One year. It had been one year, nearly to the day that Summer, Dillon and Tenaya had left Corinth together. A year since they had seen their friends and a lot had happened. As they had expected, they found survivors all across the barren wasteland. It was amazing to the three how some managed to survive outside the dome for so long. There were some stories of loss; widowed spouses, orphaned children, but even still, the volume of survivors found exceeded their expectations.
Summer, Dillon and Tenaya gave as much assistance to the survivors as they could. Early in their travels, Dillon had begun collecting scraps of metal or car parts in case they needed them. As it were, this collection deemed useful when it came to fixing up old and rundown vehicles for the survivors to travel to Corinth. Summer seemed to take a shine to helping the young children and teens who had made it through the entire ordeal.
Meanwhile, Tenaya tended to be a little reserved around the survivors. She would shadow her brother or Summer in case they needed help with whatever project they were undertaking-whether it was fixing an engine, or re-stitching old and tattered stuffed animals for young children-but a part of her was still haunted by her time as Venjix's enforcer. Every time the three encountered a new batch of survivors, Tenaya braced herself for one of them to recognize her. What if this group contained people she and Venjix's drones had terrorized personally? What if they decided to take their revenge?
As fate would have it, her fears seemed to be for no reason. People seemed to recognize her more as a savior, helper than the former destructive minion she had previously been. Never had a displaced survivor ever looked at her with any sort of disdain or anything to otherwise suggest they knew who she had been and what she had done. One widowed mother of four young children had even gone as far as warmly embrace Tenaya's hand while she gushed that the three of them were so kind to assist them so.
None of them had been expecting to receive the welcomes that they did at each different city they stopped at. It had been about halfway through their adventure that they had stumbled across the city of Bayview. The city had been decimated during the initial Venjix attack and had eventually become home to a facility that housed survivors who had been turned into slaves. Soldiers from Corinth had visited the city a mere two months before the trio arrived and placed a small handful of people in charge of the rebuilding process. Upon their arrival, they were quickly introduced to the small contingent of 'authorities'. Charlie, Jack, Devlyn, Cassandra and Samba had each been placed in charge of a different area. As part of the 'deal' worked into place, Devlyn and Samba were to be granted passage to Corinth, as they had been deemed to be 'skilled workers' whose abilities would be required in Corinth. Samba had been the commander of the military in Bayview prior to the attack, and Devlyn was a weapons and technology engineer.
Samba hadn't come across as a military man until he began to chat with the rangers and gave them his account of the events that had occurred during the overthrow of the city. He stood just shy of six feet, with salt and pepper colored hair and kind eyes. During his explanation, he told the group that his family had been murdered in cold blood, right in front of his eyes. Samba's story brought both Tenaya and Summer to tears at the sheer horror of what this man had gone through during the fall of his city. At one point, Dillon had remarked that a lesser man would have given up, and the comment drew a smile from the older man who had replied that he couldn't give up.
Devlyn seemed to be a stark contrast to the older man. For one, she was nearly a foot shorter than him, with dark brown hair, styled in a pixie-cut that framed her heart-shaped face. She was one of the last people that the trio had been introduced to, and her other 'teammates' described her a 'pixie infused firecracker'. None of them realized what that meant until the following day. A young man had entered 'The Hub' which had been come central command for the city and accosted Devlyn for an unauthorized weapon. Reinforcements had come a few moments after an alert was issued, and they discovered the intruder hiding in the corner, beaten, bloodied and cowering in fear from the short woman who stood in the middle of the room, fixing her hair. It was then that Summer, Dillon and Tenaya learned that her nickname was Dev, although there were many survivors in the area who had affectionately renamed her 'Devil'. Over the course of their four week stay, Summer and Dev struck up a quick friendship, and the blond ranger had requested that instead of sending Dev on a transport back to the city, she continue on with them.
Devlyn had been agreeable to this new arrangement, happy to spend the long drive back to Corinth with her new friends. Taking Devlyn to Corinth had raised questions for the original three. Had they decided this was the end of their travels and they were ready to return home, or would this be just a visit? Summer had pushed for them to return to Corinth to stay, claiming she missed their friends, as well as her family, and certainly missed sleeping in a large comfortable bed. Unbeknownst to Dillon, those reasons had only been partly true, but mostly they were a cover. In reality she had begun to grow increasingly worried about Tenaya. She had begun to notice a change in Tenaya, especially in her eyesight. In the beginning, Tenaya's sharp eyes were perfect for threading needles when it came to mending for the survivors. But after some months, Summer had begun to notice Tenaya having trouble with tasks of that nature, not to mention squinting more and rubbing her forehead and temples. The three had been warned Tenaya's optical implants would cease to work after a point, and it looked like that was what was happening. Tenaya had made Summer swear not to bring it up with Dillon, but it didn't stop Summer from worrying how Tenaya would function if they were still out in the wasteland and she went completely blind. It had taken some convincing, and they had ended up staying longer in Bayview than Summer had originally intended before they began their trek back to Corinth.
"Don't you think we should've called or sent a message to the others that we were coming home?" Summer asked as Dillon drove. They had been on the road for five hours and had another day of traveling ahead of them. Dillon shrugged as he kept his eyes on the road.
"Nothing wrong with surprising them," he replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.
"I'm sure they'll be excited to see us, warning or not." Tenaya murmured from the backseat of Dillon's car. Summer rolled her eyes.
"I don't doubt that," she said, giving Tenaya a smile from her spot in the passenger seat. "Just thought they'd appreciate the warning," she added with a shrug. "Oh well, it was just a thought."
The group lapsed into silence until Summer spoke. "Are you excited Dev?" She questioned. Devlyn tore her gaze away from the window to look over at Summer from her spot next to Tenaya.
"Yeah, I guess," she said with a half smile. "It'll be nice to be in the city," she nodded.
"Have you been before?" The question came from Dillon who never took his eyes off the road.
"No," she replied. "So, I guess there'll be a fair amount of me getting lost the next few weeks," she chuckled. Summer laughed and shook her head.
"It's not too bad, besides, we'll show you around," she smiled.
"Thanks." Dev smiled in response. The group continued to chat idly for a few more hours into the night. Once it became incredibly dark, Dillon drove to one of the towns in their path. It was a tiny little place that Dillon, Summer and Tenaya had come across a few months before arriving at Bayview. There had been a medium sized cadre of survivors who they had helped on their way to Corinth. The town was empty now, meaning there was free space for the group to rest up for the remainder of their trip.
Dillon drove into the center of the town, where a large residential building stood. "I guess we can each get our own space tonight," Dillon commented as he parked the car.
"As long as the beds aren't yoga mats on the ground, I don't care where we sleep." Dev yawned tiredly from the backseat.
"I think this is the place we saw the mattresses," Tenaya commented as the four got out of the car. Summer nodded as she and Dillon moved to the back of the car.
"Yeah. They were worn thin and not too comfy, maybe just a step above the yoga mats, but it's something," she commented. Dillon opened up the drunk to rummage through their luggage.
"Here's some bed sheets, that should make the mattresses a little more comfortable," he commented as he pulled a large duffel bag and dropped it at his feet to find the cooler packed with water, dinner and the following morning's breakfast.
"Fantastic." Tenaya grinned as she reached down and pulled out a handful and tossed some to Dev and Summer. Dillon hefted out the cooler and swung it across one shoulder while he put the near empty duffle on his other shoulder. Tenaya reached over and slammed the truck shut for him before the four walked into the building. Dillon dropped the cooler on a table in the large resident lounge, figuring they could all reconvene for dinner once they had each picked their sleeping quarters for the night. He watched as Tenaya and Dev walked up the creaky stairs to grab two of the empty apartments on the second floor. Before Summer could follow, Dillon gently took hold of her elbow.
"Feel like bunking together tonight?" He quietly asked. Summer looked up at her boyfriend and smirked softly.
"Why, having any particular ideas?" She teased. Dillon snorted and shook his head.
"Given that any once in the blue moon chance we've been able to be alone, we've always gotten interrupted before any ideas could be put into action, I think I'm just going to have to wait 'till we get to the city," he commented. Summer gave him a sympathetic look and gently touched his cheek. She had no doubt the past year had been hard on him, traveling with not only her and their budding relationship, but his newly reunited with sister. It didn't exactly leave a lot of chances for Summer and Dillon to grow closer physically.
Dillon sighed and leaned into her touch. "Just liking the idea of snoozing together," he smiled. Summer returned the smile and nodded.
"That sounds like a nice idea," she replied.
"I thought you might think so," came his response. Summer took a step closer to him and lightly kissed his lips.
"I'll go find us a place to sleep," she commented, "why don't you stay down here and put dinner out?" She suggested. Dillon nodded and ducked down to give her a kiss.
"Alright," he replied.
"Be back soon." Summer promised with a wink before she departed the room. Dillon watched as she climbed up the stairs, his gaze traveling down her back and landing on her backside. He watched the sight for a moment before quietly groaning and forcing himself to turn away and move back into the lounge.
He focused on putting the food and drinks out while waiting for the trio of women to return. It had been a tough year on all of them, but he felt like it had been the worst for him. He had wanted nothing more than to progress his relationship with Summer to the next level, but given the nearly constant interruptions and seemingly ever present problems that needed fixing, it just never progressed farther than the occasional touch. A part of him wondered if sharing a bed tonight was even a wise idea, given all the pent up sexual frustration coursing through his veins. But in the end, Dillon knew he was willing to suffer another night of unfulfilled urges as long as it meant he could just hold her.
His thoughts were interrupted as Dev moved back into the room, pulling a sweater around her shoulders as she yawned loudly. "It's starting to get cold out." She murmured before throwing herself into one of the old couches in the room, tucking her legs under her body.
"Yeah," Dillon commented as he finished putting out their dinners and closed up the cooler to preseve their breakfasts. "It's a good thing Summer thought to pack up those sheets and blankets," he added.
"Mmhmm." Came the response from the shorter woman. "I hate winter."
"Corinth's pretty far south from here," Dillon commented. "So, it should be a little warmer." Dev smiled.
"Well, that's good," she replied. Outside the room, both could hear descending footsteps as one of the missing two girls came down. Just as the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs, they stumbled and a voice exclaimed "Whoa." Dillon frowned and went to check beyond the room, before Tenaya walked into the lounge.
"Hey," she said with a forced smile.
"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. Tenaya shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm alright…just missed a step in the dark," she replied.
"At least you didn't fall." Dev commented, giving her companion a smile. "Stairs suck anyway."
"Yeah," Tenaya chuckled as she moved over to one of the other smaller couches in the room and sat down.
"So what's for dinner?" Came Summer's voice from the doorway as she moved back into the room.
"We've got two packs of chicken…I think one's with mashed potatoes, the others with sweet potato. And the other two look like some type of meat loaf or something….with mashed potatoes vegetables," Dillon replied as he looked at the four packs of food the people in Bayview had put together for them. The selection and portions were incredibly generous. "I don't know if we can heat them up from being in the cooler all day though," he added, glancing around the lounge for something to warm up the food. Dev shrugged as she got up from the couch.
"Eh, cold and edible wins over room temperature and spoiled in my book," she chuckled as she neared the table.
"Agreed." Tenaya grinned as she stood and shuffled towards the table. Summer moved to stand behind Dillon and wrapped her arms around his torso.
"Why don't you and I grab one of each, and share?" She quietly suggested. Dillon smiled and nodded as he gently rubbed the backs of her hands. He picked up one of the meat dishes and the chicken with the sweet potatoes.
"You can have the chicken and mashed potatoes." Tenaya commented as she reached for the meatloaf. "I'm so sick of chicken." She laughed. Dev chuckled and picked up the remaining chicken dish.
"That works for me, I hate vegetables," she commented.
"How can you hate vegetables?" Summer questioned as she settled down on the couch next to Dillon. Dev shrugged.
"Hated them when I was a kid, and I just never grew to like them," she replied as she resumed her spot on the large couch. "I mean, obviously if all there is to eat is veggies, I'll take it in order not to starve," she chuckled, "but if I have a choice…I rather avoid 'em all together."
"Weirdo." Summer teased as she scooped some of the veggies off Dillon's plate. Dev rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the blonde as she opened up the small packet of utensils that had been taped to each of the packs of food. The group fell into a comfortable silence as they ate their food together. The long hours on the road, and not having had eaten since before they left Bayview, made the four devour their meals at a not so leisurely pace. Before long, their plates and bottles were empty as they relaxed back into the old couches.
"Well," Summer commented as she laid her head on Dillon's shoulder. "We should probably head to bed, if we want to get back on the road early tomorrow."
"How long is the drive into Corinth?" Dev questioned as they stood and began to move to the stairs.
"We got in a lot of driving today," Dillon replied as he let the girls go up the stairs ahead of him. "So it should just be another eight hours," he replied.
"Just eight hours?" Dev commented, rolling her eyes. Summer laughed and shrugged.
"Yeah, but after those eight hours we'll be in the city….nice hot showers, comfy beds, warm food," she happily sighed.
"Screw food and showers." Dev commented as she stopped at her room. "The comfortable beds part sounds the best." The other three simply chuckled at that. "Good night," Dev said before disappearing past the doorway to the room.
"Night." They called out in unison before moving further down the hallway to their rooms.
"Sleep well, guys," Tenaya commented as she came to a stop at her room for the night a few moments later.
"You too." Dillon smiled as he hugged his sister tightly. Tenaya smiled and returned the hug for a moment before the two parted. With a small yawn she gave Dillon and Summer one last wave before walking into her room. As soon as the door closed, Dillon smiled and slipped his arm around Summer's waist and pulled her close. Summer giggled softly and leaned into his embrace as she led the way to the room she had picked out for the two of them.
"I'm gonna let you get changed first." He commented as they stopped in front of their room. "Just open the door when you're done okay?" Summer smiled and nodded as they came to the room at the end of the hall.
"Alright," she replied. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving him and walking into the room. Using the time wisely, Dillon moved towards the bathroom and returned a few moments later to find the door partially open. He walked into the room to find Summer sitting on the large mattress on the floor she had covered with some sheets and a blanket earlier. Her shoes and clothes were in a pile in the corner of the room, while she was only dressed in a long black t-shirt that just came to her mid thigh. Dillon quickly recognized it as one of his, figuring she must've swiped it from his luggage at some point. He groaned good naturedly and shook his head.
"You're not going to make tonight easy, are you?" He chuckled.
"Of course not." She grinned as he slowly closed the door behind him. Dillon gave her a mock glare and shook his head again.
"Why am I not surprised?" He replied as he kicked his shoes off.
"I don't see you protesting too much about it." Summer giggled as he unbuckled his jeans and pushed them down.
"Yeah, well just know, payback's a bitch," he grinned as he kicked his pants aside and pulled his shirt off, leaving him in just his boxers.
"Uh huh, likely story." She giggled as a blush crept across her cheeks as he moved towards their makeshift bed. He lowered himself onto his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her exposed thighs. Summer let out a shaky breath as he slowly dragged his fingers across her exposed skin. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt his hands move up past the hem of the t-shirt, his large hands mere inches away from the apex of her thighs. "What are you doing?" She huskily asked, her body responding to the mere idea of his hands moving up a little further.
"Nothing," Dillon innocently replied as his hands moved back down her thighs. Summer groaned, her hands bracing against the mattress as she leaned back on her arms, her head lulling backwards ever so slightly.
"A likely story," she murmured as Dillon's hands moved back up her thighs.
"Can't say you're not enjoying it." He murmured softly, his breath hitting her cheek before he pressed his lips against hers.
"Of course I'm enjoying it," she murmured, her hips unconsciously shifting forward, encouraging him to keep moving his hands upwards. Chuckling slightly, his hands moved upwards and Dillon allowed his thumbs to slip under the elastic band of her panties. Summer moaned as her hips jerked slightly.
"Problem?" Dillon softly teased as his lips moved to her neck.
"You're not the only one who's had a very long year," Summer replied, her hands moving up to rest on his shoulders.
"I know." He replied softly. Summer's hands moved up to the back of his neck and she guided his lips back to hers.
"Why do I have a feeling you planned this?" Dillon asked between kisses. Summer giggled and kissed the side of his mouth.
"You're the one who started to touch me," she teased.
"Uh huh," Dillon replied, not too convinced this was all his doing. Summer ran her fingers through his hair and shifted closer to him.
"Maybe I was hoping," she admitted in a murmur against his lips. "Figured it'd be a good idea to take a room furthest from Dev and Tenaya, just in case," she added.
"Well, that was a good idea." He agreed after a brief pause. His fingers gently caressed her thighs. "But," he said, somewhat hesitantly.
"But?" Summer asked, pulling back slightly to look at him. Dillon sighed and slowly pulled his hands off her thighs. He set them on either side of her on the bed.
"…I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I want to wait," he replied. Summer frowned as her eyebrows shot up.
"Wait? This whole year's been a long wait, for the both of us. We've been there and done that…I would've thought that us being alone would be end of waiting," she stated. Dillon chuckled and leaned closer to kiss her chin.
"Believe me; a part of me is mentally kicking myself right now. But, a bigger part feels like…if we've waited this long….our first time together being in…well, a crap shack, in the middle of nowhere, on an old and worn out mattress….it just doesn't feel right." Summer blinked, taken aback by his statement. She hadn't really thought about it in that aspect.
"Oh." She replied softly. Dillon smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
"When we finally are together like that, I want it to be perfect for you," he softly stated. "Comfortable bed, candles, maybe even some soft cheesy music and rose petals, if I can swing it," he chuckled. Summer giggled and rested her forehead against his.
"That's sweet, but I don't need all that," she murmured. "I'll give you that…okay, comfortable bed, back home, would be nice. But, all that other stuff? I could take it or leave it."
"As long as it's you and me?" He picked up where she had left off.
"Exactly," she smiled, tilting her head to kiss the tip of his nose. "Just you, me, a comfy bed, and a door that locks from the inside," she grinned. Dillon laughed loudly as he rolled onto his side and pulled Summer with him. Summer giggled and shifted close to him as he pulled the covers up. Once both were lying as comfortably as they could, Summer placed her head on his chest and sighed happily. "So," she asked, "this perfect night you want us to have….you planning on doing it in my room, or yours?" She grinned. Dillon was quiet for a moment as he held her close.
"Well...I was thinking maybe we could have an 'our' room, once we get back," he quietly replied.
Slowly, Summer lifted her head to look at him. "Really?" Came her soft question. Dillon gazed down at her and nodded.
"Yeah," he replied. "I mean…only if you want," he carefully asked, worried that that was not something she had in mind.
"I'd like that." She replied as her cheeks tinted pink. "Although, it is still the garage." She added as an afterthought.
"You'd rather we try and find our own place when we get back to Corinth?" He asked. Summer shrugged and laid her head back down.
"Maybe?" She replied. "I mean….I'm not saying we look at real estate listings the second we arrive at Corinth. But, maybe someday soon? I don't know, it's worth thinking about, I guess," she replied.
"If that's something you'd like, we can do that." Dillon smiled as he began to rub her back gently. Summer smiled and snuggled closer to him.
"Maybe we can find a place near the garage, or two places close together. You know, for Tenaya," she commented. She knew Dillon would need to be near his sister. Though they certainly had rebuilt their sibling bond in the past year, she wasn't about to suggest they be parted, even by a mile or two, at a time like this. Not only because of Dillon, but because she knew Tenaya would need her brother close by.
Dillon smiled and gave Summer a tender squeeze. "That would be nice," he replied.
"Hence why I suggested it." She giggled softly. Dillon chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
"Well, I'm just expressing my appreciation for your suggestion," he cheekily replied. "Of course you are." Summer grinned as she poked him. Dillon laughed and kissed her forehead.
"Alright, let's go to sleep," he replied.
"Good idea." Came her soft response as she snuggled closer to him. Dillon pulled the covers up a little higher to come up over their shoulders so they wouldn't get cold during the night. He gave her forehead one more kiss before lying his head back and settling in to sleep.
Dillon awoke long before Summer did the following morning. Knowing that they had to be on the road fairly soon, he slowly extracted himself from her embrace and began to collect his discarded clothes so that he could have a shower before breakfast. After he had finished showering and dressed, he headed back to the main level of the building. Dillon was surprised to see that Dev was standing in front of the window, her back to him as he descended the stairs. "You're up early." He commented as he stepped into the room and pulled the cooler onto the table. Dev gave a shrug before she turned around.
"I guess I'm too excited about getting to Corinth to sleep in," she replied.
"Understandable." Dillon nodded as he opened the cooler and began to take the food out. Dev rubbed her eyes for a moment before reaching for a bottle of water.
"So, what's on the menu?" She asked as she watched Dillon pull out the packets of food.
"Looks like eggs and sausage patties," he replied.
"Yum." She grimaced slightly before taking the package he handed her. Dillon chuckled at her expression.
"Not a fan of eggs either? Or the sausage?" He asked.
"When you spend a year eating the same, tasteless food over and over again, you tend to not be a fan of much." Came the response. "You know what I've wanted to eat since the city fell? Ice cream... I think I could eat a gallon and be completely happy." Dillon smiled and nodded, understanding what she meant. There were quite a few foods he missed while being on the road.
"Well, there's definitely plenty of ice cream in Corinth," he commented.
"Thank god," Dev said, with a wide smile.
"I'm gonna go get Tenaya and Summer." He commented after a moment. "Feel free to start eating... Sooner we're done, the sooner we can get on the road."
"Got'cha," Dev replied as she settled down on one of the couches and opened up the packet of food. Dillon was halfway up the stairs when his sister emerged from her room, her bag slung over her shoulder.
"Morning." She commented with a smile.
"Good morning," he replied, smiling right back at her. "How'd you sleep?" He asked.
"Good, you?" Came the response as she sat down on the top step.
"Pretty good," he replied with a nod. "Breakfast's out downstairs," he commented, jutting his thumb over his shoulder. "Dev's already down there eating."
"Awesome." Tenaya grinned as she stood. "I'm starving." She stepped around her brother and walked down the rest of the stairs.
"I'll be there in a sec, just want to make sure Summer's awake," Dillon commented as he climbed up the rest of the way.
"Uh huh." Came his sister's laugh as she descended the stairs. Dillon rolled his eyes and walked down to the end of the hall to where he had left Summer sleeping. The door was still open as much as it had been when he had left before. "Time to wake up gorgeous." He commented softly as he swung the door open. His eyes widened and his mouth fell agape at the sight he was greeted with. Summer stood beside their bed, wearing nothing but a pair of yellow boy shorts, her back to him. Gasping slightly, her arms flew to cover her naked chest before she turned slightly to look at him.
"Uh... Hi." Summer blushed as her hands gripped tighter around her chest.
"I…..uh….I…" Dillon stammered as he found himself unable to look away. After a few moments, his mental capacities finally regain function and he quickly turned his back to her to give her some privacy. "I'm sorry," he hurriedly said. "I should've knocked….or…something…..I'm sorry," he continued to sputter.
"It's partially my fault too." Summer mumbled as she quickly grabbed her bra and yanked it on before doing the same with her jeans and top. "I should have closed the door."
"Still…I shouldn't have just barged in here," Dillon replied. Summer sighed as she finished buttoning up her jeans.
"You can…um…turn back around," she softly commented, her cheeks still blushing furiously. Ever so slowly, Dillon turned back around so that he was facing Summer.
"I'm sorry," he stated one last time. Summer giggled nervously and shook her head.
"You've said that already," she replied.
"I feel like I need to keep saying it." He murmured, glancing downwards. Summer slowly walked closer to him and took his face in her hands to make him look at her.
"It's okay," she told him. "You don't need to keep apologizing," she assured him.
"Okay." Dillon agreed after a long moment. Summer smiled and lightly kissed his lips. After a moment, they broke away.
"Although, it's going to take a long time to get that image out of my head." Dillon grinned cheekily. Summer's blush intensified as she giggled.
"Well, hey, I guess it's payback for your sleepwear, or lack thereof, last night," she replied, lightly poking his chest. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to just go to sleep with you in nothing but your underwear?" She said with a mock glare.
"Well, I think you'll have to get used to it." He chuckled gently. "That's how I sleep normally." Summer rolled her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh.
"I guess I will have to get used to it, if we're going to be sharing a room back home," she giggled. Grinning, Dillon kissed her softly.
"And what about you Ms. Landsdown? What do you normally sleep in?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. Summer laughed at that.
"I don't know," she coyly replied. "I guess it depends on my mood, or what I'm doing before going to sleep," she added with a cheeky grin. Dillon groaned loudly as he was assaulted with a mental image of what he had been a few minutes before.
"So unfair." He chuckled after a moment. Summer giggled and kissed the top of his nose.
"Oops," she replied.
"Uh huh, I doubt that." He laughed before pulling her into a hug. "Come on gorgeous, we should eat breakfast and head out."
"Alright," Summer smiled. She stepped away from Dillon to quickly finish packing up their things. It didn't take long for Summer to finish putting everything away, and Dillon waited patiently by the door for her. "Ready." She commented, stepping towards him and slipping her hand into his. Dillon smiled and lightly squeezed her hand as he took their bags from her with his free hand and slipped them over his shoulder.
"Look who decided to join us." Dev commented a few moments later as they finally moved into the open space of the lounge. Tenaya bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
"Good morning to you too," Summer chuckled as she and Dillon approached the table to grab the remaining packs of food. The couple sat across from Dev and Tenaya and tucked into their food quickly, knowing that their time was precious and they had to be on their way soon. It didn't take long for Dillon and Summer to devour the packages of food they had taken. "I think we can head out." Dillon commented as he began to clean up the table, noting that there were still six bottles of water in the cooler. "Although water might be a bit of an issue today." He added as an afterthought.
"We could refill the empty bottles from last night," Tenaya suggested.
"I'm not sure if the water here is all that safe to drink," Summer replied.
"It's not." Dev commented. "This city used to be home to a lot of waste-water treatment plants and after it fell, the plants were destroyed, so there was no way to treat the water other than to boil it."
"And since the survivors we found here cooked their food on open flames and charcoal grills, I think its safe to assume the stoves don't work," Dillon commented. "It looks like we're going to have to share and ration out the water we have left for the rest of the way."
"Could be worse." Dev commented as they finished packing their items up. "Humans can survive up to three days without water." Dillon nodded.
"I think if between the four of us, we can make one bottle last at least an hour or hour and a half, we'll be more than fine," he agreed.
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Summer commented.
"It'd be a lot harder if it were just one or two bottles." Tenaya stated as they began to load their items into Dillon's trunk.
"Good point," Summer commented. Dillon glanced down at his watch before looking back at his companions.
"We need to head out." He commented. "If we don't leave now, we're not getting into Corinth before nightfall."
"Alright," Dev nodded as she stepped back to let Dillon slam his trunk shut. Once Dillon had shut the trunk, the four climbed into the car. It didn't take long for the group to fall into silence as they began the last leg of their trip back to Corinth. Dev had tucked her legs under her body and drifted to sleep while Tenaya took to staring out the window. Eventually, both Summer and Tenaya drifted off as well and remained asleep for a good portion of the trip. Dev awoke a few hours after the other two had fallen asleep, her eyes darting around frantically as she had woken herself up from a nightmare. Her eyes caught Dillon's in the rearview mirror.
"You okay?" He questioned as he handed her one of the bottles of water he had taken out when he had stopped for a break.
"Yeah," Dev replied, her voice a little shaky as she reached up and took the bottle from him, "thanks," she added.
"No problem." He nodded before refocusing his eyes on the road. There was silence for a time as Dev sipped the water and calmed herself down. "Nightmares are never fun." Dillon commented softly. "If you want someone to talk to..." Dev snapped her head towards him. Clearly he knew that she had been having a nightmare, but he seemed slightly uncomfortable that offering her his help.
"It's nothing," she quietly insisted as she recapped the bottle.
"If you're sure." Dillon shrugged before turning back to the road. Dev set the bottle down on the space between herself and Tenaya in the backseat before leaning back and staring out her window. It was nearly four hours later that the car began to slow and Dillon reached over and shook Summer's leg softly, before reaching back and tapping his sister's leg lightly. "Guess where we are." He commented as they were stirred from sleep. The car crested a sandy hill before Summer smiled.
"Home." She breathed happily. The sun was just beginning to set on the formerly domed city. Dillon smiled and continued to drive into the city. The checkpoint station into the city replaced the former gate that had separated the city from the wasteland, was slightly farther than Dillon had anticipated. It took them a good thirty minutes to arrive at the station. The guards brought out their scanning equipment and checked the car over before requesting their identification. Wordlessly, the girls handed over the requested items to Dillon, who passed them onto the guard. The guards looked over the items, seeming to balk slightly at Dillon and Summer's credentials.
"Oh…I…I'm sorry Ms. Landsdown…Mr…uh…Mr. Dillon," one of the guards said. "We didn't recognize you."
"It's alright," Summer replied with a smile.
"Welcome home," the guard said, smiling at the group in hopes their mistake of not recognizing two former rangers would be forgotten.
"Thanks," Dillon nodded. "Can we go on through?" He asked.
"Of course," the other guard nodded. "Unfortunately, the military sector is closed already, so Ms. Powell can't report to the general until the morning," he commented. "You're welcome to check in with Dr. K for now though," he added.
"That's fine by me." Dev muttered from the backseat. Summer giggled slightly as the guards handed back their identification.
"Can we still find her at the garage?" Dillon asked as he and the girls pocketed their identification.
"Yes, sir," one of the guards replied.
"Great," Summer replied. "We'll just head over there, then," she smiled.
"Alright then, you folks have a good night," the other guard nodded as the two stepped back and let Dillon drive onward.
"The Garage?" Dev commented as they pulled away and headed towards the centre of the city.
"Yeah, its where we all used to live…well, and work…and hang out," Summer replied with a chuckle.
"What is it?" Came the follow-up question.
"It's a garage," Summer replied matter of factly. "Well, the front is, kind of. And then there's Dr. K's area which would be her lab…so, all in all it's part garage, science lab, and…I don't know, ranger dorm?" Summer chuckled.
"...How original." Dev commented dryly with a roll of her eyes. Tenaya snorted beside her and Summer continued to chuckle as Dillon turned off the main road and down a side street.
"It's a nice place," Dillon shrugged, feeling a need to defend the only home he could remember.
"I'm not saying it isn't." Dev responded with a shrug. "Just stating the obvious that it's highly original to call the garage... Well, you know."
"Well, it fits," Summer chuckled. Rolling her eyes in a good natured manner, Dev fell silent as the car began to slow.
"We're here." Dillon commented as he pulled into a driveway of sorts and a door began to lift up, granting them access. Dillon waited patiently for the door to finish moving. Just as the door disappeared at the top of the garage's entrance, Flynn appeared in blue overalls with the top half hanging off his waist and a black undershirt. He wore a perplexed and cautious look on his face, no doubt having heard the door begin open and come out to investigate. He peered at the car and grinned widely once he realized who it was.
"Oh, no bloody way!" He exclaimed. "Well look what the cat drug in. Guys, get out here!" He called over his shoulder with a laugh as he walked out of the garage and approached Summer's side of the car. Dillon had barely put the car into park before Flynn pulled the passenger door open and pulled Summer from the car, gripping her in a tight hug. Summer laughed happily as she wrapped her arms around Flynn's shoulders.
"It's great to see you too, Flynn," she laughed as she hugged him.
"We missed you!" He commented as he released her a moment later.
"Summer!" Gemma exclaimed as she excitedly ran out of the garage, with Scott and Gem meandering behind her.
"Gemma!" Summer laughed as the former silver ranger engulfed her in a tight hug.
"Well, gee, no one rush to hug me," Dillon joked as he, Tenaya and Dev climbed out of the car.
"Hey man!" Flynn grinned as he rounded the other side of the car and clasped hands with Dillon. He then moved to Tenaya and wrapped her in a hug as well. Gem moved over to Summer and Gemma to hug the former yellow ranger the moment Gemma was done.
"We didn't know you guys…" Gem spoke as he hugged Summer.
"…were coming back!" Gemma concluded with an ecstatic giggle. Dillon chuckled and shook his head.
"Well, it's nice to see some things haven't changed," he commented.
"Oh, you think that's bad?" Scott commented as he approached Dillon. "You should hear it when the three of them finish a sentence," he laughed as he gestured to Gem, Gemma and Flynn.
"Oh, one blessed time!" Flynn groaned, rolling his eyes. "Are you ever going to let that go?"
"Doubt it." Scott laughed as he greeted Dillon and Tenaya.
"Where's Dr. K and Ziggy?" Dillon asked.
"K's in the back working on…something," Flynn commented with a shrug. "Ziggy went out to get some groceries, he should be back soon."
"You still let him get groceries?" Summer questioned, skepticism filling her tone. "After what happened when we were rangers?"
"Don't worry, all grocery trips have gone on without incident since then," Scott laughed.
"Thank god." Dillon chuckled as Gem and Gemma round his car to embrace him and Tenaya. Behind them, Devlyn cleared her throat to remind them all that she was still there. Summer looked over at their new friend and winced apologetically.
"Oh, god, I'm so sorry," she apologized as she rounded the back of the car to stand beside her. "Guys, this is Devlyn," she smiled. "Devlyn, this is Gem, Gemma, Flynn and Scott," she said, gesturing as she introduced everyone.
"Hi." Dev smiled as she waved slightly.
"Hi!" Gemma smiled as she and Gem moved closer to her. "It's so nice to meet you. Any friend of Summer, Dillon and Tenaya's..."
"Is a friend of ours!" Gem continued with a bright smile on his face to match his sister's.
"Great to hear." Dev responded, raising her eyebrows slightly at the twins' response. Summer giggled at Dev's expression.
"Yeah, that takes some getting used to," she commented.
"Oh my god…" A new shocked voice breathed out from the garage's entrance. The group turned around just in time to see Ziggy drop a large paper grocery bag on the floor, a surprised look on his face. The look quickly vanished as he grinned and took an excited running leap towards the newly returned friends.
"Whoa!" Dillon exclaimed as Ziggy practically pounced on him, the former green ranger tightly hugging him. "It's great to see you too…Ziggy," he laughed.
"When did you get back?" The former green ranger exclaimed happily as he disentangled himself from Dillon and embraced Tenaya just as fiercely.
"Just now," Tenaya chuckled as she hugged him back.
"Ziggy, have you been getting into the double sugar doughnuts lately?" Summer teased, giggling at his excited state.
"What?" Came the response as he moved to hug Summer as well. "Of course not!" Summer simply continued to giggle as she hugged him back.
"What in the world is going on out here?" Came the familiar voice of Dr. K as she stomped out to see what all the racket was about. Dillon, Tenaya and Summer were a little surprised at the sight of her. For the most part, she looked exactly the same as when they had left—same clothes, same stern expression-but her hair had changed somewhat drastically. Where she once had had her self-styled slightly uneven bowl cut, she now had a longer style, her hair reaching where her neck curved into her shoulder. The bangs on her face also looked softer than before.
Dr. K paused, a flash of surprise momentarily crossing her face before she composed herself in her usual taciturn manner. "Dillon, Summer, Tenaya…..how nice to see you," she succinctly replied.
"Hey Doc." Dillon nodded, giving her a smile, while Tenaya gave a small wave in response.
"How long are you visiting for?" She asked.
"Um, it's not a visit," Summer replied with a smile. "We're here to stay."
"You are?" Ziggy asked. "That's great!" He grinned. Flynn, Scott, and the twins expressed their agreement to Ziggy's statement while the only reaction Dr. K displayed as a small, barely there, half smile.
"Well then, welcome home," she replied.
"Thanks." Summer grinned. "Oh," she added, remembering what the guard had said about Dev checking in with Dr. K. "This is our friend, Devlyn Powell," she said. Dr. K peered at Dev and nodded.
"Ah, yes, Ms. Powell. The general was expecting you tomorrow afternoon. If you'd like, I can check you in now and put you into the system. That way tomorrow, you'll just have to be given a tour of the base and shown your quarters."
"Uh sure." Dev nodded after a moment. "That'd be great."
"Very well then, you can come with me," she commented as she turned on her heel to lead Dev towards the lab. Dev went to follow before furrowing her brow.
"Wait, so I can't get into my 'quarters' tonight?" She asked. "So…where am I supposed to sleep until then?"
"Well, the garage does have a couch that should be acceptable to sleep on for the time being." Dr. K responded disinterestedly. Ziggy snorted as he stepped forward to stand beside Dr. K.
"That's not very welcoming," he playfully chided as he threw an arm across her shoulders. Dr. K's cheeks tinted red. Ziggy shrugged as he looked over at the others. "You can use my room for the night. I don't use it too often these days other than to keep my stuff there."
"Ziggy!" Dr. K hissed, reproaching him as her cheeks grew redder and she gave him a swift elbow to the gut.
"That's an interesting development." Summer commented, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
"I'll be in my lab," Dr. K grumbled as she shook Ziggy's arm off her shoulder and stalked out of the room. Blinking slightly, Dev cast a glance at Ziggy.
"Uh, thanks." She mumbled slightly before moving to follow in the direction that Dr. K had gone. Ziggy nodded as Dev moved past the kitchenette area and entered Dr. K's lab. He blinked as he rubbed the sore spot on his stomach, where Dr. K had hit him. After a moment he seemed to finally realize something.
"Oh…." He muttered, wincing slightly. "So I guess I'll be using that couch tonight," he murmured, thinking out loud, realizing he might've said too much and upset his girlfriend.
"You think?" Scott laughed as he rolled his eyes.
"So, you and Dr. K, huh?" Dillon asked with a good natured smirk on his face. Ziggy chuckled and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.
"Uh, yeah. For…kind of a while," he admitted.
"Six months!" Flynn chimed in. "Which is five months longer than we thought they'd last!"
"Hey!" Ziggy protested.
"Speak for yourself," Scott commented to Flynn.
"Thanks, Scott, its nice to see who my friends are here," Ziggy interjected. Scott chuckled and shook his head.
"Some of us here didn't think it'd make it past two weeks," he snickered.
"Jerk." Ziggy muttered darkly as he glared at his friends.
"Aw, guys, lay off," Summer chastised as she moved over to stand beside Ziggy. She threw her arm around his shoulder and smiled. "Personally, I think it's great. I always had a feeling you two would have something really special." Ziggy's expression bighted as he smiled.
"Aw, shucks. Thanks Summer," he replied.
"Anyway, come inside!" Flynn commented as he ushered the trio further into the garage. "Stay awhile, have some food!" Summer, Tenaya and Dillon chuckled as the group made their way to the kitchenette.
"So what was it like?" Scott questioned as the trio sat down and the group began to pull out an assortment of food to choose from. "In the wasteland I mean."
"It was a little hard," Tenaya replied. "But nice too….I mean, it felt good being able to help some people," she added, letting the unsaid implication about how it seemed to absolve her not too distant past, hang in the air.
Dillon reached over and rubbed his sister's back. "Yeah," he agreed, "it was a little hard going place to place, and most of the time not having a comfortable place to sleep, but it was worth it."
"What were the cities like?" Ziggy asked. "Was... The destruction bad?"
"A lot of the cities were," Summer nodded. "I mean there were some cities that were so bad off, it was hard to believe anyone could've survived for as long as the people there had. But there were also some cities that weren't so bad." She shrugged slightly. "Bayview, where we met Dev, could probably get back on its feet within a year or two. Other cities….I don't even know if they can be salvaged," she stated sadly.
"Who is she anyway?" Flynn questioned as he dropped into a seat across from his friends.
"She's a weapons and tech engineer," Tenaya replied. "She'd been doing a lot of work at Bayview and was offered a spot here in Corinth." Ziggy frowned at that.
"But…K's the weapons and tech person," he commented, worried that this was someone's way of shoving Dr. K out of her position. Summer shrugged.
"I guess the general and everyone felt that it couldn't hurt to have a more fleshed out staff?" She replied. Everyone's gaze shifted to Scott at that, wondering if he knew anything.
"Hey, don't look at me. My dad and I don't talk about work stuff these days," he said.
"You don't?" Dillon asked. Scott shrugged again.
"It was…suggested that perhaps it'd be best we focus on our relationship as a family, and not focus on all that stuff."
"Huh?" Summer asked, that entire sentence making absolutely no sense.
"Family therapy," Flynn muttered around a fake cough.
"Oh." She murmured, casting a glance at her best friend. Scott rolled his eyes.
"Thanks Flynn, it's so nice to see Ziggy's penchant for over sharing has rubbed off on you. Anyway," he continued with a dismissive wave of his hand, "its not like we're problems…just…trying to get past some things," he vaguely stated.
"Sounds like... Fun." Dillon muttered as he reached for some food. "Anyway, I doubt we'll even see much of Dev." He continued with a shrug.
"What makes you say that?" Summer questioned, slightly upset by his remark that they wouldn't see as much of Dev anymore. Dillon shrugged again.
"I don't know…just mean that she'd probably be busy with work," he replied.
"I still don't get why we need another weapons and tech expert." Ziggy muttered, restating the earlier point.
"Maybe they wanted to give Dr. K some help?" Gemma commented optimistically. "Give her less to worry about?"
"It's not such a bad idea." Summer commented, feeling like her friend was being attacked for having a similar job to Dr. K. "And who knows, maybe she'll end up working on different tasks than K has."
"Hope so," Ziggy murmured. "Because if they were looking to replace K with her…well, having K check her in and put her in the system is just….mean." The group nodded in understanding before lapsing into silence. After a moment, Flynn glanced at his friends.
"You know what's creepy? How much she looks like Dr. K as well..."
"How is that creepy?" Ziggy exclaimed after a moment. "Are you suggesting that K is creepy looking?"
"Whoa, whoa, settle down Zig," Flynn said, his hands up in a sign of peace. "I didn't mean it like that," he assured him.
"What do you mean?" Tenaya questioned. "They really don't look alike at all."
"She's right," Gem nodded. "I really don't see the resemblance."
"I don't know, I kind of agree with Flynn," Gemma casually replied. The moment the words left her mouth, everyone's eyes quickly shifted to her, as multiple shocked gazes regarded her. "What?" She frowned. After a moment, Summer chuckled.
"It's nothing…I don't think I've ever heard you disagree with Gem before," she commented.
"It happens occasionally." Gem replied with a shrug.
"Why don't we change the subject?" Dillon suggested, noticing that Ziggy seemed to still be on edge and upset over the assumption that someone would speak ill of Dr. K.
"What's been happening in the city?" Tenaya questioned, picking up on her brother's hint.
"Quite a bit," Flynn commented. "Scott's dad and the other big wigs around are working on restructuring the city. I heard they're even thinking of reopening the University downtown."
"Really?" Summer questioned. "That's actually great to hear."
"It's thanks to you guys, actually," Scott interjected.
"Us?" Tenaya asked, confused.
"Aye," Flynn nodded, "one of the groups of survivors you guys directed here had this real academic type, who had been a pretty accredited college professor before all this happened. He said that if everyone's trying to rebuild, then one of the most important things we need is a University."
"Wow," Summer commented.
"It'll be really good for the city." Scott agreed. "They'll be updating the buildings and allowing people to upgrade their degrees and diplomas for free."
"That's amazing," Summer smiled.
"We're thinking of teaching, once it opens," Gem and Gemma excitedly shared in unison.
"Really?" Dillon asked, glancing at the others. "Is that even safe?" He muttered, causing the others to laugh.
"I think if they stick to chemistry….with a subsect of things that are supposed to explode, and each and every student signs a waiver, it should be okay," Scott laughed.
"I really hope the University has good insurance." Flynn teased good naturally. "I'm even thinking of going back too."
"Really?" Summer asked. "To teach, or as a student?" She asked. Flynn shrugged.
"I'm not sure yet, maybe both," he replied. "I could split my time teaching mechanics to people who want to learn a trade, and work on getting a degree in engineering or something," he elaborated.
"That sounds really great, Flynn," Summer smiled.
"Thanks Sum." He murmured, blushing slightly at the praise. "Anyway it probably won't be for a while."
"But it's nice to think about," Gemma smiled, lightly patting his hand. The group continued to chat idly for another hour before the newly arrived trio began to show signs of exhaustion.
"Maybe we should let you guys get some sleep." Scott commented, as the door to Dr. K's lab swished open and Dev shuffled back into the room.
"Hey," Summer smiled, glad to see Dev returning. "How'd it go?" She asked. Dev shrugged as she came to a stop at the counter where everyone sat.
"Alright, I guess. Dr. K had to 'put me in the system', which really meant putting every form of security identification into the computer. I'm still seeing spots from the retinal scan," she said, blinking a few times.
"I remember that." Dillon chuckled, remembering that it had occurred around the same time as his incident with the fridge cannon that Dr. K had created. "It goes away eventually."
"Here's hoping," Dev snorted. She sighed and yawned slightly. "Well, I'm beat," she announced.
"Me too." Summer nodded, and the statement was echoed by Tenaya groaned from where her head was resting against the counter.
"Hey," Gemma asked, a thought occurring to her, "where's Tenaya going to sleep?" She asked. Tenaya blinked and slowly lifted her head at hearing her name. Summer and Dillon looked over at Tenaya before sharing a look for a moment.
"Uh…she'll take my room," Summer replied. Tenaya's brows furrowed at that.
"I will?" She asked. "But then where will you sle…." She paused at the look she saw her brother and Summer giving her. "Oh," she said, nodding. "Right, um, yeah that's fine," she said. Scott, Flynn, Ziggy and the twins turned their gaze to the former black and yellow rangers. Both Flynn and Ziggy quirked an eyebrow at the couple.
"Oh really?" Flynn smirked.
"That's an interesting development," Ziggy teased, using Summer's earlier words.
"Hush." Summer blushed furiously, eliciting a chuckle from the group, sans Dev who stood there and shrugged.
"You guys act like people don't have sex." She stated. There was a quiet in the group before Summer chuckled nervously.
"It's not…I mean it just makes sense….We need to free up a room…..so…" Summer stammered, her cheeks growing pink.
"Uh huh, sure." Dev nodded, not believing a word of it. Summer quickly stood up from the stool she had been occupying, as her cheeks became even more flushed.
"Uh, come on Tenaya, why don't I show you to the room?" she said, needing to make a rather hasty retreat from the conversation.
"And you." Summer continued looking at Dev. "Come on, I'll show you Ziggy's room now." Reaching, Summer grabbed Dev's arm and pulled the shorter woman alongside her, as Tenaya moved to catch up. The others watched as the three left and climbed up the stairs to the second level of the garage.
"Well, that was awkward," Scott commented.
"Tell me about it," Dillon muttered as he got up. "I'm going to unload some of the stuff from the car," he commented while moving back to his car.
Upstairs, Summer was quiet as she led Dev and Tenaya to Ziggy's room. She had been tempted to drop Tenaya off first so she could have time to give Dev a piece of her mind, but as much as she wanted to berate her new friend, Summer also needed to talk to Tenaya.
"Here we are," she commented as she stopped outside Ziggy's room.
"Me?" Dev commented, figuring that Summer would have dropped the younger girl off first.
"Yup," Summer replied, nudging Dev towards the door. "We'll talk tomorrow," she commented in a tone that all but screamed 'oh, you better believe we'll be talking tomorrow, missy'.
"Cant' wait." The shorter woman replied with a cheeky grin. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Good night," she said before turning on her heel and leading Tenaya away.
"Oh…Good night Dev," Tenaya quickly said as she was pulled along by Summer. Dev chuckled and gave the two girls a parting wave.
"Night," she replied before stepping into Ziggy's room.
Down the hall, Summer brought Tenaya to her old room and ushered her through the door. The younger girl walked in, surprised to be quickly followed in by Summer.
"Are you alright?" She asked as Summer shut the door behind her. Summer looked at her and sighed.
"I should be asking you that," she replied. Tenaya shrugged.
"I'm not the one who was just the subject of an awkward moment downstairs," Tenaya pointed her head. Summer chuckled and shook her head, waving her hand dismissively.
"Not that," she replied. "I mean…you know….your situation," she said. Tenaya frowned as she got an idea what Summer was getting at.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she stubbornly insisted. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Tenaya," she sighed. "You can't keep being like that. You need to talk to Dr. K…..and you definitely need to talk to Dillon," she pressed on.
"No." Tenaya replied stubbornly. "I cannot tell Dillon." She commented.
"Why not?" Summer asked, somewhat exasperatedly. "I mean, I get why you didn't want to tell him before, when this first started happening. You didn't want him to think we needed to come back here right away, but we're home now. And we're here to stay. He needs to know."
"I said no," Tenaya firmly stated.
"Tenaya…" Summer commented, taking a step towards her. "You can't do this to him," she gently insisted. "If…and when…your eyesight goes completely, do you have any idea how hurt he'll be that you didn't tell him sooner? He's your brother."
"Yes, he is." Tenaya commented with a loud sigh. "He's also your boyfriend, and a former ranger... Do you think that I want to go back to having to rely on him to get me around? Do you think I want him to give up his life to be my caretaker?" Summer stared at her for a moment as she took in her words. She looked away as she seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. She finally brought her gaze back to Tenaya and gave her a small tentative smile.
"But it's different now," she told her. "You don't just have Dillon now, you have all of us. We're all here for you. So, even if you do need to rely on others…Dillon wouldn't be giving up his life." Tenaya rolled her eyes and snorted.
"Oh, great, so I'll just be some joint charity case between all of you?" She asked.
"No!" Summer quickly exclaimed. She sighed; sending a silent prayer no one downstairs had heard her. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "It's not charity. It's caring about you. You saw how everyone was so happy to see you, how everyone rushed to hug you jus like they did with Dillon and me….You're important to everyone, we want to be here for you. You just need to let us."
"I know I'm important to everyone... That's why I'm choosing to forget about this conversation." Tenaya replied before moving deeper into Summer's old room. "Goodnight Summer." She stated, her tone final. Summer gazed at her friend sadly before looking down.
"Alright, Tenaya," she quietly said, deciding it was best to drop it for now. They were all tired as it was, and that probably wasn't helping matters in this conversation. She took a deep breath to compose herself and looked up. "There are some extra sheets and blankets in the closet, in case you get cold or something" she casually said, gesturing th the large armoire against the wall. "Top shelf," she added. "Have a good night," she said as she turned to the door. Once the door was firmly closed behind her, Summer moved down the hallway towards Dillon's room before moving inside and shutting the door softly behind her. She found Dillon sitting on his bed, waiting for her.
"Hey," he said, looking at her with a smile on his face. Summer returned the smile half heartedly and approached the bed.
"Hey," she replied. Dillon reached over and placed a hand on her waist once she was close enough.
"What's wrong?" He asked, detecting the troubled look on her face. Summer made herself widen her smile and shook her head.
"Nothing, just tired I guess," she assured him.
"Understandable." Came his response as he guided her to sit next to him. Summer followed his lead and leaned against his shoulder once she was seated. Dillon wrapped both arms around her and kissed her forehead.
"I had planned on bringing all our things up," he stated, "but just managed to get the stuff out of the truck before coming up here and going to bed seemed much more appealing," he chuckled.
"Bed sounds like a good idea." Summer giggled as she snuggled against him. Dillon grinned and rubbed her back.
"I think I have a few t-shirts left in my dresser," he commented. "Do you want to borrow one for until you move your things in here?" He asked. "I mean, since I know you're not opposed to sleeping in my clothing," he teased. Summer blushed and poked him slightly in the stomach.
"Fine." She giggled in response. Dillon chuckled and kissed her forehead again before getting up to grab a t-shirt for her. He brought it back over to the bed and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She smiled as she took it from his hands.
"I'll let you get changed," Dillon commented as he went to leave the room. Summer reached up and gently took his hand to stop him.
"You know, if we're going to be sharing a room…you don't have to leave the room every time I'm getting changed," she pointed out. Dillon smiled.
"True…" He replied. "But, I have a feeling if I stay here while you're changing tonight….I might be tempted to forget that I'm tired."
"Well, I was thinking you could just turn around." She giggled softly. Dillon laughed and nodded.
"Alright," he replied, "but, I'm not sure if I can honestly say I won't be tempted to peek," he teased. Summer giggled and shook her head.
"I think I can trust you to behave yourself," she commented as she stood up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick gentle peck on the lips.
"You seem to have more faith in me than I do." Dillon chuckled as he nuzzled his nose against hers softly. Summer smiled brightly at him and gently brushed the back of his neck with her fingers.
"I've always had faith in you, and always will," she softly stated. The corners of Dillon's mouth pulled up slightly in a genuine smile. Slowly, he let his arms drop as he stepped backwards to let her get changed. Summer smiled as he turned around and turned her back to him as well for added modesty as she worked on kicking her shoes off. Once that was done, she pulled her shirt off and reached back to undo the hooks of her bra. Once she had pulled it off her shoulders, she tossed it on top of her discarded shirt. As she picked up the shirt Dillon had given her, she heard the ruffling of clothing behind her. After a moment she realized Dillon must've figured he might as well get ready for bed himself as he waited for her to finish changing.
Summer swiftly pulled the long t-shirt on and pulled it down before she worked on unbuttoning her pants. Just as she pushed her jeans off her hips, Dillon turned around and tossed his clothes next to her growing pile.
"Nice shirt." He grinned cheekily. Summer glanced at him over her shoulder and giggled.
"You think so?" She coyly asked as she kicked her pants over to the rest of her clothes. "Some guy let me borrow it," she grinned.
"That guy must like you a lot to give you his favorite shirt." He smiled. Summer's smile widened as she turned around and took a step closer to him.
"His favorite shirt, huh?" She asked, her tone still coy.
"Mmmhmm." Dillon nodded as he slipped his arms around her.
"Well, then I guess I better take very good care of it," she commented as her arms went back around his neck.
"I'd appreciate it." Came his response as he lowered his lips to her softly. Summer lifted herself onto the tips of her toes to meet him half way and pressed her lips against his. Ever so slowly Dillon pulled away after a moment, and began to rub her back tenderly.
"Come on, let's go to bed."
"Sounds like a good idea," Summer murmured, a smile on her face as she lowered herself back down on the balls of her feet. Dillon pressed a quick peck on her forehead before the two disentangled from one another and made their way towards the bed. Before she could climb in, Dillon reached over and pulled the comforter and sheets back to let Summer climb in. "Thanks," she demurely smiled before getting into bed.
"You're welcome gorgeous." He grinned as he lifted the covers up for her. Once they were settled, he moved over to the other side of the bed and climbed in next to her. Summer smiled and shifted closer to him once he was settled under the covers. Relaxing, Dillon opened his arms and allowed Summer to snuggle up against his bare chest, her arms slipping around his mid-section as he draped one arm down her back, and tucked the other arm behind his head. Summer sighed contently as she laid her head over his heart. "Happy to be back here?" He curiously asked as he tenderly rubbed her back.
"Yeah," Summer replied. "It was great seeing everyone after all this time, not to mention being back on comfy beds," she chuckled.
"Just think, tomorrow... Insanely hot showers." Came his response.
"Mmm," Summer softly moaned, very much liking that. "Definitely can't wait for that. I might just have to sequester myself in the shower for like two hours or something," she chuckled.
"Only two hours?" Dillon chuckled as he tickled her sides gently. "Save some water for the rest of us." Summer giggled and squirmed slightly against him as he tickled her.
"Oh well, I guess everyone else will have to get to the showers before I do," she replied. "Or share." She added saucily as an afterthought. Dillon nervously cleared his throat as he got a certain mental picture from that.
"You just had to say that now, when we're about to go to sleep, huh?" He jokingly groaned. Summer giggled slightly as she patted his chest lightly.
"It'll be okay." Dillon rolled his eyes and chuckled. The couple lapsed into silence, and it only took a few minutes for Summer to drift off to sleep. Dillon heard her breathing even out as she drifted off into a deep sleep and smiled. He ducked his head and gently kissed the top of her head before lying back and letting sleep claim him as well.