Black orchid scented candles were lit in the darkened room after Bayley and the others insisted on looking for the source of the blackout… leaving Finn and Amanda alone.
'Of course… it just had to be the kind of scent that draws me close to her.' Finn thought, remembering how he didn't want to stop touching Amanda every time the black orchid scent was nearby… whether it was her perfume or body soap, it always had the calming scent to it.
"Stranded… not the first time that's happened." Amanda said with a slight laugh as she turned to face Finn when he walked over to her, the orange glow of the tiny flames bringing out the amber tones in her eyes as she looked up at him.
Being as careful as he could because they had just recently started dating, Finn lightly pressed her against the wall with his left hand on the middle of her ribcage, his thumb brushing against her sternum as they looked at each other… before his right hand was resting on her neck and he leaned in, the two kissing.
Amanda wrapped her arms around Finn and pulled him in closer so they were pressed against each other as the kiss deepened… she could feel it, she wanted it as much as he did, he wanted to throw her onto the bed.
And that was what Finn did after pulling Amanda's Balor Club tank top up over her head, his hands resting on her chest as they kissed before he sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt off.
Their clothing disappeared into the candlelit room and they were under the covers, losing awareness around themselves.
But after when it was just them, the door swung open and Randy walked in, a scar on his face that neither had seen before.
"Think you can fuck my girl?! I still love her… and no one will take her away from me!" Randy growled, pulling out a gun and Amanda jumping in front of Finn as the trigger was pulled…
Amanda's eyes snapped open, her looking around for a few seconds.
'Damn me and my damn mind!' Amanda thought before she looked up and saw Finn walk over and sit on the bed, Finn brushing Amanda's hair back.
"Dreams, not good ones?" Finn asked quietly.
"Randy had a gun in his hand…" Amanda responded as Finn stretched out next to her… he watched her carefully and she didn't look as pale but it still worried him how tired she was. "He also… had a scar on his face, had no idea where it was from." She said as they looked at each other, Finn wrapping his arms around her.
"All too similar to a dream I had once…" Finn muttered quietly as they held onto each other.
"What had happened in it?" Amanda asked.
"You were younger, this dream happened about a year ago… I don't know if it was before, after or even replaced you and his relationship, but you and Randy… you weren't what I'd call in love, more in a bribe. You questioned to him what love was like, you know, touching and in bed and all. He… offered to 'show you'. And after a while you agreed… then he used it against you. Bribed you with the threat that he'd tell everyone what happened if you refused him, and at a younger age than the thought of sex rumors is enough to frighten anyone… eventually I think you cut it off, whatever happened afterwards is hard to remember… don't think the dream went that far." Finn explained.
"Sometimes we can't remember… do I wish I had done things differently in my younger years, sometimes. I had to get away from him back then, it wasn't healthy for me or Randy to be that close." Amanda said as she rested her head on Finn's right shoulder and he flinched slightly at the unnatural warmth of her skin.
"It wasn't… I think you caught something while we were on tour, you don't look okay." Finn responded, quickly checking Amanda's temperature with a thermometer and the reading coming back as 100.6° before he turned the thermometer off and set it aside.
"That would explain the lack of energy… what are you…" Amanda said, cut off when Finn stood up before returning with a damp washcloth and putting it on her forehead.
"You're too hot for normal." Finn answered, the cloth pressed lightly to her forehead before he switched to the same on each of her cheeks, then also lightly around her neck.
Amanda closed her eyes and started to relax, Finn hearing small rocks hit the window and going to check for a few seconds.
"I lost my key!" Sami exclaimed, Aestrid outside with him.
"I told you to leave it at the house!" Aestrid muttered before both heard the bedroom door open and close before hearing the front door open.
"What's happened now?" She asked after they walked in, Sami closing the door.
"Mandy's not feeling so great, she spiked a fever." Finn explained, Aestrid going to look in the kitchen for Motrin as Finn headed back upstairs and sat down, once again resting the washcloth on Amanda's neck.
"Damn it… that's another unexplained fever." Aestrid muttered.
"To be fair, I think Alexa's got some health issue that isn't a cold or virus." Sami said.
"Well… a different kind of virus, put it that way. It wouldn't surprise me." Aestrid replied.
"Me either… Mandy's the more responsible type though." Sami responded, Aestrid finding the Motrin and heading upstairs. Amanda took two of the pills and swallowed them, thanking Aestrid… but she also noticed the look on her friend's face.
"Who else is sick?" Amanda asked.
"Alexa, Liara and Ty, and Val are the worst. But Roman and Dean have been hit by it too." Aestrid answered.
"We're on the road a lot of time out of the year… who knows where it sprung up from." Finn said as Amanda's phone rang, her seeing it was John and answering it.
"Hey, John." Amanda responded, John knowing right away from her voice that she wasn't feeling alright and Amanda hearing two dogs barking in the background.
"Josie, Winston, calm down." John said.
"Right, Brie and Daniel are staying with you and Nikki… everyone okay over there?" Amanda responded.
"Yeah… but you're not okay, I can tell. I'll be over there in a bit." John said, Amanda knowing that telling him not to stop over wouldn't deter him.
The two hung up, Amanda burying her face into the pillow and Finn lightly rubbing his left hand up and down her back.
Aestrid headed back downstairs to see Sami had opened the door to let Randy in… and Aestrid about to head back upstairs.
"Not yet, wanting to surprise her… but something's wrong, isn't it?" Randy said quietly.
"She's ill, a few of the people are. Temperatures, drained energy, aching upper body. Liara can barely even move her shoulders right now." Aestrid explained.
"This time of year brings out a lot of viruses… but she seemed okay on the flight back, just wasn't awake for too long." Randy said.
After a while, he headed upstairs… but when he inadvertently woke Amanda, she jumped off the bed and stood back up, a toy lightsaber in hand and blue light illuminating the room.
"Mandy… put it down, I'm not gonna hurt ya." Randy responded as the others reached the two.
"That's what you said last time and then your hand reached for my throat!" Amanda growled, half out of it even as Finn got her to let go of the toy and pressed the button to retract the plastic blade.
"Downstairs, now, you twit!" Aestrid muttered, dragging Randy out of the room after slapping him upside the head as Finn helped Amanda sit down and put the thermometer in her ear… when it beeped, he saw that the thermometer read 99.4°.
"Well it's almost gone… but you just woke up from another nightmare, didn't you?" Finn responded after setting the thermometer aside and pulling Amanda into his arms, the two holding each other.
Amanda knew that she had to explain it to him and it wouldn't be easy to.