Chapter Two: The Game is Afoot

Okay, this, apparently, was a regular thing now.

Hartley's protests on the whole "goodbye kiss" always seemed to fall on deaf ears. It wasn't exactly Amy's fault. Every time Hartley tried to reason with her, there was some sort of distraction. Hartley also had a feeling that Amy meant nothing by this. The civilian had laid awake one night, thinking about the situation and whether Amy was playing some sort of sick game to bring her down.

"Hartley, I would never hurt you."

Hartley clutched her sheets, scolding herself for ever thinking ill of Amy. Those words she had said after the Roundup fiasco. She had spoken them boldly, a way so un-Amy like that Hartley had no choice to believe her. This wonderful, good, human being that was Amy Madden probably thought she was doing something nice for Hartley had the completely wrong idea. It kind of broke the civilian's heart to think about what would happen when she broke the news to her. She would be anything but angry, Hartley assumed. Probably really embarrassed though and would hide out in her room for a few days. That's how Amy worked. She trusted Hartley, she truly did, it's just that talking about feelings was a concept that she couldn't wrap her head around. That broke a little piece of Hartley as well. Amy deserved all the love in the world and Hartley would give it to her if she could.

She was brought out of her daze when she felt a pair of lips on hers. Hartley blinked and shook her head to clear her thoughts. The short-haired brunette smiled and laced her hand through Hartley's, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. There it was. Just another amazing thing about Amy. The way she could express that she was worried without having to say it out loud. "I'm fine." The civilian lied, earning a skeptical look from Amy. Shaking her head, Hartley made a bold decision. She raised their joined hands and placed a tender kiss atop the back of Amy's hand. Looking up, she saw a small smile flicker across the villain's face and then disappear. When Hartley tried to pull away, Amy tightened her grip. She did, however, loosen it slightly when she saw the pained expression on the civilian's face.

"I don't like when you're sad."

Hartley turned her head, only to see her friend staring at the ground, clearly too embarrassed to meet her neighbor's eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Amy gulped, finally looking up, "It doesn't suit you."

That was all that was said on the matter. The short-haired brunette escorted her friend all the way to class, though even then she seemed reluctant.

"You're coming to my house tonight." She said, "We're having a sleepover."

"But it's a school night."

"So, what? That means you can't do your stupid homework at my house?"

Hartley bit her lower lip, considering this.

"Just so you know, this isn't an option. You will come to my house and we can do whatever the hell you want to do."

Oh.

So that's what this is. It was Amy's off-handed way of saying "I'm extremely worried about you and I'll do anything you want just to make you smile." Hartley beamed and nodded, "Okay." She nodded, "Okay, yeah."

Amy nodded, completely straight-faced, though Hartley could see her eyes sparkling with excitement. Hartley giggled, yelping a bit when she felt Amy pull her in for a hug. There was no lip-to-lip contact this time. Hartley's forehead started to tingle when she felt Amy place a soft kiss on her temple.

Then, she just… left.

God, why did Amy have to be so goddamn perfect?

Snapping out of her dreamy daze, she ran into her classroom and took her seat. She hoped Amy got to class on time. She had actually started to try at school. At least, a little bit. She was still rude to the teachers, but actually did the work this time. Hartley had to offer her assistance whenever Amy got stuck, simply because she knew her best friend wouldn't ask. She was just so stubborn. Thoughts of Amy consumed her brain for the rest of the day. For the first time in her life, she hadn't learned a single thing. Not that it was her fault. Not fully, anyway.

Amy was just too distracting. She was beautiful in a way that shouldn't be possible. She had a kind heart, though she would never admit it. She held her family close to her heart, no matter how much she insulted or complained about them. Most importantly, though, she was loyal. When push came to shove, Hartley knew Amy would fight tooth and nail for her if need be. The thought that Amy would risk her life for Hartley, her friend the dork both flattered and terrified her.

Hartley was rocking on her feet by the time she reached her neighbor's house. She had had a very long back-and-forth with her Grandmother about sleeping over. It was no secret how much Celia hated the Maddens. She could barely stand to be in a room with them for more than five minutes. But, Hartley had managed to get a reluctant "yes" out of her Grandmother. It had taken a bit to gather her things together and she was now fifteen minutes late. She hoped her friend wouldn't be mad at her.

The door opened and there Amy stood, even more gorgeous than usual. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she had changed into a loose-fitting shirt with a rather low neckline. She was also wearing very short pajama shorts, and Hartley felt her face instantly heat up.

"You're late."

"Y- Yeah, sorry. My Grandmother-"

"Say no more." Amy then did the gentlemanly thing and picked up Hartey's duffel of sleepover necessities and hitched it up on her shoulder. As she turned toward the stairs, she reached out and took hold of Hartley's wrist, guiding her up the staircase to the second floor. Hartley couldn't help but stare at Amy's hand, which was holding her wrist so delicately. She stared at it until they reached the bedroom, jumping when she heard the loud ka-thunk of her duffle begging tossed on Amy's bed.

Then, in a truly Amy fashion, she began rooting through Hartley's things. Pajamas, textbooks, various undergarments, Amy shifted through them all. Then she started placing them in different drawers and such, pointing out to Hartley where everything was. The last thing she pulled out was the sleeping bag. There, on it, was Starling's giant face printed on it. Looking from it to her best friend, Amy made a gagging sound and shoved it right back into the duffle. Then, she stuffed the duffle under her bed, declaring that they would be "sleeping together" tonight. Hartley had a feeling Amy didn't mean it that way but it didn't matter because Hartley was already done for.

Then, Amy suggested they play Twister because "You said you loved that game." As fun as that sounded, Hartley was a bit taken aback by the suggestion, and why? Because last time she checked, Amy hated games. Bored Games, Card Games, all of it. "No." Hartley answered, shaking her head, "You don't have to do that for me."

"Shut up, I want to."

Then Amy went into the closet and after a short while, came out with the game. As little knowledge about the game she had, Amy knew that you needed a lot of space. She moved some objects out of the way before finally pulling out the Twister mat and the spinner. She looked between the two pieces and then up at Hartley, "There's no manual."

"Oh, don't worry, silly!" Hartley waved off, "It's simple! Here, I'll teach you. First thing you do is…" Then she rambled on, explaining the rules. Amy didn't listen to a single word, though. Hartley was smiling, she was her happy, chirpy self again. All was right in the world.

"Amy!"

The short-haired brunette raised her eyebrows, while her friend groaned in exhaustion as she repeated the rules. Amy did listen this time, though. Soon, what started as a good idea turned into torture for Hartley. She and Amy were so close and it was making her feel things that a nice, honest teenage girl should not be feeling.

"Left leg blue, okay." Amy nodded, looking behind her, "Move your head, Hartley. I don't want to kick you."

Then it was Hartley's turn to spin the dial, and that's where it all went south. She tripped and landed right on Amy's lap. Against her own will, the civilian let out a flirty giggle, while Amy wrapped her arms around Hartley's waist. "Well…" Amy groaned, "That's enough for me for one day, what about you?"

"Yes." Hartley agreed, rather too quickly, "Maybe we could just watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds good. Give me a second." She then pushed herself up, not forgetting to give Hartley a kiss on the lips.

It took only a few minutes, but Amy came running back with three DVD cases in her hands, displaying them proudly. Hartley took them, shocked at what she saw- Love Actually, The Notebook, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Blinking, she set the movies down and stared up at her best friend, "How did you…?" She asked, staring down at the films then up to her best friend. Amy cleared her throat and smiled, "I listen to you, Hart." She announced, "No matter how pathetic the subject is, I do listen to you. Most of the time." She playfully nudged a rather flabbergasted Hartley on the shoulder, causing her to giggle. "So, what are we watching?"

Humming to herself, Hartley held up Fantastic Mr. Fox with a smile on her face. Amy nodded and yanked it out of Hartley's hands, popping it into the DVD player. She then grabbed her best friend's hand and pulled her up onto the bed, nestling close to her. The civilian smiled and snuggled under the covers, yelping in surprise when Amy's arm snake around her waist and pull her closer. Hartley hummed in contentment, resting her head against Amy's shoulder. The villain gently pressed her lips against Hartley's temple. That ended up being the last thing they did that day. The rest of their slumber party was spent snuggling tight and just enjoying each other's presence. Every once in a while, Amy would lean in and kiss her.

Best. Sleepover. Ever.