Hello all my brilliant readers :) How are you all?
Here is the next chapter as promised which I hope you all enjoy.
I'd just like to take a moment to say thank you to all my wonderful reviewers who make writing this story so much more fun :) Thank you for all your tips & ideas.
Clay had decided it would be a hell of a lot less awkward if he and Beth went out alone. He decided on taking her to the nearest Diner for some dinner, brushing off Aisha's pleas of 'The last thing a teenage girl wants to discuss is her fathers sex life!', insisting that he knew what was best.
"Listen, Beth I just wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier," began Clay as he and his daughter took a seat at their given table. Beth's eyes widened in horror.
"No!" she replied, her voice raised. "Can't we just talk about this self defence stuff? Because I'm really okay with not knowing what goes on with you and Aisha. Really!" She emphasized on the 'Really' and Clay shook his head.
"It's not that I want to discuss it, Beth. I just want to know that if it makes you feel uncomfortable then we won't do it."
"Does that statement go with anything that makes me feel uncomfortable?" Beth asked, taking a large gulp of the water in front of her.
"Well, yeah I guess,"
"Good. This conversation is making me uncomfortable so can we eat now please?" Clay smirked and nodded, calling over the waitress so they could order.
...
Only Jensen and Cougar were still up when Clay and Beth returned back to the apartment.
"I see you ordered in," Clay said, noticing the piles of take-out boxes by the sink and rolling his eyes at how messy it looked.
"What can we say, Boss," sighed Jensen who looked like he'd just eaten a horse, "That Chinese place up the road does better noodles than the one in L.A. Only problem is I ate more because the food was so good. I'm okay now but I'm dreading it coming out the other end," Clay shook his head in repulse.
"Eww, Jensen." were the only words able to leave Beth's lips.
"Alright, I'm turning in for the night." announced Clay as he headed towards his room, "Beth, if you need anything…"
"I'll shout," said Beth, not wanting to walk in on anything as she did not know which bedroom Aisha had decided on. Clay chuckled and slipped in to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Jensen lay sprawled out across the sofa, Beth wasn't sure if he was even able to move judging by the pile of empty take-out cartons. Cougar was sat on the arm chair, a little less relaxed. He never seemed to be 100% though, even when he was sleeping.
"You can have your bed tonight, Jensen," offered Beth, "I'm not that tired." Jensen didn't move.
"Nahh, no way. I'm a gentleman." smirked Jensen, "Gentlemen belong on couches so that the beautiful girl can have the bed." He winked at Beth, causing her to blush. Cougar tipped the brim of his hat forward and shook his head.
"Jensen, by the look of all that food you ate your fat ass is not going to survive on the couch. Now get your ass into that bedroom so I can sit down." Beth ordered. Cougar smirked at her tone. Jensen got told! Although he didn't actually get up until Beth shoved his legs off the end of the couch so that she could sit down.
"Alright, alright I'm going," Jensen mumbled as he staggered into the bedroom.
"You look tired." Cougar pointed out as he tossed Beth a cushion to rest her head on.
"Yeah, well I'm not." Cougar wasn't fooled. It was obvious by the heaviness in her eyes that she was trying to keep herself awake. Cougar knew why, he'd done it himself many times.
"I used to have nightmares." he revealed, causing Beth to look at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes. She turned and met the sniper's gaze.
"How did you…?"
"They way your acting. It's clear that you are tired, but you won't sleep. I used to be the same," Cougar replied. He stood up and motioned to the seat next to Beth. "May I?" Beth nodded her head and shifted over so Cougar could sit next to her. He placed the cushion on his lap and gently pulled Beth so her head was lying on his lap. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered Beth.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked.
"Yes," Beth replied, feeling a little awkward. She had never been as close to someone as this since her Mum died, especially someone she had only just met. It only made the moment a little more uneasy when Cougar started to run his fingers up and down the young girls back. The anxiety soon faded when Beth realised exactly how nice it felt, how relaxed it made her. The comfort that Cougar was so close was all it took for Beth, to allow herself to close her eyes and be claimed by a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep.
...
When Beth opened her eyes the next morning, she found herself alone on the sofa. She heard shuffling noises in the kitchen area so she sat up to see who it was. Aisha was by the sink, a lot more dressed than the last time Beth had seen her, cleaning up the mess from the previous night's feast. Beth stood up and made her way over to Aisha.
"You need a hand?" Beth asked her politely. Aisha turned and gasped, having not heard Beth get up.
"You scared the crap outta me," Aisha explained, blushing a little from her reaction. "It's okay though, I'm almost finished. I thought you and me could take a little trip today. What do you think?" Beth shrugged.
"As long as it's not a 'Hi, I'm your new mom and I need to bond with you' type of trip then yeah, why not?" Beth replied, tossing Aisha a take-out box that had fallen on the floor. Aisha nodded in thanks and smiled to herself.
"Don't worry, it's more of a 'I have something really cool to teach you' trip. All of the guys are out. Apparently there's some game on that can only be watched at a bar,"
"Yeah okay then. Could be fun I guess," shrugged Beth. Aisha nodded and made her way back to her bedroom.
"Be ready in ten minutes!" she called. "Wear something comfortable!" Beth dove into her bag and pulled out the most comfortable outfit she owned, a baggy pair of jeans, a loose fitting Bobcat jersey and her purple Nike dunks. When she was satisfied she sat on the couch and waited for Aisha.
"It's gonna be an interesting day," she thought to herself as she waited.
And she was right.
...
"A gun range!" Beth exclaimed in disbelief as she climbed out of the car and looked up at the sign, "You bought me to a freakin' shooting range?" Aisha laughed to herself and patted Beth on the back.
"Come on, kid." encouraged Aisha. "Second rule of being a Loser: You need to be able to shoot. Even if it's just for defence." Aisha signed them in and picked out a small pistol for Beth to try.
"Shoot the target," Aisha said, handing the weapon to Beth. Beth didn't move, she just looked at Aisha.
"What?" Aisha asked, feeling a little self-conscious.
"How old are you?" Beth asked, going completely off subject. Aisha sighed.
"Why do you want to know how old I am?"
"You can't be more than seven years older than me, right? So you sleeping with my Dad is just creepy, he's like…old enough to be your granddad." Aisha laughed and shook her head, pointing at the target, forcing Beth to look at it.
"Honey, he's not even old enough to be your granddad. Now focus," Aisha smiled. Beth aimed the weapon before letting her arms fall at her side once more.
"You're old enough to be my sister," Aisha sighed.
"Beth!"
"Okay, okay," Beth aimed the handgun and fired one shot, hitting the target just outside the centre. Aisha was impressed.
"Not bad," Aisha said in compliment, "Your hands were too shaky though. I'll help you work on that," Beth just looked at Aisha and rolled her eyes.
"What's the problem?" the older woman asked.
"I don't want my Dad getting hurt. It may not seem like it but I worry about him more than he worries about me." Aisha's expression softened.
"I'm not gonna hurt him, kid. I care about him. A lot. You don't have anything to worry about, okay?" Aisha wasn't exactly thrilled that she was having to reassure Beth about this, but in a way she understood where Beth was coming from.
"We'll see about that." said Beth in a teasing tone, smiling at Aisha who returned the gesture. Aisha moved so she was standing behind Beth and helped her steady her weapon, guiding Beth's hands where to aim with the help of her own. Beth fired and hit the target dead centre.
"Now that's more like it," said Aisha as she backed away to high five Beth. Beth smiled. Maybe she could get used to Aisha after all.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Leave me some nice reviews? :) Next chapter will be up either later tonight or tomorrow depending on how tired I am when I get home from work.
Love to you all & have a lovely day :) x