, her brown eyes sparkling with her tears. "Y-you won't mind watching Roux while I do?" she asked with a weak smile and a strained giggle. "He likes you..."

Tray smiled, softly brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Nah, it'll give me time to train him. He'd be an amazing dog with a little bit of training. Sheppards are smart creatures. We just gotta use it." Tray cupped Leif's cheek and sighed softly, his green eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry.." Leaning down he pressed his lips softly against hers.

Leif kissed him back gently with a small whimper and a blush, clutching her hands against her chest slightly. "I'm sorry too." she whispered when it broke and she gave him a shaky smile. "Roux will be the best guard dog there ever was, thanks to you." she winked. She sighed and looked around, realizing she was still naked, and she blushed. "I-I should probably get dressed and find Erai..."

Tray chuckled softly and nodded his head before playfully slapping her ass. "Yes, you should. Before I decide to bend you over the bed and have wild crazy sex with you." Holding up a finger, he smiled and shook his head. "Not an option. I can wait until later. Right now, I want you to go out and have fun with a friend."

Leif blushed, watching him with a small pout at his rejection to the option before she'd even spoken up. She gave him a soft smile though and nodded, sniffling and wiping at her face. "Alright." she whispered. "I'm just gonna comb my hair back and clean up a little... get dressed and stuff. Then I'll go find her. You should get back to work..."

Tray rolled his eyes and sighed. "Work...ugh!" Walking into the bedroom he threw himself down onto the bed, waking Roux up in the process, and closed his eyes. Reaching over, he felt across the bed until his hand came into contact with the soft fur of the puppy and gently began stroking its back.

Leif followed him back into the bedroom and smiled as she watched Roux begin to lick and nip at Tray's arm playfully, giving small growls and whines as he did. She moved to the dresser, got dressed quickly, and combed her hair back and out of her face in a loose braid, then moved to pull on her shoes. "Do you think they're still in the pool?"

Tray picked up Roux and shrugged. "They could be, we haven't been up here that long." Nuzzling the puppy he smiled. "We're going to go down to the gym and work out and train." Bouncing the dog slightly he turned his head and kissed the soft fur of the dogs head.

Roux gave a small whine and padded a paw against Tray's face, growling a little and biting at his fingers that held him, wriggling in his arms and wagging his tail. Leif smiled at them both, then nodded and shifted to lean over Tray, kissing him gently and sighing through her nose. "I'll be back later..."

Tray smiled softly and kissed her back. "Have fun. Don't get into too much trouble. Oh, and you might want to check her room before you check the pool. Just in case." Looking down at the puppy in his hands he smiled softly. "I think we need to go to the kitchen and get some scraps first. You'll need a treat every time you do something good."

Leif smiled at Tray and Roux, then nodded and stood up, turning and heading out into the hall. She headed to Erai and Jason's room, knocking on the door loudly first and standing aside to wait. She looked up and down the hall each way boredly, sighing slightly. She wasn't exactly looking forward to going outside and exploring with Erai... but it would make Tray happy, and that's all she wanted. Besides, she needed new clothes.

Erai heard a knock from the door and stood. Looking over at Jason with a raised eyebrow she shrugged her shoulders. Crossing the living room she opened the door and smiled. "Leif. Hi!" Her smile grew a bit at the sight of the young girl in front of her. "Whats up?"

Leif gave Erai a small smile and waved slightly, then peeked into the room at Jason, who was lounging back on the couch in a towel, still holding his side. She waved at him with a shy smile and he waved back slightly, then she looked at Erai again and stepped back. "Hey... um... Tray told me you found a clothing store..? I-I just thought... maybe you and I could go look around?"

"Sure, sounds like fun. Just give me a second..." Walking over to the tv, that no longer did anything, she flipped open the cabinet that would house dvds and such to reveal a safe, a very large safe. Putting in a combination the door swung open to reveal several guns. Picking out a nice 40mm she tucked it into a thigh holster and put it holster on. Closing the safe she turned the dial and walked over to Jason. Giving him a soft kiss she smiled. "I'll be back in a bit. Stay out of trouble." Winking at him she headed towards the door. "Ready?"

Leif nodded and gave her a small smile, blushing slightly. "Yeah, let's go." she whispered and turned, heading off down the hall towards the stairs, fiddling with the end of her braid slightly. "It's not too far off, is it? The clothing store?" she asked.

"Not really, just down the block a little ways. So I saw your trying to learn how to swim. That's awesome. Tray's a good teacher, just trust him and you'll be swimming in no time." Leading the way down the hall she stepped into the waiting elevator and held it opened for Leif to join before she hit the ground level button.

Leif blushed and slid into the elevator with Erai quickly, coughing slightly and looking at the floor almost bashfully. "I-I do trust him... I want to learn to swim, really... I just.. I ran out earlier because I..." She sighed and looked away, resisting the urge to cry again. She knew Erai very well, especially considering their romantic past, but she somehow still felt it difficult to tell her that learning to swim in front of her had been embarrassing torture almost.

"Because you what?" Erai nudged her hip against Leif's and looked over at her, her eyes soft. "Come on, you can talk to me..." Tapping Leif's chin playfully. She knew with their past romance it was a little...tense between them but she also wanted to be Leif's friend, so she forced herself to push that away.

"Because I can't stand to be judged..." Leif finished and sighed, looking down at the ground. "To be thought of as a child because I don't know how to swim... and I'm struggling so much in front of you and Jason. I just couldn't stand it. So I ran out. But Tray and I have compromised that I'll continue trying to learn to swim... as long as we're alone when we practice." she nodded firmly. "If... that's alright with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Erai looked down at Leif strangely and shook her head. "Leif, no one is judging you. We've all gone through this, every girl here came here knowing absolutely nothing. How to swim, how to cook, how to dance... Just... everything, so if you think your being judged then you need to get your facts straight."

"I know, I know." Leif grumbled, shaking her head with a small frown. "I just can't help feeling this way. I don't know why." she mumbled. "I'm trying to be better, I swear. Tray is helping me a lot with that." she blushed, looking away and biting her lip cutely.

The elevator touched the ground floor and opened up. Several people were walking around or lounging around talking. Erai stepped out of the elevator and led the way outside. A few people glanced there way but paid them no interest. She noticed one of the men spot her gun and he gave her a curious look but she just kept on walking until they were outside in the fresh brisk air. Sighing happily she shook her head. "I hate being cooped up inside..."

"I can tell." Leif prodded playfully with a small nudge of Erai's ribs with her elbow. She smiled at her slightly, an attempt at being friendly, then coughed and looked around. "So where is this clothing store? Have you been there already? What kind of merchandise does it have?" she asked slowly, finally looking back at Erai.

Wrapping her arm around Leif's shoulders, she smiled softly. "Just around the corner. And it has just about everything! So just wait and see!" Giggling softly, she turned a corner and smiled as the shop came into view. Pointing ahead, just across the street, mannequins could be seen in the window, still wearing clothes, though they were dusty and the ones in the window were sun faded, the clothing inside the store was still in prestine condition. 

Leif smiled when she saw the clothing store, jumping a little excitedly and biting her lip. She was excited about the idea of getting new clothes... and maybe shoes, and perhaps even something sexy to wear for Tray. She blushed at that thought, and she supposed she'd have to wait and see what she found. There was always a chance this clothing store was more modest than others.

Erai led the way into the shop and waved her hand around. "Have at it." Grinning softly, she wandered into the store and found a nice plush chair to sit in. She dusted off the seat and plopped down into it. Crossing one leg over the other she smiled softly. "Try on anything you want."

Leif smiled widely and nodded, moving through the aisles and pulling out a few items she wanted to try on. She only pulled out clothes that looked like they were going to fit, including a couple more pairs of jeans and some cute shirts and skirts. But she wanted to try on new underwear... lingerie for Tray. She found the proper aisle and blushed as she filtered through the items. She found a few she really liked and took everything into the changing rooms to try them on.

"I can give you my opinion on anything if you like." Erai blushed slightly as she watched Leif browse through the lingerie. Clearing her throat, she turned her eyes away from Leif and shook her head. Those thoughts would get her nowhere.

"U-um... well.." Leif called from inside of the changing room. "D-do you know what Tray's favorite colour is?" she asked gently, blushing with guilt at the fact that she didn't know the answer to that herself. She figured that the best colour for lingerie to get for Tray should be his favorite colour.

"Uh... Green. Forest Green." Raising an eyebrow in thought, she shook her head and began running her fingers through her hair. Glancing around the store she searched for something special to wear for Jason in the next couple of days. Lingerie or just a cute outfit? Sighing heavily she shook her head. What was she doing? She wasn't the...sexy type. She was a tom girl at the least.

Leif nodded and she tucked that bit of information into the back of her mind for when she went back outside, trying on a pair of jeans and a shirt. she smiled at how well everything she had tried on fit her, and when she emerged from the dressing room again, she was dressed in a black corset with dark blue panties. "Do you think he'd like this?" she asked, tossing her brown hair over one shoulder.

Erai looked over from the clothes she was looking at and gasped. "Uh... damn... Mmm Leif, anyone with eyes would like you in that." Clearing her throat she blushed and turned away in embarrassment. Running a hand through her hair she shook her head gently.

Leif blushed deeply and smiled shyly, fiddling a little with the lace on the bottom of her corset. "Really..? Thanks.." she whispered and bit her lip, then turned and moved back to the lingerie aisle to find something green to wear for Tray. "Are you... going to get anything special for Jason?"

"No... I'm not really the...sexy type. But you should know that." Chewing on her bottom lip she peeked a look at Leif and shook her head. Clearly she was still attracted to Leif, but anyone with eyes would be attracted to her. Sighing heavily she shook her head and looked away.

Leif stole a glance at Erai and shook her head firmly. "That's not true, Erai! You're incredibly sexy... Obviously!" she said and sighed. "I think you should get something for him. Even if YOU don't think you're sexy, Jason obviously does. Do it for him." she insisted with a shrug. "What harm would it do? Honestly?" she turned and went back to digging through the racks, then pulled out something red that looked like it would fit Erai, offering it to her. "Try this one."

"Do I have to?" Biting down on her bottom lip she frowned deeply before taking the skimpy piece of clothing from his hands and sighed as she walked towards the dressing room. "Fine..." Running her hand through hr hair in a nervous gesture she walked into the dressing room and closed the door. She quickly stripped off her own clothing and pulled on the one piece halter top teddy that showed off all her curves and had a nice cut all the way down past her belly button. "Uh..."

"Well? C'mon! Show me!" Leif insisted from the other side of the door, watching and waiting. She had never pegged Erai for someone of such little confidence before. "I wanna see!"

"I'd rather just bring home a new pair of jeans..." Sighing she opened the door and stepped out of the dressing room, leaning her hip against the door frame, her hair gently falling across one side of her face. "So..." Clearing her throat she looked over at Leif, waiting almost bashfully.

Leif's mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide, a deep blush instantly overcoming her cheeks. She spluttered and gulped, feeling her muscles tighten in her lower regions, her panties soaking almost instantly. "E-Erai!" she yelped and smiled, clapping breathlessly. "My gods, you are breath-taking! Literally!" she giggled nervously. She squirmed in her lingerie a little and moved towards Erai, lightly tugging on the sheer lace teddy. "My gods!"

As soon as Leif stepped closer, Erai swallowed the lump in her throat. Chewing on her bottom lip she grabbed ahold of Leif's hips and tugged Leif against Erai's body. "Leif..." A deep crimson rose up her chest, all the way to her cheeks. Tightening her hands around her waist she gasped softly. She wanted this woman, the one she'd pushed away just weeks before. Furrowing her eyebrows together in confusion she sighed softly, her breath brushing against Leif's lips.

Leif gasped as she was suddenly yanked against Erai's body, letting out a shakey breath as she felt their hips grinding and her breasts against hers, their lips so close. She blushed deeply and gulped, then bit her lip and shuddered. Her hands tightened on Erai's arms, then she whined and slowly pulled back. "E-Erai, we can't..." she whispered weakly, shaking her head. "Y-you have Jason now and I have Tray... Th-they won't like this."

"We don't know that... Tray I know wouldn't mind. He asked a long time ago if I would be interested in a 3 some." Carefully one of her arms wrapped around Leif's back, holding their bodies together. "I just want you to know... I didn't expect this when we came here..."

Leif looked up at Erai with a gulp and a deep blush. "Good..." she said softly, but firmly. "Because it's not happening." She pushed Erai away from herself as hard as she could, breaking their contact and taking a step back. "You pushed me away, remember? You didn't want me." She turned and headed into her own changing room, closing the door and starting to change back into her clothes. What was she thinking?

Erai stared at the space in front of her before turning back into the changing room. Changing quickly she slipped the gun holster back up on her thigh. Sighing heavily she shoved out of the changing room, leaving the lingerie behind as she walked outside and waited for Leif.

Leif stayed in the changing stall for a few minutes longer, just getting her bearings back, and finally she stood up and sighed, grabbing the black and blue lingerie she'd tried on, along with a few other clothing items she'd picked out. She carried them bundled in her arms, then took a breath and came out of the changing room. She kept her eyes on the ground, hugging the clothes to her chest, but she did notice that Erai had left the red teddy in her changing stall. "I really think... you should take that for Jason." she nodded.

"I'd rather not. Are you ready to go?" Crossing her arms over her chest she waited patiently for Leif to decide. "If you want there are bags over by the counter so you dont have to carry it like that." Leaning against the door frame of the shop she turned her had to look up and down the street.

Leif bit her lip, nodding and going to get herself a bag to put her new clothes in. she also didn't want Tray to see the lingerie she'd bought yet. She wanted the first time he saw those items to be ON her. She carried the bag in both hands now, moving toward the door with her eyes still down. "Ready. Let's go."

Erai pushed off of the door frame and let the door shut behind her as she led the way down the street. Shoving her hands into her pockets she stared at the ground as they walked along. She wasn't sure what to say but she also didn't much feel like talking either so maybe this was best.

Leif followed a little ways behind and beside Erai, giving her plenty of room and just watching the ground as they walked. She hoped Tray was having fun with Roux and was getting a lot of training done. She bit her lip, not sure what to say to Erai now, but she got the vibe off of Erai that she didn't much want to talk right now. That was understandable considering what had happened. She blushed and felt sort of angry at the memory. She had to tell Tray.

Erai stopped suddenly and whirled around. "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and I shouldn't have let my...attraction overcome me. It wont happen again." Running a hand through her hair she sighed heavily as she turned and continued to walk towards the hotel.

Leif jumped back a little in surprise when Erai suddenly stopped and whirled around to say something, blinking and blushing at her words. When Erai turned around to continue walking, Leif bit her lip and frowned heavily, shaking her head. "I just don't get it..." she said gently, following her. "You seem so happy with Jason. Why would you still be attracted to me? You have him now... aren't you happy with him?"

"Of course I'm happy with Jason. He wouldn't be in my room if I weren't. And... I don't know why I still have an attraction to you." Erai heard the sound of a rock clanking against the ground as if someone had accidentally kicked it. Quickly she withdrew the gun from her holster and turned off the safety. Glancing around she pulled Leif behind her and backed up so they were pressed into a building. Just then Rixon came around the corner causing Erai to sigh in relief. "Are you trying to get yourself shot!?!" She practically screamed at him.

Rixon held up his hands in defense, blinking at Erai and Leif and shaking his head. "Dios mio, Erai! Lo siento, I was just in the middle of training Roux with Tray! We're doing some hunting exercises with the pup... He's actually really good." he nodded with a small smile at Leif, putting his hands on his hips. "Where did you senoritas get off to?"

"We... went shopping." Leif explained slightly, holding up her bag for Rixon to see. When Rixon nodded in understanding, she stepped away from Erai and gave her a small frown. She didn't say anything else though, simply turning and heading towards Rixon. "Where's Tray?"

"Around the corner, closer to the house. I was supposed to be hiding the prey." Rixon chuckled, holding up a small treat. He handed it off to Leif and watched her walk away before he looked back at Erai. He narrowed his eyes a little. "Shopping, hm? Get me anything special?" he grinned.

"Women's only store. Sorry." Holstering her gun once again, Erai walked away briskly, brushing past Rixon. "Sorry for almost shooting you." Sighing as she walked past him, she ran her hand through her own thick, long hair in frustration.

Rixon frowned heavily at her reaction, tilting his head and moving after her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, watching her. "Que paso, chica?" he asked lowly. "Why do you look like you just came out of a battle zone? Did something happen? Do we need to send scouts out that way?" he asked shortly, looking around.

"Nope. Just keep the little brat away from me. I have enough children to deal with." Shrugging out of Rixons grasp she sighed heavily and shook her head. "I better get back to change Jason's bandage." Erai knew Rixon would understand who she was talking about. Everyone in the compound thought she was a brat. After everything they'd done for her and she wouldn't even talk to most of them. She'd just keep herself holed up in Tray's room.

Rixon seemed taken aback by her words. His brow knitted together and he studied her a moment, then shook his head. "For someone so quick to call her a child, you're sure acting like one yourself, Erai." he grumbled. "Calling her a brat behind her back and complaining about her constantly isn't going to solve the issues between you two. Why do you hate her so much all of a sudden? I remember not too long ago when you two were inseperable. What the hell happened?"

"Actually if I was given the chance I'd probably call her a brat to her face so your point there is moot. I also dont complain about her constantly. If I did, you and I would probably talk more." Rolling her eyes she continued away from Rixon. "Mind your own business. That's an order." She hated it when she used her rank to her advantage but with this one, she didnt care. Sh wanted people to stay out of this one.

Rixon blinked at her and stopped in his tracks, letting her walk on in accordance with her "order". He frowned deeply at her back, then turned and headed back towards where he'd left Tray and Roux in training, tossing the cookie back at Tray. "Something's up with Erai. Did Leif seem off to you when she came back just now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did she tell you anything?"

"She seemed off yeah, but no, she didn't tell me anything. She never does." Tray shrugged his shoulders as he watched Erai walk into the hotel. "I take it something happened while they were supposed to be bonding." Sighing heavily he shook his head in exasperation. "I'm not sure what to do anymore. Erai's the only one really willing to spend time with Leif but there's always tension. Maybe... maybe they still have feelings for each other? Hell I don't know. I don't know anything about women."

"i think that's a very real possibility." Rixon nodded firmly with a small glower at Erai's back as she headed inside. He looked at Tray then and frowned. "Erai won't tell me what's up... but maybe something happened between her and Leif today at the store? You should ask Leif.. You're the only one she opens up to, I hear."

Tray snorted softly and shook his head. "I'd rather not. Any time I talk to her she ends up mad at me. Seems I can't do anything right with her either. Our last fight was because I told her no when she wanted to have sex." Tray held up and hand and narrowed his eyes at Rixon. "And before you say anything, yes. I was NOT in the mood. It happens."

Rixon's brow furrowed visibly and he sighed, shaking his head. "You know, communication is a two-way street, Tray. Even if she rejects you, just asking her if she's okay or wants to talk about it lets her know that you're open to listening to her. That's all girls want." he sighed. "Don't press her into it... just ask. It won't hurt anything."

"Okay, but her getting mad at me for not wanting sex is okay? Yeah that makes a whole lot of sense." Tray shook his head as he bent down to pick up Roux. Glancing over at Rixon he just shook his head once again and headed towards the hotel. "For the record. I have tried getting her to talk to me. Maybe you should try since you seem to know so much." Rolling his eyes in frustration he stepped into the hotel and headed for the elevator.

Rixon glared after Tray as he walked away, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Everyone in this camp is loco." he grumbled, turning and heading into the hotel too, going back to his and Simi's room. He wanted to see her... they had a perfectly happy and functional relationship, and he knew he was lucky to have her. He couldn't understand why Erai and Tray were having so much difficulty.

Back in their room, Leif was slowly pacing the floor. She had changed into the blue and black lingerie that she'd gotten for Tray, and was wearing the combo under her actual clothes, waiting for the right time to show it off. For now... she couldn't stop thinking about hers and Erai's interaction at the store. She felt guilty, but she also felt angry. How could Erai just be so willing to throw everything with Jason away like that? After he had risked his life to save Vex and come back to her, she would honestly be willing to cheat? She sniffled and hugged herself slightly. And her words about Tray not caring? She didn't honestly believe that, did she?

Tray came into the room, with Roux trailing behind him. Waving his hand at the dog. "Go lay down." The dog did as he was told, jumping up onto the couch and laying down. Sighing heavily he glanced around the large living room before calling out. "Leif?"

Leif jumped a little at the sound of Tray's voice and she blinked, then blushed and made sure her new lingerie was stealthily hidden beneath her clothes. She then came out of the bedroom and shrugged. "New outfit... you like it?" she asked, doing a spin so he could see her new skirt and blouse. She gave him a hopeful smile and tilted her head. "Get any training done with Roux today?"

"It looks very nice on you. And yes we did. He's a smart dog and will be easy to train." Sitting down on the over stuffed chair, he crossed one leg over the other and clasped his hands on his lap. "Now, what happened with you and Erai today? And don't tell me nothing, because I'm not dumb or blind."

Leif gasped slightly and blinked at Tray. Well, no. He certainly wasn't. She blushed and bit her lip, shifting on her feet before moving closer to him. She stood in front of him like a chastized child and blushed deeply. Well, she supposed this made it easier to tell him... after all, she'd been panicking about trying to find a way to break it to him. "E-Erai... still has... feelings for me. She's still attracted to me... She made that clear today in the store when she tried to make a pass at me." she gulped, blushing shamefully and looking at Tray. "I denied her and she got... angry." she whispered. "I told her I'm with you now and that you wouldn't like it... she simply laughed and told me you wouldn't care." She then paused and tilted her head a little, studying him. "Would you..?"

Tray thought about this for a moment and then nodded. "She's right to an extent. I wouldn't mind...if it were her. If it were another man, or someone I know wanting to take you from me, then I would have issues. Did you ask Erai why she has feelings? I'm sure it probably has to do with you being her first faithful love. And she did think she loved you. Just so you know. But I know that Erai, would never do anything to hurt, you, Jason, or myself. She was probably angry because it hurt to be denied...You should know that." Tray was referring to of course when he had told her no just a little while ago.

Leif blinked at him and her brow furrowed on her forehead, showing her concern. "I can understand WHY she was angry, Tray... I know how it feels to be rejected, like you so... adamantly pointed out." she pouted slightly. "But she has Jason now... she turned me down. I shouldn't matter to her anymore." She then shifted on her feet a little, looking honestly hurt. "And you really wouldn't care if she and I had...?" she trailed off and blushed, clearing her throat. "I don't understand... you told me that if I was your girlfriend that it meant no one else could have me but you. And that you were only mine... remember? So... how does Erai not apply to that?" she asked in confusion. "I'm just... so confused..."

"Because she cares Leif. More than you realize. And sure turned you down because she knew there would never be a happy ending between you two. She wants kids and she knew you needed to see more of the world than just her and her bedroom. Which is why I try to get you out there." Tray sighed heavily and leaned his head back. "Honey, I'm not trying to upset you. I'm just trying to explain things."

Leif frowned at him again and sighed heavily. "I meant, why is Erai so special that I can cheat on you with HER, but no one else? Would it be the same for you and Erai? That you can cheat on me with her, if you both saw fit? Because you two care about each other?" she grumbled. "I'm not going to be in the middle of some sick and twisted love-square." She folded her arms over her chest slightly and frowned at the ground sadly. "I know you're trying to explain things.. but so far the only thing you're explaining to me is how much of a hypocrit you and Erai both are. And if she knew there would never be a happy ending between us, then why try something again now? It just doesn't make sense. None of you make sense." she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "And I don't need your pressure to get me outside. You think you're helping me by pushing me, but you're not. I grew up in that prison all my life, Tray... forcing me into going outside isn't going to make me see things differently. So far, nothing is different from being inside that prison... it's empty, cruel, and dangerous. I'll get used to it on my own. All I want from you and everyone else is patience. Remember? We had this conversation earlier and you swore to me that you would be patient with me."

Tray's eyes flicked over to Leif at the mention of him and Erai being together. "Erai and I have been down that road. We both decided that wasn't for the best. And Erai is DIFFERENT...because she CARES." Blowing out a big puff of air, Tray got to his feet and took off his shirt. Moving into the bedroom he tossed it aside and snatched one out of the dresser near by. Pulling it on he came back out to look at her. "And it's only Pressure because your not trying." Walking over to the door, Tray opened it and paused. Inhaling deeply he shook his head. "I need some time to myself." With that he walked out and closed the door behind him without so much as a 'see you later.'

Leif just stood there, watching the ground as he changed his shirt, and then left the room. She felt something in her chest ache when he'd left and she sniffled stubbornly, not about to let a few tears fall. She had cried enough over silly drama. She turned and looked at Roux, then sighed. "Well... I guess this surprise is ruined..." she whispered, moving into the bedroom to change out of her new clothes and hidden lingerie, deciding on some simple pajamas and climbing into bed, curling up by herself. She still didn't understand how Erai caring about her, or Tray or anyone else made her so special and above everyone else that it was okay to cheat on someone with her. How did that make it okay?

---

Jason sighed boredly as he rested on the couch, his eyes closed and his ankles crossed one over the other in an attempt to sleep, but ever since Erai had gotten back and seemed to be... upset, he just couldn't. Finally, he couldn't let the silence weigh down on him anymore. "Wanna talk about it?"

Erai glanced up from the easel she had been painting on and sighed heavily. "I guess I should. But I don't want you being mad, or...I dont know. I was stupid." Throwing her paint brush down on the little ledge of her easel she shook her head and moved away from the painting, which wasn't like the happy ones she normally did. "I uh...I...hmmm..." Walking over to the couch she sat down beside Jason and stared at the ground. "I don't know what came over me. W were in the shop trying on clothes and... Leif wanted me to see a lingerie she wanted to take home for Tray. And... it aroused me and I...I made a pass at her..." Sighing heavily she buried her face in her hands. "So fucking stupid."

Jason listened to her silently, then very carefully, he shifted himself to sit up, grunting in pain as he did and looking at her sideways. "Wow..." he whispered and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's uh... that's heavy." He frowned at the ground and sighed, looking at her. "Why?"

"I honestly don't know. I saw her and it reminded me of our relationship and...I just reacted. It was stupid and shouldn't have happened. And then I got angry at myself for even doing it. I'm a horrible person." Burying her face in her hands she finally let the tears flow that she had been holding back. "I'm so so so sorry." A hiccup escaped her lips as she sobbed and spoke around the crying.

Jason frowned heavily as she started crying, sighing and shifting closer to her so he could pull her into a hug. "Erai..." he crooned, stroking her hair. "I won't lie... it hurts to hear this... after everything we've... done together, It hurts to know that you would do something like this... but at the same time, I understand what it's like to give in to impulse." he whispered into her hair sadly. "I don't blame you, it's okay.. but please.. I need to hear you say what you want... Do you want to stay with me? Or do you want Leif back?"

Erai looked up and turned to see Jason with a panicked look on her face. "You...Always..." Biting down on her bottom lip she frowned deeply. Sliding her arms gently around Jason's waist and burying her face in his neck. "Please forgive my stupidity."

Jason hugged her back tightly, sighing deeply with relief into her hair. "That's all I need to know." he whispered, rubbing her back. "I'm going to trust you here, Erai... that you won't do anything with her again..." He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, just holding her close. "But I think you need to talk to her... apologise or something. I'm sure it startled or confused her a little..."

"I know. I know you're right. We just... Our friendship is...strained since we were together." Shrugging her shoulders gently, she laid her head against Jason's chest and sighed softly. Closing her eyes she just allowed the sound of his beating heart to soothe her.

Jason stroked her hair slowly, tilting his head down at her and giving her a sad smile. "I know..." he whispered, nuzzling her. "I've seen it. But she does care about you, Erai. I can tell because she and I have a few things in common... She can stay your friend, but you have to accept that that's all she'll ever be to you from now on."

"I'm fine with just being friends. I don't want anything more from her. I have you." Blushing deeply, Erai had a hint of a smile on her face as she snuggled closer. "Do I have to talk to her now or can it wait until she's calmed down?" Erai wished the whole thing didn't happen but it was a little late for that.

Jason gave her a small smile and shrugged. "I think you should give her some time to calm down and think about what happened.. then you can discuss it with her with a clear head." he nodded and kissed the top of her hair, petting it lightly. He closed his eyes and relaxed back against the couch with a wince and a small sigh. "I'm glad you chose me, Erai." he smiled. "Very glad."

"Oh and why is that?" Erai thought about it for a moment and smiled. She hadn't actually chose him, they had chosen each other is how she saw it. Sighing heavily she closed her eyes as she laid her head against his chest and inhaled deeply as his scent surrounded and soothed her.

Jason chuckled and shrugged slightly, looking down at her slightly. "Because I'm incredibly lucky to have you, Erai... You're... amazing. I really wish I had met you sooner..." he said honestly, nuzzling her. "I.... really like you. I think I might actually love you." he winked playfully.

Erai stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "Don't play around like that, Jason." A deep blush had risen up in her cheeks as she replayed his words in her mind. He'd said the words serious enough but his gesture afterwards threw her. One doesn't normally wink after telling someone they think they love them.

Jason tilted his head at Erai and blinked at her in confusion, then his expression grew serious and he shifted himself to better face her. "Who said I was playing around?" he said softly, then gave her a soft smile, raising a hand to stroke her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her. When it broke, he pulled back and studied her. "I love you, Erai."

Erai blushed deeply as she looked into Jason's eyes. Love... He just said he loved her. She knew she should say it back but she had never felt love before, so she didn't know if that's the emotion she was feeling or not. "H--how do you know?" She asked stupidly. But she figured he would be the last person in the world to laugh at her and make her feel stupid for not knowing if she was feeling love.

Jason's brows furrowed a little, obviously disappointed that her initial reaction wasn't to say it back. He gave her a reassuring smile at her question, however, and rubbed her arms. "Because I would do anything and everything for you. I already have, in a way... I single-handedly brought down the breeder compound and saved all those girls, including your sister... You just told me you made a pass at a past love and I forgave you... Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"Jason, I'm not doubting you... I just... your going to think this is stupid but... I-- I've never been in love. I'm not sure how its supposed to feel. I mean... You give me butterflies and you make my heart beat race. You make me happier than anyone ever has. I feel safe with you. I feel I can tell you anything. Does that mean I'm in love with you?" Erai looked as if she were a child sorting through a problem. She felt childish, not knowing what love felt like. She wasn't trying to upset him, she just didnt want to admit her love if she wasn't sure how love felt.

"Well, that is part of it, yes." Jason nodded and rubbed her arms reassuringly. "To me, love is the only perfect feeling in the world... When you're in love with someone, you would want to do anything you could to make them happy... because when you see them sad, it makes your heart break... and you can't, for even one second, imagine your life without them. You think about that other person constantly, wondering what they're doing, how they're feeling, what you can do for them to make their day brighter, things of that sort. You want to protect them with your life... I know for a fact that I would die for you, Erai... in a heartbeat. And I would kill for you, too. That's how much you mean to me."

Tears clung to Erai's eyelashes as she listened to Jason talk about his feelings. Blushing deeply, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed softly against his shoulder. "Oh gods... Jason... I love you too. Now I feel even worse about earlier." Sighing heavily she whiped the tears from her cheeks and sniffled softly.

Jason caught her in the hug tightly and let her cry against his shoulder, giving a small smile as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair comfortingly. "Sshhh... it's alright, Erai..." he whispered gently in her ear. "I already forgave you, remember?" He kissed her head and sighed into her hair, just admiring how she smelled. "Everything's okay now."

Inhaling deeply, Erai nodded her head but allowed it to remain on his shoulder. Closing her eyes she sighed softly as she whipped the remainder of her tears away. "Okay..." Smiling softly she sniffled one last time before pulling away just enough to she could look into his eyes.

Jason smiled down at her happily and nuzzled her head with his, just relaxing with her on the couch. He sighed happily into her hair and kissed it, then closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. After all this excitement, he was starting to notice the pain in his side returning. "Nng... I think I need more meds, nurse..." he whispered cheekily with a grin.

"Okay...be right back." Jumping up from the couch she hurried into the kitchen. Grabbing a bag off of the counter she unzipped it and pulled out another needle. Setting the bag aside she came back to Jason's side and exhaled loudly. "Okay..." Feeling around on his arm for a vein she flicked it a few times to wake it up and nodded. "Ready?" Without waiting for a response she stuck him and injected the medication. Removing the needle she set it aside and held her finger to his arm to stop the bleeding.

Jason gasped and tensed for a moment, closing his eyes tightly and breathing sharply to keep himself distracted. When she pulled the needle free, he relaxed again and breathed deeply, waiting to open his eyes until after she put the needle away. "Thanks..." he whispered, giving her a small smile.

"I figured doing it without warning would be better." Removing her finger from his arm she frowned slightly as she watched him carefully. Smiling gently, she sat down next to him and rubbed his arm gently.

Jason sighed out and gave a small shrug. "Well.... no, no it didn't really make a difference, it still sucked." he chuckled playfully and gave her a weak smile. He leaned on her with his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes with a breath out. He always felt dizzy after getting a shot. "Ugh... Do we have any water..?"

"Of course..." Jumping back up she went into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water, and an orange from their supply. Coming back into the living room she handed the glass to Jason and sat down on the table in front of him and began peeling her orange. "Want a bite?


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