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What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

Of course, Alicia loved both the sweet nickname that Bryce had for her and being carried around. Even before they were together, piggy packs and pet names had still been their thing - that only got better when they got together and she could be a sap about him. There was nothing better than being waking up with the words "hey handsome" on her lips as she smiled, face barely inches from him. Actually, there was something better - this. Alicia was happy giggles and sweet smiles as he carried her in to their room, with her had resting peacefully against his chest. When he put her down on to the bed she held on to him by the hands, holding him there for a moment before she let go so that he could close the door.

While he was away she took the opportunity to pull her bra off under her shirt, leaving the loose, low-cut tank top on as pajamas. Her bottoms, though? They were going. While she liked to sleep naked with Bryce, she had spent years sleeping in her undies and a tank and that was still preferential to her if she wasn't already naked for some reason. Of course, he could still take it off and she wouldn't say no. As Bryce kicked his shoes off the brunette pulled him down with her, pushing him slightly to the side at the same time so that he ended up laying down beside her. Wordlessly she cuddled up against him, tucking her body between his arm and his chest. From that spot she was able to rest her head against his chest.

"You said that like cuddling was an option," she teased as she pressed a soft kiss to Bryce's chest.

----

"You don't listen to a single word that comes out of my mouth, do you?" Anna just looked at Nick, frustrated and feeling hopeless. She'd forgotten why they fought so much back when they were together but no, she remembered now. Any time she had a point that didn't suit the way he wanted to see things, it got tossed aside. Talking to Nick got depressing quick and if she didn't get out of there she was going to end up downing the rest of her xans instead of just a few. Oh, what she would do to get her hands on some smack right about now.

"I'm not asking you to just forgive me or forget it happened. At no point have I said that. I have said I was in the wrong. I know I was, circumstances be damned. But you're not listening to me, Nick, and that is self absorbed, because you won't take a moment to consider that I wasn't being malicious. I can't even try to explain myself because you jump straight to thinking I'm trying to make excuses and make you feel bad about being upset. Am I just not allowed to have a viewpoint because it doesn't align with yours?" She started with a sigh, rolled off her side of the bed as she spoke and gathered her clothes as she spoke. When her panties weren't with her pants she didn't even stop to look for them, just pulled her jeans back on to her body and then her belt too; her shirt was on the other side of the room and she made that part of the walk in silence.

"Oh, and I did try to tell you. I spent days trying to get in touch with you, or was your phone off all that time too?" On her way out she stopped at the door, looking back at Nick as she shook her head. Any sort of happiness that she had been feeling was long gone now and she looked almost dead inside. She wasn't lying; she had spent three days trying to talk to him before she had ended up in the hospital and unable to do such a thing - though Molly had told her that she was getting cut off anyways if she didn't stop.
 
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride.” Bryce suddenly blurted when he cuddled up with Alicia. It was already a done deal. They were getting married. Without her knowing, Bryce managed to find something important: an engagement ring and a couple wedding bands for usage. All Bryce needed was the ideal location and time for asking her. “I can’t wait.” He whispered, hoping that he would muse of Alicia in a wedding gown walking down the aisle towards him in his dreams. “We might not be married, yet, but you’re already my wife.” Chuckling happily, Bryce captured her lips one final time. “And I love you so, so much. Good night, Princess.”

To get comfortable, Bryce sat upright long enough to shed his shirt and shed his jeans. It left him clad in only his boxers. Pulling the blankets up tight around their necks, Bryce wrapped an arm around Alicia’s neck while the other rested across her waist. Her skin was so soft, so his hand rested underneath her tank in the small of her back. Their legs were crossed together and Bryce turned his head so their noses were touching each other.

He looked into her eyes for one moment and then closed his own. Sleep was quite easy for Bryce considering the circumstance: a nice, real bed with Alicia cuddling against his body. However, sleep was short lived. Only a few hours after their initial falling asleep, the sound of a loud gunshot echoed throughout the estate. It made Bryce practically jump from the bed and grab his own rifle until he realized that the threat was not in their room. It was down the hallway and it was because Strand put a bullet into Thomas’ head after he had died. “Alicia, get your gun. Let’s check it out.” Leaving her here alone was not an option. Two were better than one anyways.

----------------

Nick was often blinded by his own fear, anger, jealousy, rage, or other emotions. For example, he was so upset with Anna that no extenuating circumstances mattered. She was not trying to justify what happened and any logical man could have understood that. Yet, Nick could only view things in an all or nothing way. Either she was the bad guy or he was the bad guy here. There was nothing else. Nick sure as hell was not going to admit his faults, so that eliminated possible solutions. Therefore, he talked to her, sounding like an ignorant asshole, saying things he would most definitely regret saying in a few hours. It was ironic when Anna asked if he ever listened to anything she said. That also went into one ear and out the other. How could she think he was not an excellent listener? Nick thought he put up with her bullshit for quite a long time, listening to her drown on about whatever she wanted. Yet, when they talked in deep contexts, such as this, it was like nothing she said made an impact. It was like he tuned her out. It was rather inadvertent. Nick could not help himself, but that was no excuse.

Again, as she tried to express her feelings, Nick ignored them. She was lying through her teeth and it made Nick fume. He was for certain she was using this story as a way to make him feel bad for her, to make it okay that she did what she had done. Had it not been for Molly, Nick would have accused her of lying about being assaulted for all those years. In fact, he almost still wanted to accuse her of lying, of looking to make him feel bad. Yet, he (very thankfully so) kept his mouth shut.

Ironically, Nick would kill the man that put his hands on Anna if he could. Yet, here he was thinking it was a ploy. That was something no person should ever lie about and he should have known better that Anna would not have. Instead of talking, he watched her leave and sighed to himself. He wanted to tell her to fuck off, to just leave like they talked about, but he did not follow. Ignoring her, like he was good at doing, Nick just curled up into the cold, lonely bed and drifted to sleep until the gunshot woke him, much like it did just about everyone on this floor of the estate.
 
Waking up to a gunshot was for all intents and purposes quite startling; Alicia's body jolted as the bang rang out, pushing her further against Bryce's chest as her eyes flew open. The sound came from just down the hall and as Bryce grabbed his rifle the brunette pulled her pants on and then grabbed the pistol dubbed "hers" from the table beside the bed. She had put it there purposely, keeping it close in case she ever needed it suddenly. Once clothed the pair walked out and towards the commotion - others had risen too, also wondering what had happen. The scene that awaited them was not pretty: Strand kneeling over a corpse, blood soaked in to white sheets. It appeared that Thomas had passed and Strand had put them down.

It did not take long for Celia to show up, and the older woman began arguing with Strand about how he dared to do such a thing. To her, the infected were but the next stage in life and putting Thomas down had made Strand a murderer in the woman's eyes. Celia was insistent that they could stay there no longer, and Alicia's heart broke. She had been able to see the way that Strand had loved Thomas when they had first arrived, a passion mirroring the way she felt for Bryce. She could never imagine having to lose him, and especially not having to put him down. Regardless of what Celia thought, everyone else knew the reality (or, at least, Alicia hoped they did) of what the infected were - dead and monsters.

"We can't leave," she said, hoping that somehow someone would be able to convince the woman that this didn't have to be the end. However, there was little hope that Celia would "see the light", so to speak. Thomas was like a son to her, Strand a murderer, and everyone else his accomplices.

----

Anna didn't sleep; she walked out of Nick's room and had to force herself not to slam the door behind her, and then spent the next several hours very much awake sitting on the couch. The first thing she did then was grab her bag, fish that little orange container out and down a couple pills dry. Also, she'd stashed several of Nick's cigarettes in there so she pulled those and her lighter out as well. Of course, she hadn't taken them just to take them - when she had snuck back in to his room on that yacht to grab what her belt and pills before they left, she'd made a little trade-off. If he went to grab one for himself, he'd find a few missing but also a few of her xans loose in the bottom of the pack.

She didn't want to smoke all of them, she really didn't. The last thing she wanted was to be out again but damn it she was pissed off and cigarettes wouldn't kill her like her pills would (at least in the short term). Anyone who walked in to the living room would have found her leaning sideways in to the back of the couch, with hollow eyes and a lit cig either between her fingers or her lips, and for several hours the only moving she did was to ash her smoke out in a cup she'd taken from the kitchen. Luckily, no one had decided to pay her a visit - interacting with another human being was the last thing she wanted to do now. It didn't take long for the meds to hit and she was able to calm down a little bit, but the only difference that made was that she stopped feeling like she was going to go in to a full-blown panic attack over everything that was going on. By the time that a gunshot rang in the near distance, grabbing everyone's attention, she had just started her fourth.

Doors opened, people moved. Faster than she did, for sure. Anna took her time putting her cigarette out and left it on the coffee table beside her - there was still half of it left, she wasn't gonna give that up. She pulled her knife out of her bag, resting on the ground right in front of the couch, and then made her way in the direction of the gunshot. She was the last to arrive at the scene and judging by everyone's reaction something had happened (of course it had - gunshot), they were not at risk. Well - besides the fact that Celia was incredibly angered as she believed that the infected were still alive.
 
Before leaving the bedroom, Bryce pulled on a pair of jeans, leaving himself shirtless. With little time to worry about dressing, Bryce led the charge. The floor was cool against his feet and the narrow hallways were lit by occasional, small candles hanging on the walls. Without knowing the exact location of the gunshot, Bryce moved swiftly with Alicia towards the general direction. Eventually, they stood outside of another bedroom where Strand and Thomas had shared. Peeking inside when Madison and Travis arrived, he noticed that Madison was clearly shaken about something. He assumed it was the gunshot, but in reality, Chris had entered her bedroom with a knife at the same time the shot rang out.

Travis happened to step out for a restroom usage in the middle of the night, and it gave Chris clearance to Madison while she was alone. The situation involving Strand, however, portrayed the man standing over Thomas’ dead body. They had known Thomas was not doing well, so it was only safe to assume that he died. Strand did the right thing by putting him down. Strand did the safe thing, the only thing. He could not imagine having to face Alicia in such a situation. It would be the hardest thing to do, but Bryce liked to think his love for Alicia would force him to do the right thing and let her rest peacefully. It was a horrible thought that he quickly shook from his mind. It made him want to clutch his future wife immediately, but he knew to stay on high alert when the older woman entered the room, raising hell.

Celia had a twisted view of the infected, for she believed that it was only a stage of life that could be cured. She physically attacked Strand until she was pulled away, demanding that the entire group leave the estate tomorrow morning. She ignored the things that Alicia, Madison, and even Bryce said. She would not have anyone convincing her otherwise.

------------

Undeniably, Nick had quite the odd relationship with Celia. The couple days spent here at the estate involved Nick talking to the woman often. The weight of their conversations typically involved the infected and her beliefs. They were quite eccentric, but Nick somewhat agreed with things she had to say. Therefore, he did not speak against her like her mother and sister did. Instead, Nick watched in awe. Since meeting Celia, he had not seen the woman so angry. Her face was red, her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were puffed out. Nick was not quite sure about the relationship she had with Thomas or Strand. Strand had the audacity to say something about Thomas not being her son, and it quite frankly broke the woman down. Nick wondered what the relation was here, if any. Perhaps she had raised Thomas as a boy. There was clear history, though. She seemed to dislike Strand from the beginning. Either way, Nick kept silent as Celia stormed out, demanding that the group stays. The rapport he built with her might come in handy now. Could he convince her to let his family stay? Nick knew they wanted to stay and Nick knew it would keep them safe. Maybe it was time he finally did something for someone other than himself.

When Celia walked away, Madison turned her attention towards Nick. “I told you to stay away from her, Nick. Now don’t you see it?” Madison had disliked the attention Celia garnered towards her son from the start. It was unsettling. Now, it proved that Celia was truthfully off her rocker. They were being kicked out and she did not want something to happen to Nick before then if he consistently talked to Celia. Plus, she could not help feeling a tinge of jealousy as his mother. Nick never spent time just talking to her like that before. She was afraid of losing her son, and she might very well have a good reason to fear that.


Either way, Nick frustratingly rubbed a hand across his face. “Look, Mom, we can deal with that later. You know she’ll talk to me. I’m trying to convince her tomorrow to let us stay.” Honestly, Nick did not think there was hope for Strand. If he had to sacrifice Strand for his family, the Salazars, and maybe Anna, then so be it. Strand killed Thomas anyways and as much as the man wanted to bury his lover, Celia forbade him from it. Fearing it would cause further anger, he decided to leave her. “Look, let’s just all go back to bed. We can’t do anything else tonight. I’ll find her in the morning and work something out.” Nick suggested to everyone.
 
Alicia dreaded the thought of having to leave - and though she tried her best to get back to a peaceful sleep after her and Bryce returned to their room, the brunette spent the remainder of the night restless. She didn't sleep well even tucked against her lover's chest, and when morning came she just wished that she could go back to sleep. While hoping that Nick would be able to talk some sense in to Celia and get them allowed to stay, she was prepared for the worst. Celia was an eccentric person and she also didn't seem like the type to want to budge.

For a while, Alicia sinply laid in bed holding on to Bryce. With her head against hia chest and her leg around his hips she was able to focus on the comfort. However, when voices outside in the hall showed that the others were beginning to rise and that they should probably join them to see what was going to happen and if there was anything that they could do to make things better. Alicia could only imagine that Celia was still upset.

"Mm, guess we should join the land of the living," the teenager mumbled against Bryce's chest with a sigh.

----

To Anna, leaving wasn't the worst idea. While she didn't want to be forced out, with the mood she was in walking away seemed like a good idea - and she definitely did not want to be doing so with the Clarks. Her latest interaction with Nick had left her feeling sour and knowing that they were expected to be gone just made her want to pack her bag and walk away. Was that a good idea? Definitely not. Anna was no survivalist nor did she know any sort of combat (unless punching someone in the face counted) or even basic wilderness skills. Knowing that she would be a dead man walking as soon as she walked out the door was enough to keep her inside, still not sleeping even after the chaos had calmed down.

Overall, Anna kept out of the way as morning came and everyone attempted to right the wrongs of one man. She, frankly, didn't understand why they didn't just throw Strand to the wolves. Maybe that was a little heartless but these people had family to look out for, and had she been trying to watch out for those she cared for, Anna would have sacrificed one man she barely even knew in a heartbeat. If someone had threatened Molly's safety (Anna was missing that woman to no end; she would have killed to be able to have Mol around to talk to still), it would have been the last time that they threatened any one. Nick's too, though Anna had seen the way that he interact with Celia and in a weird way she figured he might be able to fix everything.
 
Before retiring for the night, Madison pulled her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend aside. She offered a disturbing image of what she had seen in her room when she arose. Travis mentioned something about a missing Chris, and now it was clear exactly why he could not be found. It made Bryce double check that the doors were locked when they went to bed. Not unlike Alicia, Bryce had difficulty sleeping as well. He worried about their future at the estate. Plus, he could sense whenever his soulmate was not feeling well. She was just as disturbed as he was by everything that happened tonight.

“You’re right, Princess. We should.” Bryce responded to the girl in his arms. Only two minutes after they dressed, Madison returned to their door. Bryce answered and the older woman did not stay long. She only urged Bryce and Alicia to pack their bags. The group intended to leave the estate by nightfall with Strand, and return to the Abigail. When the blonde left, Bryce immediately focused his attention on gathering his belongings. “What do you think, Alicia?” Bryce inquired. “I hoped this place would work out and I hate that we have to go, but maybe it is best if Celia is the way she is. I can’t imagine she’s a very stable person.” Bryce mused aloud.

-----------

The night was long and torturous. Nick felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He knew how imperative it was for Madison and his family to stay here. He could tell that she was invested in this place, that she wanted to stay. His mother gave him the same expression that she offered Alicia: pack your shit and get ready to leave. Surprisingly enough, Nick defended the way Celia acted and assured Madison they could stay. To gain more of her trust, Nick spent the early morning venturing outside of the estate, masked by infected blood. He gathered a couple family members that had turned and brought them back to the estate so Celia could keep them. Perhaps she was correct about these creatures. The way that members of her family would look at Celia, it was believable that they were not all gone. Of course, Nick had just drunk too much of the kool-aid from the estate to believe such things, but it sounded rational in his head. The pair continued chattering. At first, Celia said that Nick could stay, but everyone else should leave.

After some convincing, he managed to sway Celia. The only person that must leave was Strand. They could let him leave and the Clark family could stay. He doubted that Madison would throw Strand out just like that. Knowing her, she would want to leave with him as surviving alone was not something anyone in the world should bear. With the news, he went to seek out his mother and tell her how things have changed. If she knew what was best for her family, then he hoped she would let them stay as Nick quite honestly intended on staying even if she and his sister did not.
 
Alicia had to admit; safe walls mattered little when they were around someone who would throw send them to their deaths. In addition to that, Alicia didn't want to get her family split up and preparing to go sounded like the best option, as her mother had already decided what she was going to do - and by "she" that meant "everyone". Alicia loved her mom to death but not only was the older woman sometimes distant, she also was not good at taking other peoples opinions in to account once she had decided what the "right" way to do things was.

"Well I mean, if everyone else is going then we should. Family means everything nowadays, I couldn't let them walk away knowing I might never see them again." Alicia let out a sigh as she fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling for a minute before she rolled off of the bed and began pulling her stuff out of drawers. Over the last little while, she had started to get comfortable here. It really had seemed like it would be peaceful and that they would be safe. As silly as it may have sounded, thanks to Bryce she had pictured being able to marry him here on that same beach they had spent the first night. Having to go was a reminder once again that she could rely on very little in this world outside of the people close to her. "I'd been really hoping that we could stay here, though. Just... sucks to have to leave it behind. Besides Celia this is a really nice place."

----

There was little of any kind of prep that anyone had to do to "get ready to leave", a concept which Anna was still skirting around. After finding out that Nick had managed to talk Celia in to letting everyone but Strand stay, she had actually started thinking maybe she would just walk off with Strand. But now everyone wanted to, and everyone's selfless nature had ruined that potential scheme of action. At this point all she wanted to do was find a way to get away from everyone (mainly one specific person, who she had done an amazing job of purposely avoiding so far, buuut). Maybe it was bad that her current desire was to walk away but Nick had made it pretty clear (to her, at least) that he didn't want to even try to get along with her and Anna didn't fight for people who weren't going to fight for her.

Of course, even then she didn't have to stay with the Clarks. Surprisingly enough, Anna had started to find quite the buddy in Ofelia. Sure the whole "my dad's overbearing and my mom is dead" stuff got boring quick because hey, at least your parents gave a fuck about you but Anna was capable of sympathizing with others and she knew better than to try and make Ofelia feel bad for having feelings and things. She remembered how bad it had felt to lose her mom back in those first days, though obviously the circumstances had been quite different (though Liz had been dead in her eyes from day one). In a way, she was like a makeshift Molly: a little bit older, little bit wiser, willing to listen to her rant and rave and want to kick things. It didn't help that Ofelia had clued in to what her and Nick had been up to thanks to some shared walls (and the hickies they both ended up with after that first time), but... well, that meant she at least had someone not involved in the drama to vent to (though she kept details scarce - this was in fact not Molly after all).
 
The dejection in Alicia’s voice was obvious. It hurt Bryce. Approaching her, the male wrapped his arms tightly around Alicia from behind. His hands locked together against her belly and his chin rested on top of her head. He would continue packing, but it felt like Alicia needed to be held, even just for a minute. “I know, Princess. I feel the same way. I promise you, we won’t split up from your family. Maybe we’ll find somewhere even better than this estate. I’m still holding out some hope.” Just like Alicia, Bryce started to like this place. It was safe and comfortable, but that safety and comfort ended rather abruptly overnight. Looking outside, he could see Strand and Celia preparing to dig Thomas’ grave and have a little ceremony for him. Just the way Celia looked at Strand made Bryce want to cringe. He did not trust her anymore, especially given her wicked view of the infected. How could anyone believe that these were still people.

Reluctantly, Bryce released Alicia from his arms, but not before catching her hand one more time and squeezing it. “Princess, how about you just sit down for a minute? I can finish packing your stuff.” Bryce offered, guiding her to sit down. Of course, Bryce knew that she was not fragile, but she was clearly upset. He would enjoy giving her a moment to just collect herself as he finished the task. After all, a Princess shouldn’t need to lift a finger to do anything unless she had to. That was Bryce’s philosophy towards Alicia anyways. After pulling her to sit down, he stole a kiss and finished gathering both of their times, packing them into respective bags. A knock at the door signaled Madison with new information: they were allowed to stay and were not being kicked out like originally thought.

--------------

After meeting with Celia and changing her opinion, Nick returned to tell his mother the news. Instead of seeming thrilled, she was skeptical. The mother wanted to know why her son was so fascinated with the dead. She knew how he had a tendency to sneak out into the hordes, covered in blood. She wanted to know if Celia asked him to bring Luis to her, to bring the other infected to her. Madison had warned the older woman to leave her son alone, but she did not listen. Nick did not heed the warning either. Honestly, he had never been that great at listening to her in the first place, so it was unsurprising. Just like Celia wanted her son back, Madison wanted Travis back. Therefore, Nick offered to find Travis as well. The last thing that he heard was that Travis left the estate, searching for Chris. Nick heard the things that Chris did and threatened to do to Madison. Yet, Travis continued to seek him out. Nick was so confident that the dead would not touch him, that he had nothing to fear. It showed that Nick was starting to become just as delusional as Celia was.

Just like that, Nick started his journey. From covering himself in infected blood and guts to sneaking outside the estate, he walked among the dead into the hills where Travis had gone. It took a while to find him, but he did eventually. Travis was with Chris, but refused to return. It appeared the man realized how lost his son was. Bringing him back put everyone in danger and Nick could appreciate that. Travis only requested that Nick tell Madison that he could not find Travis or Chris. Before leaving, Nick offered Travis a knife for protection before turning back towards the estate. Nick knew that Madison would be hurt if Nick returned without Travis, but that did not matter. Making the short trek back to the estate, Nick took a longer path because he needed to make it seem like it would take him a long time to search and return without Travis. The male reached the estate to tell Madison the news and fulfill his duty.
 
The back and forth could have given Alicia whiplash, but in the end she was grateful to be allowed to stay. Maybe things would be tense, but maybe one wrong wasn't the end of the world. Losing a family member could make someone do crazy things, and maybe Celia's opinions were based on the fact that she just didn't want to admit that those she cared for were gone. If she lost Bryce... Well, even though she knew the reality that the dead were dead, if there was any way she could be ignorant to that and hope that the one she loved was still around, she would have tried to hold on to that as well. However, Bryce wasn't dead and she wasn't ignorant. In a way, she just felt sorry for Celia.

"Sooo," she said to Bryce, letting out a sigh as her mother walked back out of the room. As soon as the door closed she plopped back down on to the side of the bed, holding her hands together between slightly separated knees. "I guess we spent all morning packing for nothing? I have a feeling that it's probably best that we don't unpack everything though." She couldn't explain it, but even with the change in plans she had a feeling that they still wouldn't be around for long. Either way, she wasn't going to let a little worry spoil her time when there was no way to tell how much time she even had left on this world. The rise of the dead had instilled a very keen desire to make sure that she made the best of every day that happened - or maybe that was love.

----

Anna, for one, never appreciated the way Nick seemed to jump first in to hordes of the infected. She knew he was reckless and stubborn and impulsive and so many other things that made him to dumb shit but risking his life to help some crazy old lady had to take the cake - and he had allowed her to inject potentially lethal drugs straight in to his veins before. There was no way she could have missed the fact that he was gone - in order to purposely avoid someone, you had to be aware of where said person was. Until there he was - a rustling alerted her that someone (or thing) was around, and then there he was, sauntering through the entrance with dried blood caked to his face (that had to be one of the most disgusting things she had ever seen frankly). He didn't look too happy and neither did she, and there was no way for him to get to the building without having to pass right by her. She was bothered for more than one reason - last night's events, knowing that he had just went out to walk among those... things, the fact that this wasn't the first time he had potentially gone on a suicide mission.

For a moment she simply looked at him, obviously unimpressed, and then shook her head. It was only after he'd passed the tree she sat under that she closed the notebook she had been writing in for the last little while (journaling was a habit she had picked up in rehab; unlike rehab itself, writing had stuck - and Ofelia's room happened to have an empty notebook that she was allowed to take) and climbed to her feet. She didn't even really think about what she was doing and just acted on impulse whether it was a good call or not. Her hands found how lower back and she pushed him, walking him towards a wall at which point she turned him around and pinned him between her arms. He could try to push her away at any point but Anna wasn't having any of that and would simply slap his hand if he tried to push her off. She was a mixture of worried and angry and a whole bunch of everything at once, but what she meant as her way of showing she gave a shit came off as sounding slightly angry (which, frankly, she was): "Why the fuck do you keep trying to die?"
 
With more time at the estate, Bryce had an idea. Acknowledging that Alicia was probably right about keeping their bags packed, the male sat down beside of the brunette. Deciding to reach across Alicia’s lap and grab her hands in his. “Princess, I have an idea you might like.” Bryce began, “Let’s take advantage of this place. I want to take you on a proper date. It’s not something we’ve been able to do before. I enjoyed our picnic, but I want to have something more sophisticated. There are dresses and suits in the closet. There’s a nice dining area. My iPhone can still play music. If you’re open to the idea, I want to wine and dine you tonight – get all dressed up and get lost in each other. What do you say, Princess? Let me treat you like royalty, tonight?” The adorable smile on his face kept growing. Yes, it probably sounded cheesy as hell. Yes, he was actually focusing on this as the dead roamed the Earth.

Waiting for Alicia to confirm, he dragged the girl behind him towards the closet when she did. “How about this: you choose what you want me to wear and then I can pick out yours?” Of course, Alicia could where whatever the hell she wanted, but Bryce wanted to wear something that Alicia would like to see on him and he hoped she wanted to do the same for him. This was a basic once in a lifetime opportunity. If she was agreeable, Bryce offered her a short, sexy black dress with matching underwear and a bra with a set of black heels. Of course, he would not beg her to wear something if she did not like it.

----------

When Nick returned to the estate, Anna was the last person he anticipated to see. Did Nick expect a scolding? Yes, he did, but from Madison, not Anna. His mother already made it quite clear that she did not like him covering himself in disgusting blood and walking among the infected. Even though he assured her that they would not harm him, a mother could not help but worry. This was no different. She had practically begged Nick not to put himself in harm’s way. If something happened to Travis when he went out looking for Chris, then something might happen to Nick as well. She could not lose him, not at a state like this. Now, nobody ever accused Nick of being good at following orders. He was often rebellious and did not listen so this was another instance of that at work. So, when he saw a darker head of hair instead of a blonde one, his eyebrows furrowed. Surely this was a mistake, right? Perhaps it was a coincidence. What reason did she have for approaching him? The male only assumed that he walked into her at the wrong time. She was not here waiting for him. Nick just had the worst (or best) luck in the world. As he approached her closer, it became obvious that this was not a mistake.

He expected her to say something when she approached him, not grab him and basically push him against the wall. It was not the first time she had done it, but it was not always a bad thing. Sometimes, she was just ready to tear off his clothes and have some fun. Other times, she was scolding him and yelling at him when they had gotten in a bad fight. This was an instance where it was not a good thing. He decided to keep his mouth shut, like he should have last night. Only when Anna finished her little speech did he respond. Thankfully, he was trying to be calm and actually think before he speaks unlike the other night. Locking eyes with her and making no attempt to get rid of her hands on him nor did he attempt to move. “What are you talking about?” Nick asked with wide eyes. See, the funny part, he was not even being a dick and the expression on his face showed that. Nick truly did not see anything wrong or dangerous with what he was doing. “What do you think I’ve done?”
 
When Bryce said he had an idea, Alicia was all ears. She leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder, looking at him with adoration in her eyes as he spoke. He must have been thinking about this - probably since they had mentioned being able to have a proper date of their own a few days ago. He must have been looking to find what he needed in order to make it perfect, because the fact that he had gotten so much ready amazed Alicia. His plan was perfect, of course. "I would absolutely love that Bryce," she said sweetly, holding his hand as he pulled her to her feet and whisked her towards the closet, pulling a beautiful black number out that she knew would look stunning on her.

Her face lit up in a grin, which only grew as he handed her the matching underwear and heels to go with it. "How did you even find this stuff?" She asked, surprised but not upset about the finds. She gave him a quick kiss, as her hands were full and she would need to put the dress down before she could properly kiss him, and then walked her selected outfit back to the bed. After putting it down she returned and gave Bryce a sly smile before she began to go through the contents of the closet, carefully selecting what she thought might look sexiest on her man (the correct answer was anything, but she meant out of this selection). In the end she picked a nice white dress shirt that looked about his size, paired with a dark grey suit. She held it up towards his body, contemplating, and then offered it to him with a smile. "How about this?"

----

"Are you serious?" Anna's expression turned incredulous because she could tell from the way he looked at her that he genuinely didn't see the problem. He wasn't being chided or yelled at but she was still obviously bothered. This was... what? The fourth or fifth time this boy had risked his life in the last couple weeks? Falling in to that pit at the plane crash, swimming to shore in the middle of the night, rescuing her for some reason (despite having such a problem with her), now... why was he even out this time? Anna wished that she didn't care but even if Nick thought she was a heartless bitch, there had never been a point in time since she met him that she didn't have a soft spot for him. Knowing that he was putting himself at risk was anxiety-inducing and her desire to keep him from being dangerously reckless almost always won out over any mood she might have been in.

One arm fell from the wall but she didn't stop looking at him. Her weight shifted to one side and she sighed as she shook her head just slightly. The sharpness that was in her previous sentence was gone when she spoke again. "You really don't see the problem in walking around like you're one of those things, do you?" The real question: why was she even surprised? "You could die, Nick. You're relying on luck and it'll wear out - and I know you want to hate me or whatever goes on in your brain, but you're the only one whose been putting up with me, so you're not allowed to go on and die on me because you think you're invincible."
 
“When Celia told us that each room had clothes for men and women, well, the first thing I did was look through the women’s clothes.” Bryce admitted, unashamed. After all, every man probably fantasized about his girlfriend wearing something picked out by her man. The dress was something he had seen almost immediately and imagined Alicia wearing it. “I know you’d look great in anything you’d wear, but I can’t stop picturing you in that dress.” When Alicia changed, Bryce’s jaw dropped. There were many blogs written by women, fantasizing about how their man would look at them in a dress or something else. Bryce had whatever that look was. Alicia was so fucking gorgeous. Even when she picked out his suit, the first thing he did was approach her, place the clothing down onto the bed, and place a kiss onto her mouth. His hands cupped her face, kissing her quite passionately. “Thank you so much for doing this, Princess.” Bryce purred against her mouth, reaching down to squeeze her ass. The dress accentuated her ass so well and it was irresistible.

“Oh, the suit.” Chuckling, after realizing he had gotten a little (a lot) side tracked, he eyed over the materials. “This looks perfect, my love.” Stripping down in front of Alicia until he was covered in nothing but his boxers and socks, he reached down to grab the pants first. The shirt followed and his jacket came last. There was a nice pair of dress shoes that matched, so he pulled them on as well. He hoped Alicia had half the reaction he had when seeing her. Bryce wanted to look just as good for her. “Well, is it what you’d thought it would be?” He asked softly, giving her the most confident, happy smile he could manage.

------------

Nick’s dumbfounded expression when Anna asked if he was serious told the tale of the tape. Indeed, Nick saw no issues with his actions. After all, he was quite similar to the dead even before the outbreak started. It was almost like he lived in a world like this. Everyone else was catching up. Considering all they shared, Nick almost found it unbelievable that Anna did not feel the same way he did. He supposed that they still had quite the different life experiences after all. The biggest surprise was knowing Anna even fucking cared. Why? She clearly didn’t care when she slept with someone else. Nick hated to go back down that road again, but the action was just unforgivable right now. He watched her as she asked the next question followed by saying he was only relying on luck. It was even more dumbfounding when she made the comment aout him not being able to die on her. Again, it was like she actually cared, which made no sense. There was a less intense gaze in his eyes now. He was not going to snap at Anna or say something he would regret. Imagine a civil conversation between these two night. Could it actually happening? They would need a miracle.

“Look, Anna, I appreciate you worrying about me. I’m surprised that you care, honestly. Even so, there’s nothing wrong with what I do. It is not luck. They just don’t kill me. The blood, it makes you invincible to them. You saw it back on the beach, too. I walk among them because I am them, in a way. I’m not risking my life when I do it. I’m probably the safest I ever am when it happens.” Clearly, Nick was clueless, but he believed every word he said.
 
Alicia may not have fantasized about Bryce's reaction to her dolled up or any of that, but after they had talked about this possible date idea she had known that she would like it. Maybe she didn't throw herself head first in trying to seem like the sexiest person in the world, but she definitely did appreciate being able to appeal to him and that was part of why she had agreed before today, and was enthusiastic as she slipped in to his selection after handing him what she had chosen. She pulled her shirt over her head while turned away from him, unclipped her bra, bent over sensually as she pulled the panties she was wearing off of her body. Once nude she put the outfit on piece by piece, ending in the heels that Bryce had handed her. Now, Alicia rarely wore heels - the additional height made her feel off balance for a moment.

It wasn't long before she was adjusted though, walking towards her lover in the curve-hugging dress. She reached him and extended her arms around his neck, a loose handhold securing the touch as she smiled at him. She didn't even have time to ask if he liked what he saw before he was kissing her, grabbing at her ass - there was no doubt in her mind that she looked just as stunning to him as he had imagined and she grinned as he pulled away, left breathless. She stole one more kiss before she let him change and after he was ready she walked in, grabbed at the suit by the collar, and pulled him in for another passionate kiss. Bryce looked amazing, and she couldn't resist stealing another from him. "All that and more," she said as she took a step back, putting space between their bodies though she didn't release his clothes.

----

And there they were, back at the start - every time he acted like she never gave a shit, Anna was reminded of just why she was feeling so frustrated. She could move on from it easily, go from being angry and wanting to storm away all the way to being able to think of nothing but when they were happy, but every time she actually spoke to him she just wished that she didn't actually care about him. It was a cycle of continuing to hope that maybe things didn't have to be terrible between them only to be reminded of why they had fought so much. However, Anna was much too tired to get in to a fight as she was going on a day and a half awake (nothing new on its own - but without any stimulant to keep her going she felt like utter, exhausted crap), and she just gave him that same exasperated look she had given him the night before when she had walked away.

"Actually, Nick, I'm pretty sure heroin is safer and I'm not stupid, I know that shit can kill you quick if you do it wrong." Been there, done that. Anna knew firsthand just how deadly heroin could be, but if she was being honest with herself (she wasn't) she would admit that just maybe there was a tiny slim chance that she had known she was doing too much - after all, she had turned drug use in to an art form. Being a junkie meant risking death on a daily basis and she had just given death the middle finger - or, well more accurately: Molly, naloxone and a team of doctors had but the point stood that she knew what it was like to face death and not fear it. This? This was much different. "All it would take is a little bit of rain or a bad day and you'd be dead. They will eat you or get you sick and you will feel every moment of it."
 
Before Alicia even uttered one word, Bryce knew how she felt. After all, it was similar to his own reaction. When the girl grabbed him for a kiss, Bryce did not resist. When it finally ended, his hands remained attached to her hips. “Is it wrong that, even though you just got dressed, I want to rip this off you?” His voice was soft, sensual, and needy. It was clear that Bryce wanted to end their night after a date with getting lost in each other. Until then, it would be a struggle to keep his pants zipped up. When such powerful love was combined with strong attraction, it gave a result like this. Bryce would love nothing more than lying in bed with Alicia all day, making love, cuddling, resting, making love again, and more cuddling. If they had the opportunity, he would take it, but this world made that impossible. So, Bryce was going to take advantage of every second tonight.

When they were both ready, he decided to not hold her hand. Instead, Bryce wrapped his right arm around her waist, his hand settling just above her ass, against her hip. This look told anyone around that Alicia was taken. Besides, with looking so fucking hot, she would attract attention if they met other people. Bryce might as well let them know she was taken. They made the short walk from their room to the kitchen area. “I talked with Celia about this earlier.” Bryce started. “We can look through the cabinets and find something we want.” It might end up being as simple as the sandwiches were, but it would be nice. “You should look around. Pick something out for us. I need to set up something at the dining table, so don’t come there until I get you.” He murmured, leaving her with a peck kiss, reluctantly letting go of her body. Finally, he would return back to the kitchen about six or seven minutes later to retrieve Alicia, excited for her to see the set up.

----------------

Yeah, there was NO way heroin was safer than doing what Nick did. “That’s wrong, Anna. You know better than to think that. Heroin has the ability to kill someone. Walking among the dead, covered in blood, that’s safe. I am much safer when I’m out there than when I’m in here surrounded by gates and fences. I don’t know how you can’t see that, Anna.” Okay, maybe she was hitting a sweet spot with him. Just hearing that she still somehow cared about him, made him feel warm in a sense. Despite everything that happened, their friendship was barely hanging by a thread, yet Anna was still worried about his life. On the other hand, Nick cared a great deal about Anna, too. It was amazing how two people with such explosive tendencies and horrid arguments could still even remotely care for each other. Then, she went on talking about having a bad day or rain ruining everything, leading to his demise. Again, Nick disagreed with the woman. “I think you’re wrong again, Anna, ’d never risk going out in the rain. There’s no such thing as a bad day. Every day is the same to me. I won’t make any mistake. I won’t mess up. I don’t see how you have such a problem with it.”

Sighing, Nick locked eyes with Anna. To him, it sounded like such an obvious answer. It appeared that everything from his vantage point was cut and dry. Walking among the infected was safe and smart. There was nothing about this putting himself in a dangerous position. “Look, I am thankful that you care so much about me. I know I have done shitty things to you and you still care. I appreciate that, but you are worrying for no reason. I’m being safe and being careful. This won’t kill me. The infected won’t kill me. I promise you there’s no risk here.” Nick even gave her a smile and it showed just how clueless he was and how strong his belief was. “Maybe Celia is onto something here, keeping the infected around. Maybe they’re not really gone.”
 
Every moment raised Alicia's anticipation for what was coming, every touch set her skin on fire. While their beach night could probably count as a "date", this was the first one they had truly designated as such. They dressed to the nines as much as they could (which, really, was quite well - the rooms at the estate had quite the selection and both halves of the pair had come out the other side looking stunning) and maybe they wouldn't be eating expensive steaks and quality red wine but they probably wouldn't have been doing that before the world fell either. After all, they were teenagers and neither of them really had "jobs". Of course, Alicia would have called a Happy Meal from McDonalds a great date if she had gotten one with Bryce.

As he wandered off after giving the brunette instructions to stay put, Alicia was left to pick out something to eat. In the end she had found some unopened pasta and a can of sauce in a cupboard - nothing fancy but it would have to do and when Bryce returned, she was straining the water out of a pot and getting ready to get their plates together. She paused just long enough to pull him in close as he reached her again, to steal another passionate kiss as spaghetti sat steaming on the counter. "I hope you like spaghetti, it's one of the few things that I know how to make well, and also one of the few things here." She raised her eyebrows, gave him a little grin - and then she turned away and took several steps away in order to grab a bottle of white wine she had found tucked away. "I figured this might be a nice addition too," she tacked on with that same smile, hoping that Bryce would agree with her selection.

----

"Of course you think I'm wrong, I'm never right about-" she knew where that was going, what that tone of hers would bring, and she cut herself off before she started saying the wrong thing. It was strange to hear him seeming so oblivious to the reality of things, but at the same time had she really expected anything else? It wasn't like either of them really head their head on straight in the first place. However, that didn't stop Anna from being bothered that once again he was acting like she had no point, even if it wasn't purely just because she said it this time. She didn't speak just for the sake or speaking unless she was high and rambling and, well, those were very different circumstances. But even when she wanted to personally kill him, she still wouldn't wish for any harm to befall even a single hair on his head. She was protective (though in some cases that was more like possessive) and even during their worst fights her need to keep him close and safe and alive had always won out over whatever reason she was grumping about.

"Promises will mean jack shit when you get bit. You watched your step-brother's mom die because of them, I was there for that. If you really think some blood makes you invincible then you're delusional." When Anna spoke she was matter-of-fact, flat-toned, keeping her hazel eyes honed in on his. She wasn't aiming to be accusatory or insulting but she didn't realize until after speaking that yeah, calling someone delusional generally did count as an insult. Was she right? Definitely. Did it need to be said like that? Probably not. Of course now she had to recover somehow and that, like many things, was not her strong point. "I just don't want you to walk away one day and never return. That was hard enough the first time you did it, and it's not like I'll have Molly this time around."
 
Returning to the kitchen, Bryce offered Alicia a huge smile when the smell met his nose. Pasta. Perfect. The few times Bryce had been able to eat something she cooked, it was perfect. Hell, if she popped something in the microwave for them to share, it even tasted better. “Let me help you carry this inside, but you have to stand outside the door until I get ready.” Bryce had a special plan that required him to have two free hands when they entered. Carrying the majority of the load, Bryce placed everything neatly on the table before returning outside, grabbing whatever Alicia was carrying, and organizing that quickly as well. When he returned to the brunette’s side one more time, there was a huge grin on his face. He looked like a kid that just woke up on Christmas morning. It had that much of an affect on him. “okay, close your eyes for me, Princess.” Okay, so maybe this was a little over the top but how were the scenes where the guy led his woman into a dining area with her eyes closed so she could see the surprise entirely when she opened them not just the most adorable thing in the world?

When Alicia closed her eyes, he cupped his hands playfully over them as well. Walking behind her (purposefully pressing himself into her ass because, why not?), he led her into the center of the room and removed his hands, telling her to open up those pretty orbs. A few roses were placed in the center of the table in a small vase while one was right beside her designated plate. He pressed his finger onto his old phone and her special playlist started playing, full of music that the girl enjoyed, the same playlist he kept on his phone. He even had a box of chocolates beside her plate, something he had found in his search. Yes, it was all the cheesiness one could imagine, but Bryce absolutely adored it. Gently taking her hand, he walked the girl towards the chair, pulling it out for her and sliding it up against the table once she sat down. “What do you think?” He whispered softly, pressing his lips to her cheek.

------------

If Anna would have continued with her intended statement, she probably would have picked a fight neither could win. Obviously, Nick would feel obligated to defend himself because he never thought that he dismissed her all the time (even if he did). Again, points of view were so different even through the same interactions, so that was not helping anyone right now. Besides, arguing about something so minimal was not in anyone’s best interests. Even after years apart and a rough reuniting, Anna was still protective over him and that was now just becoming clear to Nick. Honestly, the reverse was true as well. If he was in Anna’s shoes, he would probably do the same thing she has done, and maybe more dramatic like physically attempt to keep her from leaving. It might be a tough task for her considering their size different, but Nick would not be surprised if she tried one day. Again, he did not think he was delusional. They just needed to agree to disagree and Nick called that part of the discussion finished when she mentioned him walking away and never returning. That hit hard for him, maybe harder than it should have.

“Anna…” For the first time since they had reunited and for the first time since before they broke up, his voice was soft and calm, almost soothing. Not even realizing where his hand was going, Nick suddenly placed it onto the side of her cheek. “You don’t need me.” He whispered with a soft smile. “You are the strongest person I know. You could get through anything. That’s what I always admired about you – you always handled yourself and handled your business. Hell, after the abuse you went through and the hell you were put through, you’re still here and that’s not by accident. Don’t underestimate yourself, Anna. I know you could never see that in yourself, but I can. I still see it. I appreciate that you care so much about me, and in reality, I care about you too, still very strongly. I guess I do this because I think it will keep my family safe… to keep you safe, too. I get that you worry but I’ve been careful and I’m fine. I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, okay?”
 
Alicia loved cooking, so it was only natural that she had chosen to actually make something rather than simply use the microwave. Baking was her method of choice, though she doubted that she would be doing much in the future. It seemed that those days were behind her - along with chocolate chip cookies, shaving cream and scented candles: basically the luxuries in life. That didn't stop her from being enthusiastic in trying and while all she had to work with was plain jarred sauce, she had added some mushrooms and green peppers to give it a little bit of her own touch. She helped Bryce carry everything to the table: in the end, she ended up holding the plates and wine bottle while he took the pot of pasta in. She waited patiently a the door, per his insistence, and when his hands clapped over her eyes Alicia couldn't help but wonder what was awaiting her - she could only imagine it was going to be fantastic.

He uncovered her eyes and revealed what awaited her: a candlelit table, roses, perfection. Alicia didn't move towards her seat without kissing Bryce first - melding her body against his from head to toe with her arms around his neck and leaving his lips stained with a not quite dry shade of red lipstick that had looked beautiful on her full lips but just made him a little silly. As she pulled away she wiped it off with the pad of her thumb, and after Bryce pushed her chair in for her all she could do was smile as she looked back at him. The entire time, she didn't stop holding on to one of his hands. "This is perfect, Bryce. I wouldn't want it any other way. Thank you so much."

----

Anna may have been a bit taller than the average woman but she was maybe a buck twenty - though that didn't stop her from having a decent amount of force. Of course, Nick wasn't wrong in assuming that physically stopping him would be quite the task - naturally, with an extra few inches and probably forty or more pounds on her, he was the stronger one and they both knew it. They never got physical when they fought, no more than when she had pinned him to the wall in a very similar fashion to what she had just done, but Anna was known for acting out in bed and (only with her permission) he'd been allowed to rough her up a little bit. She flinched when he touched her, physically withdrawing from the gentle touch even though she would have probably killed to get him to look at her like that any other time.

Part of her wanted to say "oh fuck man, stop acting like you know what I went through just because you got one sentence about it" or maybe "actually more than one accident is involved in the fact that I'm alive today". She didn't because he was being soft with her for the first time in... well, years, and he was not being intentionally bothersome. Instead she ran her tongue across her teeth, and probably should have thought a moment longer before she spoke again because the next six words would sound incredibly heartless if she hadn't continued after them: "You're right, I don't need you."

Anna knew that she was going to say more, but there was a moment's pause before she spoke again, moving her body in closer towards his. Her hand left the wall beside him and found his waist where it stayed in a soft, tentative touch. She was so close that their bellies pressed together when she spoke again, a softness in her eyes that had always been saved for moments when they were being soft with each other. "I sure as hell want you around, though, whether I can live without you or not. Actually, whether you wanna be around or not is more like it."
 
Did Alicia need makeup? No. She was a gorgeous girl. However, Bryce found something so attractive about just the right amount – especially red lipstick. It was not even something he had told her before. After all, it never felt like they would face a night where lipstick was needed. When he had seen it coating her lips, it almost made him collapse because his knees were so weak. Again, like many things he enjoyed, Bryce did not know why he liked it so much. The taste of her lips was prominent as well, leaning into her touch when she swiped the little amount of red from his cheek and lips. “You know… red lipstick looks so fucking sexy on you.” He whispered to the girl, still holding her hand. Hell, maybe she could swipe the rest of what she had found. After all, was there any harm in just applying a little for a makeout session for one night?

Bryce hoped it wasn’t taken the wrong way, but he was quite confident that Alicia was fully aware of his attraction for her, even without makeup. It was almost like a kink, in his mind. Sitting beside Alicia, they were not exactly spaced out like one would imagine for a date. He pulled his chair beside Alicia’s, their legs brushing together. Obviously, he could not resist reaching down to grab her fork and feed her the first bite of the pasta. His hand still did not leave hers, just admiring her eyes. The dark shade of red made them pop even more. “I love you so much. This feels like heaven.” He murmured to his Princess, letting her know how incredible this night was already. Bryce never wanted it to end. It might have only been starting, and there was no doubt it would become even better.

----------------
It was a touchy subject for sure. Nick did not know what to say to Anna. Obviously, nothing like “I understand how you feel” or the typical empathy would work. So, he decided on something simple, stating a fact like she was obviously strong. It just felt like no matter what he said about it, Anna would get upset. Maybe when they were in a different place (relationship-wise), he could talk to her and hopefully assist with the healing process. Though he was no expert on abuse or victims of such abuse, Nick doubted that the scars would ever heal and the wounds were likely suppressed. He had never been there to support her before, but now he would. The male did not think that was something anyone should face alone. Nick wanted to be there for her, but he never had the chance. When she started talking, it sounded like he never would. It scared him to death, hearing when she started saying that she did not need him. It felt like that was going to lead into being cut off entirely. Thankfully, she started speaking again and her hand became gentle as did her eyes. His own touch and gaze showed the same thing.

Listening to her, Nick sighed in relief and placed his head down against hers. “I’ve been a jerk. I’ve been a dick. I’ve been an asshole to you. I’m sorry, Anna. I know that doesn’t begin to make up for it, but I am. I just want you to know. I wasn’t thinking with my head or my heart. I was just acting out on impulse.” Nick admitted with a frown, talking both about recently and when he walked out once he saw she was in bed with someone else.

“I want you too. I really do, but I don’t know how we can still have each other.” Obviously, being involved in each other’s lives were a start. They could start it out slow, just try being friends again. “I figured you would hate me by now. I haven’t been anything you deserve. I never have, really.” Nick added, representing how serious he was because this was not a side in him often seen.
 
"Why thank you." Alicia was flattered by her boyfriend's compliments, so much so that she had to steal another kiss as he took a seat beside her. She was pleased to have him close rather than across the table, as it allowed her to hold one of his hands and lean idly against his shoulder. It was clingy but a casual kind - very much reminiscent of their regular interactions with each other while staying (relatively) tame. Alicia was having a hard time not releasing his hand to grab his thigh, trail it up towards his hips... Eventually she did release his hand and when she did so she scooted her chair closer to Bryce's and then guided his arm around her waist in a silent request for him to hold on to her.

That also left her dominant hand free to eat with - though Alicia had a feeling that if Bryce had any say in this, she wouldn't even be picking up her own fork at any point. She did take advantage of him feeding her to grab his fork, twirl some pasta on it and then offer it to her boyfriend. "I can do that too," she said in a soft, teasing tone. "I'm really glad we got to make this happen, Bryce. It means more than I can even begin to put in to words that you'll go through all this effort for me. There's not a moment that I don't feel cared for and even spoiled with you around. You're everything I could have ever wanted."

----

It was correct to assume that anything on the subject would probably be taken the wrong way. It was possible to love someone without trusting them and she still didn't think that he took her seriously and was instead trying to do some magic in his mind to convert her history in to some way that she was trying to make him feel bad. He had pretty much told her that it didn't matter, and while she could forgive (which was more likely simply pretending nothing every happened) she was not about to forget. However both of them were defensive and both of them had to be right - a fatal flaw because neither one usually wanted to back down. It came at no surprise that neither wanted to budge. How many times had they put their need to be right over being happy with each other? More times than Anna could count, probably.

"You were great, and you did exactly what I would have done if things were reversed. Except.. well, I think I might have sunken to punching the shit out of you before walking away." The punching part was specifically about the idea of walking in on him with someone else, but for the most part yeah, she got it. Why he walked away in the first place, why he had never answered her calls, why he thought that she was just making excuses. Had things been reversed, she wouldn't have been very trusting either and though she had tried to get the fact that she understood in to Nick's head before this conversation it seemed like just now the fact that she wasn't being a total uncompromising, unreasonable dick was registering with him. "I don't think we can just get back to what we were doing before, but I also don't think that's something we really want to do. I mean, feels like we're there already - arguing and fucking and then arguing some more, good old times, but we know we can do better than that. Just gotta start from the top again and actually try."
 
Just like Alicia wanted, Bryce kept his arm around her waist. Listening to the girl talk brought a smile onto his face. “I’m glad to hear that, Princess. I enjoy this as well. I enjoy spoiling you, it brings me so much happiness. I live to see you smile and I can’t imagine a day without that in my life.” Nuzzling their noses together before accepting the bite of food, Bryce kept their eyes locked together. The male fed his girlfriend a couple more bites of the food. From there, the happy couple continued to eat and cleaned their plates. At one point, Alicia had sauce above her lips, so he cleaned it off with his own just like one would expect. When their dishes were empty, Bryce stood up and carried the plates towards the sink. The table was cleaned off and their wine glasses were empty, both having their fair share of wine tonight. It was a perfect set up, but because their dinner ended did not mean their night was over.

“Remember this?” He asked softly, grabbing his old phone and turning it on. The first thing he pulled up was a playlist called “My Princess’ Favorite Songs”. Yeah, cheesy – of course. But, it was a playlist full of any and every song that Alicia had professed to like. If she changed her opinion on a song or added a new tune to her likes, Bryce kept up with it. He would play it in the car when they drove together or when they were lounging around. Playing the list and shuffling it, a slow song started and Bryce reached out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

---

Wow, imagine that. Nick and Anna were conversating without yelling, arguing, or getting pissed. Even Nick was level-headed, not talking in any amount of snark. The male could finally understand where she was coming from and understand what she was trying to say to him. Compared to before, he would just get pissed at her and yell at her without paying attention to what she had to say. It mattered to him now. Nick realized how important it was for him to show that he cared. “You’re making a lot of sense. I get it. If we start something again, we need to make it better than last time. If we try this again, I do want this to have a different vibe. I’m sorry for all the shit I’ve done, Anna.” Nick kept feeling the need to apologize. Honestly, they could both say they were sorry until they passed out, but words were only words. Nick realized that and he sighed quietly to himself, looking deep into her eyes. Figuring out how to say his next words carefully, Nick watched the woman closely and formulated a response that could help not piss them off and keep the conversation moving.

“I think… I would like to try again with you. I’ve tried to convince myself that I was over you, that I didn’t care, that what you did would not matter. It does though. It always has and it always will. I realize that I can never move on. These past couple years, I can’t stop thinking about you, every day.” Maybe that was not what most people would admit about their ex, but Nick was not hiding the truth. “We’ll take it slowly and we’ll be smart. I just need to know what you want, though. I know we had this discussion before but I was a dick about everything in the end. If you want us to just start with fucking, that’s fine. If you want more, then tell me.” Nick had been outright with what he wanted, so he hoped Anna would as well. Either way, he felt confident they could have a compromise. It would take time to get anywhere, regardless.
 
Alicia had always loved how attentive Bryce was of her. Looking back, it was painfully obvious that the pair had been in love with each other for years but both were too worried of losing their friendship to do anything. Since childhood they had been each other's rocks and time had only forged their bond deeper and deeper. Now it was like each day only enhanced the love between the pair - Alicia could have never imagined how perfect this relationship had turned out. Dinner was quiet - soft voices, gentle whispers, laughing over wine as the pair attempted to be as fancy as possible while still being their silly selves. Alicia helped put the dinner dishes away, and when Bryce pulled out his phone the brunette quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised that even works still - have you had it off the whole time just waiting for this? Or by some miracle does this place have a phone charger - 'cause if so you're going to have to share with me." Yes, Bryce's phone had all the music she loved and more, but her phone was in her bag, more than dead, and had a variety of games to play on it. The world may have been ending but entertainment was still important, and though she still had the sketchpad that Bryce handed her back when they were docked on the island even art could only keep her busy for so long. Moderation was still key, after all - she didn't want to burn herself out (though that book definitely now had a picture of a sleeping Bryce on the first page).

Oh how she had missed music - the sweet smile on her face wasn't only meant for Bryce. As he held his hand out to her she graced him with her own in a soft touch before she stepped in close to rest her other hand on his waist. "Yes you may, my prince."

----

At times, it was hard to believe that they had ever gotten along. In theory it only made sense that they had but those days were so far gone that they may have well been forgotten. Anna wasn't blind to the fact that she was probably the biggest factor in that, but Nick sure hadn't helped much either with his proclivity for hearing but not really listening to her. So he talked and she had to take a step back, physically, and take a minute to think about how she wasn't to reply because "I thought about you every day" would have been a lie, but that didn't change how important he had been (and still was) to her. She had to the fullest extent possible moved on (which, admittedly, just meant she stopped feeling like shit when she tried to sleep with someone rather than genuinely "moving on" - there was never anyone new, not that she loved or even tried to) while working under the assumption that she would never see him again. Of course, that meant very little in the scheme of things because there she was and Nick had always felt inevitable to her.

"I want you take me seriously. I know you hear me when I speak, you make that abundantly clear, but you don't actually listen to me and last night... wasn't the first example of that. I know I hurt you and who the fuck would I be to try and tell someone how they respond to pain? But I have feelings too, Nick, and shutting me down even though I have been doing nothing but trying to do right by you since, like, the Geary's isn't cool." Anna didn't sound as soft as before and there was a rare seriousness in her tone, but she wasn't getting upset and she had a very careful eye on Nick watching to see if he would go and do exactly what she was talking about. "Fuck knowing what we're doing right now just... let it happen. I'm in, your in - does anything else really matter?"
 
Fortunately, the estate did have a charging station Bryce discovered earlier. The only reason he kept it from Alicia was for this surprise: He did not want the brunette suspecting anything. It would have been obvious because he spent a fair amount of time scrolling through the playlist, making sure everything was in order for the romantic dinner. After Alicia accepted his hand, Bryce did not waste any time. His other hand rested gently on the girl’s waist, their bodies pulled flush together. The music was soft and slow, perfect for a slow dance together. Locking eyes with the girl that he loved so dearly, Bryce began to sway his body to the music. Now, he might have been a star athlete, but his coordination was not the greatest. Dancing was not his best skill.

Already, he was tripping over Alicia’s feet, their legs colliding occasionally and Bryce even stumbling. It was amazing how he was able to run as fast as he could and bounce around the football field with such agility, yet he could not even stay upright while dancing. “Maybe it isn’t so bad we didn’t get a chance to go to senior prom.” Bryce teased, “I wouldn’t have wanted to embarrass you like this in front of a huge crowd.” Chuckling, he finally rested his forehead against Alicia’s.

“I’ve always thought about dancing with you to the tune of something romantic playing behind us. It makes me feel like the world is only made up of you and me. I love this feeling, Alicia. Every day I spend with you is perfect. No matter what is happening around us, you manage to make me smile and make me feel loved. I am so lucky to have you. I know this isn’t as fancy as it could be, but I’m quite satisfied with this dinner date. I know the night will only get better. I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else. You’re my rock, my everything. I know I tell you every day, but I love you so much. I hope we’ll soon have the chance to do something like this again.

--
It made Nick feel like shit when Anna seemed to have somewhat moved on more than him. It was only logical, though. Nick was the one that got cheated on. He never wanted to end the relationship nor did he ever want to seek out someone else. It only made sense that he was stuck on Anna. Perhaps it was abnormal to be stuck so severely, but the powerful emotions and thoughts brought her back to his mind all the time. It made him feel weak. Nick hated that feeling. Listening to her, truly listening to her this time, Nick noted about her feeling that he never took her seriously and not paying attention to her feelings. Yeah, that sounded about right. Even if Nick was in an arguing mood, there was nothing to contest. He decided to shake his head after her last question. Maybe it was rhetorical but he felt the need to answer it anyways. “I don’t think it matters. We were never really good at trying to label what we were.” Nick pointed out in a soft voice, chuckling at the memory. Even though Nick was the one pushing for the relationship, it took him a long time to accept it as well.



“I like the sound of that. We won’t label anything. We’ll just go with whatever comes our way. Despite that, I give you my word that, my focus will only be on you. You don’t have to do that, though. If another guy comes along and you feel pulled, don’t let this stop you. Believe it or not, I just want you to be happy. I guess I was so pissed because I felt like I failed you. I want you to be happy and I wanted to be the one that made you happy… I… I still do, but now I know that even if I’m not the guy for the job, I don’t want you to be miserable. So, I just want to put that out there so you know my intentions. You don’t have to commit either way right now. This is just me talking through my thoughts.”
 
Despite Bryce's obvious clumsiness, Alicia was still enamored by every step he took. She didn't care that he wasn't amazing dancer, or that he thought he would have embarrass her had they had the chance to go to prom together. Alicia didn't think that he could embarrass her ever, because even if he wasn't perfect he was hers. Nothing he could do could possibly make her love him and everything that he did less than she did. Well, except for sleeping through the night as tomorrow she would only love him more.

"Not possible," she said in a voice so soft it was nearly a whisper as he pressed his forehead to hers. She leaned in and up, filling the gap between them so that she could kiss him once again. She was soft and loving, full red lips pressed perfectly against his own and she swore that she never wanted to pull away. With her hands on her waist, moving them to squeeze him and pull him in a bit was an easy task and she did so until their bodies pressed flush to each other. For a moment, their gentle sway ceased to allow her to get what she wanted - no, needed - from him. There would never be enough time for her to truly slow him how much she cared, but every kiss and every touch make her affection for him just a little more known.

"Screw fancy, I'd rather have you and me right here doing this any time. Anything I do with you is perfect, Bryce, and even though this world isn't what I had imagined when I thought about spending the rest of my life with you, now that you're my reality I wouldn't want it any other way." She parted from him before she spoke, pulling away just enough to continue their gentle dance while still being as close to him as she could. She wasn't too adept at dancing either as she had very little (read: basically no) experience on her belt. Had anyone witnessed their tender exchange they would have looked like two foolish kids tripping over reach other but to Alicia this was the epitome of perfection (as sincerely as it could be given that each day seemed to reach a new height in that regard). "I love you, too. More than words will ever be able to explain, I love you so much."

----

It wasn't like she never thought of him - she did. It took nearly a year for her to accept the fact that they had broken up and that most likely they would never be seeing each other again (which, in all likelihood, was probably the realization that threw her in to one of the worst meltdowns of her life). Sure she only spent a few days trying to get in touch with him after everything, but there was only four days between when they split and when she ended up in the hospital, and between that and the rehab trip after there wasn't exactly any opportunity. That probably looked bad on her part, like she didn't even care enough to try. By the time she was out... well, she still hated every second but she had pretty much admitted defeat.

Before speaking she pulled away from him, let her hands leave his body and moved so that she was pressed against the wall beside him with her hands flat against warm brick. There was barely an inch between their arms. The sun had started to sink since she had last looked away from Nick and the start of the evening was settling in. "It's not like I really have options, Nick... but even if I did, you'd still be the first. I was really angry when we first saw each other - back in those cells, the first few days on the boat. 'Cause you just... left and as much as I can't really fault you for that I still kind of did. I mean, Josh cheated on Molly before you and I met and mean like cheated - was full out involved with this chick. They got through it. Got married, last September. Got pregnant, on purpose - right before society collapsed at that. What fuckin' luck, right?"

There was a moment before she continued to speak, a pause just long enough for him to think that she might have been done. She did start again however, and she turned her head sideways to look at him once more. "But... you didn't fail me. It wasn't about happiness or being enough or anything that you might think it was about and I still can't find the words to describe why what happened happened. It was a lot of things all at once and they don't even make sense to me so I can't expect you to understand it. Or believe me. Or, well, anything. But I don't fuck with people like that - if I didn't want you around I would have just told you that."
 
Deciding it was the perfect opportunity for his next move, Bryce ceased his movements. Trying to not give anything away, Bryce was doing a miserable job. A smile spread across his face, but it was unlike any smile Bryce ever felt tugging at his lips before in his life. It was time for a huge step in their relationship. Compared to “normal” relationships, this was happening super quickly. Yet, Bryce did not give a damn. Fuck what anyone else thought. Bryce knew what was in his heart. Alicia and himself had spoken briefly about the philosophy and concept of marriage. They both agreed, so why not do this?

Bending down onto one knee, Bryce grabbed Alicia’s left hand in his right. His left hand reached into one of his pockets and removed a small, black box. Using a couple fingers to pull it open, the contents of the box were revealed: it was possibly the most elegant, beautiful engagement ring ever seen. When Bryce saw it the first time, he could imagine the rock on Alicia’s finger. It was such a lucky find here at the estate. Celia was kind enough to let him have this ring to use for Alicia since engagement rings were not exactly a hot commodity in the apocalypse.

“Alicia, you are my Princess. I want to spend my entire life with you. I am the happiest guy in the world because you are mine. I love you more than anything or anyone else in the entire world. You are the most beautiful girl to ever exist. You are the epitome of perfection. When I look at you, I see everything that I could ever want or need in life. With you, I see my only future. I could not imagine being without you by my side. I love you and I will love you forever.”

Pausing, he had to steal a kiss, pressing his lips against the palm of her hand. “I know that marriage is just a technicality or a label for some people, but you know how I feel about it. I want nothing more than to tell people when we meet them, that you are my wife, that I am your husband. I want nothing more than to look down on our left hands to see wedding bands. I want you to be my wife. I want us to have a family one day, like we talked about. So, Alicia Clark, will you marry me?”

--

Listening to Molly’s history with Josh, Nick felt surprised. Never would have he expected Josh to have cheated on Molly. That made him feel like shit, even more. “I never knew that. I know that cheating doesn’t meant the end of relationships for some people. I guess she just didn’t value staying true just as much as I did? I guess I can’t generalize that, either. I guess I was thinking that, if you did it once, maybe you’d do it again. Maybe you’ve done it before. I was wrong to make that judgement, to not talk with you about it.” Still, the conversation was soft and gentle with no animosity. It felt nice for a chance. Again, Nick thought about the information that she told him about Josh and Molly. He supposed it was not very fair to make himself think that since one relationship got through the cheating, it meant he should have as well.

Everyone did value things differently. Perhaps Molly did look at fidelity as less important than Nick did. To him, it was basically the epitome of a cardinal sin for a relationship. He never communicated that, but he figured that was a given. That’s why it hurt him so much. At the end of the day, Nick knew they both made mistakes regarding that night. Nick blamed Anna for so long that he lost sight of that. Maybe if they would have chatted, like they were now, things could have gone different.

Alas, it did not. Nick just walked away, metaphorically doing the same thing he thought Anna did. Nick was the one that left her, but he always thought Anna was the one that really walked away because she cheated on him. Finally, he was seeing his own faults and not believing that he had done everything correct in that moment. Looking into her eyes now, he nodded his head. Nick placed one hand gently onto her face, slowly stroking her cheek before deciding to offer another response to her.

“I know, Anna. I know. I don’t’ know why I didn’t think about that before. I should have known that something was going on. Maybe I could have helped you. Maybe I could have done something. The thought of you being hurt… it kills me inside. And I hurt you so much. I always thought you were the bad guy here, that I couldn’t have done anything else different, but I am so wrong. I know you so well and I know you wouldn’t do that to me. I wasn’t thinking. I was just acting on emotions. I have no excuse, really. I fucked up big time.”
 
Alicia did take the concept of marriage very seriously. Of course she had always wanted to be married one day - what girl didn't? Once upon a time she had imagined that would happen years in the future, after she finished university and was getting ready to start a family with the man she loved. Now plans had changed drastically - there was no education to put first and considering that any day could be the last, there was no reason to wait. Before, while she had always imagined being serious about someone from the start, they would have had the rest of their lives ahead of them and "no reason to rush". Or, in theory, that was the plan - had Bryce been hers in a world like that she probably still would have let herself get swept away quickly. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

However even with their recent conversation, shock took over as Bryce lowered to his knees and pulled out the tell-tale black box. Alicia couldn't believe what was happening and she took a step back with her hand on her chest and her lips pressed in to a wide smile. Her expression was filled with adoration as he spoke sweet words to her, of the life that he wanted with her. Alicia had no doubt that she wanted the same thing and she didn't even take time to answer the pressing question before she was leaping back towards him, pulling him to his feet so that she could give him what was probably the tightest hug of his life. She felt like she was about to cry happy tears and for a second she rolled her eyes towards the ceiling to stop that urge.

After a moment of happy squeezing she stepped back just enough for him to see the wide, toothy grin on her face. She didn't care if this might seemed rushed to people around them - the only thing that mattered was that both of them knew this was the right thing. "Yes, Bryce. Of course, how could I possibly say no? I can't think of anything I would want more than to be your wife."

----

Statistically men viewed physical infidelity as worse than emotional infidelity while women were the other way around - it was no surprise that Nick thought her having sex with someone else was the worst thing she could ever do while one of the thoughts in Anna's own brain (at the very back, not of vital importance and definitely not something she would say out loud because it would certainly sound terrible) was "it's not like I had feelings for him". Maybe it was just because she didn't view sex as an inherently intimate act, but she had heard the same view from her best friend's own mouth once upon a time: "I'd rather he just fucked her and that was it. I could get past that, babe, but this..."

Nick did have a point though and she didn't fight him on it - Molly was pretty much the sweetest person in the world and valued love, forgiveness and the idea that people could change. Josh's affair had been earth-shattering and for a long time the household had been rather tense, but in the end she offered her future husband the same thing that she did Anna time and time again: forgiveness. Eventually the pair had gotten through everything and as far as Anna knew (and her knowledge of Mol's going-ons could be trusted to be pretty accurate) that never became an issue again. She wasn't comparing her and Nick to Josh and Molly or saying it should be ok because someone else did, but rather what saying that she thought they would have been able to work through it if given the chance.

Anna opened her mouth to speak until she realized that she didn't really have anything to say. She still wasn't asking him to move on or forgive her or anything like that - she knew that one peaceful conversation did not a resolution make and they'd probably revisit the topic with their regular ferocity a few more times. This was good though - a step. She would take what she was being given and be thankful for it because even just listening to her was more than she expected to get from him. With nothing to stay she just looked at Nick for a moment before a fire sparked in her eye and she grabbed the back of his head, pulled him in and let her lips do the talking.
 
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