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What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

Alicia was still riding her high as Bryce’s warmth flooded her body, filling her to the brim while the wonderful sensation fo his cock twitching within her drove her wild. Letting Bryce cum inside of her had been dangerous but she trusted him wholly - and it wasn’t on her mind in that moment, but Gretchen had mentioned protection in the pantry earlier. Hopefully that meant she’d be able to get her hands on a pack of two of oral contraceptives and then they could genuinely be risk-free with each other.

”I love you too,” she moaned back, the high in her body slowly climbing down as her and Bryce held on tight to each other. She kissed him back fervently, just as desperate for him as he was her. Maybe it was the fact that she was stoned making her even more attached to him than usual, maybe it was the fact that just so recently they had been parted - whatever was ruling her in that moment, one would think that they were never going to see each other again with how invest they were with each other and making this moment as close and intimate as possible. “So, so much,” she said through gasping breaths and passionate gagged kisses.

- - - - -

Anna’s need for independence was important to her, so it was a good thing that he didn’t try to step in - and she’d swallowed her pride enough to ask for help in the moment where she did really need it. She was listening... kind of. It could also just be passed off as she’d always liked having Nick’s hands in her hair, especially like this, if he hadn’t noticed the way she’d tried to do it herself and failed. If he had noticed, he was at least keeping his mouth shut about that. Thankfully.

”At least I have en excuse,” Anna retorted, letting out a small laugh as she backed her body in to his while keeping her head far enough away that he wouldn’t get a mouthful of soapy hair, enjoying the closeness. She wouldn’t be Anna if she acted afraid of naked intimacy - and with her bare body pressed up against Nick’s, the cleft of her ass was the perfect spot for his dick to rest. It wasn’t a completely sexual thing, just where bodies happened to meet, but hell - what was the harm? Unless she tried to give him a left-handed handy, she wasn’t about to hurt herself with a little teasing. Surely even he could appreciate a little bum wiggle and as mischevious glance.
 
Out of everything, nothing was hotter than hearing Alicia say that she loved him while she was gagged. This girl managed to make him smile and make his cock twitch at the same time! That's one of the many reasons Bryce knew how true their love was. Eventually, he was just holding her up against the wall, now doing his best to snuggle with her, his face dropping down against her neck so he could press a few, small kisses to the skin there. Bryce did enjoy some post-sex cuddling, even while his girl was still helpless. He knew they would have to move in a moment or two, but why not just enjoy this for a second longer?

"Ah... that was great. I'm glad we gave bible study a chance." Bryce chuckled. To be fair, this night would have probably ended the same way with them making love, but the high made it quite fun and the 3-hour long teasing session Alicia made him endure caused his release to be even stronger. "I guess I should probably get us inside now." It was with great reluctance that he gently helped Alicia down, allowing her to stand upright on her two feet now. He crouched beside her and lifted up her pants and underwear, fixing everything right back. They would probably have to clean up once inside, but that could wait. He decided to keep her bound and gagged, for now, as he pulled up his own pants, reaching out to grab both of her tied hands as he led her into the cabin.

--

There it was. His dick happened to rest in a most precarious position. She knew he always had a weak spot for her ass. Then again, he had a weak spot for every inch of Anna’s body, so that wasn’t necessarily saying much. However, on many occasions, it was her grinding her rear against him that really got him going. So, the wiggling did make him begin the process of hardening. Did Nick want to fuck Anna? Hell yeah, he did! It would have been nice to release those emotions and to lose himself in her body. Since she wasn’t doing anything too obvious right now, he didn’t say anything. Teasing was as far as it could go.

Nick promised himself that it would not even get this far, but Anna made one hell of an argument without even speaking a word. So, he bit his lip and finished rinsing out her hair. “O-Okay… there you go.” His words were uneven and it was no surprise. Nick tried to hold himself together. As addicted as he had been to drugs, he was even more addicted to Anna and that was not something he would say lightly. “Now, I, I guess you better get to washing off now. Don’t want to stay in here too long and risk pissing everyone off.” Nick tried to steer this back in the direction of actually showering, though he was unable to convince himself to move, so his dick stayed where it was
 
Bryce was right - they probably should get inside. After that little moment, Alicia wasn't sure that she would be able to walk, though. She had really hoped that Bryce would just pick her up bridal style and waltz in to their cabin, carrying her in like the princess he said she was. The only problem with being put back down on the ground was that her limbs were shaky - nerves shot by the pure bliss that had just spread through every inch of her body light lightning. It took her a moment to regain her footing and not feel like her limbs were about to collapse under her - he had truly left her breathless.

"Bible study was a good idea," she agreed as he took her bound hands and guided her with gentle authority towards their current home. It was no surprise that he'd left her tied up and gagged - and she imagined that they would be in for a sweet bound cuddle fest once they were in to shelter and able to relax with each other. It might have been an odd interest but Alicia appreciated every part of being with Bryce, and she saw how happy those moments made him.

She wouldn't be hesitant about the next time they were asked to tag along, she figured. Not if it lead to moments like this.

- - - - -

Even in this state, Anna could be a little minx - she'd never cared much for what she should be doing or anything of the like. If that meant teasing this poor boy and making him stutter over his words while she could feel his arousal against her back, maybe that was simply just his punishment for acting like she couldn't keep up. She'd never been blind to the effect she had on him and many times over when their lives had been involved with each other, she'd made use of that power she seemed to hold on him. Didn't matter where - back booth of a dimly lit bar with her hand under the table precariously close to his cock while a server took their order, pressing her body against him while they were about. Any time they were around each other, she'd always made it clear to him that she knew just how easily she affected him.

So, as much as she didn't have the ability to support herself against the shower stall and really get him going, she was at least going to have a little fun. If Nick hadn't acted all weak in the knees just because she was naked and near him, he might have been able to get away with relative ease. Instead she acted casually, taking the soap from him so that she could wash down more of her own body, exaggerating the movements at her hips to make things all the more fun for him. "Mind getting my back?" She asked, pretending that she wasn't misbehaving at all.
 
It only took one or two steps before Bryce quickly realized his mistake. It was smarter to pick up and carry his Princess. Looking at Alicia and seeing how weak her legs appeared to be sent a massive boost to his confidence and ego, in a good way. Knowing that he could please his wife to the point where she could not even walk, well, what guy wouldn't be happy with that? "I've got you, Princess." He whispered, suddenly scooping her up into a bridal style carry as he should have from the beginning. This was beginning to happen often, though. Alicia often found herself in his arms, in this position. To tell the truth, if Bryce could have done it, he would have happily carried her like this everywhere!

When they reached the bed, he gently placed her down into the bed. While he did look forward to some boun cuddling, he was hoping to mix up the restraints just a bit. So, he finally reached into her mouth and removed her gag. After that, he undid the belt around her wrists, leaving her momentarily freed. "Did you want to get a little undressed and changed for bed or did you want to just sleep in that?" Bryce asked, open to doing whatever she wanted, whether that was showing more skin or staying like this. "I should probably get you cleaned up, too."

--
The size of the shower stall didn’t help. It was designed to be used by one person at a time. They could still both fit in the shower with some ease, but Nick would only need to take half a step back from where he was and his back would press against the other shower wall since Anna was standing back, allowing the water to wash over her. So, there was nowhere Nick could go to hide! Each pronounced movement of her hips caused him to grow just a bit harder. His cock was growing with rapid speed at this point. Considering where he was pressed against her, Nick did not know how Anna wouldn’t feel that. “Y-Yeah, I got it.” Nick took the soap with shaky hands and a shaky voice. When he reached forward, his body naturally leaned forward as well, causing his length to press between her cheeks just a bit more.

Taking the cloth and soap, he slowly moved it up, down, and across her entire back. It wasn’t easy for him to do this because he was so distracted. He would move all the way down to the small of her back and when he tried to give himself some room to wash her lower back, he pressed against the wall. So, it just so happened that his dick was rubbing between her cheeks just a bit more on accident because of how he moved! He tried to keep calm, his hands now moving along the side of her ribcage to make sure that her entire backside was covered. “Okay… there you go. Your back needs to be rinsed now.” And when she turned to do that, maybe he could finally get some relief!
 
Alicia squealed a little as she was lifted in to Bryce's strong arms, and she had to giggle as she returned her bound arms around his neck and cuddled in close to him. Somehow, he seemed to be able to read her mind - maybe he had seen just how shaky he had left her. Being carried around she felt like the most important woman on the whole planet, and she knew that in Bryce's eyes that was exactly what she was. He was her prince and she was his princess, together a force that no one could get between.

Alicia chose to strip down to her underwear, though she swapped her bra for a light tank top lest anyone decide to waltz on in to the cabin later on. It was a comfy way of sleeping. She also swapped out her panties for new ones, using the worn underwear to wipe up the semen that was spilling from her. Voila - clean up was done. "I think I'm ready for a cuddle up now," she remarked as she put her worn garments aside and climbed back on to the bed. Once there, she looked to Bryce all innocently and held out her hand. "Come to bed my dear," she requested. though she wouldn't be surprised if he chose to use that as an opportunity to wrap her wrists up once more.

- - - - -

"Since when are you so bothered by me touching you?" Anna asked as he stammered again, knowing damn well he'd never been afraid of being in contact with her before. "I can tell you like it, you're a man. You can't hide that shit. So why are you being all stuttery and shit?" Anna... would not like the answer to that question, inevitably. She wasn't going to want to hear that he found her all fragile and breakable and that he didn't even want to sink his hand around her and between her thighs like he normally did. Or, well, that he wanted to - but even something so minor was 'too much'.

When he urged her to turn around she did - she leant back against the wall behind her and looked him right in the eyes as she reached out stroked the underside of his cock from base to tip with her good arm. She wasn't even trying to fuck him, just have a little bit of fun - a little bit of normalcy. In and out, dirty then clean - just a little bit of typical fun with each other in the meantime. In a way, that action was meant to taunt him.
 
Bryce took the time to clean himself up as well, using a towel to quickly wipe up the mess on his body. He found a new pair of boxers to wear along with a pair of athletic shorts to wear, but that was it. When he returned to the bed, he eyed his wife and watched her hands reaching out to him. She was right if she thought he was going to want to cuddle with her in bondage for a while. He was holding something in his hands, something he grabbed other than clothing. He had two lengths of rope. This rope was the silk bondage rope, the soft, comfortable feeling kind of rope that was built to be used for hours and hours without posing any actual harm because of the material that would touch the skin.

"I would be happy to join you." Winking, he grabbed her wrists and started to bind them together with the soft rope. He made sure the rope around her wrists wasn't actually as tight as could be. If they fell asleep, they would be loose enough for her to wiggle right out of if they actually had to get moving. Plus, her hands were tied in front. Then, he decided to do the same thing with her ankles, especially since he hadn't been able to bind her feet outside and he did love her feet. "Before we get into cuddling... what would you say to a foot massage?" Bryce asked, a loving smile on his face.

--

All hope of Anna just ignoring what was happening slipped away. The last thing Nick wanted was to upset Anna. He knew she was not going to like his answer, but the taunting got to him and her touch made him moan again. “Anna…” Nick protested. It would probably be the first time ever that Nick would deny a chance to touch her or be touched by her. Even if she only wanted to touch like this, it was too risky. Nick knew better than to think it could be only a teasing touch. It always turned into more between them.

“Of course, I love it and of course I want to have fun with you.” Nick added, wanting her to know that there was nothing wrong, per se. I just know if we start with anything, we aren’t going to stop. We’ll probably go all the way and that’s just too risky, Anna.” Saying that he wanted her would be an understatement as he would grow even more right there in her hand. Nick was just looking out for her, trying to settle for just leaning forward and gently placing a kiss on her lips. When she recovered, they could have some fun for sure, but now? It was just too dangerous! She was not even supposed to be out of bed, much less having sex in the showers!
 
Oooh - Alicia's heart fluttered when she saw the silk rope that Bryce held in his hands. He was bringing her favourite out - the soft texture made it easy to tolerate, gliding along her skin before securing her. Her excitement was palpable as she allowed Bryce to take her wrists, and she watched him with loving adoration as he secured her. It was loose but it was meant to be for comfort - for lazy cuddles and the chance of falling asleep. Last thing they wanted was for their post-sex bliss to put them to bed and her to be in something that could hurt her if worn for too long, after all.

After he'd bound her ankles together, Alicia pulled them up on to the bed, making a show out of her partially covered body tied up for him. "I think that sounds like an amazing idea, my love," she said to him as she stretched her feet out, baring the arches of her soles. It had been a long time since the last time Bryce had the opportunity to offer and more than having achey feet from their recent adventures, Alicia craved the intimacy.

- - - - -

"I'm not trying to fuck you, I'm trying to get you to stop treating me like an invalid." Ah, yes, there it was - Anna's signature venom. She knew better than anyone that there was no way in hell she was going to be able to put any more pressure against the wall of the shower, this alone hurt and her bad side wasn't even touching, let alone brace against it with both hands. Her eyes narrowed and her lips turned in to a grimace as Nick pulled away from a chaste little kiss.

A small shake of her head later and she'd moved her hand from his cock to grab at his wrist, guide his hand between her legs so that the base of his palm rested against her pubic bone. "What's really the danger?" She was ignoring that he was right - even if the intentions were more innocent than a fuck-fest pinned against a shower wall, they did have a habit of getting ahead of themselves. "You won't even kiss me right."
 
"Thank you, Alicia." At first glance, it might appear as if the massage was being given to Alicia for her pleasure alone. That was untrue. Instead, Bryce would argue that he derived as much pleasure from doing this as she did. "How do you feel, babe?" Bryce asked, raising her bound feet up to his lips at first so he could begin kissing her pretty soles, his lips traveling all over her skin. It made him so happy to kiss her feet and to play with them. He figured she would enjoy it quite a bit, too. Plus, she could use the massage after a long day, he was sure.

"Thank you for letting me tie you up like this all the time. I just love you so much and I love how you didn't hesitate to explore my fantasies. I understand how lucky I am." It felt necessary to say after each time they made love when she was tied up, especially when they were cuddling, too. "I could do this all night, you know? I love your feet." Bryce winked, placing them back into his lap so he could start the actual massage, gently running his hands and fingers up over her soles and back down them again.

--

That was a major difference, wasn't it? Anna saw this as him treating her like an invalid. Nick saw this as him treating her the way she needed to be treated right now - with care and with a gentle touch. Almost as soon as Anna pulled his hand between her legs, he pulled it right back away. It wasn't like he was blind, either. He could see a grimace in her face now and again. He knew simply trying to shower was not an easy task for her, so why was she trying to put herself at even more risk? While he would always appreciate the way she was attracted to him and wanted him, it just was not doable right now.

"Look, Anna. I'm sorry, okay? We just can't right now. I know you're not an invalid. I just don't want you to get hurt worse. Not that long ago, I thought I was going to lose you. I know how seriously you were hurt. I just don't want to risk anything. I want you to be safe. I want you to recover. I promise you, when you recover, we will do whatever you want, but right now, we can't. It just isn't worth the harm that it could do to you, Anna. What kind of guy would I be to give in right now and risk you getting hurt even more? I care about you, Anna. That's precisely why I can't."
 
"I feel like I'm on top of the world," Alicia said as Bryce took a hold of her feet and pressed soft kisses to her soles and toes. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he did so, fond of every piece of her that he touched. She had never thought that she would enjoy something like this until she was with Bryce, but now that that was reality she couldn't imagine a life any different. It didn't matter what he was touching he showed her endless amounts of care - it was like he worshipped the ground that she walked on. He reached a ticklish spot along the side of the sole of her foot and she let out a little giggle, trying not to instinctively jerk away from him. She absolutely enjoyed this 100%.

"Of course my love," she said with a sweet smile. He was always so appreciative of her, and that was part of why she was always comfortable with him. Bryce would treat her right 100% of the time, and she always knew she was in good hands. "I'm just happy to be able to make your dreams come true, there's nothing more I could want than to give you the world." She had no problem being sappy. To outsiders, they were almost sickly sweet but to each other they were simply perfect. "And I could be here with you all night... oh wait, I am. My dreams are coming true."

Alicia let out a soft sigh as Bryce began to work on her feet, running his hands along the length of her soles in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. "One of these days I'll have to return the favour," she joked - though realistically she was happy to indulge if Bryce were to ever want the favour returned, he'd never asked or hinted at such a thing so she didn't have any expectations there. That was very okay with her, too.

- - - - -

Yup... her life was going to revolve around this for a while now. With a huff she let go of his hand as fast as he pulled it away, and she took a half-step away from the wall so that the water could wash down her back and clear what was left of soap and shampoo. "Alright, time to get out. Let's go." She shooed Nick off with her good hand once everyone was all clean and ready, wanting to leave this situation behind. She obviously was not a happy camper and did not agree with Nick's view of things, but it wasn't like she could force him in to doing what she wanted - she'd been down that road enough times that the worst she was going to do was explicitly urge him on and let him go when he didn't want to, just like she'd already done.

"Wanted to talk to Josh, yeah? Gonna have to stop back at medical and grab some new bandages first, but we could do that." She'd gone from trying to be sexy to on a mission, what she was really trying to do was get away from this moment. Getting her shirt back on was going to be a lot more difficult than taking it off was, but she was not in the mood to give Nick another reason to think she needed help so she tried her damnedest anyways. Not even contortion was helping considering she couldn't properly get a hold of the fabric after it was over her head, and she took a deep frustrated breath.

"Shirt," she said simply, struggling to admit that much defeat. Nick would probably love that. "Please," she tacked on after a moment to sound a little less crusty.
 
Bryce’s infatuation with Alicia’s feet was another kink on his long list of oddities. Not only was having a foot fetish seemingly uncommon and taboo, but even his fetish went against logic. Most of the time, the dominant would require the submissive to worship their feet, not the other way around. In this scenario, Bryce would not stop Alicia if she just wanted to massage his feet. It would not give him any sexual gratification, though. It would not disgust him or anything negative, either. He was neutral to it. “If you wanted to, you could. My preference is just to do this, though. I think I get more out of giving you a foot massage than I would get from receiving one honestly.”

Bryce chuckled softly, not minding the conversation at all. Besides, how else would she learn more about what he wanted and vice versa if they did not discuss and talk about it? That’s how their relationship was, though. They communicated so well and they were open with one another. Bryce continued the ministrations with her feet, raising them back to his lips so he could gently kiss her soles one more time. The nice thing about having this place to call home temporarily was how often Alicia could afford to be barefoot. He noticed how she would slip out of her shoes at times to tease him, even before tonight.

He even gently kisses along her toes before pulling back again, getting back to the foot massage. It was so much fun, but he wanted some quality cuddling time as well. He could imagine that Alicia wanted the same, she finally set her feet back down after letting them teasingly brush against his crotch one final time. It was most certainly not the last foot massage he would give to her. He crawled up the bed again and locked eyes with his wife. “Alright, babe. Tell me what position you want for cuddling and we’ll get right to it.” Bryce offered.

--

Despite Anna’s belief, Nick took no pleasure in seeing her struggle with the shirt. If anything, it caused him pain. Nick hated seeing her this way because he knew how much it had an impact on her own well-being. Nick wanted her to recover. He just preferred she asked for his assistance instead of ramming her head into a wall before finally asking for him. Then again, she was not outright about asking for his help, but that was to be expected.

Grabbing the shirt, he lifted it up and helped ease her good arm into the sleeve first. Then, he slid the center hole over her head. The next part was tricky. “Just hold your arm straight.” He whispered in a soft, understanding voice. He slipped the hole over her other arm as well, doing his best to not touch her arm or shoulder anywhere, lest it cause her more discomfort. Finally, after meticulously moving the material over her arms, it was set into place and she was now wearing a shirt. He helped pull it down as well so it was not wrinkled or folded anywhere.

Even though their sexy moment was over in the shower, or whatever you could actually call it, something Anna said stuck with Nick, about how he didn’t even kiss her right. He could fix that, at least. So, while he was close enough to her, he leaned down and actually kissed her correctly. Their lips touched fully and he held it for at least five seconds, or for as long as she would allow as he didn’t know if she would be too upset for a kiss right now, but he wanted to try to just give her a moment of peace and calm before they set out on their mission to find Josh.
 
"I think even non-sexually anyone could benefit from a good-" Alicia gasped as Bryce's fingers found a tight spot in her foot and the tension released under his touch "-massage once in a while." Obviously, Alicia was not about to push the subject. More than anything she just wanted Bryce to know that she was happy to return the favour and there wasn't unequal expectations going on. Respect, more than anything. If he was happier keeping this up and never being on the receiving end, that was his prerogative and Alicia was okay with whatever he might want. A back massage might be another thing, though - no one could say no to a good back massage from a lover, and Alicia loved feeling his muscles beneath her fingers.

She was in bliss the entire time that she laid their, her feet in Bryce's lap. All good things had to come to an end eventually, though. The young woman whined as her partner released her feet, though she let them rest in her lap as long as she could before he climbed up to lay beside her. "I'd like you to big spoon me, my dear," Alicia suggested - the way she was tied would be perfect for that - the bindings wouldn't get in the way of anything. As if to encourage him, she rolled on to her side and looked back to him expectantly. He had asked her what she wanted, after all, and what she wanted was to be held close from head to toe.

- - - - -

At least she had a loose tank top and not anything that would require too much manipulation. Obviously that hadn't made the task any easier for her, but it did mean that the task at hand would be over with quick. Because she'd saved her top for last - even if someone had come in to the shower block she didn't give a rat's ass if anyone saw her tits - she was left fully dressed once he had finished up, and the soreness building up in her shoulder made her try to stretch it. Her ability was limited, and frankly it just made her more sore, but it was a hapless attempt to relieve some of that. It seemed pretty soon she was going to have to hop down to Josh and Molly's to grab some more 'medication' off them anyways, so it was a good thing they had another reason to go.

Nick surprised her, though. When he leaned down to kiss her she was caught off guard - maybe he wasn't so bad, after all. It seemed that Nick had at least listened to her about one thing anyways. She leaned in to him, even brought her good hand to his cheek in a strangely affectionate gesture. This was the most he'd acted like she was someone he was attracted to and not just someone who needed babying since the border, and she really did need it. Of course she wasn't about to let things stay that innocent, but maybe now that they were out of the shower and clothed he might be more open to adventure. Anna gently bit at Nick's lower lip and very slightly pulled away, just enough that she would be able to look him in the eyes.

"That's more like it," she said as she let go, her lips turning in to a slight smile.
 
Wow. There was just something about the way she looked back at him that turned him on so much. "I am happy to do that for you, babe," Bryce responded, moving his body in a way that would give Alicia exactly what she wanted. He wrapped both arms around her tightly from behind, her back right up against his chest. His hands locked together around her abdomen, but with her hands tied in front, it was so easy to reach out and grab them. Then, he started to kiss her neck and shoulders, happy to have even more exposed skin since she was wearing a tank top right now. He wanted to give her as much affection as possible, especially when she was showing some skin for him like this!

"This is such a perfect way to end the night. I love cuddling with you like this, even when you aren't bound, but having you bound makes it so much better." Bryce admitted though it was probably the worst kept secret ever! After the kisses, he moved his head enough so he could capture her lips again, holding the kiss for as long as humanly possible. He only stopped the kiss once it became impossible for him to continue because of the lack of air he received from having his mouth covered with Alicia's. "Maybe you can curl up your legs a bit from this angle and rest your feet against my lap again." He suggested, thinking of more ways to have her teasing him with her feet. Even if they were not doing anything else sexual, he found nothing wrong with it.

--

For Nick, it was nothing more than an innocent kiss. He did not plan on it traveling any further than that. Even after she made it tempting from the way she kissed him and grabbed his lower lip, Nick had to stay strong. He did return another kiss, leaning forward, sliding his tongue around the outline of her lips, now trying to press his tongue into her mouth if she allowed it. If it was allowed, he would try to pin her tongue down against his own, softly sighing against her lips. Even though it seemed like he might be giving in to what she wanted, he was going to stay steady and pull back before anything crazy happened.

After the kiss ended this time, Nick just pulled back to gaze into her eyes. "Anna, I'm sorry that I've been acting differently since the border. I know you're the strongest person I know. I know you can take care of yourself and you can do everything on your own. I'm just trying to show you that you don't have to do everything on your own and I'm trying to be there for you every step of the way. I would rather have you safe and upset with me for doting on you than to have you happy with me and back in that hospital bed because we did too much and your stitches came loose."

It never felt like either of them had an easy time saying "I'm sorry". Nick was trying to mend the feeling he was causing Anna to feel, while also explaining his logic behind the situation. He kissed her softly again after that, yearning for more, but knowing that they could not. "Now, why don't we go stop by Josh and Molly's as we talked about, yeah?" He suggested.
 
Alicia may as well had god damn purred as Bryce sidled up behind her, getting cozy against every inch of her skin. Ah yes - it was exactly what she had wanted. Alicia wiggled her way back against him further, not wanting any inch of her body to be devoid of contact, and the way his kissed her neck and shoulders left her with butterflies in her stomach and soft sighs on her full lips. There was no better place to be. Instinctively, she pressed her body against his even further - Alicia wanted nothing more than to be buried deep in her husband's safe and comforting embrace.

"I had no idea," the brunette teased in return, a playful smile on her lips as she did so. She was obviously well aware of her husband's inclinations but in a playful manner she acted like she was shocked by this brand-new revelation. She then giggled as he leaned in to kiss her, and without a gag on her mouth she was able to truly make the most of it - soft but passionate kisses with open lips, her tongue flicking at his only to make the kisses deeper if her beloved allowed. Even so soon after sex she wanted every part of him, and she would have been lying if she tried to claim her hormones weren't acting up again already.

She was happy to oblige Bryce's request, though, and she pressed one more kiss against his soft lips before attempting to bring her feet to her lover's lap - and she made it work. Alicia would make anything work in order to make her husband happy. "Like this?" She asked, hoping to be told she had gotten what he wanted right. At the same time she also really wanted those lips of his back on her neck, maybe a hand sliding up her shirt... Yeah, there was no denying that when all was said and done, she was still just an eighteen year deeply old in love.

- - - - -

Neither of them were really going to win with the other - Nick wasn't going to back down because he gave too much of a shit, and Anna wasn't about to admit defeat. In her eyes, that was what it would have been - defeat. Instead she chose to back away, at least part of what she had wanted gained, and made a joke. "Yeah Molly would probably kill you if she found out you fucked me so good my stitches burst," she laughed to try to relieve a little bit of the tension without conceding. Nick was probably used to this, her way of tiptoeing around topics that she didn't like. She'd spent too long relying only on herself (and Molly... Molly had always been her one exception) to be comfortable, it wasn't like Nick was trying to irritate her or make her feel lesser than, but that was the secondhand effect trying to look after her had.

"Yeah, let's go." The feelings seemed to be less hard than they were a minute ago - Anna was at least trying to crack jokes even if she wormed her way out of acknowledging uncomfortable conversation. She would try to keep what he said in mind the next time she was feeling bad, though. Until then, it was time to head off - Anna did not try to put the sling back on (if Nick had anything to say about it she would come up with some shit about how she needs to be able to at least bend her arm because atrophy or something) but she wasn't going out of her way to use the arm, so hopefully Nick would be able to live with that. She wasn't sure he'd seen where they were headed but Anna had stopped by earlier with Molly and it was easy enough to find - there were even chairs there! She'd be able to take a seat, which she was starting to really need, without a hassle.

A moment after knocking on the door, a man answered. He seemed surprise to see the pair there, and Anna silently questioned the concern on his face. She didn't know how pissed off Nick had been earlier but in that moment there seemed to be an understanding that there was the heat of the moment, and Josh welcomed both of them inside. "Amelia's in the other room with Noah," Josh told them, the only person in the world to use Molly's full name. Anna looked towards Nick, unsure how to approach the tense topic that they wanted to pursue with him.

"Molly!" Anna elected to yell as she sat down in a chair, and a few seconds later a curly-haired head poked out of the bedroom. Molly then walked out with the baby in her arm, tucked beneath a breast she had pulled from her shirt. She didn't seem bothered at all by the company - even baby free, everyone here had already seen her boobs. "What's up?" She asked the pair as she settled on to one side of the couch and pulled her legs up, getting comfy.
 
“Yes, j-just… oh… just like that.” The difficulty in speaking clearly derived from the way Alicia’s bound feet made contact against his crotch. “This might become my new favorite cuddling position.” Bryce chuckled, settling in and wiggling his hips ever so slightly, allowing his clothed cock to press right up against her cute soles. Oh, he loved this girl so much and he wanted to make sure that she had as much fun as he did with this relationship, with this marriage. “I swear, it shouldn’t even be possible for you to turn me on so much with these little things, but you are just magical. I still think you must be some kind of goddess not from this world. I don’t understand how it is even possible for a woman to be so perfect, but here you are.” Bryce murmured quietly, leaning down to kiss her lips one more time.

He started to shake his hips a bit, pressing right up against her bound, bare feet. She felt so good against him. And then, he used his left hand to snake underneath her shirt, reaching up to cup her right breast, squeezing that right breast with his hand, allowing the palm to grip the flesh. Then, he went right back to kissing her neck, a soft man leaving his throat, escaping right beside Alicia’s ear. Who said sex life had to stale after getting married? Anyone who thought that certainly didn’t know these two!

“Your breasts feel so perfect against my hand. You feel perfect. Everything about you feels perfect.” The male murmured quietly. He moved to play with her other breast as well, just seeing how it would cause her to react. He didn’t think they’d actually move into having full sex again, but it was nice to just tease and touch her like this. “How does that feel, Princess? Does it feel as good to you as it does for me?” Bryce teased playfully.

--


Nick actually smiled when his girl responded in a way that he knew Anna would respond. It didn’t matter that she didn’t outright react to what he said. Anna was who she was! Anything else would not have felt as genuine or as organic. If she was in a joking mood, then it must have meant she did not hate his guts after all! That was a plus after the conversation they just had. Nick was so happy to hear Anna responding this way. It was her way of somewhat agreeing with what he said, but not exactly stating that directly. He figured that was as close enough as apology accepted that he would get and that was enough for him.

“Alright.” When she agreed to go, he nodded his head in agreement. This was a good sign and he was happy with it. He was not about to tell Anna to put the sling back onto her arm. That was a dangerous conversation to have right after the one they just had. He was happy with the way their conversation went. He was going to let it die and not push getting the sling on her arm, worrying about how that could blow back in his face.

Before Nick even knew what hit him, they were standing outside the little house and were invited inside. As they sat on the couch, Nick thought about how to best approach the topic as it seemed neither himself nor Anna knew how to start. So, Nick decided he would just start from the beginning and be as genuine as possible. “Molly, Josh… I’m not going to speak for Anna here. I’m sure there might be much that I say that she might not disagree with.” Oh, Nick could only realize how angry it would make Anna if she thought he was trying to speak for her. That wasn’t the case at all, even if he did have a good idea of how she felt. He was just speaking for himself.
“But, I feel like we share a few things in common. I know that I don’t think this place is actually safe. The people with guns here are racist and Josh… you’re part of that. I saw you there. For all I know, you might be the one who shot Anna. And I get it. You didn’t know from afar, but I just don’t understand how this happened. You two have been around in my life for a long time because of Anna and I trust you both and I actually liked to think we were all friends in some way. So, it just shocks me that this is happening here. I don’t understand why you all are here if this place is being run by dicks and racists and how Josh… how you can do this to innocent people? There were women and children in that group. How many women and children have you killed for them? Help me understand. If I’m wrong, please tell me, and trust me, I hope I’m wrong.”
 
Alicia let out a soft laugh as Bryce's words turned unintelligible - her husband seemed to be just as lost in lust as she was, though in a very different way. As he pressed against her bare feet she squirmed and wriggled, allowing each sole to press against one side of the bulge to vaguely wrap around him. It wasn't the most natural position, but nonetheless it worked out perfectly for this pair - especially when Bryce leaned in to kiss at her throat. Above all, that was her primary weak spot - Bryce knew many ways to make her weak and wanting him, but little had the same effect as his lips against the soft, sensitive skin of her neck. She couldn't help but moan a little.

"They're made just for you," Alicia said back to him, wholly believing that every part of them was made for each other. There was nothing that didn't fit together, nothing that didn't belong - nothing that the other didn't seem to innately know how to touch just right. "This is amazing," she assured as she continued to slowly drag her feet back and forth subtly across her husband's crotch. "Everything about you, every single thing... it's amazing."

She swore no truer words had ever been spoken before.

- - - - -

"I didn't shoot Anna," Josh said, though he seemed to be unable to look anyone in the eyes. "You guys were at the front of the group, I watched her go down on the first shot. Sure as fuck didn't think it was you guys, though." Obviously, that did not explain or excuse anything but he really didn't know how to breach this topic at all. Until the day before, Molly hadn't know anything about the goings on and he had wanted to keep her in the dark about it all. Secrets were always bound to come out, however.

"Amelia, I'm sorry." He didn't stop to apologize to the other two, because more than anything Molly was the one he'd been lying by omission too. "I really have been keeping an eye out for somewhere safe to take you guys every time I'm out there. I've kept secrets, but I didn't lie about that." He was done addressing Molly now, and looked straight towards Nick and Anna. "Some of the.. less favourable characters threatened her, if I didn't do what they wanted. She was still pregnant and when I didn't like what was going down at the depot and wanted out, they threatened to kill her and cut my half-breed out of her stomach to see how long it would take for a baby to turn."

'What the fuck?" Anna exclaimed, visibly disgusted by what Josh had to say. Molly had a look of horror on her face as well. Obviously, this was something that had not been talked about before.
 
“It sounds like we’re on the same page, then.” Bryce whispered quietly, his lips trailing back down her throat. “Ah…” Another moan left his lips when her feet were dragging along his clothed cock. It felt so damn good! He knew it would feel better without any clothing, but this was still nice. “I am going to make sure that you never feel like you are taken for granted.” Bryce purred lowly, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. He continued to play with her breasts, teasing her underneath the tank top.

He could feel her nipples hardening underneath his touch, making him want to wrap his lips around them and toy with them more directly, but he resisted. “As much as I want to continue with this… we should get some rest. And what do you think about staying like this? You know I love having you like this and it seems like a fun idea to keep you like this all night. We’ll be covered up in case anyone comes inside and when you wake first, you can easily wriggle out of them when needed. I just love the idea of holding your bound hands like this as I fall asleep, but if that’s too crazy, we don’t have to.” He had opened her up to different things like extended time spent tied up and casually using bondage when they cuddle, for example. He wondered if she would give this a shot because it was still a very safe thing to do.

--


As far as excuses went for shooting people, he supposed that wasn’t the worst thing that Josh could have said. However, it did not make it okay, right? Surely neither Anna nor Molly thought that. Nick was not a father, but he liked to think that if someone was threatening his child, he would have found a way to leave and not taken innocent lives. Sure, he would save the child in theory, but how could he ever look that child in the eyes? How could he live with himself?

Nick noticed how Josh ignored his question about how many women and children he killed, how many innocent people he killed. The number was probably higher than he would want to admit. Nick thought about how to approach the subject because it was not going to be an easy thing to do.

“Troy… Troy Otto. I would bet anything that Troy said that. Didn’t he? I just don’t understand… what do you mean you’ve been looking for a safe place? Isn’t anywhere safer than this? What else are they going to ask you to do? I mean, the woman I love is here at the ranch now. I’ve got my mother and sister here. How am I supposed to feel safe knowing that people I care about are here with a bunch of racists and people who want to kill pregnant women and babies for science? Why aren’t we already packing our bags and leaving?” Nick just didn’t understand. "I can't judge you for what you did Josh. I know all about judging and I stay away from it. Just give me a reason to not worry. Can you do that?"
 
How could he want to stop? Alicia wanted to spend the rest of her night like this. Bryce was right, though. It had been a busy day and they were in need of some rest to be at their best tomorrow. Little did Bryce know, Alicia had got her hands on a couple things throughout the day and hoped to surprise him with them at some point tomorrow - it had been hard to find a moment to sneak some things away, but she had somehow managed. She really hoped that he would like his surprises tomorrow!

"I'm okay with that," Alicia said with a soft smile on her lips. "It might be a little uncomfortable keeping my legs up like this, so I might straighten out throughout the night, but I'm happy to stay tied up like this. The silk is really soft and you tied them loose enough to stay comfortable, so I think I should be alright." Alicia turned to press a soft kiss to her beloved's forehead. Alicia was glad that Bryce felt comfortable voicing his desires to her like this - worst case she would say no, but given her trust in him and how intensely he cared for her it was highly unlikely she would ever refuse anything that he suggested.

"I'd love to wake up to you just like this," she affirmed. She would love to do anything for him, truly.

- - - - -

Everyone seemed to be truly disgusted by the words that had just come out of Josh's mouth and more than anything, Anna just wanted to hug Molly in that moment - the young woman had just discovered that the people here were more fucked up than she had originally thought, after all. Nick was quicker to talk than Anna could be, so she got from her chair and moved over to the couch, cuddling up to the latina's side and putting an arm around her shoulder. Not a damn person in the world was going to be laying a hand on her or the kid - a kid who stared straight at Anna as his mother held her close.

"Do I gotta spell it out for you, Nick?" Josh asked, shaking his head. "You're going to be fine here. Your mom and your sister and Anna... you'll all be fine here. If Anna hadn't been dying, you two probably would have never seen the showers. You would have been taken to the front, put in a little room to answer a dumb interview, and probably offered a home here. That's what happened to your mom and sister, but I know her husband didn't get the same treatment. Wonder why that is." Really he didn't wonder at all - dying, sick or brown... all went to be tested on. "I've seen less atrocious things at war, and if it wasn't for Molly needing medical care we would have been out of here after the first time I saw what happened. But you? You and yours are going to be perfectly fine here."

"Then we leave," Anna interjected. "All of us. We find somewhere safe."

"Both you and Amelia are recovering from major injuries right now, Anna."
 
“Thank you so much, Alicia. Don’t worry about keeping your feet like that. Sorry, what I meant was, I just wanted to have you tied up like this. Stretch out your legs for sure.” Bryce clarified what he meant. She was so damn perfect and he was an incredibly lucky man for her to agree to this. Bryce would not forget it. “Now, good night, Alicia. I love you so much. I know we both are really looking forward to doing a little bit more, but we really need to get some sleep.” He chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to her lips one more time.

He finally rested his head against the back of her neck, allowing his face to gently rest against her skin. He felt so comfortable like this. He felt so happy! Alicia managed to do that for him no matter what, even if she was tied up or not. After telling his wife how much he loved her, he finally started to fall asleep. He drifted away and smiled, his arms locked around her tightly.

Bryce would sleep pretty hard. After all, he had to make the trek from the depot to this place mostly by foot. He was still recovering and he was still exhausted. So, it was no shock when Bryce managed to stay asleep even as Alicia started waking up. His arms were looser around her waist, so she could move if she really wanted to move out of his arms to begin the day.


--

It was a lot to take in right now. Nick understood where Josh was coming from. He could understand why Josh had the right to be much more worried than Nick could be right now. Yes, they were racists and that ended up painting a target on Molly's back. Still, was he supposed to just be okay with it? Plus, Molly was pretty much family at this point, he thought. If something happened to her, Nick would have been affected, mostly because of how it would affect Anna, but not only because of Anna.

Nick was certain that a key component of the relationship was the fact that he actually got along with Molly (most of the time) and vice versa. From what he knew over the years, those two were a package deal. So, he was trying to take a step back from this and he had not even thought about what Molly’s condition might be, but Josh raised a very good point. Nick just sat back and looked at Molly before looking at Josh.

“Just know that I am with Anna on this one. Nobody is going to lay a hand on either of them. I’ll be there to help and I want to get out of here as quickly as we can. But, I know that you both know much more about this place than we know. That means that I’ll let you both lead and I want to trust you, Josh. Thanks for helping Anna out when you saw who it was. Thanks for helping us both out. I’m sorry if I’ve been a dick toward you. I had no idea that this was all going on.”
 
Alicia straightened her legs out and and stretched - arms high over her head, legs stretched down to the degree that her toes point - before she got nice and cozy in her lover's arms, and she nuzzled back in to his body until she fit perfectly within his form. "I love you too," she whispered before returning that soft kiss, and she couldn't help but steal a peck on the cheek even though they had technically already had their good night kiss. As quickly as Bryce slipped in to slumber, Alicia had as well. She slept easily in his arms, always able to rest well knowing that he was safe and sound. The last few days had been rough but they had come out the other side in tact, minus a couple bruises and scrapes.

She was ever the early riser, though, and as the sun started to peek through the windows Alicia groaned quietly. Her green eyes fluttered open slowly, and though she had a feeling that she was up for the day Bryce looked so peaceful beside her.... How was she supposed to wake that up? She had a better idea, anyways - first she delicately pulled the ties from her wrists and then moved his arm off of her, and she stopped to kiss his forehead before sitting up and removing the ties from her ankles. Then she put the bondage gear away in his backpack and got up to start the day.

A quick trip to the bathroom later she was back in the room, sitting on the floor against the wall opposite of the bed she shared with her husband with a sketchbook in hand. It was something she'd noticed in the bunker, and she'd asked Gretchen if there was any chance she could have it - it seemed the young woman had left it outside their front door this morning. Apparantly she wasn't the earliest riser. Regardless, with the book in hand and Bryce sleeping so peacefully, it had been hard not to want to create the scene in front of her in a way she could memorialize forever.

- - - - -

"Thank you. I'd appreciate you having my back, if not mine than at least Molly's. She hasn't been involved in any of this." Josh understood that it must have been hard for Nick to accept what was being said - it would be hard for anyone to accept what was being said. Anna wanted to know just who had said those things about hurting Molly and the baby, but it was a good thing that Josh hadn't named names. After all, Anna was not in a state to be able to do anything about anything right about now. "We just wanted somewhere safe after the base fell, and a buddy of mine brought me back here. Said I was a soldier, they'd put a roof over our heads because I could help out. I was not prepared for what was going to happen, and if I'd known I would have tried to find somewhere else while it was still safe to be on the move. I found out too late." That buddy was long gone now.

"Have you found anywhere? For when it is safe?" The thing with the girls was that one of the most important things to each of them was the other one, and Anna was restless knowing just how bad things had been here. The only reason she wasn't pushing to leave now anyways wasn't because of her own injury, but because Molly had gone through something much more invasive and energy sapping. She'd probably still need a few weeks to recover enough to consider any kind of travel, if not more.

"No, and it's a lot harder to travel now. We're lucky to have a secure border and open land around us here, babies are not known for being quiet. But I'm not going to stop looking, and I hope I have someone on board with that plan now."
 
It was quite possibly the most peaceful sleep Bryce had in his entire life. What was the reason? Well, he was almost certain it had to be because Alicia slept in his arms tied up. Logically, it did not make much sense. At the same time, he felt so at peace and so happy when he fell asleep. Even when Alicia moved in the early morning hours, he did not rise. If the tables were turned, Bryce would have probably spent his morning admiring Alicia while she was sleeping. Now, Bryce did not have the same artistic talent as Alicia, but he would have just enjoyed watching her!

When he finally woke up, quite a bit of time passed since Alicia woke. It was not the afternoon yet, but it was still the morning. “Hmm….” Bryce hummed, his eyes slowly opening and adjusting to the light. At first, it was odd. The spot beside him on the bed was empty. That was certainly unlike Alicia. It made him worry at first until he turned his head just a bit to see that his wife was still there. She was holding something and at first he couldn’t quite see what it was. Then, his eyes adjusted and he realized what she was doing. It looked like one of her old sketchbooks, but he knew they were all lost. Did she find another somewhere? “Good morning, Princess…” His words were soft and loving as always, but his tone was gruff and littered with sleep. He yawned and sat upright in the bed, stretching out his arms.

“What do you have there, Leesha?” He asked in a curious tone, wondering what she was working on. It had been forever since hey could worry about something as trivial and hobbylike as drawing. It was nice to see Alicia drawing again as he knew it was her passion. She would have done wonderfully as an artist for her profession if the world didn’t go to shit.


As far as Nick knew, Molly had never crossed him, even before the world went to shit. So, he trusted Molly completely. If not for his relationship to Molly, Josh might have been shit out of luck. However, if Molly could still believe in him after all he had done, Nick didn't see why he could not, too. It was difficult for Nick to accept what was being said. Then again, Nick did not know what it was like to be a parent. Would he have acted differently? Nick liked to tell himself he would have acted more honorably, but who knew for sure?

Josh did not even need to say a name to NIck. The young man already had a good idea of who was to blame for this. How could someone be so sick and twisted to speak that way about a pregnant woman? A baby? Josh was going to find out who it was. At least, while listening to Josh, Nick learned that knowledge of how ruthless the militia could be was hidden from Josh. If he would have joined knowing how fucked up it was at the ranch, that would be a cause for concern. It really sucked that they couldn't just leave now, though. Nick would have given anything to just not risk it anymore.

Listening to Josh's saddening news about not having somewhere in mind to go was just crushing. "Okay, well, I will look too. If I am ever out there, I'll look. I'll try to gain more information. I don't know why this Troy guy is so infatuated with me and my family, but I'll try to use that as leverage. I'll do whatever it takes to keep all of us safe, too. And I'm so sorry to hear that this happened. That shit really sucks and Molly does not deserve any of that from these assholes."
 
Alicia had been lost in the details of her picture when Bryce broke her trance, and when her gaze left the drawing at hand and she saw him awake her lips turned in to a toothy, happy grin. "I saw this in the bunker last night, Gretchen said she'd drop it off to me after she had a chance to find a pencil. It was sitting outside when I woke up." Her tone betrayed just how happy she was to be in that moment, feeling like she was an actual human being with passions and hobbies and things she enjoyed. There was very little time left to do anything of the sort these days, and she was pleased to be able to make use of at least a little bit of it.

"You wanna see what I did?" She asked, glancing down at the paper once again to fill in a few last pieces of shading. Bryce had stayed out long enough for her to get most of a drawing done, and it had her full attention the entire time - him. dozing away with a blanket strewn down over her hips. They didn't have cameras these days, so she had to make use of the little she did have. Technically, this was their first picture together. It had been rather awkward trying to draw her own face from memory, but long hair was a blessing and she'd obscured most of one side of her face with it in the picture.

But there she was - curled in to his arms in the same blissful slumber, done as well as she could have. Alicia hoped that he would love it.

- - - - -

It seemed that the men had come to an agreement, and as fucked up as everything was it was a relief to see that they could at least be civil - Anna had been unconscious during their last interaction with each other, but Molly had seen the way that Nick had been ready to go at him... Of course, she had just found out at that point about the horrors of the depot and had been disgusted herself. Even after finding out she hadn't gotten a reason why - she had known, on a superficial level, it was about keeping her from being harassed but she didn't realize just how far some people would have been willing to go if the word of what happened got out or Josh had tried to back out from it. Everything in this little home had been rather tense, and it was obvious that pair was going to be having a long conversation after the Nick and Anna left.

"No, she doesn't," Anna agreed - as far as she was concerned, Molly was a saint - had never willingly hurt a fly. Anna and her chaos might have deserved a world like this, it had pushed her to sobriety at the least, but Molly had not - she'd deserved to finish school and raise her son and cry as he walked in to kindergarten for the very first day. She'd cleaned up her act and the world had gone and fucked her over anyways, and Anna had quite strong opinions about that. "Just... be safe Nick. You've said yourself that guy seems crazy, and if he's behind all this then whose to say he won't turn?" Just like he knew better than to talk her out of something she was set on, Anna wasn't about to try to hold Nick back. Besides... unless they left the ranch while she was still injured, it wasn't like she had to let Nick do anything on his own.
 
"That was nice of Gretchen." Once again, it reiterated how nice and kind the guys and girls from last night were. "Of course, I would love to see what you did, my love!" That woke him up. Even though they might not have had a romantic relationship in the old world, that did not prevent Bryce from being as passionate about Alicia's work as he could be. He was her biggest fan. That had always been true. With a smile on his face, he took the page, looking down and admiring the moment. It looked like someone had taken a photograph of this morning.

"Oh, wow, Alicia! This drawing is amazing, but I'm not surprised. You're so talented. Thank you for sharing this with me and it looks like you have hundreds of blank pages to use. I cannot wait to see what you fill those pages with. What do you think you're going to do with it? Are you just keeping this sketch in the book? Are you looking to hang it somewhere?" Bryce asked the questions, but he kept looking back down onto the paper, unable to take his eyes off the artwork. There was something extra special about this one because it was a drawing of them!

"Thanks so much, babe. Come here." For the first time, he finally put the paper down and pulled Alicia towards him, pressing a kiss right against her lips. This was a great way to start the day. He had big plans for her today, but before they started, he was going to kiss her and smile at her. "I love you so much, Alicia."

--


It was a good point. Nick would have to be careful. “That’s what my worry is. I know that it seems like we wouldn’t be targets because of the reasons Josh mentioned, but men like Troy and men like the ones in the militia have a special kind of hate in their hearts. My worry is they might turn and decided to hurt anyone in their way. So, that’s why I’m especially worried, too. I don’t feel like we’re safe. We might be safer than Molly from their wrath, but that doesn’t give me feelings of invincibility. I’ll be careful.” Nick sighed, sitting up his chair a little bit more. It would be easier if Josh just blurted out who told him these things. Nick could only assume that he knew who said it, unless the message was passed to him in a note or something else? Nick wasn’t sure, but he was protecting someone? Or scared of someone? He never saw Josh that scared before. Maybe that was a sign to wake up and watch out. Nick would have to find out soon on his own.

“Troy asked me to join him for a boar hunt later on tonight. I told him no and I didn’t say anything to you about it, Anna, because it seemed too irrelevant and I didn’t really want to go, but I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go with him and see what the fuck he has to say. Maybe I’ll see something outside the camp, too. I don’t know where we’re going or what is going to happen.” Nick realized that being alone with Nick was probably not the best idea, especially in light of this new information. Regardless, Nick felt like it was something he needed to do. Nick would be careful and he would be ready to defend himself. It felt like Troy was the biggest threat to peace.
 
Alicia loved how Bryce always seemed to be her number one fan - even before the fall. He had always hyped her up and tried to make her feel good about herself, and his encouragement was part of why she had put so much work in to developing her talent. She'd picked up art as a kid, lost herself in it after her father died - and pursued it for as much of her life as she could before it was not an option any more. By the way Bryce acted one would think she was the next Picasso which she saw as an overexaggeration, but she liked to think she wasn't half bad.

"I'm going to keep this one in the book," she said to him, smiling wide at her favourite person in the world. "You know, just in case. If something happens I'll hopefully be able to grab my backpack and go without leaving it behind." She would have hated to do that, leave behind something like this picture - it was meant to be a symbol of them, of the moments they'd never get to look back on. Really what Alicia wanted to do was fill the book up with a variety of pictures like this as a way to recall the good moments, the ones in which they were peaceful and happy and young and in love. They may not have needed such a thing right now, but the time would surely come where hardship would strike once more and they would be glad for the reminders of the little moments of their love.

"I'm so glad you like it," she said after the kiss, "and I love you, too, my dear. I can't wait to add more to the collection."

- - - - -

"Be careful, if you do. The killings at the depot were his idea." Josh couldn't name Troy specifically as the one who had threatened Molly - because Troy wasn't wasn't one who had done it. It been been some other fucker, one that he had got the joy of watching one of the dead tear in to as the depot was over run. Troy had absolutely backed the idea and that alone was enough to mean that this place was not safe yet, though, and that was terrifying enough to keep him in line. At least without the depot running he was now going to finally be free from that horror, but who knew what would await? "If you do go, the girls will be fine. I'm sure Anna wouldn't mind hanging out here."

"Nick..." In that moment, Anna was truly worried for her partner - if all of this was true... Anna didn't think Josh was lying, but it all seemed to gruesome. She wished that she could believe people weren't capable of such atrocities, but she knew that part of reality. There were people who did terrible, terrible things with no remorse. If Troy liked Nick's family so much things could be worse, but what if someone like that changed their mind? Obviously Nick had been right earlier - she would have a problem with him putting himself at risk just like he did her. "Why is he so interested in you? What the fuck did you do to get his attention?"
 
"Wow. That's seriously a beautiful notion, Alicia. I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you." Leaning forward, Bryce stole another kiss from his wife's lips. His heart was fluttering around her at all times, so it was not unexpected when he felt more in love with her now than ever before. She was such a special girl with a special talent! "We don't really have any responsibilities today. We're free to do as we please, which is nice. I know Nick will probably spend all of his time with Anna and your Mom is trying to figure out Jeremiah. It leaves us alone." That was not necessarily a bad thing. It was not unexpected, either. Her mother and her brother often did their own thing.

"There's a little lake on the property. A pond? It's a pretty decent-sized body of water, whatever it is technically." He laughed at his uncertainty, but it really didn't matter. "You get my point. I was thinking we could have a date or a picnic thing out there. It could be fun. We could even take a dip into the water if you wanted. It'll just be another chance for us to be young and in love. We wouldn't have to worry about the shit going on around us and that's nice." It wasn't often they had a chance to do this on consecutive days, so he was going to take advantage of that. "If you're down with that, I say we get dressed and head on out!"

--

“Wow. Shocking.” Nick was obviously being sarcastic. It was no surprise to him, learning who was behind the depot killings. It did shock him to learn that Troy was not the culprit behind the horrible comments about Molly and her baby. Seeing how quickly a baby would turn sounded like something Troy would do. “Thanks for looking out. I appreciate your willingness to look out after Anna for me if I go.” Nick actually trusted Josh with this because Molly would be here and Josh seemed like less of a real threat the more they spoke. He felt shitty about thinking of Josh in any other way now, reflectively.

Nick could tell how worried Anna was. He would be worried about her, too, if she stood in his shoes. “Honestly, I don’t know exactly what it was I did. I know it had something to do with Madison. She attacked him at the depot. And we butted heads at the depot. We got into it when he tried to go near you. I’m thinking that saying that he likes us isn’t a good thing. It’s not the same kind of “like” that most people have. He has it out for us, I think. He has me worried. I think he feels like he’s playing some kind of game with us. I don’t know. That’s why I feel like I have to go, for that reason and many others.” That was the best Nick could explain. As far as he knew, nobody could explain Troy.
 
Bryce was right - the rest of her family was going to be off busy with their own adventures - they always were. Nick had always seemed to care about anything more than his family and with Anna hurt that was amplified, and her mom was... trying to make friends? Enemies? There was no way to really tell what the intention was. That left the pair to make what they wanted of the day, and there was a good chance no one would even go looking for them. That was exciting to the young woman who loved the idea of having some more time for her and Bryce to simply enjoy life together. Alicia had to lean in and steal just one more kiss before closing the sketchbook and stashing the pencil she was using in the wirebound spine, only to pack it away in her bag for safekeeping.

When Bryce suggested a trip to the lakeside, Alicia was absolutely thrilled by the idea! How long had it been since they'd had such an opportunity? She couldn't remember the last time that she'd had an opportunity to swim, either. This was a fantastic idea, and the brunette was near giddy. She dug through her bag to try to find the perfect outfit - and when she found it, she knew. "Close your eyes," she said to Bryce, wanting to surprise him with her choices. She was sure he would adore the outfit she had picked for their little lake date.

- - - - -

"I wouldn't sa-" Josh was in the middle of trying to tell Nick it wasn't a good idea to imply Anna needed watching, but he didn't get a chance to even finish the sentence.

"He's not 'looking out for me', he's just being realistic. If you wanna fuck off and figure out the Troy shit, you'll know where to find me. That's it." Of course Nick wanted to go sus out the guy who was causing them trouble - and of course he seemed to have found himself on Troy's bad side. She didn't know that guy had tried to get close to her, though... the more she heard, the more she hated the idea. One day she might have to put a knife through his skull herself.

"I'm armed and willing to get between anyone and anything that might try to get through that door with those two in here and if you're in here, that means no one is getting at you either, Anna. It's just a side effect, though." Josh had played this game before - as was already seen at the border he would go out of his way to try to keep her okay even if only because Molly would kill him otherwise. He also knew how to keep the peace, at least with Anna - it was unknown what Nick would think about how blasé that response was. "But everyone will be okay here. You just have to watch your own back with him."
 
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