"Heiress"

Protector

Disclaimer: do not own :P except OCs, which are pretty obvious who they are

Pairing: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

Note:

Special Thanks to: queenc1, EmmaLOUIS, Dancer06, MickeyMouseR5AA, Alexandra, PinkPuppyPatrol (: Thanks for reviewing – You're awesome! ;)

Chapter Summary: Austin thought he was having another normal day… Until he met her

+++Last Time:

A sharp gasp escaped her throat as she felt the shaft of an arrow pierce her flesh.

Helpless, Ally swayed back and forth on her feet before losing her balance and falling over the balcony rail…

'Please, don't let my soul shatter… Let me find my destiny first…'

+++Present Time:

Human Realm

Austin walked into his parents' mattress store, his backpack slung over a shoulder. School had just ended and he had nothing better to do than to keep his word (to Cassidy only) and show up for 'work'. As it stood, at least he liked spending time with his family and they were always happy to see him.

"Austin," Mimi greeted, smiling widely at her only child. "What are you doing here? No plans with Dez and Trish?"

He rolled his eyes playfully, placing his backpack behind the main counter where only employees could access. "What? I'm not allowed to see my parents when I want?" he teasingly asked.

"Nope," Mike answered, walking up from behind his son. He clapped him on the shoulder, continuing to the register to check-out a customer.

Mimi chuckled as Austin's face twisted in mock-offense. "Well, since you're here, why don't you get started on your homework in the back room, and we'll call you if we need anything?" she suggested.

"Cool," he replied, smiling again while reaching for his bag. "Tell dad I love him, too, by the way."

"Love you, too, son!" Mike called, and Mimi burst out laughing.

Austin rolled his eyes playfully but continued to the back that was exclusively meant for him and his parents. It was also the only room in the entire store where they could be themselves without having to worry about a human spotting them.

Locking the door behind him, he placed his stuff onto the wooden desk and took a seat in the large desk chair that squeaked with age. He smiled. He remembered coming in here multiple times over the years and sitting right where he was.

He loved how things never really changed, especially when it came to his parents. They were always supportive and loving – What child could ask for more? He had it all; amazing parents, great friends, got good grades, and his life was peaceful.

However, he thought, placing a hand over his heart, I feel… empty and I don't know why. What does it mean? Why do I feel content but unhappy?

What… am I waiting for?

Sighing, the blonde knew he wouldn't be receiving answers to his questions, not any time soon. So, with another sigh, he began taking out his books to start on his homework.

His pencil froze over a piece of paper, the lead tip just a hair's width away from making contact with the sheet.

When did being content become not enough?

+++Human Realm:

With Ally

Heavy breaths… Twigs snapping underfoot… Panic-widened eyes shot left and right… Head becoming dizzy with confusion and blood loss… How long has she been running? Too long.

Ally stopped behind a bush just tall enough to hide her petite frame. Air was sucked and expelled too quickly; her lungs burned with the abuse. Hand coming up, she clenched the fabric of her torn and blood soaked blouse above her chest, wincing when she unconsciously moved her injury.

She knew she had to find somewhere to hide, but where? Where in this unknown realm could she find somewhere safe and lay low?

Easy – She couldn't. Not without the risk of trusting the enemy, whomever that may be. At this point in time, she didn't know who was friend or foe.

Hearing thundering footsteps, Ally sprinted off again to stay ahead. That was the name of the game – a little cat and mouse, if you will. But she refused to stay the mouse. All she had to do was find some paper and she could defend herself.

Entering what looked to be a shopping mall, she thanked everything holy that it appeared to be past closing time. It would be awkward to be running around with blood dripping from a wound no human would have been able to survive from, not to mention hard to explain if asked or stopped.

Her senses tingled when she noticed a distinct supernatural aura hanging in the air. No human could have left that, which meant…

But, is it a friend or foe? Chocolate eyes dulled as Ally slowly came to a stop, her face tilting upward until moonlight washed her pretty features in its glow.

Friend.

+++Moon Mattress Kingdom:

With Austin

Austin released a sigh of happiness as he finally completed the last of his homework. Sitting back, he stretched his tired muscles and was satisfied when joints popped and cracked. Oh yeah, nothing beat that kind of stress reliever.

Checking the time on the wall clock, he raised a brow when he noticed it was a little after closing time. Thankfully, his parents had made a copy of the store's keys for him to lock up. They probably didn't want to disturb him, knowing this would be his last year of high school before going off to college.

As it were, they had locked him inside and were probably waiting for him at home. It wasn't the first time he'd studied in the office, and it wasn't going to be the last.

Packing up his books hurriedly, Austin froze. His senses were tingling with the approach of multiple supernatural beings, but… something was off.

Crash

Smash

Thump

"What the hell?" he muttered, hastily grabbing a golf club his dad hardly used anymore. Opening the office door, Austin cautiously leaned out to scan what he could see of the store. It wasn't much but it showed that he was alone. For now, at least.

Eyes narrowing, he quietly closed the door behind him and started walking around to see what the commotion was. You don't just sense supernatural beings and expect new friends – Their world didn't work like that, like in the human world; there was good and bad.

Besides, he doubted these guys had stumbled upon his parents' store by accident. A supernatural being could recognize another, no matter how different their species. They must have sensed how their auras had seeped within the foundation over time.

Finally making it into the main showroom, the blonde weapons expert trained his eyes on the shattered glass of the front window. He winced. His mother would not be pleased.

"Hey, anyone here?" he called out, concentrating on the mixed auras he could still sense in the area.

Not getting a response, he continued walking until he stood close enough to the broken window to get a better look. By the glass patterns and blood drops he could see, thanks to the mall's street lamps, someone had been thrown through, into the store.

But, where are they now? He wondered. They couldn't have gone very far – injuries like glass cuts were numerous and tended to bleed a lot.

What the hell is going on here?

+++Moon Mattress Kingdom:

With Ally

Struggling against the body crushing hers into the mattress, the last thing Ally could do was shout for help. Her attackers had snuck up on her, a mistake she was paying for dearly, from the moment they tossed her through that window.

She hadn't had much time to roll off the soft mattress before they were nearly on her again. Thankfully, she was petite, so it had been easy to avoid their grasping hands… Until they backed her into a section of the store that made things even harder to maneuver in.

Ally had had no choice but to start mattress hopping to get away, but they caught her after she tripped over a pillow she hadn't noticed. Now, she was getting the life squeezed out of her and she couldn't do anything about it.

Hands desperately reaching for anything that could be used as a weapon, her slim fingers came in contact with something that felt like paper. Elated, she used the last of her strength to tear it off the mattress.

The next three seconds were heart-stopping.

The silky tag stiffened between her middle and pointer finger.

With a flick of her wrist, she sliced at her attacker's face.

His hands released her abused wind pipe with a loud curse, and she was able to breathe again.

An unknown guy's voice shouted, "Hey! Get off of her!"

And, the only thing Ally could think was: Why do I feel as though I've heard his voice before?

+++Moon Mattress Kingdom:

Austin (and Ally)

From the moment he'd shouted for the unknown assailant to get off the helpless girl he was strangling, Austin felt a boiling rage bubbling within him. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before – He had always been cool-headed and chill; where was this rage coming from?

He would have to wait for answers, for after his exclamation, everything was moving too fast for his brain to catch up properly. All he knew was that his body moved instinctively and that his senses were on high alert.

Fluidly, he glided the best he could; he dodged, he kicked, and he swung. Of course, he wasn't completely unscathed, but he couldn't feel the blows they landed on him – he was just pure adrenaline and motion. Thankfully, there were only two opponents and he could handle them as long as they stayed away from that girl.

That's what it all boiled down to, didn't it? Something about that specific girl called to him in a way he wasn't familiar with… yet, he couldn't develop any fear of this revelation. No, he felt…

Alive. Like he was finally breathing; finally living.

Austin pushed his current opponent to the side forcefully, and made a mad dash to the girl still trying to regain her breath and move out of the way of their fight. Not stopping to think about it, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rolled until they landed on the ground – Him cushioning her fall, of course.

Ally landed with a light thump against her savior. Unfortunately, this meant her wound from earlier had been jarred and she sucked in a sharp breath of pain.

"What's wrong? Did they hurt you more than I thought?" the blonde teen frantically asked.

"M-My side," she hoarsely answered, gritting her teeth, "Arrow w-wound." Her hand instinctively reached down to staunch the new blood flow she could feel seeping even more through her clothes.

Releasing a soft curse, he didn't have time to assess the wound before he had to roll away as their attackers descended on their prone figures, each wielding a dagger.

Austin quickly climbed to his feet, his free hand making sure the unknown girl stayed securely behind him. In his other hand, he raised the golf club like he would a sword in defense; his gaze focused and determined to get them out of this dangerous situation. It was one thing to break into the store, but to attack a young girl – It was unthinkable and unjust.

"What do you guys want with her?" he demanded to know in a fierce voice. He had to finish this quickly and take care of her wounds. Already he could sense her weakening energy.

The one who had been strangling her, sneered, "Just hand her over and we won't kill you. You shouldn't have even interfered."

"Well, that's just too bad," Austin retorted, "I did interfere, and that doesn't answer my question – What do you want with her?"

The second one took a threatening step forward, and Austin backed up to press his charge closer to the wall. "Just mind your own business, you punk. This is between us and her – Get out of here before we seriously hurt you."

Now that he could clearly see the two, the blonde weapons expert took careful note of their attire. Black on black; black t-shirts, black pants that looked like they were made out of some of kind gauzy material, black boots, and black coats with hoods that covered their faces – definitely bad news.

If I could just get a hand on one of their weapons, Austin thought.

"Not gonna happen," he shot back, snarling, "She became my business the moment you crashed into this store. I'm going to protect her!"

From behind, Ally silently gasped in astonishment. Her heart was wildly thumping in her chest, and she couldn't explain why, except she knew what he said was true. This stranger was going to be her champion despite only just meeting her. He was going to defend her against these men, and fight tooth and nail to make sure they didn't lay another hand on her.

This boy, who couldn't be older than her seventeen years, was going to be her…

Protector.

+++Until Next Time+++

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