Chapter 15: Weathering the Storm
A/N: We are so incedabibly sorry about the long wait. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We love you!!
----- "Shane?" Joey called, walking along the woods. They had arrived together, but had somehow gotten separated.
"Shane, where are you?" She asked.
"Over here." She heard him say. She followed his voice and came to a clearing. Shane stood there, looking at her.
"Hey." She smiled.
"Where'd you go?" She asked. Shane looked at her.
"You didn't expect me to stay with you, did you?" He sneered. Joey blinked.
"What?" She asked.
"Shane, is something wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said as he slowly walked over to her.
"You are."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Shane, you're not making sense."
"You're not supposed to be here." He said lowly.
"What?"
"Let me go!" Came a voice. Joey looked over and saw the man attacking her mother.
"Mama!" Joey screamed. She went to help her, Shane grabbed her, holding her back.
"Shane! Let me go! I've got to help her!" Joey screamed. Shane merely chuckled.
"Try helping yourself." He said, pushing her back, causing her back to slam into a tree.
"Cause you need it. You don't know who you really are, and until you do, you're nothing, worthless."
"What are you talking about?" Joey exclaimed angrily.
"I know who I am, I'm Joey fucking Sanchez!" Shane smirked.
"You don't know anything until you know the other part of you." He said.
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Joey flinched slightly and sat up, waking up from her dream. Her sudden movement awoke Shane. He groggily looked at her.
"Joey?" He asked softly. Joey looked at him.
"Hey." She said softly.
"You OK?" He asked. Joey nodded slowly.
"Mmmhmm." She said, lying back down. Shane ran his hand over Joey's hair.
"As long as you're sure your ok." He mumbled. Joey nodded.
"Yeah.... I'm good." She told him. Shane lazily threw his arm around her waist. Joey looked at him, he had fallen back asleep. Joey sighed and drifted back to sleep.
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Cam sat the computer located in Ninja Ops. He was carefully trying to identify who these new rangers could be. Blake and Hunter had already said that they didn't know anyone who wore pink at the Thunder Ninja Academy, so Cam was out of luck with that girl, until such time as they all revealed themselves. The other two, the Orange Lightning Ranger, and the Black Fire Ranger seemed to have similar techniques, but again Cam couldn't find any information on either of them. Cam's father walked in.
"My son.... Have you had any luck finding out where these new rangers are from?" Sensei asked. Cam sighed.
"No Dad.... It's very difficult trying to figure out who they are, or how they've just appeared out of no where.." Cam told his father. The Guinea Pig nodded.
"I understand. Perhaps you should get some sleep my son... Rest helps the brain to solve problems easier." Cam nodded.
"Your right... Night Dad." The Samurai Ranger said, wandering towards his room.
"Goodnight, my son." Sensei replied quietly.
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Summer stood at the cash helping to ring in customers purchase with Kelly, while Dustin, Hunter and Blake worked in back, as well as out in the main store, unpacking boxes, and stocking shelves. The tension between Hunter and Blake was still obvious from the night previous, and they hadn't spoken to each other since then. Summer was afraid to attempt to talk to Blake about what happened in fear that someone might overhear them. Not that she didn't want people to know, she just didn't want them to find out that way.
"Hey." Came a voice. Summer blinked, breaking out of her thoughts and saw Tori standing in front of her. Summer smiled.
"Hey." She responded.
"What's up?" She asked. Tori shrugged.
"Nothing really, I just."
"Looking for Blake?" Summer smirked. Tori laughed.
"Yeah."
"Uh, he's in the back, working. I don't think he's in a very good mood though." Summer sighed. Tori looked at her, concerned filling her features.
"What? What's wrong?" She asked. Summer bit her lip.
"Hunter and him had a fight last night.and that's all I can really say at the moment." She said. It wasn't that she was hiding it from Tori; it was just that she'd rather tell her that in a more private and 'girl talk' setting. Tori nodded.
"We need to talk don't we?" Tori question. Summer nodded.
"Oh yeah." Summer replied. Tori gave summer a half smile.
"Hey...that's me Tori the Guidance Counselor." She said. Summer chuckled and went to serve a customer. Tori walked into the back room. As she got closer, Dustin came out, almost bumping into her. Tori laughed a bit.
"Hey." She said. Dustin looked at her.
"Hey, I uh, wouldn't go in there if I were you." He said.
"Blake and Hunter are having a glaring contest. It's kinda scary. They're not saying anything, but it looks like they're about to rip each other to shreds." Dustin said. Tori looked at him.
"Wonderful." Tori said. She looked at Summer whose eyes basically said, 'I told you so.' Tori looked back at the door.
"Should we close it before the screaming match begins?" She asked. Summer nodded furiously. Dustin shrugged.
"Whatever floats your boat Tor." He said. Summer looked at him.
"Cover the register for me." She said as she joined Tori by the doorway of the backroom. Dustin sighed and did as he was told.
"Ok so do we go in together and attempt not to get killed, or go in one by one...and attempt to not get killed." Summer said. Tori looked at her.
"First one defiantly. I get Blake you get Hunter?" Tori asked. Summer rolled her eyes.
"NO. I figured I'd take Blake." Summer responded sarcastically. Tori chuckled.
"Ok.... on the count of three. One, two.... three." Both girls walked into the room simultaneously. Only problem was, they hadn't taken the width of the doorway into account, and were wedged in between the doorway, against each other. Hunter and Blake looked at them oddly.
"OK." Summer said.
"Bad idea. Let's try this again." She said as Tori and she got out of the doorway. They walked in one at a time.
"OK, better." Summer said. Summer and Tori looked at the boys.
"Hey guys!" Summer said perkily. Blake glared at her, causing Summer to glare back.
"If your not careful your face might freeze like that Blake." Summer growled. Hunter glared more intently at Blake.
"Mind not being a royal dick to my girlfriend?" He snarled. Blake scoffed and looked at his brother.
"How funny you use dick and girlfriend in the same sentence." Blake said.
"Hey!" Summer yelled. Tori looked at the three of them.
"Why do I have a feeling that whatever's going on involves the three of you together?" Tori asked rhetorically. Summer turned and looked at Tori.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here right now Tori.... And your right.... This involved me, Hunter and jackass over there." Summer replied jerking her thumb towards Blake. Blake glared at her.
"Excuse me?" Blake growled. Tori sighed.
"Normally, I'd be all for standing up for Blake, but, since I have no idea what's going on, I'm just going to leave." She said.
"Wait." Blake said.
"There's no way I'm going to be left alone with these two. Knowing them, they'll start humping each other or something, since that's apparently their new favorite pastime." Blake added. Tori's jaw hung open in shock.
"You're dead." Hunter said as he tried to get at his brother. Summer grabbed Hunter's arm.
"Oh no you don't." She said, pulling him back.
"I'm going to kill him." She snarled as she went to get at him. Blake stepped back. Tori rushed in between them.
"No one's killing anyone!" Tori yelled. Summer snapped her head around and looked at Tori.
"Tori... I suggest you move before I do something I regret." She told the blond surfer. Blake snorted.
"You mean you don't regret fucking my brother? I mean any other girl would." Blake laughed. Summer's eyes went wide.
"You asshole!" Summer shrieked as she tried to get past Tori. Tori stood her ground.
"Hunter, a little help here?" Tori asked.
"Oh no, let her at him. Just leave some for me to kill, ok babe?" Hunter asked Summer. Tori groaned and pushed Summer away, causing her to collide against Hunter. Hunter caught her. Blake glared at Hunter.
"Oh right, now that you have your little girlfriend, what use do you have for your brother?" He snapped. Summer fought tooth and nail to get away from Hunter and to kill Blake. She had one mindset right now. 'Murder Blake.'
"Why the fuck are you so touchy about this Blake? Like what's shoved up your ass." Summer snarled. Blake rolled his eyes.
"Uh...I dunno, maybe the fact that you and Hunter were getting it on last night and I could hear you." he told them both. Summer's eye began to twitch.
"Your just jealous that Hunter actually got some." Summer spat.
Blake snorted.
"I'm not jealous." He said.
"I could have anyone I wanted... I wouldn't settle for the first 'damsel in distress' to walk through the door to fuck." He spat at her. Summer stood up fully and looked at Blake.
"What did you just say?" She whispered dangerously. Hunter went to hug her, but she pulled away.
"Fuck you Blake." She spat angrily, storming out of the backroom and out the front door of Storm Chargers. Hunter glared at his brother.
"Asshole." He said as he went after Summer. Tori looked at Blake.
"I'm not even going to venture near the 'anyone you want' comment right now. You had no right to say that to say that to Summer." She said. Blake's eyes narrowed.
"What, so first she steals my brother, now my girlfriend?" Blake said. Tori looked at him.
"So, that's what this is all about?" She asked.
"It's about me hearing them going at it last night. I blared the music and 'destroyed the moment'" Blake told her. Tori rolled her eyes.
"Smooth, Blake, real smooth." She told him. Blake gave her a dirty look. Tori ran her fingers through her hair.
"Fuck this." She growled. She slapped Blake hard across the face. His hand flew up and held the spot where his girlfriend had slapped him.
"First... you apologize to Summer, then to Hunter... And maybe, just maybe I'll forgive you for being a fucking jerk!" Tori screeched. She slammed out of the backroom and out the same way she had come in. Blake looked down.
"God damnit." He yelled. Dustin poked his head into the room.
"I take it things didn't go too well?" He asked innocently. Blake glared at him.
"Where the hell did you get that idea?" He grumbled. Dustin snorted.
"Uh the fact that one by one, Summer, Hunter then Tori left... What did you do man?" Dustin asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Blake sighed. Dustin shrugged.
"You might want to get back out here soon.... At the moment were down two employees.... and Kelly won't be happy if we suddenly become three down." Dustin told him. Blake nodded.
"Be right there." Blake told him. Dustin turned and went back out into the main room.
"Open mouth, insert foot." Blake mumbled to himself.
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Once Summer had reached the pavement outside Storm Chargers, she had taken off running, fast. By the time Hunter exited the building she was 1/4 of the way down the beach and still going strong. Hunter sighed and took off after her. She had a good 2-minute head start, but was obviously faster than him, despite all his training.
Summer rounded a corner and hid behind some rocks. She knew Hunter was following her.... She just didn't want to be found yet.... She needed some time alone. Hunter came to a stop and leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his breath.
"Summer? Summer, where are you?" He called out. Summer didn't say anything. She simply stayed behind the rocks, praying he would leave. Hunter looked around. He had seen Summer come over here, and people just didn't disappear out of thin air.
"Summer! Where are you?!" He yelled loudly. Summer squeezed her eyes shut.
'Please just go away.... I can't deal with this right now.' Her mind cried.
"Hunter." Came a voice. Hunter turned to see Tori approaching him. He gave her a hard look.
"If you're here to tell me to go talk to that asshole, forget it." He growled. Tori shook her head.
"Trust me, even I'm not talking to him right now." Tori sighed. Hunter's face softened.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Hunter told her. Tori shrugged.
"Shit happens.... Where's Summer?" Tori questioned. Hunter shrugged.
"I wish I knew.... She ran over here, but now I can't find her." He replied. Tori sighed.
"Maybe she just needs to be alone right now." Tori suggested.
'Yes, exactly!' Summer thought to herself, hearing their conversation. Hunter sighed.
"I'd feel better finding her." Hunter replied.
"But that doesn't mean it'll make her feel better." Tori pointed out. Hunter looked at her. Tori quickly amended her statement.
"Not that you being around would make things worse, it's just that sometimes, you just have to give people there space." Hunter sighed, nodding.
"I guess you're right." He said.
"Aren't I always?" Tori joked, trying to lighten the mood. Hunter chuckled as the two walked away.
Summer let out a shaky breath.
"Finally." She whispered. She ran her hands over her face and sighed.
"Life really sucks." She muttered. Summer pushed herself up into a standing position. She kicks some sand and began walking in the opposite direction from which she had come. The fresh, cold wind blew her hair around and slapped against her face.
"Strange... They didn't forecast strong winds today." She told herself out loud. She looked out over the ocean. The waves seemed to be getting bigger. Shrugging it off, she continued to walk.
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Tori and Hunter slowly walked back to Storm Chargers, when Tori stopped and looked out at the ocean.
"That's really weird.... The waves are getting huge.... They never get that big unless were getting a hurricane!" Tori exclaimed. Hunter stopped and turned around.
"Your joking right?" He asked. Tori shook her head.
"No joke.... I've lived here all my life, and I've lived through a few hurricane's.... this is perfect weather." She told him. Hunter sighed.
"Great just great.... maybe I should go find Summer." He said. Tori shook her head again.
"She can find her way back... She probably just needs to cool off." Tori replied.
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"How long do I have to sit here?" Shane asked. He was sitting on Joey's couch. She was sitting on the opposite end with her feet on the couch, a pad of drawing paper rested against her raised knees.
"Until I'm done." Joey replied with a smile.
"And since when is talking sitting still?" She asked.
"So you want me to stay still, and quiet? Oh, you're a cruel woman." Shane smirked. Joey laughed.
"Will you shut up?" She said.
"You keep talking, and I'll just draw a stick figure with a smiley face. Although, I do think it'd be an improvement." She smirked. Shane glared at her playfully and grabbed a throw pillow, throwing it at her. Joey giggled. They both heard the loud violent winds and the branch of a tree gently rapping on the window. Joey looked over at the window.
"Funky weather." She commented. Shane turned and looked out the window.
"That's hurricane weather." He replied. Joey's eyes went wide.
"Hurricane?" She asked. Shane nodded.
"We get them a lot here, being right on the coast. It's scary, but not that bad." He told her. Joey nodded.
"I'll take you word for it." She answered. She looked at Shane and smiled.
"Anyway, hold still, all right? I don't exactly feel like sitting here all day."
"Says the girl who at least can move her hand around to draw." Shane muttered. Joey giggled.
"Well, then, sucks to be you." She simply shrugged. Shane rolled his eyes.
"At this present moment yes, yes it does." He muttered. Joey laughed.
"Hey, you should be happy I'm drawing you. One day when I'm this major extremely great artist, you can say you used to know me, and that I actually drew you." She smiled.
"Well aren't you egotistical." Shane mused.
"Who's to say that saying I know you is a good thing?" He joked. Joey laughed.
"Because I'm incredibly incredible and all who know me are fortunate people because they have me in their lives." Joey replied smugly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Shane laughed.
"Am I one of the fortunate people?" He asked. Joey chuckled.
"Oh why not." She laughed. Shane smiled.
"Good to know." He replied. Joey smiled and went back to drawing him.
"Yeah, I mean, you did help me yesterday. Lord knows what would have happened if you hadn't brought me here." She looked up at him.
"In case I haven't said it yet, thank you." She said softly. Shane looked at her.
"You didn't, but I wasn't really expecting it." He said.
"I'm just kind of shocked at how you helped, and stayed here and everything. I mean, Summer's pretty scary and I know she told you to stay, but," she shrugged.
"I dunno, I guess I kept expecting you to sort of sneak off during the night or something."
"Why would I do that?" Shane asked. Joey shrugged.
"Because spending the night with a girl who hasn't been the nicest to you thus far probably wasn't on your list of great things to do with your time." Shane shrugged.
"I really didn't mind.... Besides you haven't been that mean to me." He replied.
"Oh, so you're a masochist! I get it! I mean, why else would a guy consider a girl who kicked him in the jewels not mean?" She asked. Shane turned and looked at her.
"Hey! I do not enjoy being dominated!" He cried. Joey glared.
"Stay still or else I will find someway to make this picture hideous, then I will post it around town!" She replied. Shane gulped and went back to his original stance.
"Yes Mama!" He said. Joey laughed.
"Looks like you do enjoy being dominated." Joey mused.
"Do I need to bring out the whips and chains?" She asked. Shane smirked.
"Only if you have a sexy leather bodysuit, mistress Joey." He replied.
"Hmm, well, when it comes to anything involving sex, and myself, you, my friend, will never know." Joey replied. Shane frowned.
"Aw, shucks." He replied. Joey laughed loudly as the wind picked up speed, knocking over a few things in the kitchen. Joey stopped laughing.
"The winds really strong." She commented. Shane nodded.
"It'll get worse.... I just hope Summer and Tori aren't out on the water on a day like today... The undertow is really bad when were about to get a storm." He replied. Joey nodded.
"I hope neither of them are out there either.... It'd be really dangerous to even be near the beach during a storm, hopefully they're both ok." She said. They were quiet for a while. Shane sighed and looked at her. She was busy drawing.
"You almost done?" He asked.
"I'd be done a lot quicker if you'd quit moving and talking." Joey replied.
"Well, I just don't want to be stuck here all day." Shane said. Joey laughed.
"Don't be such a whiner." She said. Shane's head snapped up and he looked at her.
"You moved!" Joey groaned. Shane blinked.
"What did you just call me?" He asked. Joey looked at him.
"What, is whiner an offensive term?" She asked. Shane looked down. Skyla called him that. Joey looked at him.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Shane sighed.
"It's just.... a girl I.... used.... to know.... she called me that once..." Shane told her.
"Old girlfriend?" She asked. Shane didn't say anything.
"Must've been a pretty bad breakup."
"She wasn't my girlfriend. Just, someone I knew."
"Why are you talking about her in the past tense?" Joey asked.
"She died." Shane replied softly. Joey looked down.
"Oh.Wow.I.I'm sorry." She said. Shane shrugged.
"I miss her, but I can't live in the past." he replied. Joey scooted down the couch and hugged Shane.
"I'm really sorry." She said. Shane smiled.
"Thanks Joey." He said. Joey looked at him.
"How 'bout we finish the drawing later?" She suggested.
"But won't it be hard to get back in the same exact pose?" He asked. Joey smiled.
"I'll deal with it. Besides, what artist backs out in the face of challenges?" She asked.
"Don't stop drawing because you think I'm having some sort of grieving moment." Shane said. Joey shook her head.
"Not at all. My hand was getting tired. So, I decided we take a break."
"So, I'm guessing you like dominating people." Shane smirked. Joey laughed.
"Oh yeah, don't you know that all us arrogant, stubborn, head-strong bitches love bossing others around?" Shane smiled.
"I had some sort of idea, compliments of you." He joked. Joey smiled.
"Figures.... I usually give that image off about myself." She responded.
"But that's not the real you." Shane sated. Joey looked at him.
"And how are you so sure?" She asked.
"Well, you're fine now." He said.
"Well, maybe this is just an act, I'm really some evil wench and it's not a good idea to mess with me."
"Oh, I've seen you as the evil wench, and I've seen you how you are right now. The 2nd one seems more natural." He said.
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Summer's arms tightened around her tiny frame as she walked further away from Storm Chargers. She was freezing.
"I knew I should have brought a sweater to work today." She mumbled. The wind had turned from a nice warm breeze, to a freezing cold, bitter wind that slapped your hair around in your face. Summer sat down on a rock and looked out over the ocean. She was angry at Blake... Not so much Hunter, she wanted to ask him about what Blake had said though.... But her life, as she saw it was a living hell at the present moment.
"Maybe I should just pick up and leave." She said out loud. The wind whipped her words away from her body.
Sighing Summer stood up and continued walking. She kicked some sand aimlessly out of her way, although it seemed as if the entire beach was in her way. Looking out over the ocean again, she was so tempted to just go out and swim, but she knew that it was probably really dangerous, and she didn't feel like getting herself killed today. Walking a little farther she stumbled upon a tiny cave. Not very deep to go into, but it would work to sit and think. Sitting down Summer stared out the entrance.
"Come on world.... Give me an answer...What am I supposed to do?" She asked quietly.
"Summer?" Came a voice. Summer spun around to see Blake standing there. Summer sighed.
"Oh, god could this day get any worse." Summer muttered.
"What now, Blake? Here to call me a slut or something?" Blake winced. Summer wasn't sure if it was her tone, or the wind whipping around them. Blake sighed.
"Come on, the winds getting pretty brutal out here. We should head back to the store or something."
"How about you leave me alone?" Summer replied. Blake ran his hands over his face.
"How bout I go back and send Hunter over here and you can deal with that?" He growled. Summer rolled her eyes.
"I don't need this bullshit." She mumbled pushing herself up. She dusted herself off and walked away from Blake.
"Where are you going?" He asked. Summer turned around and looked at him.
"I don't see why you care! I mean you obviously want me out of your house... I may as well walk back to Glassington and leave everyone here!" She screamed. Blake wasn't expecting that to come from her.
"I.I didn't say I wanted you out of the house." He said softly. Summer gave him a hard look. She slowly walked back over to him.
"Well, your actions haven't exactly screamed otherwise." She said. Blake sighed.
"I.I know.I." His voice trailed off. He looked at Summer.
"Look, after our parents died, Hunter and I basically just had each other. I mean, yeah, we've got our friends and everything, but still, it was like he and I were a team. Totally inseparable. But, since you got here, it's like there's a wedge between us. We barely talk like we used to."
"I get it, I'm coming in between brothers, and I'll leave." Summer said.
"See ya." She turned to leave. Blake grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"No. Don't." He said. Summer looked at him.
"You're not coming in between us. I guess I was just bitter.Felt like I was being replaced. And then last night, when I heard you, it all just kind of blew out."
"Blake." Summer said softly.
"I would never try to replace you. And I really don't think Hunter wants me to. You're his brother. Me, I'm just some girl he's sleeping with."
"He loves you." Blake said.
"Don't sell yourself short." Summer sighed.
"Well.... I know he does... but I can't help thinking what you said earlier about Hunter just fucking the first damsel in distress he met, just might be true..." She said, her voice quavering. Blake looked at her.
"I highly doubt it's true. I said it because I was pissed off...and I'm sorry." He responded. Summer nodded and sniffed.
"I know you were pissed off Blake... but put yourself in my position.... You basically called me a tramp.... and..." She broke off, tears trickling down her cheeks. Blake's face softened and he went to hug her.
"Don't touch me please...." She told him, swiping at her tears. She took a deep breath.
"Look... I know Hunter loves me, but I just need some time to think about everything that's happened.... ok?" She asked. Blake groaned and nodded.
"You do realize that if he finds out that I've talked to you and you don't come back, he'll kill me right?" He replied. Summer nodded and smiled.
"I'm willing to take that chance." She told him. Blake shook his head.
"Ok...."He said. Summer gave him a half smile.
"You haven't seen me." She said backing away slowly. Blake nodded again.
"Bye Summer...." He said as the blond turned away from him and kept walking.
"Goodbye Blake." She called. She left. Blake turned to walk away then stopped suddenly, seeing Tori standing a few feet away. He sighed and walked over to her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Hey." He said.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Looking for you. You weren't at the store when Hunter and I got back, and I was worried." She said.
"Well, I'm fine." He said. Tori looked at him.
"You should've just told Hunter you were feeling as if you were being replaced." She said softly.
"I'm sure Hunter doesn't even realize he's spending a lot of time with Summer. But if you tell him, I bet he'll do something about the whole wedge thing."
"It's not a big deal." Blake shrugged.
"It is a big deal." Tori said.
"Blake, you shouldn't keep whatever's bothering you bottled up like that. I mean, look what happened when you just couldn't hold it in anymore." Blake sighed and nodded.
"You're right.... it was the last straw though.... I didn't mean to do it." He confessed. Tori nodded.
"I know you didn't, but you obviously hurt Summer's feelings if she won't even go to Hunter for comfort." She replied. Blake nodded.
"So as usual, it's all the Navy guys' fault." He mumbled. Tori looked at him.
"I'm not saying that Blake.... I know you and Hunter are very close, it's like Dustin and me; we've known each other since we were five.... But Hunter's found love and he's happy.... You hurt the person he loves as well as him when you said that today." She told him.
"I know I did.... I really wish I could take it back." He told her. Tori nodded and hugged him.
"I know you do Blake, I know you do." Blake hugged her back. He looked at her.
"Listen, I know that I totally pissed you off as well, and you probably hate my guts now." He began.
"And I wouldn't be surprised if you said you never wanted to see me, let alone date me, ever again. But, just so you know, if anyone ever tried to hurt you, I-" Tori cut him off with a kiss. She looked at him.
"You did piss me off. But, you're forgiven. And, there is no part of me that wants to end what's going on between us. I mean, come on, it took us over five months to get here. You ain't getting rid of me that easily." She smiled. Blake smiled softly.
"Good, because I don't want to." He said.
"We should probably get back." He said.
"I suggest we don't go back to Storm Chargers. Hunter still might want to kill you."
"I'll talk to him." Blake said.
".Uh.After Summer does." He added. Tori smiled.
"Come on, we can go to my place." She said as she took his hand and the two walked away together.
"Sorry for slapping you before, by the way." Blake smiled.
"Don't be, I deserved it." He said.
"Oh, no question about that, but I'm still sorry." She said.
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Summer continued walking down the beach. Blake was right, she should talk to Hunter, but she needed to think first. She leaned against a wall of jagged rock and sat down on the sand. She swiped at her face, and the tears that had been there moments previous. She leaned her head on her knees and looked out over the ocean. It seemed to calm her troubles. The waves crashed loudly into the beach, and the wind literally flung the sand at you. But Summer didn't care. She figured she was safer here than being somewhere else.
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Hunter looked out the window in hopes that he would see Summer come walking back up. Kelly walked out of the backroom and looked at the pre-occupied Hunter.
"Something wrong?" She asked. Startled Hunter turned around and nodded.
"Yeah...Summer's out there." He said. Kelly's eyes went wide.
"She does realize that were going to be getting a hurricane in the next few hours right?" She questioned. Hunter shook his head.
"I highly doubt she knows." He replied. Kelly sighed.
"Hopefully she gets somewhere with shelter.... I'd hate to be caught on the beach in this kinda storm." The redheaded store manager said. Hunter nodded.
"Yeah." Hunter agreed. He sighed.
"I hope she's OK." Kelly tilted her head a bit and looked at him.
"Something else is bothering you. What's up?" She asked. Hunter shook his head.
"Nothing."
"Hunter." Kelly said.
"I'll find out what's bothering you whether you like it or not, so might as well save us both the trouble and spill." Hunter looked at her.
"OK. Fine." He said.
"Blake, Summer and I had a fight." He said.
"What happened?"
"Blake's being an asshole. That's what." Hunter said. Kelly looked at him. She knew there was something more, but didn't want to upset him.
"Want to talk about it?" She asked. Hunter shook his head.
"What done is done with this.... there's nothing to talk about." He told her. Kelly nodded.
"Well I'm here if you need to talk." She told him. Hunter nodded.
"Thanks Kel." He said. Kelly smiled.
"Anytime... Now get out and go find Summer.." She said. Hunter nodded.
"Thanks again."
"Sure thing. Now, be careful. I don't need all my employees getting hurt in this storm." Kelly said. Hunter nodded.
"I'll be back." He said. Kelly grabbed a waterproof bag and first aid kit and tossed it to him.
"Just in case anything has happened, or might happen." She told him, Hunter smiled.
"Thanks Kel... your one in a million." he replied. Kelly smiled.
"I try."
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Summer leaned against a rock wall and shivered majorily. She was absolutely freezing. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in, hoping to gain some warmth in her body, it didn't do her much good, her hair got whipped around even more. She ran her hands up and down along her arms. She needed to find some sort of cave or crevice, to house herself until this crappy weather blew over. As she kept walking, she stumbled upon another, larger cave and went inside. The front was wide open to all the elements, but there were a few large nicks in the wall, that could provide a great deal of shelter from the elements. Summer sighed and entered the cave.
"And to think I though water was my element... Geez I'm freakin hiding from it!" She exclaimed out loud. Summer rested her head against the wall of the cave and shut her eyes briefly. She felt like everything around her was falling apart. She took a deep breath.
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"SUMMER!" Hunter called as she walked along the beach. The violent winds seemed to whip his voice right back at him. He groaned and kept walking.
"SUMMER!" He called again. 'Where is she?' He though. He picked up the pace a little and began jogging,
"SUMMER!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.
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Summer's eyes snapped open; she could hear someone faintly calling her name. She pushed herself into standing form and walked from the cave. There, walking sort of towards and away from her at the same time was Hunter.
"SUMMER!" He screamed again. Summer cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled back.
"I'm over here!" Hunter swung around and ran to her. He reached her and enveloped her in a hug, which she returned full heartily.
"Oh god, I was so worried about you." Hunter said as he held her tightly.
"I didn't know what happened to you. And then when the storm started, I just got fully freaked. Are you all right?" He asked. He pulled away from her slightly, looking at her face and head, scanning for any injuries.
"I'm OK." Summer said.
"Just a little cold, that's all." She said. Hunter removed his jacket and put in on Summer.
"Hunter, you'll be cold." Summer protested slightly.
"I don't care." Hunter said, looking into her eyes.
"As long as your warm." he told her gently. Summer leaned against his and sighed softly. Suddenly, she began to feel something cold and wet drop onto her head.
"Hunter I think it's starti-" Summer began but was cut off, by the rain dumping on her and Hunter full force. It was blinding. She and Hunter began to run towards the cave she had come from to retrieve Hunter. They both stumbled into the cave. Summer sat back down in the crevice she had found and Hunter sat beside, but to the right of her, he looked into her eyes gently.
"Are you OK?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"I was just.... Upset." She sighed.
"I just needed to wander." Hunter nodded. He took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers in hers.
"Well, next time you need to wander, can you at least tell me where you'll wander to, so in case I have to find you, I know where?" He asked. Summer smiled softly and looked at him.
"You seemed to find me pretty well now." She said.
"Well, that's only because I suspected you'd be at the beach." He said. Summer smiled.
"What gave you that idea?" She asked quietly rubbing her thumb over Hunters hand. Hunter shrugged.
"I guess because you like the water, and water can usually be found off a beach." He said. Summer smiled.
"I'm glad you found me." She said. She then sneezed and shivered. Hunter moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry Blake said that shit to you." He apologized. Summer shrugged.
"It's not your fault..." She said. Hunter kissed her gently.
"I feel like it is." He said.
"Blake talked to me, actually." She said. Hunter looked at her.
"He did? What did he say? Did he insult you again? I'll kill him!" Hunter said. Summer touched his shoulder.
"Relax, relax." Summer said, trying to calm him down. Summer sighed.
"We talked. I mean, I was still upset at him so a bit of it was me screaming at him and him trying to stay cool, but we talked. He explained why he was so mean earlier." Summer said.
"What's there to explain? Blake's an asshole." Hunter sighed.
"No, Blake was just feeling...jealous I guess."
"Huh?" Hunter asked.
"He said that you and him have always been close."
"Well, yeah, we still are." Hunter said, not understanding her point.
"Not from where he's standing." Summer said.
"Apparently you and I have been spending so much time together, and that's kind of made Blake feel like you're trying to replace him." Hunter's eyes widened a bit. He suddenly felt like crap.
"What? Why didn't he say anything?" Hunter asked. Summer shrugged.
"I suggest you ask Blake that question." She said.
"I told him that he's your brother and I could never come between you two." Hunter released Summer and ran his hands over his face and sighed.
"So all this time he was pissed off at me, for spending time you with and ignoring him?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Yeah... I guess that's his reason." She replied. Hunter stood and kicked the wall, hard; a few rocks tumbled to the ground. Summer stood, shivering. The jacket had fallen off her shoulders. She went over to Hunter and wrapped her arms around him.
"Please stop Hunter... I know your upset, but your scaring me." She whispered. Hunter nodded sadly and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"I guess I'm just pissed off. I feel like this is all my fau-"
"Don't." Summer said.
"This is not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have taken all your time. I should've seen that you have a family and-"
"Summer, this isn't your fault. I wanted to be with you. I wanted to spend time with you." Hunter sighed.
"I guess I just didn't realize that I had been ignoring Blake."
"Well now you do...And I'm going to make sure you spend more time with him... He's your family Hunter.... I'm just some girl you're sleeping with." She trailed off towards the last part. Hunter lifted her chin up.
"What was that last part?" He asked. Summer let out a shaky breath and spoke louder.
"I'm just some girl you're sleeping with." She repeated. Hunter looked at her dumbfounded.
"What?" Hunter asked.
"Summer, I love you. You're my girlfriend. Don't ever think otherwise." Summer sighed.
"Blake basically said the same thing." She said. Hunter smiled softly.
"Well, it's true." He said. He kissed her softly. Summer kissed him back. She then leaned against him and closed her eyes.
"I'm glad.... I love you too Hunter." She said. Hunter smiled, and hugged her. She removed herself from the embrace and sat back down against the hard rock wall, Hunter sat beside her.
"So what do we do now?" She asked sliding her hand into his. Hunter shifted his body so Summer was leaning against him.
"I guess we wait out the storm." he told her gently. She nodded.
"I'm scared... I've never been in a hurricane before..." She confessed. Hunter kissed her forehead.
"It's going to be OK." Hunter assured her.
"Hurricane's here usually come and past within a few hours, three or four days at the most. But it isn't too bad."
"Not too comforting, just so you know." Summer smirked. Hunter laughed. He held her closer.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to have me hold you close if you're scared." He smiled. Summer snuggled up against him.
"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad." She said softly.
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"So, the girl, who passed away, what was her name?" Joey asked. She and Shane sat in the kitchen.
"Uh, Skyla." He said softly. Joey paused, recognizing the name. She looked at Shane.
"Wasn't that what you said the first time we met?" She asked.
"Yeah..." Shane nodded, looking away.
"From the back...you kinda reminded me of her." He said. Joey looked down for a second. She reached over and put her hand over his.
"I'm sorry that I pried." She told him. Shane shrugged.
"S'ok... Not a big deal... Feels good to talk about her again." he confided. Joey smiled.
"Anytime you wanna talk, just let me know." She replied. Shane nodded. "Thanks Joey." Joey smiled.
"No problem." She said. Shane looked at her. Their eyes locked for a bit. Suddenly glass was heard breaking from upstairs, followed by a surprised scream. Joey and Shane jumped up.
"What was that?" Shane asked.
"Larissa." Joey said. She ran up the stairs. Shane followed. They went to Larissa's room, just when she ran out.
"A branch.... It broke through my window." Larissa said. She seemed shaken and scared. Joey walked past her into the room. Sure enough, through the window. By Larissa's bed, was a branch from the tree that was right outside the window.
"I had just gotten up from my bed to go on the computer when it happened." Larissa said softly.
"I...If I had been just a second slow..." Her voice trailed off. Joey looked at her. She went over and hugged her. Joey turned to Shane.
"Do you have any idea as to what were supposed to do during a hurricane?" She asked him.
"No clue..." He admitted. Joey sighed. They were going to have to do something.
"Ok... so now what?" Larissa asked shakily. Both Joey and Shane shrugged.
"Wonderful... So were basically up shit creek without a paddle." Larissa summarized. Joey and Shane both nodded, chuckling.
"Although, judging by that hole in your window and the rain, chances are, we're going to need a paddle." Shane smiled. Larissa laughed a bit.
"OK, uh, Lar, unplug anything that might go boom from the water." Joey said, laughing a bit from Shane's joke.
"Shane and I will try to find something to board up the window." Larissa nodded and began unplugging her computer and other electronics in her room. Shane and Joey wandered to the basement of the house and grabbed a couple wooden boards and carried them upstairs. They hauled them into Larissa's room and leaned them against the wall. Joey ran back downstairs and grabbed a hammer and nails. She carried them back upstairs, she gave a handful of nails to Shane and kept the others for herself. They began pounding the nails into the wood, into the wall. After a while, they successfully boarded up the window.
"OK, after we're back to sunny Cali weather, we can go about putting an actual window in here." Joey said, smiling at Larissa.
"Ah no, don't. It looks funky, original." Larissa said.
"AKA, in case we have a hurricane again, you rather have wood there instead of glass." Joey smirked.
"Well, yeah, that too." Larissa said, smiling sheepishly. Shane smiled, shaking his head at the two.
"OK, come on, let's go downstairs." Joey said, throwing her arm over Larissa's shoulder. The two left the room with Shane following.
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Summer and Hunter gently drifted to sleep holding each other. The storm raging in the background. A few hours later, Hunter awoke to something shaking. Looking directly at Summer, he found that she was shivering so badly, it had turned to shaking. Hunter shook her gently trying to wake her up.
"Summer... wake up baby doll." He said gently shaking her, cold body. Summer's eyes fluttered open slightly.
"Yeah?" She asked quietly. He removed her from his arms and leaned her against the wall.
"Stay there for a second." He told her. Summer nodded.
"So.... cold..." She muttered. Hunter cursed himself... She had been so warm, caught a chill being out so long, then got caught in the rain... no wonder she was freezing. Grabbing around in the dark for the first aid kit, he popped it open and removed the emergency blanket. He crawled back over to Summer, who had fallen asleep again. Her skin was like ice to touch. Her tank top wasn't keeping any heat in, so Hunter removed his tee-shirt and slid it over her head gently, but hard enough to wake her up.
"Hunter?" She murmured. Hunter looked at her.
"Yes baby?" He asked. Summer smiled sleepily.
"Thank you." She said. Hunter nodded. He kissed her gently as he slide his jacket over her then used the blanket to cover them both.
"Your welcome." He replied as he fell asleep.
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"Do you think Summer's OK?" Larissa asked. It was later that evening. Larissa and Joey sat together on the living room couch with a blanket over their laps. Joey smiled and put a arm around Larissa.
"I'm sure she's fine." Joey assured her. Shane was sitting next to Joey. He tugged on the blanket a bit. Joey playfully glared at him.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm cold too, I need some blanket." Shane said.
"Well too bad." Joey smiled.
"This blanket only fits two."
"OK, so, Larissa and I can share." Shane smirked.
"Oh ho, how funny." Joey said sarcastically. Larissa rolled her eyes at the two. They were flirting so badly! But then again if Larissa told Joey that, she get her ass kicked. So Larissa kept her mouth shut.
"I'm going to go to bed... night Joey, Shane." Larissa said.
"Night Larissa." They chorused. Larissa waved and headed towards her room to sleep. Shane sighed.
"Well, I guess I should attempt getting home." He said. Joey looked at him.
"In this weather? Are you insane?" Joey asked.
"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" He asked.
"Stay here." Joey reasoned.
"I stayed here last night. I've been wearing the same clothes since yesterday I need to go home." Shane said. Joey smirked and pinched her nose.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but you are a lil ripe." She giggled. Shane playfully shoved her.
"Haha, very funny." He said. Joey smiled.
"Seriously though. I think you should stay."
"Why Josephina Sanchez, are you trying to seduce me?" Shane grinned. Joey rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder.
"You wish." She said.
"I just don't want the guilt of letting you walk in that weather when a projectile tree branch or hubcap or whatever, decapitates you." Shane rolled his eyes.
"I'm so loved." He muttered. Joey laughed.
"Oh it's ok Shane.... we keep you around for entertainment." She joked. Shane nodded.
"I know." He laughed. Joey smiled.
"Ok so you can have/use Summer's room to sleep in." She told him. Shane nodded.
"Sounds good." He replied. Joey smiled.
"I'm going to my room to go to bed, so you can do whatever the heck you want... Just don't destroy the house." She joked. Shane laughed.
"I can do that." He replied. Joey climbed off the couch and sauntered towards her room.
"Night." She called.
"Night Joey." He responded softly. Shane watched her disappear up the stairs. He sighed. Part of him wished she would've wanted him to sleep with her again, but he wasn't going to push it. He stood up and stretched a bit. He went up the stairs and headed towards Summer's room. Suddenly, Larissa popped out of her room, getting in his way.
"Hey." He said.
"Uh, hey." Shane said. Larissa smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So, exactly how long have you had a thing for my best friend?" She asked innocently. Shane's eyes widened a bit.
"Huh?" He replied.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, trying to play cool. Larissa rolled her eyes.
"Don't even go there. I saw the flirting going on." She said.
"Flirting? Wha-" Larissa waved her hand dismissively.
"Whatever. Anyway, just thought you should know, I'm onto you, but don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut." She smiled.
"Uh...Right...Thanks." He sighed. Larissa smiled.
"No prob." She said.
"G'night." She said, retreating back to her room. Shane sighed.
"The women in this house are insane." He muttered as he went to Summer's room.
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Summer awoke about 4 hours after Hunter had woken her up in the middle of the night. She awoke to find that a warm flannel blanket, a jacket, a tee- shit, and her tank top and bra covered her. The shirt and jacket were Hunter's. She lifted the blanket back a little to find Hunter lying there shirtless. Why had he given her his shirt and jacket? She placed her hand on his chest, to find it cool, but normal. Smiling gently, she snuggled up close to Hunter, wrapped her arms around him and drifted back to sleep.
Hunter awoke a short time later, to find his blond bombshell of a girlfriend laying practically on top of his, looking quiet happy. Kissing her gently, he woke her.
"Morning gorgeous." He whispered, cupping her face gently. Summer smiled.
"Morning Hunter." She said kissing him gently. Hunter sat up, the blanket slipping from his chest and upper body. Summer lay their staring at his gorgeous body. Hunter tilted his head and looked at her.
"Like what ya see?" He asked. Summer smacked her lips and nodded.
"Oh yah." She told him. Hunter smiled. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. Summer responded with equal emotion. Hunter looked out the cave and saw the hurricane had passed.
"Well, the weather is back to normal. So, it's safe to leave." He said.
"Who says I have any intention of leaving?" She asked, grinning wickedly. Hunter looked at her.
"Are you purposing that we do it right here?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Yeah why not?" She asked. Hunter chuckled.
"Um the fact that one, we'd be doing it on a rock floor, not so great for the back, and two, I don't have any protection." he told her. Summer frowned.
"Aren't guys supposed to carry one in their wallets like all the time? At least, that's what they do in the movies." Summer said. Hunter chuckled again, rolling his eyes.
"Next time we spend the night in a cave, I'll remember that." He said. Summer giggled.
"Are you suggesting we do this again?" She asked. Hunter nodded.
"Well why not." He responded softly kissing her. Summer smiled into the kiss.
"Well, next time, forget the rain and violent winds. Shivering kind of ruins the mood." Summer smiled.
"Well, what about body heat?" Hunter grinned. Summer laughed.
"Good point." She smiled. Hunter leaned over and kissed her gently.
"Your so beautiful." He murmured. Summer blushed.
"No I'm not." She replied. Hunter ran his thumb down her cheek.
"Yes, yes you are." He said.
"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." Hunter said, looking into her eyes.
"And I have to wonder, what incredibly good thing I must've done to deserve someone like you in my life." Summer smiled.
"You were just you." She said as she kissed him softly. Hunter grinned.
"It must have been something more than that." He replied, hugging her tiny frame. Summer leaned against him and smiled.
"No.... you were just you." She repeated. Hunter smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I think you might be right about that." He laughed. Summer rolled her eyes and kissed his jaw line.
"Hey I thought we were gonna wait till we got home to do this?" He softly asked. Summer shrugged.
"I really don't care. As long as your there." She replied.
"Well, I guess we should head back at warp speed." Hunter said softly.
"What about Blake?" She asked.
"If he's there, we can just kick him out." He smiled. Summer looked at him. Hunter sighed.
"Or nicely ask him to vacate the premises for a few hours."
"A few hours? Well, someone thinks highly of himself." Summer smirked.
"Always." Hunter grinned. Summer giggled. "Lead the way love." She smiled. Hunter stood and took her by the hand and lifted her onto her feet. She looked down and was still wearing Hunter's shirt and jacket.
"Babe... You might want your shirt... I can't fend off all those girls out there once they get a look at your body." She winked. Hunter grinned madly. He grabbed his shirt.
"Have to reserve this property for a beautiful blond bombshell." He smiled. Summer laughed.
"I didn't know you and Tori were...." She joked. Hunter's mouth dropped and Summer took of running from the cave.
"Your so dead Summer!" He yelled after her, chasing her.
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Blake awoke, feeling Tori in his arms. For a moment, he thought it was a dream, and then he remembered that Tori had brought him to her place during the hurricane and the two ended up falling asleep on her couch. He shifted slightly and caught a glimpse of the blond goddess lying in his arms. She looked so peaceful. Blake didn't want to disturb her sleep, so shifting again, he kiss her neck gently and fell back to sleep.
End Chapter.
A/N: We are so incedabibly sorry about the long wait. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We love you!!
----- "Shane?" Joey called, walking along the woods. They had arrived together, but had somehow gotten separated.
"Shane, where are you?" She asked.
"Over here." She heard him say. She followed his voice and came to a clearing. Shane stood there, looking at her.
"Hey." She smiled.
"Where'd you go?" She asked. Shane looked at her.
"You didn't expect me to stay with you, did you?" He sneered. Joey blinked.
"What?" She asked.
"Shane, is something wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said as he slowly walked over to her.
"You are."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Shane, you're not making sense."
"You're not supposed to be here." He said lowly.
"What?"
"Let me go!" Came a voice. Joey looked over and saw the man attacking her mother.
"Mama!" Joey screamed. She went to help her, Shane grabbed her, holding her back.
"Shane! Let me go! I've got to help her!" Joey screamed. Shane merely chuckled.
"Try helping yourself." He said, pushing her back, causing her back to slam into a tree.
"Cause you need it. You don't know who you really are, and until you do, you're nothing, worthless."
"What are you talking about?" Joey exclaimed angrily.
"I know who I am, I'm Joey fucking Sanchez!" Shane smirked.
"You don't know anything until you know the other part of you." He said.
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Joey flinched slightly and sat up, waking up from her dream. Her sudden movement awoke Shane. He groggily looked at her.
"Joey?" He asked softly. Joey looked at him.
"Hey." She said softly.
"You OK?" He asked. Joey nodded slowly.
"Mmmhmm." She said, lying back down. Shane ran his hand over Joey's hair.
"As long as you're sure your ok." He mumbled. Joey nodded.
"Yeah.... I'm good." She told him. Shane lazily threw his arm around her waist. Joey looked at him, he had fallen back asleep. Joey sighed and drifted back to sleep.
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Cam sat the computer located in Ninja Ops. He was carefully trying to identify who these new rangers could be. Blake and Hunter had already said that they didn't know anyone who wore pink at the Thunder Ninja Academy, so Cam was out of luck with that girl, until such time as they all revealed themselves. The other two, the Orange Lightning Ranger, and the Black Fire Ranger seemed to have similar techniques, but again Cam couldn't find any information on either of them. Cam's father walked in.
"My son.... Have you had any luck finding out where these new rangers are from?" Sensei asked. Cam sighed.
"No Dad.... It's very difficult trying to figure out who they are, or how they've just appeared out of no where.." Cam told his father. The Guinea Pig nodded.
"I understand. Perhaps you should get some sleep my son... Rest helps the brain to solve problems easier." Cam nodded.
"Your right... Night Dad." The Samurai Ranger said, wandering towards his room.
"Goodnight, my son." Sensei replied quietly.
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Summer stood at the cash helping to ring in customers purchase with Kelly, while Dustin, Hunter and Blake worked in back, as well as out in the main store, unpacking boxes, and stocking shelves. The tension between Hunter and Blake was still obvious from the night previous, and they hadn't spoken to each other since then. Summer was afraid to attempt to talk to Blake about what happened in fear that someone might overhear them. Not that she didn't want people to know, she just didn't want them to find out that way.
"Hey." Came a voice. Summer blinked, breaking out of her thoughts and saw Tori standing in front of her. Summer smiled.
"Hey." She responded.
"What's up?" She asked. Tori shrugged.
"Nothing really, I just."
"Looking for Blake?" Summer smirked. Tori laughed.
"Yeah."
"Uh, he's in the back, working. I don't think he's in a very good mood though." Summer sighed. Tori looked at her, concerned filling her features.
"What? What's wrong?" She asked. Summer bit her lip.
"Hunter and him had a fight last night.and that's all I can really say at the moment." She said. It wasn't that she was hiding it from Tori; it was just that she'd rather tell her that in a more private and 'girl talk' setting. Tori nodded.
"We need to talk don't we?" Tori question. Summer nodded.
"Oh yeah." Summer replied. Tori gave summer a half smile.
"Hey...that's me Tori the Guidance Counselor." She said. Summer chuckled and went to serve a customer. Tori walked into the back room. As she got closer, Dustin came out, almost bumping into her. Tori laughed a bit.
"Hey." She said. Dustin looked at her.
"Hey, I uh, wouldn't go in there if I were you." He said.
"Blake and Hunter are having a glaring contest. It's kinda scary. They're not saying anything, but it looks like they're about to rip each other to shreds." Dustin said. Tori looked at him.
"Wonderful." Tori said. She looked at Summer whose eyes basically said, 'I told you so.' Tori looked back at the door.
"Should we close it before the screaming match begins?" She asked. Summer nodded furiously. Dustin shrugged.
"Whatever floats your boat Tor." He said. Summer looked at him.
"Cover the register for me." She said as she joined Tori by the doorway of the backroom. Dustin sighed and did as he was told.
"Ok so do we go in together and attempt not to get killed, or go in one by one...and attempt to not get killed." Summer said. Tori looked at her.
"First one defiantly. I get Blake you get Hunter?" Tori asked. Summer rolled her eyes.
"NO. I figured I'd take Blake." Summer responded sarcastically. Tori chuckled.
"Ok.... on the count of three. One, two.... three." Both girls walked into the room simultaneously. Only problem was, they hadn't taken the width of the doorway into account, and were wedged in between the doorway, against each other. Hunter and Blake looked at them oddly.
"OK." Summer said.
"Bad idea. Let's try this again." She said as Tori and she got out of the doorway. They walked in one at a time.
"OK, better." Summer said. Summer and Tori looked at the boys.
"Hey guys!" Summer said perkily. Blake glared at her, causing Summer to glare back.
"If your not careful your face might freeze like that Blake." Summer growled. Hunter glared more intently at Blake.
"Mind not being a royal dick to my girlfriend?" He snarled. Blake scoffed and looked at his brother.
"How funny you use dick and girlfriend in the same sentence." Blake said.
"Hey!" Summer yelled. Tori looked at the three of them.
"Why do I have a feeling that whatever's going on involves the three of you together?" Tori asked rhetorically. Summer turned and looked at Tori.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here right now Tori.... And your right.... This involved me, Hunter and jackass over there." Summer replied jerking her thumb towards Blake. Blake glared at her.
"Excuse me?" Blake growled. Tori sighed.
"Normally, I'd be all for standing up for Blake, but, since I have no idea what's going on, I'm just going to leave." She said.
"Wait." Blake said.
"There's no way I'm going to be left alone with these two. Knowing them, they'll start humping each other or something, since that's apparently their new favorite pastime." Blake added. Tori's jaw hung open in shock.
"You're dead." Hunter said as he tried to get at his brother. Summer grabbed Hunter's arm.
"Oh no you don't." She said, pulling him back.
"I'm going to kill him." She snarled as she went to get at him. Blake stepped back. Tori rushed in between them.
"No one's killing anyone!" Tori yelled. Summer snapped her head around and looked at Tori.
"Tori... I suggest you move before I do something I regret." She told the blond surfer. Blake snorted.
"You mean you don't regret fucking my brother? I mean any other girl would." Blake laughed. Summer's eyes went wide.
"You asshole!" Summer shrieked as she tried to get past Tori. Tori stood her ground.
"Hunter, a little help here?" Tori asked.
"Oh no, let her at him. Just leave some for me to kill, ok babe?" Hunter asked Summer. Tori groaned and pushed Summer away, causing her to collide against Hunter. Hunter caught her. Blake glared at Hunter.
"Oh right, now that you have your little girlfriend, what use do you have for your brother?" He snapped. Summer fought tooth and nail to get away from Hunter and to kill Blake. She had one mindset right now. 'Murder Blake.'
"Why the fuck are you so touchy about this Blake? Like what's shoved up your ass." Summer snarled. Blake rolled his eyes.
"Uh...I dunno, maybe the fact that you and Hunter were getting it on last night and I could hear you." he told them both. Summer's eye began to twitch.
"Your just jealous that Hunter actually got some." Summer spat.
Blake snorted.
"I'm not jealous." He said.
"I could have anyone I wanted... I wouldn't settle for the first 'damsel in distress' to walk through the door to fuck." He spat at her. Summer stood up fully and looked at Blake.
"What did you just say?" She whispered dangerously. Hunter went to hug her, but she pulled away.
"Fuck you Blake." She spat angrily, storming out of the backroom and out the front door of Storm Chargers. Hunter glared at his brother.
"Asshole." He said as he went after Summer. Tori looked at Blake.
"I'm not even going to venture near the 'anyone you want' comment right now. You had no right to say that to say that to Summer." She said. Blake's eyes narrowed.
"What, so first she steals my brother, now my girlfriend?" Blake said. Tori looked at him.
"So, that's what this is all about?" She asked.
"It's about me hearing them going at it last night. I blared the music and 'destroyed the moment'" Blake told her. Tori rolled her eyes.
"Smooth, Blake, real smooth." She told him. Blake gave her a dirty look. Tori ran her fingers through her hair.
"Fuck this." She growled. She slapped Blake hard across the face. His hand flew up and held the spot where his girlfriend had slapped him.
"First... you apologize to Summer, then to Hunter... And maybe, just maybe I'll forgive you for being a fucking jerk!" Tori screeched. She slammed out of the backroom and out the same way she had come in. Blake looked down.
"God damnit." He yelled. Dustin poked his head into the room.
"I take it things didn't go too well?" He asked innocently. Blake glared at him.
"Where the hell did you get that idea?" He grumbled. Dustin snorted.
"Uh the fact that one by one, Summer, Hunter then Tori left... What did you do man?" Dustin asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Blake sighed. Dustin shrugged.
"You might want to get back out here soon.... At the moment were down two employees.... and Kelly won't be happy if we suddenly become three down." Dustin told him. Blake nodded.
"Be right there." Blake told him. Dustin turned and went back out into the main room.
"Open mouth, insert foot." Blake mumbled to himself.
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Once Summer had reached the pavement outside Storm Chargers, she had taken off running, fast. By the time Hunter exited the building she was 1/4 of the way down the beach and still going strong. Hunter sighed and took off after her. She had a good 2-minute head start, but was obviously faster than him, despite all his training.
Summer rounded a corner and hid behind some rocks. She knew Hunter was following her.... She just didn't want to be found yet.... She needed some time alone. Hunter came to a stop and leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his breath.
"Summer? Summer, where are you?" He called out. Summer didn't say anything. She simply stayed behind the rocks, praying he would leave. Hunter looked around. He had seen Summer come over here, and people just didn't disappear out of thin air.
"Summer! Where are you?!" He yelled loudly. Summer squeezed her eyes shut.
'Please just go away.... I can't deal with this right now.' Her mind cried.
"Hunter." Came a voice. Hunter turned to see Tori approaching him. He gave her a hard look.
"If you're here to tell me to go talk to that asshole, forget it." He growled. Tori shook her head.
"Trust me, even I'm not talking to him right now." Tori sighed. Hunter's face softened.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Hunter told her. Tori shrugged.
"Shit happens.... Where's Summer?" Tori questioned. Hunter shrugged.
"I wish I knew.... She ran over here, but now I can't find her." He replied. Tori sighed.
"Maybe she just needs to be alone right now." Tori suggested.
'Yes, exactly!' Summer thought to herself, hearing their conversation. Hunter sighed.
"I'd feel better finding her." Hunter replied.
"But that doesn't mean it'll make her feel better." Tori pointed out. Hunter looked at her. Tori quickly amended her statement.
"Not that you being around would make things worse, it's just that sometimes, you just have to give people there space." Hunter sighed, nodding.
"I guess you're right." He said.
"Aren't I always?" Tori joked, trying to lighten the mood. Hunter chuckled as the two walked away.
Summer let out a shaky breath.
"Finally." She whispered. She ran her hands over her face and sighed.
"Life really sucks." She muttered. Summer pushed herself up into a standing position. She kicks some sand and began walking in the opposite direction from which she had come. The fresh, cold wind blew her hair around and slapped against her face.
"Strange... They didn't forecast strong winds today." She told herself out loud. She looked out over the ocean. The waves seemed to be getting bigger. Shrugging it off, she continued to walk.
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Tori and Hunter slowly walked back to Storm Chargers, when Tori stopped and looked out at the ocean.
"That's really weird.... The waves are getting huge.... They never get that big unless were getting a hurricane!" Tori exclaimed. Hunter stopped and turned around.
"Your joking right?" He asked. Tori shook her head.
"No joke.... I've lived here all my life, and I've lived through a few hurricane's.... this is perfect weather." She told him. Hunter sighed.
"Great just great.... maybe I should go find Summer." He said. Tori shook her head again.
"She can find her way back... She probably just needs to cool off." Tori replied.
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"How long do I have to sit here?" Shane asked. He was sitting on Joey's couch. She was sitting on the opposite end with her feet on the couch, a pad of drawing paper rested against her raised knees.
"Until I'm done." Joey replied with a smile.
"And since when is talking sitting still?" She asked.
"So you want me to stay still, and quiet? Oh, you're a cruel woman." Shane smirked. Joey laughed.
"Will you shut up?" She said.
"You keep talking, and I'll just draw a stick figure with a smiley face. Although, I do think it'd be an improvement." She smirked. Shane glared at her playfully and grabbed a throw pillow, throwing it at her. Joey giggled. They both heard the loud violent winds and the branch of a tree gently rapping on the window. Joey looked over at the window.
"Funky weather." She commented. Shane turned and looked out the window.
"That's hurricane weather." He replied. Joey's eyes went wide.
"Hurricane?" She asked. Shane nodded.
"We get them a lot here, being right on the coast. It's scary, but not that bad." He told her. Joey nodded.
"I'll take you word for it." She answered. She looked at Shane and smiled.
"Anyway, hold still, all right? I don't exactly feel like sitting here all day."
"Says the girl who at least can move her hand around to draw." Shane muttered. Joey giggled.
"Well, then, sucks to be you." She simply shrugged. Shane rolled his eyes.
"At this present moment yes, yes it does." He muttered. Joey laughed.
"Hey, you should be happy I'm drawing you. One day when I'm this major extremely great artist, you can say you used to know me, and that I actually drew you." She smiled.
"Well aren't you egotistical." Shane mused.
"Who's to say that saying I know you is a good thing?" He joked. Joey laughed.
"Because I'm incredibly incredible and all who know me are fortunate people because they have me in their lives." Joey replied smugly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Shane laughed.
"Am I one of the fortunate people?" He asked. Joey chuckled.
"Oh why not." She laughed. Shane smiled.
"Good to know." He replied. Joey smiled and went back to drawing him.
"Yeah, I mean, you did help me yesterday. Lord knows what would have happened if you hadn't brought me here." She looked up at him.
"In case I haven't said it yet, thank you." She said softly. Shane looked at her.
"You didn't, but I wasn't really expecting it." He said.
"I'm just kind of shocked at how you helped, and stayed here and everything. I mean, Summer's pretty scary and I know she told you to stay, but," she shrugged.
"I dunno, I guess I kept expecting you to sort of sneak off during the night or something."
"Why would I do that?" Shane asked. Joey shrugged.
"Because spending the night with a girl who hasn't been the nicest to you thus far probably wasn't on your list of great things to do with your time." Shane shrugged.
"I really didn't mind.... Besides you haven't been that mean to me." He replied.
"Oh, so you're a masochist! I get it! I mean, why else would a guy consider a girl who kicked him in the jewels not mean?" She asked. Shane turned and looked at her.
"Hey! I do not enjoy being dominated!" He cried. Joey glared.
"Stay still or else I will find someway to make this picture hideous, then I will post it around town!" She replied. Shane gulped and went back to his original stance.
"Yes Mama!" He said. Joey laughed.
"Looks like you do enjoy being dominated." Joey mused.
"Do I need to bring out the whips and chains?" She asked. Shane smirked.
"Only if you have a sexy leather bodysuit, mistress Joey." He replied.
"Hmm, well, when it comes to anything involving sex, and myself, you, my friend, will never know." Joey replied. Shane frowned.
"Aw, shucks." He replied. Joey laughed loudly as the wind picked up speed, knocking over a few things in the kitchen. Joey stopped laughing.
"The winds really strong." She commented. Shane nodded.
"It'll get worse.... I just hope Summer and Tori aren't out on the water on a day like today... The undertow is really bad when were about to get a storm." He replied. Joey nodded.
"I hope neither of them are out there either.... It'd be really dangerous to even be near the beach during a storm, hopefully they're both ok." She said. They were quiet for a while. Shane sighed and looked at her. She was busy drawing.
"You almost done?" He asked.
"I'd be done a lot quicker if you'd quit moving and talking." Joey replied.
"Well, I just don't want to be stuck here all day." Shane said. Joey laughed.
"Don't be such a whiner." She said. Shane's head snapped up and he looked at her.
"You moved!" Joey groaned. Shane blinked.
"What did you just call me?" He asked. Joey looked at him.
"What, is whiner an offensive term?" She asked. Shane looked down. Skyla called him that. Joey looked at him.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Shane sighed.
"It's just.... a girl I.... used.... to know.... she called me that once..." Shane told her.
"Old girlfriend?" She asked. Shane didn't say anything.
"Must've been a pretty bad breakup."
"She wasn't my girlfriend. Just, someone I knew."
"Why are you talking about her in the past tense?" Joey asked.
"She died." Shane replied softly. Joey looked down.
"Oh.Wow.I.I'm sorry." She said. Shane shrugged.
"I miss her, but I can't live in the past." he replied. Joey scooted down the couch and hugged Shane.
"I'm really sorry." She said. Shane smiled.
"Thanks Joey." He said. Joey looked at him.
"How 'bout we finish the drawing later?" She suggested.
"But won't it be hard to get back in the same exact pose?" He asked. Joey smiled.
"I'll deal with it. Besides, what artist backs out in the face of challenges?" She asked.
"Don't stop drawing because you think I'm having some sort of grieving moment." Shane said. Joey shook her head.
"Not at all. My hand was getting tired. So, I decided we take a break."
"So, I'm guessing you like dominating people." Shane smirked. Joey laughed.
"Oh yeah, don't you know that all us arrogant, stubborn, head-strong bitches love bossing others around?" Shane smiled.
"I had some sort of idea, compliments of you." He joked. Joey smiled.
"Figures.... I usually give that image off about myself." She responded.
"But that's not the real you." Shane sated. Joey looked at him.
"And how are you so sure?" She asked.
"Well, you're fine now." He said.
"Well, maybe this is just an act, I'm really some evil wench and it's not a good idea to mess with me."
"Oh, I've seen you as the evil wench, and I've seen you how you are right now. The 2nd one seems more natural." He said.
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Summer's arms tightened around her tiny frame as she walked further away from Storm Chargers. She was freezing.
"I knew I should have brought a sweater to work today." She mumbled. The wind had turned from a nice warm breeze, to a freezing cold, bitter wind that slapped your hair around in your face. Summer sat down on a rock and looked out over the ocean. She was angry at Blake... Not so much Hunter, she wanted to ask him about what Blake had said though.... But her life, as she saw it was a living hell at the present moment.
"Maybe I should just pick up and leave." She said out loud. The wind whipped her words away from her body.
Sighing Summer stood up and continued walking. She kicked some sand aimlessly out of her way, although it seemed as if the entire beach was in her way. Looking out over the ocean again, she was so tempted to just go out and swim, but she knew that it was probably really dangerous, and she didn't feel like getting herself killed today. Walking a little farther she stumbled upon a tiny cave. Not very deep to go into, but it would work to sit and think. Sitting down Summer stared out the entrance.
"Come on world.... Give me an answer...What am I supposed to do?" She asked quietly.
"Summer?" Came a voice. Summer spun around to see Blake standing there. Summer sighed.
"Oh, god could this day get any worse." Summer muttered.
"What now, Blake? Here to call me a slut or something?" Blake winced. Summer wasn't sure if it was her tone, or the wind whipping around them. Blake sighed.
"Come on, the winds getting pretty brutal out here. We should head back to the store or something."
"How about you leave me alone?" Summer replied. Blake ran his hands over his face.
"How bout I go back and send Hunter over here and you can deal with that?" He growled. Summer rolled her eyes.
"I don't need this bullshit." She mumbled pushing herself up. She dusted herself off and walked away from Blake.
"Where are you going?" He asked. Summer turned around and looked at him.
"I don't see why you care! I mean you obviously want me out of your house... I may as well walk back to Glassington and leave everyone here!" She screamed. Blake wasn't expecting that to come from her.
"I.I didn't say I wanted you out of the house." He said softly. Summer gave him a hard look. She slowly walked back over to him.
"Well, your actions haven't exactly screamed otherwise." She said. Blake sighed.
"I.I know.I." His voice trailed off. He looked at Summer.
"Look, after our parents died, Hunter and I basically just had each other. I mean, yeah, we've got our friends and everything, but still, it was like he and I were a team. Totally inseparable. But, since you got here, it's like there's a wedge between us. We barely talk like we used to."
"I get it, I'm coming in between brothers, and I'll leave." Summer said.
"See ya." She turned to leave. Blake grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"No. Don't." He said. Summer looked at him.
"You're not coming in between us. I guess I was just bitter.Felt like I was being replaced. And then last night, when I heard you, it all just kind of blew out."
"Blake." Summer said softly.
"I would never try to replace you. And I really don't think Hunter wants me to. You're his brother. Me, I'm just some girl he's sleeping with."
"He loves you." Blake said.
"Don't sell yourself short." Summer sighed.
"Well.... I know he does... but I can't help thinking what you said earlier about Hunter just fucking the first damsel in distress he met, just might be true..." She said, her voice quavering. Blake looked at her.
"I highly doubt it's true. I said it because I was pissed off...and I'm sorry." He responded. Summer nodded and sniffed.
"I know you were pissed off Blake... but put yourself in my position.... You basically called me a tramp.... and..." She broke off, tears trickling down her cheeks. Blake's face softened and he went to hug her.
"Don't touch me please...." She told him, swiping at her tears. She took a deep breath.
"Look... I know Hunter loves me, but I just need some time to think about everything that's happened.... ok?" She asked. Blake groaned and nodded.
"You do realize that if he finds out that I've talked to you and you don't come back, he'll kill me right?" He replied. Summer nodded and smiled.
"I'm willing to take that chance." She told him. Blake shook his head.
"Ok...."He said. Summer gave him a half smile.
"You haven't seen me." She said backing away slowly. Blake nodded again.
"Bye Summer...." He said as the blond turned away from him and kept walking.
"Goodbye Blake." She called. She left. Blake turned to walk away then stopped suddenly, seeing Tori standing a few feet away. He sighed and walked over to her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Hey." He said.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Looking for you. You weren't at the store when Hunter and I got back, and I was worried." She said.
"Well, I'm fine." He said. Tori looked at him.
"You should've just told Hunter you were feeling as if you were being replaced." She said softly.
"I'm sure Hunter doesn't even realize he's spending a lot of time with Summer. But if you tell him, I bet he'll do something about the whole wedge thing."
"It's not a big deal." Blake shrugged.
"It is a big deal." Tori said.
"Blake, you shouldn't keep whatever's bothering you bottled up like that. I mean, look what happened when you just couldn't hold it in anymore." Blake sighed and nodded.
"You're right.... it was the last straw though.... I didn't mean to do it." He confessed. Tori nodded.
"I know you didn't, but you obviously hurt Summer's feelings if she won't even go to Hunter for comfort." She replied. Blake nodded.
"So as usual, it's all the Navy guys' fault." He mumbled. Tori looked at him.
"I'm not saying that Blake.... I know you and Hunter are very close, it's like Dustin and me; we've known each other since we were five.... But Hunter's found love and he's happy.... You hurt the person he loves as well as him when you said that today." She told him.
"I know I did.... I really wish I could take it back." He told her. Tori nodded and hugged him.
"I know you do Blake, I know you do." Blake hugged her back. He looked at her.
"Listen, I know that I totally pissed you off as well, and you probably hate my guts now." He began.
"And I wouldn't be surprised if you said you never wanted to see me, let alone date me, ever again. But, just so you know, if anyone ever tried to hurt you, I-" Tori cut him off with a kiss. She looked at him.
"You did piss me off. But, you're forgiven. And, there is no part of me that wants to end what's going on between us. I mean, come on, it took us over five months to get here. You ain't getting rid of me that easily." She smiled. Blake smiled softly.
"Good, because I don't want to." He said.
"We should probably get back." He said.
"I suggest we don't go back to Storm Chargers. Hunter still might want to kill you."
"I'll talk to him." Blake said.
".Uh.After Summer does." He added. Tori smiled.
"Come on, we can go to my place." She said as she took his hand and the two walked away together.
"Sorry for slapping you before, by the way." Blake smiled.
"Don't be, I deserved it." He said.
"Oh, no question about that, but I'm still sorry." She said.
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Summer continued walking down the beach. Blake was right, she should talk to Hunter, but she needed to think first. She leaned against a wall of jagged rock and sat down on the sand. She swiped at her face, and the tears that had been there moments previous. She leaned her head on her knees and looked out over the ocean. It seemed to calm her troubles. The waves crashed loudly into the beach, and the wind literally flung the sand at you. But Summer didn't care. She figured she was safer here than being somewhere else.
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Hunter looked out the window in hopes that he would see Summer come walking back up. Kelly walked out of the backroom and looked at the pre-occupied Hunter.
"Something wrong?" She asked. Startled Hunter turned around and nodded.
"Yeah...Summer's out there." He said. Kelly's eyes went wide.
"She does realize that were going to be getting a hurricane in the next few hours right?" She questioned. Hunter shook his head.
"I highly doubt she knows." He replied. Kelly sighed.
"Hopefully she gets somewhere with shelter.... I'd hate to be caught on the beach in this kinda storm." The redheaded store manager said. Hunter nodded.
"Yeah." Hunter agreed. He sighed.
"I hope she's OK." Kelly tilted her head a bit and looked at him.
"Something else is bothering you. What's up?" She asked. Hunter shook his head.
"Nothing."
"Hunter." Kelly said.
"I'll find out what's bothering you whether you like it or not, so might as well save us both the trouble and spill." Hunter looked at her.
"OK. Fine." He said.
"Blake, Summer and I had a fight." He said.
"What happened?"
"Blake's being an asshole. That's what." Hunter said. Kelly looked at him. She knew there was something more, but didn't want to upset him.
"Want to talk about it?" She asked. Hunter shook his head.
"What done is done with this.... there's nothing to talk about." He told her. Kelly nodded.
"Well I'm here if you need to talk." She told him. Hunter nodded.
"Thanks Kel." He said. Kelly smiled.
"Anytime... Now get out and go find Summer.." She said. Hunter nodded.
"Thanks again."
"Sure thing. Now, be careful. I don't need all my employees getting hurt in this storm." Kelly said. Hunter nodded.
"I'll be back." He said. Kelly grabbed a waterproof bag and first aid kit and tossed it to him.
"Just in case anything has happened, or might happen." She told him, Hunter smiled.
"Thanks Kel... your one in a million." he replied. Kelly smiled.
"I try."
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Summer leaned against a rock wall and shivered majorily. She was absolutely freezing. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in, hoping to gain some warmth in her body, it didn't do her much good, her hair got whipped around even more. She ran her hands up and down along her arms. She needed to find some sort of cave or crevice, to house herself until this crappy weather blew over. As she kept walking, she stumbled upon another, larger cave and went inside. The front was wide open to all the elements, but there were a few large nicks in the wall, that could provide a great deal of shelter from the elements. Summer sighed and entered the cave.
"And to think I though water was my element... Geez I'm freakin hiding from it!" She exclaimed out loud. Summer rested her head against the wall of the cave and shut her eyes briefly. She felt like everything around her was falling apart. She took a deep breath.
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"SUMMER!" Hunter called as she walked along the beach. The violent winds seemed to whip his voice right back at him. He groaned and kept walking.
"SUMMER!" He called again. 'Where is she?' He though. He picked up the pace a little and began jogging,
"SUMMER!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.
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Summer's eyes snapped open; she could hear someone faintly calling her name. She pushed herself into standing form and walked from the cave. There, walking sort of towards and away from her at the same time was Hunter.
"SUMMER!" He screamed again. Summer cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled back.
"I'm over here!" Hunter swung around and ran to her. He reached her and enveloped her in a hug, which she returned full heartily.
"Oh god, I was so worried about you." Hunter said as he held her tightly.
"I didn't know what happened to you. And then when the storm started, I just got fully freaked. Are you all right?" He asked. He pulled away from her slightly, looking at her face and head, scanning for any injuries.
"I'm OK." Summer said.
"Just a little cold, that's all." She said. Hunter removed his jacket and put in on Summer.
"Hunter, you'll be cold." Summer protested slightly.
"I don't care." Hunter said, looking into her eyes.
"As long as your warm." he told her gently. Summer leaned against his and sighed softly. Suddenly, she began to feel something cold and wet drop onto her head.
"Hunter I think it's starti-" Summer began but was cut off, by the rain dumping on her and Hunter full force. It was blinding. She and Hunter began to run towards the cave she had come from to retrieve Hunter. They both stumbled into the cave. Summer sat back down in the crevice she had found and Hunter sat beside, but to the right of her, he looked into her eyes gently.
"Are you OK?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"I was just.... Upset." She sighed.
"I just needed to wander." Hunter nodded. He took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers in hers.
"Well, next time you need to wander, can you at least tell me where you'll wander to, so in case I have to find you, I know where?" He asked. Summer smiled softly and looked at him.
"You seemed to find me pretty well now." She said.
"Well, that's only because I suspected you'd be at the beach." He said. Summer smiled.
"What gave you that idea?" She asked quietly rubbing her thumb over Hunters hand. Hunter shrugged.
"I guess because you like the water, and water can usually be found off a beach." He said. Summer smiled.
"I'm glad you found me." She said. She then sneezed and shivered. Hunter moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry Blake said that shit to you." He apologized. Summer shrugged.
"It's not your fault..." She said. Hunter kissed her gently.
"I feel like it is." He said.
"Blake talked to me, actually." She said. Hunter looked at her.
"He did? What did he say? Did he insult you again? I'll kill him!" Hunter said. Summer touched his shoulder.
"Relax, relax." Summer said, trying to calm him down. Summer sighed.
"We talked. I mean, I was still upset at him so a bit of it was me screaming at him and him trying to stay cool, but we talked. He explained why he was so mean earlier." Summer said.
"What's there to explain? Blake's an asshole." Hunter sighed.
"No, Blake was just feeling...jealous I guess."
"Huh?" Hunter asked.
"He said that you and him have always been close."
"Well, yeah, we still are." Hunter said, not understanding her point.
"Not from where he's standing." Summer said.
"Apparently you and I have been spending so much time together, and that's kind of made Blake feel like you're trying to replace him." Hunter's eyes widened a bit. He suddenly felt like crap.
"What? Why didn't he say anything?" Hunter asked. Summer shrugged.
"I suggest you ask Blake that question." She said.
"I told him that he's your brother and I could never come between you two." Hunter released Summer and ran his hands over his face and sighed.
"So all this time he was pissed off at me, for spending time you with and ignoring him?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Yeah... I guess that's his reason." She replied. Hunter stood and kicked the wall, hard; a few rocks tumbled to the ground. Summer stood, shivering. The jacket had fallen off her shoulders. She went over to Hunter and wrapped her arms around him.
"Please stop Hunter... I know your upset, but your scaring me." She whispered. Hunter nodded sadly and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"I guess I'm just pissed off. I feel like this is all my fau-"
"Don't." Summer said.
"This is not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have taken all your time. I should've seen that you have a family and-"
"Summer, this isn't your fault. I wanted to be with you. I wanted to spend time with you." Hunter sighed.
"I guess I just didn't realize that I had been ignoring Blake."
"Well now you do...And I'm going to make sure you spend more time with him... He's your family Hunter.... I'm just some girl you're sleeping with." She trailed off towards the last part. Hunter lifted her chin up.
"What was that last part?" He asked. Summer let out a shaky breath and spoke louder.
"I'm just some girl you're sleeping with." She repeated. Hunter looked at her dumbfounded.
"What?" Hunter asked.
"Summer, I love you. You're my girlfriend. Don't ever think otherwise." Summer sighed.
"Blake basically said the same thing." She said. Hunter smiled softly.
"Well, it's true." He said. He kissed her softly. Summer kissed him back. She then leaned against him and closed her eyes.
"I'm glad.... I love you too Hunter." She said. Hunter smiled, and hugged her. She removed herself from the embrace and sat back down against the hard rock wall, Hunter sat beside her.
"So what do we do now?" She asked sliding her hand into his. Hunter shifted his body so Summer was leaning against him.
"I guess we wait out the storm." he told her gently. She nodded.
"I'm scared... I've never been in a hurricane before..." She confessed. Hunter kissed her forehead.
"It's going to be OK." Hunter assured her.
"Hurricane's here usually come and past within a few hours, three or four days at the most. But it isn't too bad."
"Not too comforting, just so you know." Summer smirked. Hunter laughed. He held her closer.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to have me hold you close if you're scared." He smiled. Summer snuggled up against him.
"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad." She said softly.
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"So, the girl, who passed away, what was her name?" Joey asked. She and Shane sat in the kitchen.
"Uh, Skyla." He said softly. Joey paused, recognizing the name. She looked at Shane.
"Wasn't that what you said the first time we met?" She asked.
"Yeah..." Shane nodded, looking away.
"From the back...you kinda reminded me of her." He said. Joey looked down for a second. She reached over and put her hand over his.
"I'm sorry that I pried." She told him. Shane shrugged.
"S'ok... Not a big deal... Feels good to talk about her again." he confided. Joey smiled.
"Anytime you wanna talk, just let me know." She replied. Shane nodded. "Thanks Joey." Joey smiled.
"No problem." She said. Shane looked at her. Their eyes locked for a bit. Suddenly glass was heard breaking from upstairs, followed by a surprised scream. Joey and Shane jumped up.
"What was that?" Shane asked.
"Larissa." Joey said. She ran up the stairs. Shane followed. They went to Larissa's room, just when she ran out.
"A branch.... It broke through my window." Larissa said. She seemed shaken and scared. Joey walked past her into the room. Sure enough, through the window. By Larissa's bed, was a branch from the tree that was right outside the window.
"I had just gotten up from my bed to go on the computer when it happened." Larissa said softly.
"I...If I had been just a second slow..." Her voice trailed off. Joey looked at her. She went over and hugged her. Joey turned to Shane.
"Do you have any idea as to what were supposed to do during a hurricane?" She asked him.
"No clue..." He admitted. Joey sighed. They were going to have to do something.
"Ok... so now what?" Larissa asked shakily. Both Joey and Shane shrugged.
"Wonderful... So were basically up shit creek without a paddle." Larissa summarized. Joey and Shane both nodded, chuckling.
"Although, judging by that hole in your window and the rain, chances are, we're going to need a paddle." Shane smiled. Larissa laughed a bit.
"OK, uh, Lar, unplug anything that might go boom from the water." Joey said, laughing a bit from Shane's joke.
"Shane and I will try to find something to board up the window." Larissa nodded and began unplugging her computer and other electronics in her room. Shane and Joey wandered to the basement of the house and grabbed a couple wooden boards and carried them upstairs. They hauled them into Larissa's room and leaned them against the wall. Joey ran back downstairs and grabbed a hammer and nails. She carried them back upstairs, she gave a handful of nails to Shane and kept the others for herself. They began pounding the nails into the wood, into the wall. After a while, they successfully boarded up the window.
"OK, after we're back to sunny Cali weather, we can go about putting an actual window in here." Joey said, smiling at Larissa.
"Ah no, don't. It looks funky, original." Larissa said.
"AKA, in case we have a hurricane again, you rather have wood there instead of glass." Joey smirked.
"Well, yeah, that too." Larissa said, smiling sheepishly. Shane smiled, shaking his head at the two.
"OK, come on, let's go downstairs." Joey said, throwing her arm over Larissa's shoulder. The two left the room with Shane following.
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Summer and Hunter gently drifted to sleep holding each other. The storm raging in the background. A few hours later, Hunter awoke to something shaking. Looking directly at Summer, he found that she was shivering so badly, it had turned to shaking. Hunter shook her gently trying to wake her up.
"Summer... wake up baby doll." He said gently shaking her, cold body. Summer's eyes fluttered open slightly.
"Yeah?" She asked quietly. He removed her from his arms and leaned her against the wall.
"Stay there for a second." He told her. Summer nodded.
"So.... cold..." She muttered. Hunter cursed himself... She had been so warm, caught a chill being out so long, then got caught in the rain... no wonder she was freezing. Grabbing around in the dark for the first aid kit, he popped it open and removed the emergency blanket. He crawled back over to Summer, who had fallen asleep again. Her skin was like ice to touch. Her tank top wasn't keeping any heat in, so Hunter removed his tee-shirt and slid it over her head gently, but hard enough to wake her up.
"Hunter?" She murmured. Hunter looked at her.
"Yes baby?" He asked. Summer smiled sleepily.
"Thank you." She said. Hunter nodded. He kissed her gently as he slide his jacket over her then used the blanket to cover them both.
"Your welcome." He replied as he fell asleep.
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"Do you think Summer's OK?" Larissa asked. It was later that evening. Larissa and Joey sat together on the living room couch with a blanket over their laps. Joey smiled and put a arm around Larissa.
"I'm sure she's fine." Joey assured her. Shane was sitting next to Joey. He tugged on the blanket a bit. Joey playfully glared at him.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm cold too, I need some blanket." Shane said.
"Well too bad." Joey smiled.
"This blanket only fits two."
"OK, so, Larissa and I can share." Shane smirked.
"Oh ho, how funny." Joey said sarcastically. Larissa rolled her eyes at the two. They were flirting so badly! But then again if Larissa told Joey that, she get her ass kicked. So Larissa kept her mouth shut.
"I'm going to go to bed... night Joey, Shane." Larissa said.
"Night Larissa." They chorused. Larissa waved and headed towards her room to sleep. Shane sighed.
"Well, I guess I should attempt getting home." He said. Joey looked at him.
"In this weather? Are you insane?" Joey asked.
"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" He asked.
"Stay here." Joey reasoned.
"I stayed here last night. I've been wearing the same clothes since yesterday I need to go home." Shane said. Joey smirked and pinched her nose.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but you are a lil ripe." She giggled. Shane playfully shoved her.
"Haha, very funny." He said. Joey smiled.
"Seriously though. I think you should stay."
"Why Josephina Sanchez, are you trying to seduce me?" Shane grinned. Joey rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder.
"You wish." She said.
"I just don't want the guilt of letting you walk in that weather when a projectile tree branch or hubcap or whatever, decapitates you." Shane rolled his eyes.
"I'm so loved." He muttered. Joey laughed.
"Oh it's ok Shane.... we keep you around for entertainment." She joked. Shane nodded.
"I know." He laughed. Joey smiled.
"Ok so you can have/use Summer's room to sleep in." She told him. Shane nodded.
"Sounds good." He replied. Joey smiled.
"I'm going to my room to go to bed, so you can do whatever the heck you want... Just don't destroy the house." She joked. Shane laughed.
"I can do that." He replied. Joey climbed off the couch and sauntered towards her room.
"Night." She called.
"Night Joey." He responded softly. Shane watched her disappear up the stairs. He sighed. Part of him wished she would've wanted him to sleep with her again, but he wasn't going to push it. He stood up and stretched a bit. He went up the stairs and headed towards Summer's room. Suddenly, Larissa popped out of her room, getting in his way.
"Hey." He said.
"Uh, hey." Shane said. Larissa smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So, exactly how long have you had a thing for my best friend?" She asked innocently. Shane's eyes widened a bit.
"Huh?" He replied.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, trying to play cool. Larissa rolled her eyes.
"Don't even go there. I saw the flirting going on." She said.
"Flirting? Wha-" Larissa waved her hand dismissively.
"Whatever. Anyway, just thought you should know, I'm onto you, but don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut." She smiled.
"Uh...Right...Thanks." He sighed. Larissa smiled.
"No prob." She said.
"G'night." She said, retreating back to her room. Shane sighed.
"The women in this house are insane." He muttered as he went to Summer's room.
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Summer awoke about 4 hours after Hunter had woken her up in the middle of the night. She awoke to find that a warm flannel blanket, a jacket, a tee- shit, and her tank top and bra covered her. The shirt and jacket were Hunter's. She lifted the blanket back a little to find Hunter lying there shirtless. Why had he given her his shirt and jacket? She placed her hand on his chest, to find it cool, but normal. Smiling gently, she snuggled up close to Hunter, wrapped her arms around him and drifted back to sleep.
Hunter awoke a short time later, to find his blond bombshell of a girlfriend laying practically on top of his, looking quiet happy. Kissing her gently, he woke her.
"Morning gorgeous." He whispered, cupping her face gently. Summer smiled.
"Morning Hunter." She said kissing him gently. Hunter sat up, the blanket slipping from his chest and upper body. Summer lay their staring at his gorgeous body. Hunter tilted his head and looked at her.
"Like what ya see?" He asked. Summer smacked her lips and nodded.
"Oh yah." She told him. Hunter smiled. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. Summer responded with equal emotion. Hunter looked out the cave and saw the hurricane had passed.
"Well, the weather is back to normal. So, it's safe to leave." He said.
"Who says I have any intention of leaving?" She asked, grinning wickedly. Hunter looked at her.
"Are you purposing that we do it right here?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Yeah why not?" She asked. Hunter chuckled.
"Um the fact that one, we'd be doing it on a rock floor, not so great for the back, and two, I don't have any protection." he told her. Summer frowned.
"Aren't guys supposed to carry one in their wallets like all the time? At least, that's what they do in the movies." Summer said. Hunter chuckled again, rolling his eyes.
"Next time we spend the night in a cave, I'll remember that." He said. Summer giggled.
"Are you suggesting we do this again?" She asked. Hunter nodded.
"Well why not." He responded softly kissing her. Summer smiled into the kiss.
"Well, next time, forget the rain and violent winds. Shivering kind of ruins the mood." Summer smiled.
"Well, what about body heat?" Hunter grinned. Summer laughed.
"Good point." She smiled. Hunter leaned over and kissed her gently.
"Your so beautiful." He murmured. Summer blushed.
"No I'm not." She replied. Hunter ran his thumb down her cheek.
"Yes, yes you are." He said.
"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." Hunter said, looking into her eyes.
"And I have to wonder, what incredibly good thing I must've done to deserve someone like you in my life." Summer smiled.
"You were just you." She said as she kissed him softly. Hunter grinned.
"It must have been something more than that." He replied, hugging her tiny frame. Summer leaned against him and smiled.
"No.... you were just you." She repeated. Hunter smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I think you might be right about that." He laughed. Summer rolled her eyes and kissed his jaw line.
"Hey I thought we were gonna wait till we got home to do this?" He softly asked. Summer shrugged.
"I really don't care. As long as your there." She replied.
"Well, I guess we should head back at warp speed." Hunter said softly.
"What about Blake?" She asked.
"If he's there, we can just kick him out." He smiled. Summer looked at him. Hunter sighed.
"Or nicely ask him to vacate the premises for a few hours."
"A few hours? Well, someone thinks highly of himself." Summer smirked.
"Always." Hunter grinned. Summer giggled. "Lead the way love." She smiled. Hunter stood and took her by the hand and lifted her onto her feet. She looked down and was still wearing Hunter's shirt and jacket.
"Babe... You might want your shirt... I can't fend off all those girls out there once they get a look at your body." She winked. Hunter grinned madly. He grabbed his shirt.
"Have to reserve this property for a beautiful blond bombshell." He smiled. Summer laughed.
"I didn't know you and Tori were...." She joked. Hunter's mouth dropped and Summer took of running from the cave.
"Your so dead Summer!" He yelled after her, chasing her.
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Blake awoke, feeling Tori in his arms. For a moment, he thought it was a dream, and then he remembered that Tori had brought him to her place during the hurricane and the two ended up falling asleep on her couch. He shifted slightly and caught a glimpse of the blond goddess lying in his arms. She looked so peaceful. Blake didn't want to disturb her sleep, so shifting again, he kiss her neck gently and fell back to sleep.
End Chapter.