CHAPTER 13

The next day would have been Amelia's day in the tunnels, but Charlotte was feeling under the weather, so she took her place in the classroom. Amelia didn't mind, but tunnel day was one of her favorite days, despite the hard work.

It was in the tunnels she reckoned that she fell in love with Quinn. Watching him, always shirtless down there, sweaty, neckerchief, him barking orders, hair tousled, pounding away at the stones with his pickaxe… Oh Lord, but she was getting hot and bothered again. But now, she got a shirtless Quinn every night, so skipping one tunnel day was not going to be a problem.

She came into the classroom, and Siobhan immediately ran up to her.

"Amelia!" she cried, grabbing onto her leg.

"Hello Love!" said Amelia cheerfully, bending down to scoop her up.

"Where've you been? You weren't in your bed today or yesterday." Siobhan lowered her eyebrows and poked Amelia on the forehead with her tiny finger.

"I'm sorry sweet, I haven't got a chance to tell you. I'm going to be moving upstairs,"

"Ok," said Siobhan, undeterred. "Can I come wake you up upstairs?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not Lovey." Amelia had a sudden flash of what might happen should Siobhan come in when she and Quinn had forgotten to get dressed for bed and shuddered in horror.

"But how will you know when to get up without me?" the little girl asked practically, her hands up in a questioning pose.

"It'll be tough…" said Amelia. "Tell you what. How 'bout we have a special Siobhan and Amelia time once a week. Just you and me. What do you think about that?"

Siobhan considered. "I guess that'd be alright," she said.

"Good. Now be a good girl and sit at your table."

She plopped the six-year-old down and watched her run off.

She felt a light tap on her leg and looked down to see Lucy, her thumb in her mouth, and one arm raised indicating she too wanted to be held.

Amelia picked her up obligingly. "Good morning Lucy. Ready for class?"

Lucy just laid her head on Amelia's shoulder. Amelia shook her head with a smile and walked her over to a table and sat her down. She whined a little but stayed without getting up.

"Morning Lia," said Lin coming over. "Could you take the older kids today?"

"Sure!" said Amelia. "What's todays Agenda?"

"Long division," said Lin.

Amelia groaned a little. "Alright," she said. "Easy but boring."

Lin laughed. "You're as bad as them," she teased.

Amelia was glad to take the older kids today, because it was the three sister's first day in class. Amelia had felt guilty because she hadn't been able to stop by the infirmary the day before. And she thought it might be helpful to have her close by as someone they knew.

"Hi Emma!" said Amelia sitting down next to her.

Emma lit up. "Hi Amelia!"

"How are you all?"

"We're great. I can't believe I get to go to school. This is brilliant. At Edinburgh, everyone worked. We didn't have lessons."

"I'm glad you get to too. Let me set up this table with their work, and I'll be right back to help you."

Amelia gave the older table their lesson and had to break up a chalk duel between Willem and Liam, but eventually they settled down and started calculating on their slates.

Amelia came back over to the sisters. Both Olivia and Aggie were sitting on Emma's lap uncomfortably. Amelia considered them for a moment.

"Do you think I could convince Aggie to join the smaller kids table?"

Emma looked hesitant.

"It's ok Emma, she'll be fine." Amelia put her hand on the girls' arm. Emma nodded slowly.

"Lucy!" Amelia called. Lucy turned around and walked over to her, her thumb still in her mouth. "Lucy, this is Aggie. Can you say hi?"

"Hi," said Lucy around her thumb.

"Can you take her to sit with you at your table?"

Aggie looked at her sister, and Emma nodded reluctantly and unwrapped her arm from around her youngest sister. "It's alright," she said encouragingly.

Lucy held out her free hand and Aggie took it. She led the new girl to the table and sat her between herself and Katie.

"Siobhan! Come here sweetie!" called Amelia.

Siobhan looked up and came running.

"Love, this is Olivia," said Amelia introducing them.

Emma looked at her nervously and tightened her arm around the eight-year-old.

"Hi Olivia. Do you wanna play with me?" asked Siobhan congenially.

Olivia looked at her but said nothing.

"Can she talk?" asked Siobhan.

"No sweetie, but if you're very nice, maybe she'll go play," said Amelia.

Siobhan shrugged. "Ok. Want to come?" she asked and held out her hand.

To the surprise of Emma, Olivia took Siobhan's hand, and they walked over to her table.

"Good!" said Amelia. "Now we can talk."

After talking to Lin about a lesson plan for Emma to catch up, they ate lunch. The kids all took a nap, and Emma and Amelia sat in the corner quietly.

"How's your bunk?" asked Amelia.

"It's more than I dreamed of!" she said excitedly.

Amelia smiled on the outside, but inside her heart broke again. She thought of the three girls sleeping together in a cold wet dungeon just because of Olivia.

"I'm so glad. Have you been able to make any friends?" The answer was likely no, since she'd just gotten there, and there weren't really any teenagers at their fortress. Only Jared and then Melissa at thirteen.

"Just you and Jared," she said grinning widely. "He's… he's…"

"He's wonderful?" finished Amelia knowingly.

Emma nodded, her bright blue eyes shining. "I don't know how to thank him. He's made sure we have everything we need. He plays with Aggie and Olivia, and he's so good with her. I didn't know anyone could be so kind."

"He's a lovely boy," said Amelia. She felt so proud of him. She'd have to tell Quinn. Hopefully, he'd spoken to him already regarding feelings and crushes and all of those messy emotions. But from the sound of things, maybe he wouldn't need to.

"Amelia?" Emma was looking at her shyly. "Are you and Quinn married?" she asked.

Amelia smiled. "No, we just got together actually."

"What's it like? Having someone love you?"

"It's heaven," said Amelia without thinking. "It can be complicated but counting on someone and having them come through for you is incredible."

"Is that what love is?" asked Emma.

"It's definitely part of it. And that should be mutual," she said. "I'm lucky. He gives as much as me. Maybe more."

She was lucky. Suddenly she missed Quinn. Not his body in that moment, just the way they used to talk in the mess hall before they were together, joking and giggling. Him more hesitantly than her, but sometimes he could make her cry with laughter. Despite his somber demeanor in public, he could be so silly, it would probably surprise a lot of the people in the castle. They hadn't had a good laugh since they'd gotten together. Not that what they'd been perfecting was any less stimulating, but she enjoyed all of him, not just shagging him. Tonight, was their free night. Maybe they would get some solid time just her and him.

…

Quinn and Jared broke for lunch and sat together on a pile of stone in the tunnels. It was past time to broach the subject of Amelia with Jared and Quinn had been feeling guilty about not talking to him yet.

"Jared, I think it's time we had that talk I promised you," he said taking a bite of bread.

"Yeah Quinn?" Jared said confused, his brows furrowed.

"About Amelia and me…"

"Oh that!" he said. "Honestly, there's no need."

"Really?" asked Quinn somewhat relieved, but not buying it fully. "Are you sure? You were pretty heated the other night."

"Sorry about that Quinn." Jared looked down at his hands.

"It's alright if you're still angry," said Quinn.

Jared hesitated. "Well…" he trailed off.

"Let me have it," said Quinn, gesturing with his hand like an invitation.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked Amelia when I told you I had feelings for her?"

Quinn thought for a moment. "Man-code I guess," he said finally.

"What's that?" asked Jared.

"The one who says they like the girl first gets his chance and the one who doesn't, has to respect it."

"That's stupid," said Jared.

"Yeah, I know," admitted Quinn.

"That's like saying I'm claiming Amelia like property."

Quinn looked at him surprised. "I guess it is like saying that. I'm sorry Jared. That's not how I think of her and that's not who you are." Quinn put his hand on Jared's shoulder.

Jared nodded.

"There's more to it than that though," Quinn went on. "I didn't want to let myself feel for her, so I used you as an excuse."

"Why?" asked Jared.

"Let me see if I have the words. I was afraid she'd take all my focus if I went for it. Away from what I do here, and honestly away from you."

"From me?"

"Yeah. Silly?"

"No…" said Jared slowly. "I just didn't fancy you were so in love with me."

Quinn laughed and shoved him. "Love you? I've been trying to get rid of you for ages!"

"Better luck next time," he joked.

Quinn shook his head, still snickering.

"Hey Quinn?" Jared grew serious again.

"Yeah?"

"You know that new girl Emma?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah."

"She's cute, isn't she?"

Quinn's knowing grin took up his whole face. "Yeah, she's pretty cute," he said.

"How did you tell Amelia you liked her?"

"I didn't," answered Quinn shrugging.

"Then…"

"She told me," he said, throwing his last piece of bread in the air and caught it in his mouth. He wagged his eyebrows up and down as Jared stared at him, his jaw hanging open.

"How'd you get her to do that?!" he asked amazed.

"Hell, if I know," Quinn shrugged again. "All I know, what I've learned from her is, if you feel strongly you should go for it. You think Emma fancies you too?"

"Hell, if I know," Jared repeated.

"Well she'd be a fool not to," he said slapping Jared on the back.

"Thanks Quinn."

"Don't mention it. We good?" asked Quinn holding his hand out.

"We're good."

They shook on it.