What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

[Amaranthine]

"Not a moment passes where you're not on mine as well," Alicia returned, and then gasped as she was lifted from the ground and propped up on to a counter - Bryce had definitely caught her off guard there and she imagined that Bryce probably loved the spooked look that had formed on her face, in a playful kind of way! Once she was settled down the shock quickly dissipated, and her expression turned in to a playful, happy grin. From her spot on the counter top she wrapped a leg around each side of Bryce and at the same time she brought her arms around his neck and clasped them together. Her teeth poked out from behind her lips as she grinned and urged him closer to her with her arms and legs.

In another life not so long ago, something like this would have been scandelous! Two people turning a counter top in a public business in to a make-out location? Unheard of! Especially now that they were old enough to be considered adults... especially adults who were supposed to be mature enough to be in a married partnership. Even though they were likely the first people in a long time to so much as enter this roller rink, Alicia couldn't help but feel a little bit rebellious and fun. Yet, even with the little thrill the way that they kissed each other still carried a gentle lovingness.

"Don't say that, I don't want to ever stop," Alicia said back to him, keeping her lips so close to his that they grazed together as they spoke. Her body wriggled to try to urge Bryce as close to her as humanly possible. Though in that moment her words were true, Alicia genuinely was excited for the roller skating at the same time! It was a shame that she couldn't just have both options all at the same time... To make her point Alicia leaned in to kiss her husband again, lips parted just enough to let her tongue gently dance with her husband's as well. Anticipation was a lot of the fun, though, and if having her hands all over her husband felt like something she needed now it would only be so much better after she'd had to hold off for a while (and have some other kinds of fun with Bryce in the meantime)!

Neither of them seemed to want to address the elephant in the room but there was no ignoring it, really. With Jeremiah dead chaos was wound to ensue over the next coming while and god forbid anyone connect the dots... Nah, they couldn't. The lives of everyone that Anna had ever cared about were at stake if the wrong person were to connect the dots and in her current state she was too impotent to to be able to do anything about it - there was no room for failure. (If only success and secrecy could be willed in to existence.)

"As much as I can be," Anna returned after Nick asked if she was ready to head out. At the same time she leaned over and picked her boots up before taking a seat so that she could get them on... still not quite a two-handed task though she did her damnedest to make it be. She had been willing to admit defeat when trying to change her shirt and let Nick give her some help so that she didn't have to bring her bad arm up over the level of her shoulder, but tying a shoelace? It wasn't the shoulder movement that got her, that wasn't too bad - if was the fact that her fine motor skills seemed to be fucked and her hand developed a subtle tremor when she tried to grasp the thing... She let go as soon as quick as she could and tried to play it off like she'd just changed her mind about even trying - Molly knew, said it didn't necessarily mean anything about her long-term prognosis, but Nick was already being a tad (in her opinion) over-protective and Anna could only imagine how much more intense that could get.

The plan was to get down to Molly and Josh's before the militia went out for the morning run to clear any of the undead from the outskirts of the ranch. Tensions were only getting worse at the ranch and everyone seemed to want to get away from it for one reason or another, and it was time to get on the same page. Once Anna was finished dressing herself she pulled the door open with her good hand in a quick motion and stepped out, taking several strides before turning around to make sure that Nick wouldn't risk being left too far behind. If he happened to be close enough she would turn back around, otherwise her gait would slow until he was at her side and then she would return to walking forward. "You're heading out with the rest of 'em after, yeah?" She asked as they made their way towards the central part of the ranch and their destination.

 

[randomname98766789]

When Alicia wrapped her legs around him after being placed on the counter, Bryce shivered. That was exactly the course of action he had been hoping that she would take when he made such a move. There was a bright smile on his face as he gazed into her eyes, feeling more loved right now than he ever imagined possible. His head tilted to the side when they kissed and time just moved slowly around them. No matter how dangerous the world was around them, all he could do was get lost in the kiss with his wife. Nothing else mattered to him except keeping that smile on her face. Was there anything better? He did not think so. This was the best that life had to offer.

While it was tempting to just give in and enact his kinkier plans with his wife right now, he managed to find some more willpower somewhere. It was difficult resisting these temptations, but it was ultimately necessary so they could actually skate here at the rink. With one last breath into the kiss, he forced himself to pull away. Luckily, the roller skates were very close, meaning he was still somewhat leaning against his girlfriend as he grabbed a pair that were the woman's size. He wasted no time in working on removing her shoes. For him, this had an added flavor of fun. To the normal person, it looked like he was simply removing her shoes and sliding on the skates. To him, however, any opportunity where he was touching her feet ended up being something that he greatly enjoyed.

After both roller skates were secured, he smiled at her. "There you go, babe." Now, to find his size. That was a bit more difficult since he had a larger foot, but he picked through the sizes and found it. Before long, the couple was geared up and ready to skate around. "I guess it would be more fun if we had music to play while we were skating but that might not be the best idea even if it was possible." He wondered if their old iPods still worked, if they had any charge left. Either way, the music could just come within and it would still be a blast. "Ready to skate around together?" He asked softly.

-

Connecting the dots would not be an easy task. For what it was worth, Nick and Madison both staged the scene fairly accurately. To the untrained eye, the scene would look like a suicide. It would take deep investigation to figure out it was something else. Surely Jake would not look that far into it. Troy might. It was always fucking Troy! Nick already had this inkling of a feeling that something was going to go wrong. Just look at the track record. When was the last time that one of their plans went off with a hitch? He was already planning for the worst possible outcome.

Now, what would become of them once it was discovered what really happened to Jeremiah? That was a different question altogether. Although they were careful to avoid detection when they were sneaking around the man's home, the truth always did come to light. They had to prepare for every possible outcome. It might have done them well to discuss the elephant in the room before walking outside, but neither of them brought it up. It was not one of those things that would just go away if you ignored it though. Nobody really knew what the future was going to hold for them. With Anna beside him, he felt confident that he could beat any threat, even the imposing Otto threat. Her support meant more to him than anyone else's. He knew that she would be someone he could count on and rely on in this situation. Luckily for Anna, he did not see the major struggles she had while trying to grip the shoelaces with her shaky hands. He had been busy getting dressed as well, but she was right. If he had seen it, that would certainly trigger his overprotectiveness once again.

The couple was definitely on a mission right now. It was going to be interesting to see how things ended up. Nick was not usually a morning person, but this was different. He was wide awake because of how fearful he felt right now. Thankfully, walking beside Anna allowed him to feel much better than he did a few minutes ago. There was no chaos, no shouting right now. Maybe nobody had found the body yet, so they still had time. "Yeah, that was the plan. By the way… do you think we should tell Josh and Molly about… you know? That… thing…" Although they were alone, he did not feel comfortable saying those words about Jeremiah out loud in the open. He wanted her opinion on this. Would she feel that Josh and Molly should know the truth for their discussion about future steps? Was it better kept a secret?

 

[Amaranthine]

The way that Bryce chose to be the person who replaced the shoes that she she wore with the skates came as no surprise to Alicia - she hadn't been expecting it, no, but it was sweet and also perfectly in character for her husband! She was the kind of person who believed in letting people like whatever harmless things that they wanted to so she'd never have a problem with people being interested in feet but she also had no clue that she would be able to genuinely appreciate a love for feet until she had gotten with Bryce and seen just how compassionate and romantic it could be first hand. He could make any part of her feel sexy and she loved to lean in to his inclinations - it brought her a lot of joy simply seeing how much her husband got from touching her, not to mention it just felt highly enjoyable.

"Why thank you, my love," the young woman said in return, and reached out to grab his hand so that she could pull it towards her mouth and press a kiss to the top in a silly but sweet little gesture. Afterwards she waited patiently for her husband to find skates of his own size and swap his own shoes out, all the while held on to the edge of the countertop that she still sat upon and gently swung her legs back and forth. She never took her gaze away from Bryce, watching him in an affectionate manner the whole time (and when he had to bend over throughout the process, she gladly ogled his backside and the way that his shirt slipped up just enough for her to see the muscles of his lower back...)

"Yeah that probably wouldn't be smart unfortunately!" They were lucky enough to be able to get away from the ranch and find this little rink in the first place - it was probably best if they didn't push their luck too far! They were going to be inherently distracted to it was best to keep the background noise as minimal as possible so that they would have as much of a chance to catch on to something approaching, if need be. "But I absolutely am ready, my dear - would you mind helping me down?" Sure she could hop off of the ledge just fine on her own, but if she could have someone around to help steady her when she hit the ground and that person happened to be has hot as her husband.... She reached out towards Bryce with a smile on her face that was both sweet and flirty at the same time.

Anna stuck close to Nick's side as they walked along, thumbs pressed in to the top of the pockets of her jeans so that her arms bent outward at the elbows. Nick didn't have to specify what he was referring to, Anna got the hint: was it best to loop Josh and Molly in on Otto's death? Anna imagined so and had a hard time picturing a reason that keeping quiet would be better. The more prepared that everyone was for shit to hit the fan the better, right? At the same time, she was deeply biased by the fact that she hadn't not told Molly about something since she was in the tenth grade... she'd never really been put in a position to have to keep someone else's secret until now, though. On the other hand minimizing the amount of people who knew what really happened was safer and she knew it, but her thoughts were overwhelmingly for.

"Would make more sense, I think," Anna elected to respond with - if Nick wanted her opinion then he could have it, and her eyes it just made sense to have everyone on board. "If you don't wanna then I'd get it," she tacked on afterwards and nodded subtly, knowing that she had a bad habit in the past of getting reactive when disagreed with. Behind the scenes when Nick was off making friends and shooting old men in the head, Anna had been spending all of her time with Molly - who did a damn good job at listing every single flaw Anna had ever had and making her sit with it no matter how much she really didn't want to hear it... (Anna had no one but herself to blame for that one, though - she'd asked Molly to help her not fuck things up again.)

At that point the pair pulled up to the front door and Anna didn't even bother knocking before she opened it and slipped in to the building, where Molly could be heard calling her baby "a little shit" for wriggling around too much to get his clothes back on him. Once the child had been re-clothed, Molly finally stopped to acknowledge the new arrivals "Oh shit, you're here early!" Clearly, they hadn't been expected this early, which was fair. "Josh said there's some kind of patrol happening in a bit - you around to head out for that?"

"Yeah, uh, where is Josh Mol?" Anna asked as she plopped herself down on to a couch. "Cause it's time for us to figure out a plan." After sharing a concerned look with Anna, Molly went and got Josh. Once everyone was gathered, Anna chose to pass the floor to Nick if he wanted to start the conversation.

 

[randomname98766789]

"That damn smile…" Bryce simply laughed and shook his head while casting his gaze in Alicia's direction. "You have no idea just what that does to me." The young man whispered to his wife as he approached her while she remained sitting on the countertop. That smile did things to him that he could not even comprehend even after all this time with Alicia! Once he reached her, he accepted both of her hands and helped her down. When her skates landed on the carpeted floor, he steadied her by keeping both hands alongside her waist. Once she was upright safely, he finally let her go. "Now… you might have to help me balance too." It was the truth, considering how neither of them had much experience roller skating.

Even though he was the star athlete, his balance had never been the best. He was better at football, a game where brute force and speed were rewarded. Balancing on skates? Not really his thing! "Another corny thought that I had… you know in the winter Olympics where they have those duos figure skating competitions? It always seems so romantic and intimate. I imagined doing that with you. I mean, I know that I would never be advanced enough on the ice to pull off something like that, but it would be fun. Throwing you around, catching you, doing some of those poses." It was just a random thought which had popped into his head. This was obviously not the same thing as figure skating on ice, but it prompted the idea. The moral of the story was that he hoped to recreate something romantic with his wife while they were skating. They could come up with their own unique romantic sequence – he was certain of it. It might not be as detailed as professional skaters, but it would be unique to them!

Once they made it away from the counters, he tentatively put his roller skates onto the hardwood floor in the center of the rink before turning to face his wife, helping her down to join him. "This is already nice. I guess we'll just have to think of it like we're dancing, but just on roller skates." It was the best way he knew how to make sense of it, hoping that made sense to Alicia as well. Now that she was facing him, he placed both hands on her hips and looked down into her eyes. "Hey, at least if we fall like this, we are falling together. That's romantic in itself!"

--

Nick did not have any reason to believe that keeping what happened to Jeremiah a secret from Josh and Molly would be the best course of action to take. Instead, he assumed that telling them would just put everyone in a better position in general to prepare for what was going to happen next. However, it was something he simply felt better about once he talked to Anna first. He just wanted to see what her opinion was going to be. After all, this type of secret was not your run of the mill secret either. It was about a cold blooded murder, staging it as a suicide. Sure, Jeremiah was a horrible man, but Nick's conscience would not allow him to frame it that way. He was still a human being. It would be something that would stick with him for the rest of his life. Plus, his methods made it impossible for his family to ever uncover the truth, ultimately meaning that they would never find peace. It was a tough pill to swallow.

He listened to what she had to say, then he shook his head to show that he did not think it was better to keep them out of the loop. "No. You're absolutely right. Telling them would be the best thing to do. I just wanted to make sure that you felt the same way before I did it. I know they wouldn't freak out and tell everyone or anything like that. It's just not an ordinary secret. I felt like I just wanted to get your opinion before taking any action." Before he knew it, they reached the house. He did not know what they were going to say, nor did he know what they were going to think. However, making sure they were all on the same page felt important. He followed his girlfriend into the house, allowing her to take the lead in this situation. He could hear Molly before he could see her, allowing a small smile to creep to his face. He always loved seeing Anna in such an environment. He knew that she was truly her happiest around her best friend.

As everyone was gathered, Nick was sitting beside Anna. He took a deep breath, looking straight ahead at the wall – not exactly looking at Josh and Molly, but not exactly looking away from them either. "Jeremiah Otto is dead. His body will be discovered soon. It's going to look like a suicide because that's how I wanted it to look. It isn't a suicide. It was me. I shot him because that is the only way that peace could be ensured. I tried to get him to give himself up to Walker, but he refused. So I did what I had to do." There it was. It was out there now, for better or for worse.

 

[Amaranthine]

"An excuse to touch you? Oh, the tragedy!" Alicia teased after Bryce said that he might need a hand staying stable as well - and then she immediately stretched to be able to press a kiss to her super sweet and sexy husband's cheek. After pulling away she cupped his cheeks and jawline loosely in her and and allowed her thumbs to gently graze along the underside of the bones of Bryce's jaw. As Bryce told her about all of the things that he hoped to do with her while they were still in their skates, Alicia looked in to her beloved's eyes with only pure adoration. It was impossible to avoid being enamored by Bryce - everything about him just had a way of making her melt.

"My love, I think that sounds fantastic!" She was super eager to get on to the rink now that she was all skated up and gladly moved along with her partne towards the entrance - she was giddy, almost. The world that the young woman lived in made it difficult to remember what it felt like to be giddy sometimes - time stopped for no one and everyone had to be on alert pretty much constantly if they wanted to survival - but somehow she had been blessed with someone in her life who just wanted to see her smile endlessly and reminded her of what life should have been like as an eighteen year old. They were supposed to be doing "silly" fun things like taking drives and going skating and (probably awkwardly) trying to pull off figure skating moves even though neither of them was necessarily a good skater! It felt so good to be able to let go even for a few minutes and to get to be that young adult.

Alicia was a bit less tentative than her husband was about getting on to the rink, but she held on to him anyways - and it was probably a good thing that she did, because right off the bat a skate slipped her foot out from beneath her and it was thanks to her hold on Bryce that she had been able to right herself before she lost control of her own body. "It seems that we're off to a great start!" She remarked with a little laugh - and luckily after that she managed to remain steady. The only thing Alicia needed to make any moment romantic was to have Bryce with her - he brought a romantic appeal to even the smallest of things such as hitting the ground of a skating rink together!

Anna and Molly could be polar opposites in some ways; where Anna could be much harder to read and subtler in her emotional cues, Molly was the complete opposite. Motherhood had calmed her in a way but hadn't seemed to take her flair for the dramatic and highly animated way of interacting with the world around her ("I was a theater kid, leave me alone") and there was no subtlety at all to the way that her eyes widened to their furthest extent and her jaw dropped. Following a brief moment of silence, she was the first to speak up with a higher-pitched and rushed tone to her words: ".... you did what now?" She blinked rapidly at Nick, stunned like... well, like she had just been told that he had killed someone. Even Anna couldn't help but wince as the words were said out loud again even though she knew thanks to the night before - she was stone cold sober now and there was no getting around how heavy of a weight the words carried.

"Amelia-" "No, don't Amelia me - I'm fine. I just... was not expecting that." "Really? You said yourself that Nick looked upset when he picked Anna up last night." The other pair's quick exchanged ended in a long, heavy sigh from Josh who let himself fall in to a chair that was square from where Nick and Anna were sitting. "Let's all hope you did a good job of staging the scene then," Josh responded after he'd taken a moment of silence to process the information. "The body should be found before it's time for the patrol to head out, and then after that I think there's somewhere I need to show you in case shit hits the fan, Nick. I'd bring you along too-" he gestured towards Anna "- but I'm not going to be able to suggest bringing someone who can't hold a gun right now without attracting attention. You good to hang out here? Someone's gotta be around to give Mols a hand if something goes wrong while we're out anyways."

It was clear in her eyes that Anna didn't want to hang back and stay out of the action, as much as she loved having her little found family back together - Josh seemed to know how to give her something that would make her feel important, though. In an ideal world they would have more time to prepare, and for all they knew peace truly would come with Otto gone, but it was always a good idea to have a contingency plan. The men also shared a cause - at the very least neither of them could let the other's girl get hurt without receiving wrath themselves. Josh didn't know where Nick was standing with him at that point in time so he treated that with respect.

 

[randomname98766789]

Around the same time that Alicia's skate slipped, Bryce's did as well. Luckily, his own hold on his wife prevented him from toppling to the ground. In the span of just thirty seconds, she had kept him upright as he had kept her upright too. It was poetic, really. They were relying on each other to stay steady on the skating rink just as they relied on each other to stay steady in every day life, especially after the world ended as the infected descended upon the living. He was smiling brightly, gazing down into those pretty, green eyes of hers while gathering his balance. Perhaps the beautiful woman had been too much of a distraction for him right now because he was so focused on her that he forgot to take a step now and again!

He would not change anything though. "Yeah, good start. We've made it out here at least. This is a whole hell of a lot more slippery than the carpet that's for sure." He laughed at the thought, noticing the change in surface made it more difficult. "Well, I guess if one of us busts our ass, we'll go down together since we're holding on so tightly. But that's fine with me." He winked at her as there was truly nobody else that he would rather do this with. It was so intimate, so loving. His hands finally dropped down to her waist to somewhat mimic that couples' figure skating routine as he found some stability to move side to side in his skates, able to turn sideways and face her directly. "I just love you so much, babe. This is already so much fun." And it was true. He was having a great time already even though they had just started.

They did not need to be the best skaters. They just needed to have fun and take a break from everything around them. This was more than enough. "I think we're kinda getting the hang of it now. We'll do our best to keep it going." He stated with a nod of his head, still locking eyes with her as they moved more naturally now. He still would have loved to have some music going in the background, but this would definitely suffice for now since it was the best they could do considering their circumstances.


--

The tone in Molly's voice caused Nick's eyes to drop to the floor. It was almost like he could sense the flinch in Anna when she heard him say what he did again. This was a consequence he did not think about before. He had assumed that it would not make Anna feel any differently about him after learning what he did. But... would it? Did he misjudge the situation? Would she look at him as a stone cold killer instead of what she had seen in him before that night? Molly's tone was very biting and it had him quite concerned immediately.

The pair's exchange did little to ease his feelings, but he was not believing that his feelings were the most important thing right now. He was trying to mask those feelings after a moment of weakness last night. He was too emotional about what happened, being open and honest with Anna about the toil it was taking on him. Perhaps he should have just kept the hurt caged inside. He was trying to do that right now. He felt shitty enough about what he did, meaning he was thankful when Josh decided to move the conversation to something else.

Part of him wondered if there was going to be a lecture attached to the trip with Josh. Honestly, it was probably deserved. Just think about it. Josh spent so much time pretending to go along with the ranch ideals to protect his family – from joining the militia to looking the other way when bad shit was done here. Then, in popped Nick! He had lived here for just a fraction of the time that Josh had and already did something to endanger not just his immediate family and friend group… but potentially every single community member here. Not very smart.

While he could see that Anna would be itching to be out there, Nick was quick to jump to Josh's side and support him. "He's right. It would be best for you to stay here with Molly. We'll handle everything and we'll be back before you realize that we're gone." He knew that she would likely be more frustrated by being cooped up than she would be worried about him being off on his own. She knew he could handle himself and Josh likewise. Still, he just tried to frame it all in a way where it was not focused on keeping her out of harm's way with her recovering injury.

If they just framed it as keeping Molly company and not dwelling on that injury, then it might be easier to convince her. Plus, Nick liked to think that Molly would back them up if needed by convincing her friend to stay here so they others could head out for this mission. It could get dangerous, which was exactly why Nick wanted Anna back safely on the off chance that someone realized what he had done.

 

[Amaranthine]

Here they were, quite literally holding each other up in a sweet metaphor for the way that they were always physically and emotionally there to support each other and be each other's crutch. As long as the other had something to say about it, neither of them would ever be alone through anything ever again! As they steadied each other Alicia stared in to her beloved's eyes with the most enamored smile on her lips. The only sounds in the room were those of their own skates against the hard floor, no music to be heard - but Alicia didn't need music to lose herself in the moment.

It didn't take long for the floor beneath her feet to feel a little less unstable as well, and Alicia was able to relax her hold on her husband. She didn't dare to let go of him, though - taking her hands away from her husband during a sweet little moment like this just felt like simply a crime! She had been blessed with an incredibly handsome partner whose body was hers and hers alone and damn it, she was going to keep her hands on whatever part of Bryce that she could at any given time!

"You know - all things considered I think we're doing pretty good, my love," Alicia said to Bryce. Her initial giddiness about their little date had turned in to something a bit more serene, and as the couple slowly made their way across the rink she began to gently hum the tune playing in her head. It wasn't anything known, just a soft melody, and the gentle noise wasn't even a conscious decision for the young woman.

Would Anna not be able to look at Nick the same way? Nah - she wasn't the type to dwell on shit that couldn't be changed, not to mention the kind of world that they lived in dictated that sometimes hard choices had to be made. They had been lucky to stay out of situations where they had needed to make choices that were brutal from the outside, and it was likely this wasn't the last time that one of them would have to make decisions like that in the long run. Walker wanted Jeremiah gone... he'd been willing to poison the ranch in order to get his way - and Nick was right. Otto would not have gone down without taking everyone else down with them.

"If we're pretending that we're leaving me behind solely for Mols, you're leaving me with a knife yeah?" It's Nick that she turned to and raised her eyebrow. It was only half a scheme and she knew it, it genuinely was a good idea for someone to stick around when Molly's stomach wound left her in a much worse state to run if need be. The latina in question popped her baby down in a bassinet next to the two-seater kitchen table that they had and then hopped on to the arm of the couch to be able to sidle right up to Anna and kiss the top of her head.

"Oh come on babes - I've got something for you, anyways," Molly said and winked, putting an arm around the younger woman's shoulders. Anna scrunched her face and then Molly repeated the gesture in a more exaggerated manner, but there was an understanding. She'd been using the buddy system with Molly for ages anyways, and Nick could look after himself better right now. It was at that point when a commotion started to occur outside of the cabin - it seemed that Jeremiah had already been found.

 

[randomname98766789]

"I agree. We really are." Bryce did not know if Alicia was talking about their skating, or if she was just talking about their life as a whole. Both things were definitely true though. All things considered, their love and their life was doing much better than most people were doing right now. The end of the world tore so many people apart. Yet, it pushed them together and they continued getting closer. As they were skating, something overcame Bryce. That thing he was talking about earlier with figure skating… he wanted to try a little pose.

He placed one hand on Alicia's back and the other hand was on the top of her right shoulder. With his arms essentially snaking around her upper body, he dipped her down toward the floor where her hair would now be hanging over, down towards the ground as he followed her, leaning down to chase her lips with his own. It was that classic figure skating dipping action (with their own flair of the kiss). She was pulled back upright a few seconds later as there was a very bashful, loving smile on his face.

"Just had to try that at least once. That was fun… you are just so damn beautiful. If we can ever have a chance to learn figure skating, we should definitely do it." He teased. "Or just dancing in general. It feels like such a romantic thing to do. I've never been into dancing, but the idea of dancing with you and pulling off some of those cute poses as a couple is something I am definitely interested in finding out more about." Hopefully, she would feel the same way too!


-

If anyone deserved to die, Jeremiah was probably one of those people. However, that did little to ease his conscience. Should he really be the judge, the jury, and the executioner? Well, nobody else was going to do it. Then again, he wondered if his mother had similar plans tonight. One member of the Clark family was going to do something it seemed. While he did not have any inkling that told him Anna might look at him differently, it was just one of those intrusive thoughts. There was still so much he had to work through regarding his feelings about the situation – but these were conversations he would likely never have.

It would just be another case of repressing his feelings, pretending that this did not bother him when it really did bother him. Usually, he would find some unhealthy coping mechanisms, but he hoped to not fall into that trap again here. When asked if there was a knife she could be left with, Nick nodded his head. Honestly, he felt better leaving a weapon with her because the ranch was not safe, just as the outside was not safe either. It was a fucked situation either way really. "Of course, here." He handed a knife to Anna with a sigh. He did hate to leave her behind right now, but he knew this was a necessary evil.

Then, instead of focusing on the conversation with Anna, the commotion stole his attention away because he knew exactly what that meant. Oh, this was not good. "Well, here it goes." With a sigh, he stood up to his feet and stretched out his arms. The worry on his face was apparent and clear as day, but he was trying to not show it in front of Anna. Instead of looking at her, he forced himself to look at Josh. "I'm ready. Are you ready?" He asked, ready to follow his lead.

 

[Amaranthine]

Alicia had to muse about the second meaning to her words for a moment, herself, as she stayed lost in that little moment with her beloved. For now, at least, there was nothing that could take her away from this rink. Life back at the ranch... it was stressful and chaotic but just for a little while it could wait. The whole world was going to hell - people, or maybe just her it was hard to tell, needed to be able to find a way to make the best of what they could while they still had the chance to. Alicia wanted to never stop finding a way to appreciate the "now" with Bryce around.

The way that Bryce's hands moved was enough to alert Alicia that something was about to happen, but not so much that she knew what was coming. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as her body was dipped backwards and down and she did her best to stabilize herself - Bryce wouldn't drop her, that much she was sure of, but it was uncomfortable to feel off balance. She adjusted her hold on her husband in turn to be able to get that touch of extra support, and also because she just wanted to keep Bryce as close to her as she could (he never made that difficult). When they kissed, Alicia felt like butterflies were fluttering around inside of her.

"You know," she started after she was vertical again. "I've actually... never really gotten the chance to dance with anyone before. You've been my first, and I think I kind of like it." Her flirtation came in a lighthearted tease - of course she would be glad to fulfill Bryce's desire to dance and pose and create an air of romance with her!

A knife wasn't going to be of much help if shit hit the fan but at least it was something, and it wasn't easy for one to get their hands on stray weapons when in a place like this. Nick seemed pretty sure that the others weren't going to think twice about Otto being the one to shoot himself and in that moment, all they could really do was pray that the events that ensued went according to plan. We'll be fine she thought 'cause when in her life had she not come out fine on the other side? There were a thousand things that should have killed her over the years and yet there she stood on that day and that wasn't about to change - as if she hadn't just expected to be armed.

Josh nodded at Nick after being asked if he was ready to head out. The feud with Walker had been going on for too long now and he was one of those people who were holding on to the idea that maybe without Jeremiah, there could be peace here. Otto was the tyrant, the alcoholic, the racist - the man willing to take down every single person here for the sake of his own pride. "No time like the present," he said and pressed a kiss to the forehead of both his wife and son before opening the door and giving everyone else room to get out of the cabin before him.

At first the women stayed even with the men, though as everyone got closer to the crowd that was gathering around the Jeremiah's house they wound up falling back. Josh, like other members of the militia, would ease his way through the crowd until he reached the forefront of the commotion. The Otto brothers stepped out the front door looking absolutely devastated.

 

[randomname98766789]

Every marriage was different. Not everyone would enjoy the cheesy nature of Bryce the way his wife did. Thankfully, they were such a perfect match for one another that it was not a clash of personalities. Instead, they were a perfect fit for each other. Her words only confirmed that once again. Anytime that he could be Alicia's first for anything, it was such a joy for him. Being the first person she danced with simply warmed his heart. It was all about intimacy for Bryce. They did not have to make love to be intimate. Instead, there were other opportunities for such moments - like skating and dancing together!

"That's great babe. It sounds like there is a lot of dancing in our future. I remember that Jake has an old record player in his home. I am going to see about borrowing it for our place for a while. Maybe we can play some music on it and dance a few nights away." The mere idea of dancing like this with his wife was enough to cause the widest smile ever to appear on his face. He loved the idea and he hoped that she would enjoy it as well.

"It just feels impossible to not have my hands on your body in some way at all times. You are the center of my universe and I'm so happy that I get to share my life with you." Both hands dropped low and grabbed two handfuls of her tight ass because he wanted to kiss her. As always, he just has to grab her when they kiss! Another passionate kiss began between them as his tongue wasted no time in snaking between her lips and against her tongue as well, allowing them to dance within the kiss essentially.

-

Honestly, parting ways with Anna, even for a short amount of time would probably not be ideal. Instead, Nick wished that they could have stuck together. While she technically could have still joined him, it was just too risky. There was a risk in separating as well, but keeping her in a relatively safe place with Molly by her side felt like the lesser of two evils. It was safe to say that he was looking forward to their reunion. Not just for her sake either. Nick himself felt a million times safer when he was hanging around Anna. They were a team - the way it should have always been.

When Josh said that he was ready to go, all Nick could do was nod his head. It was now or never. He watched Josh bid Molly and their son goodbye, but then it was time for the two men to head out. It was easy to see why Josh was willing to do anything for them. He was fighting for his family. While the thing Anna and Nick had looked nothing like Josh and Molly, he felt a similar way. He was doing everything necessary to protect Anna, his mother, and his sister. Family was all he really had anymore.

At the Otto house, Nick felt his blood run cold. His eyes scanned the gathering crowd as if everyone would telepathically know the truth of what happened. Nick naturally averted his gaze down to the ground and tried to not look at either Jake or Troy. For a split second, he did catch Troy's look. It was either his mind playing tricks on him... or he could actually see Troy looking at HIM directly. Was it possible he already knew? Was it paranoia? Nick was considering making a dash for his life, but thought better of it. He needed to stay calm.

 

[Amaranthine]

The moment was all consuming for Alicia, whose vivid imagination allowed the empty, quiet room to feel infinitely more magical. Fairy lights flickering along the walls and soft, slow music playing as a pair of young lovers swirl around an empty rink - but no, it wasn't empty before. Instead, the pureness of their love for each other had been enough to enchant the crowd around them, encourage them to step away and cheer the teens on as they pulled off all of the elaborate dance moves that they could think of flawlessly. It was a sweet dream, and real enough to the young woman that she could swear that she was truly in the moment. It was perfect and cheesy and definitely the kind of scene that they could find in a corny romance movie but what was wrong with corny, anyways?

"I do love the idea of a record player," Alicia mused out loud, the stereo-sound she imagined her head giving way to the softer, scratchier tone of vinyl. The mention of Jake reminded her of their reality outside of the little rink, but hm.... this would be so much better with some music, so at the very least they could try to get their hands on that record player even just for a night. In that moment, she realized just how much she liked the idea of ending a rough day with a sweet dance with her beloved, over and over again - their little thing. Could she get Bryce on board with such an idea? He was as much as a softie as she was, at least when it came to her, and Alicia imagined that she could.

At first she wanted to speak out again, but just as her lips started to part Bryce had leaned in to kiss her, and in that moment whatever it was she'd wanted to say didn't seem so important any more. Bryce isn't the only person who can grab and squeeze, though, and Alicia's small hands slunk around her beloved's body before playfully squeezing his own cheeks in return. How could she possibly not get lost in her lover's lips when he tasted like all the best things in the world all at once. "Then it's a damn good thing that I never want you to stop," she whispered against his lips before letting their lips and tongues merge with each other. In an instant, her heart began to race in her chest and the way that she grabbed him became just a little bit more needy.

She didn't want to walk away from him - it's hard to say out loud but Molly sees it in her eyes, hidden behind the fire that always linger behind her hazel gaze. Anna had never liked to admit that another person was right and she wasn't but she'd also known how to pick a fight that she could handle and the odds weren't looking good for her when it came to leaving the fence. Sure, yeah, Nick would never let anyone or anything lay a hand on her - but the last thing she wanted was to be relying on someone else for protection, especially in a situation where they needed to be worried about themselves. One day, hopefully soon, she wouldn't be a drain on the people around her.

Troy was pissed - it was hard to tell, though, if it was sheer anger at the loss of his father or because he suspected foul play. Jake seemed calmer, though - griefstricken but hiding it better than his sibling, a brief flash of a look that she recognized from her own face all those years ago when she lost the only parent she had. Parents didn't have to be good to have a profound effect on their young, it still hurt to lose even a bad one. Her heart hurt for him in that moment, in a way that she didn't want to feel so she chose anger instead. At least Jake could go to sleep at the end of the night and know that his couldn't possibly be causing more harm.

Time didn't stop for anyone, though. It never mattered who lived or died, the sun would continue to twirl at lightning fast speeds around the planet, turn day in to night, tomorrow in to yesterday. The dead still needed to be cleared, territory checked for threats. The boys seem to benefit from the distraction that patrol brings, though the air is tense around them. Josh sticks close to Nick, waiting until they're far enough attached from the rest of the group's attention to step aside enough to have privacy. With a sideways nod of his head he urged Nick to step away from him.

 

[randomname98766789]

Just as Alicia's touches became needier, so did Bryce's. No longer did he wish to keep things to just innocent dancing and touching. Instead, he wished to take things another direction with his lovely wife. His hands were now desperately grabbing at her rear while his pace of breathing increased. "I need you." He nearly growled the words with an intense look of lust spreading through his eyes. More than anything, he wanted to show Alicia just how deep his love did run for her. "I have actually been thinking about a new position that we can try, Princess. I brought some rope with us, of course. And something to gag you with, if you're up for it." Now, he had no reason to believe that she would not want to have some kinky fun with him. However, it was always necessary to gain her consent first. He loved telling her about what he had planned before doing it, just to make sure that she was okay with everything.

As usual, his arousal was growing simply at the idea of being able to make love to the woman of his dreams while she was bound and gagged. He was already picturing the new position that he wanted to try since it had been on his mind for a while. It was important to spice things up after all. He had a feeling that she was going to enjoy it as much as he was going to enjoy it!

Skating and dancing with Alicia was fun, but he could only take so much of being in close quarters before he lost control. There was a passionate desire burning for her when their eyes locked again. While awaiting the reply, Bryce decided to get a bit handsy with his wife. When he grabbed her ass this time, he dug his fingers deep into the flesh, kneading her rear with both hands. The action caused their hips to bump once again.

"I love you so much." His words became stronger as his touch did. His lips attacked her exposed neck and flesh, attempting to kiss all over! He even left a very light nipping at her neck while touching her. His arousal had to be clear by this point. Alicia truly had him wrapped around her finger as he was eager to worship her body for as long as she would let him. He could not wait to tie her up!

--

At that moment, Nick was infinitely grateful knowing that Anna was out of the way right now. It meant that she was not in any danger. She was far away from the possible impending wrath that they were all going to face here now that Jeremiah had been discovered. It felt like every eye was on him as an intense paranoia overcame him. It was terrifying, really. If everyone turned on him, not even Josh could keep him safe. Plus, because of self-preservation for his family, would he even stand up for Nick if something like that happened? Or would he stay quiet, hoping they did not come for him next?

Nick would not have been able to blame Josh if that happened, but that did not help him feel any better about the situation. He was alone right now, essentially. That was a good and a bad thing, really. Just when Nick thought that the situation would reach an explosive point, he noticed that Troy finally looked away from him. Or away from his direction. Maybe he was never looking at him in the first place, but regardless, he released a breath that he had been holding for the last thirty seconds during the intense stare down.

Eyes were searching for Josh, almost desperately. While Nick usually felt composed under pressure, he never faced this kind of pressure before in his defense. Murdering someone and staging it like his victim took his own life? It was not something that he ever prepared to do before. Sighing softly, he gave Josh a nod of his head when the male suggested that they move along. He stepped to the side with him as suggested. "Alright… what's our next move?" He asked the words softly, trying to not bring much attention to themselves. He figured they would use this distraction to their advantage, but they would need to work together. Now was a great time to move considering most of the ranch congregated to this one area. Everyone was focused on other things and nobody was really thinking clearly because of the shocking news.

 

[Amaranthine]

Bryce catches his beloved's attention with ease at the mere mention of needing her, setting off a reaction deep within her that fills her with a hunger for every inch of him. The aching led her to urge her hips back, pushing her ass in to the firm, needy palms of her husband's hands. They always seemed to be in sync with each other, ready to respond in a heartbeat to each other's subtle actions. Between the heat in her thighs and the racing of her pulse so loud she swore she could hear it, Alicia very quickly came undone at the thought of her husband and that was so hard for her to hide - and why would she want to hide it, anyways? She remembered back when they were brand new to each other - which truly wasn't that long ago - and how she'd been so nervous about the way that Bryce made her feel, a little bit insecure about her body and her reactions and whether or not he would like what he saw. Alicia knew now, though, that he did - and that confidence and comfort meant she had no interest in hiding anything about the way that Bryce made her feel.

The pulsation between her thighs draws her attention south as Bryce speaks about how he has something new in mind for them - even without knowing what this new position might be, Alicia was still intrigued and excited at the mere prospect. She had unwavering faith in her beloved's tastes - not once had he managed to let her down yet! Undoubtedly it would involve her all bound and gagged, helpless and left at her husband's whims - he could do anything that he wanted to her when she was like that but without failure he chose her pleasure along with his, blissful orgasm after blissful orgasm...

Alicia got so lost in her head at the idea that when Bryce gave her rear a good squeeze, it almost knocked her off balance - it was a good thing that their bodies were pressed as tightly to each other as they were! "I wanna be at your whims," she whispers. A breathy moan that escapes her lips as Bryce found all those sweet spots on her neck that could drive her absolutely wild, and she grasps at his hair to hold him to her ever so subtly, not wanting him to ever pull away. "Please, I wanna be all yours, Bryce."

Josh doesn't talk too much at first, instead casually walking off away from the group with the knife in his hand prepared to take down any stray undead that they might come across in their patrols. He's sure it's at least a little suspicious to the Otto boys, the way that their resident outsiders had all formed a little gang together, but when Troy calls out to them and asks Josh where he thinks he's taking Nick he can only answer in a way that he hopes makes the man question asking in the first place. "We're gonna head this way - buddy system, right?"

There's nothing but open Texan wastes as far as the eye can see so they stand no chance of true privacy, but Josh never stops with his watchful eye and still meanders on for about a minute even after Nick spoke. Then, beyond a hill in the distance, the outline of a building could be seen. "I'm surprised Troy didn't try to destroy the ranch even with his dad's death being a 'suicide'," he remarks at first, and then uses his head to gesture towards that shadow beyond the swells. "That's where we go, if we need to get out. The back of the cabin is collapsed and if you can push your way through the debris, there's a bag under the bed. Weapons, some food, few water bottles - it was enough to last a few days to find somewhere safe, at least until you and Anna showed up."

"I'd like to scrounge up more together first but I have a bad feeling about things, Nick. I don't think our problems are going to go away just because Walker got what he wanted once."

 

[randomname98766789]

When Alicia said that she wanted to be at his whims, Bryce felt chills travel down his spine. She always knew the right things to say and the right things to do! Feeling her hands traveling into his hair while he was kissing her neck made him moan again quietly. It caused him to squeeze her ass one more time, pushing her hips right against his own. He could already tell that her desire was high based on the way she was breathing, by the way she touched him so desperately. "I will make you all mine, Alicia. I promise. I love you so damn much. There will be no question that you're mine. I'll make sure of it." He whispered, winking at her following his words.

Simply talking to Alicia about making love to her was enough to drive him crazy. It felt like an urgent need right now. "In that case, let's get off the dance floor and back over to our bag." Beaming, he released his wife in order to safely skate back to the carpeted area - although they did hold hands during the entire trip! When they finally made it back to the carpeted area, he led them toward the counter where they picked up their skates.

"We'll go ahead and take these skates off for now. I'm thinking that you could hop up onto the counter and remove your socks as well while you are at it." There was no attempt to hide his attraction to that part of her body. She made him feel so confident in everything related to his desires, knowing that she was never going to judge him about it. Therefore, whenever there was an opportunity to explore one of their shared kinks, he planned to jump at that chance!

While she was getting ready to remove her skates and hop onto the counter, he removed his own skates so he would not slip up and fall during the process. "Like I said. This will be something different but I think that we are both going to enjoy it." He whispered while removing the bondage gear from his bag, placing everything down onto the counter with a huge smile. "Before I bind you though, I want to do something else." She would find her body pulled forward to the edge of the counter, gently colliding with her lips, pushing his tongue between her lips with a bright smile. His tongue danced and battled, pinning her tongue underneath his own while his hands cupped her breasts..

-

No matter how far away they were from the ranch, Nick really never felt comfortable. It was almost as if Troy would manifest in front of them from nothing and take revenge for his father's murder. After a few seconds of silence, he felt comfortable enough to utter a response. "I have a feeling that you're right. Especially with Jeremiah's death. There is no stability. Troy will want to lead one way. Jake will want to lead another. They are going to clash. There's no telling how the people are going to react either." Sighing as they walked, he decided that they were utterly fucked now. Every possible outcome was not a good outcome at all.

"I feel like we have no choice but to get out of here as soon as possible. I mean, you saw the way Troy was looking at me. I don't know how in the hell he knows… but he knows." Troy Otto was going to be the death of him. Figuratively at least – potentially literally as well. He had done nothing but caused trouble since they met. It did not feel like that was ending at any point soon. "I am sorry that you're getting dragged into this shit too."

Apologizing was not a strength, but it was necessary. Jeremiah's murder probably made things much more complicated for Josh and his family. "Either way, thanks for pointing this out. I'll do what I can to help you collect supplies. Just let me know. I don't plan to be a freeloader. I know that you'll be taking a huge risk for us and resources aren't exactly easy to come by. Just tell me what you need for us to move forward, and I'll do it."