A/N: I don't know if it was the topic of the last chapter or the fact that I mentioned I really appreciated reviews, but y'all were SUPER responsive and amazing! Thank you so much!

This is the next part for the road trip AU, and seriously, I am in love with this chapter! PLEASE PLEASE READ IT! I just kept smiling like a fool while writing it XD I really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!

I do not own the Lunar Chronicles

~o0o~

"UPTOWN FUNK YOU UP! UPTOWN FUNK YOU UP!"

Not even 10 minutes into the trip Thorne began blasting the radio, so they naturally all joined in for a sing along. Even Wolf, who claimed to hate today's repetitive pop music, managed to join in for a chorus or two. Scarlet mentally noted that he knew every single word to Blank Space.

At one point Iko pulled out her camera and began recording their experience, passing it around to every individual in the car and asking them how they thought the trip was going to go so they could look back on it later.

"Well, I think it's going to be great because my amazing girlfriend planned it out," Kai shouted, trying to raise his voice over everyone else's singing. Cinder attempted to suppress her grin, looking down at the floor.

"I just hope everything goes well," she said. Unknowingly, she began stroking her ring finger.

"I don't know if this will top the nude beach," Thorne crowed once Cress pointed the camera at him. "That was pretty sick. But hey, first stop is Italian food!"

"We turned back the moment we saw the sign," Cress reassured the camera, turning it towards herself.

"Yeah, but not before we saw that one guy with the hairy chest and the huge-"

"Captain!"

"-Nose, Cress. I was going to say nose." He smirked at his flustered girlfriend, daring to take one hand off of the wheel to rub her shoulder. She had placed her hand on her chest, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"Hey, at least it was a man he noticed," Wolf offered from the backseat.

"I'm personally excited for the night when we're camping out," Cress quickly added, determined to desert the current subject. "A night under the stars sounds wonderful."

"We could be out there in the pouring rain and you'd still be happy," Thorne mumbled, smiling to show that he was joking.

The camera was then passed back to Scarlet. "I haven't heard much about the places that Cinder has planned," she started, "but nothing can be worse to this idiot breaking a few ribs and his wrist over a stupid comment."

"He was being a jerk. I'd do it again if he were right here."

"Don't be so serious, Ze'ev." Scarlet nudged him with her elbow, smirking. "Besides, you know I totally could have kicked his ass."

"True."

The exchanged knowing grins before Wolf took the camera himself. "We'll have fun," he said briefly, promptly handing it back to Iko. She thanked him, pointed it down while she adjusted her hair, and then pointed it at herself.

"Yeah, this trip is going to be a blast! At first I wanted it to be my turn this year, but I had, like, zero ideas, so it's good that it's Cinder's turn. I just hope that we won't get bored because we're driving so mu- OH MY STARS I LOVE THIS SONG!"

Iko promptly shut off the camera and began screaming "DON'T YOU DARE LOOK BACK, JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME!" at the top of her lungs. They all joined in, each doing their own weird interpretations of dancing. Even Thorne managed to bob his head in rhythm with the music while driving.

At that moment, life couldn't have been any better.

~o0o~

The drive to Levana's Italian Bistro was only a few hours long, but all seven of them felt cramped and sweaty from spending too much time in the car, so they stopped at a rest station to freshen up and change clothes. It was a fairly fancy restaurant, so it probably wouldn't be best if they showed up in sweaty sweats with bedhead and no makeup.

"Glad we're getting dressed up in style," Scarlet murmured, discreetly glancing over at a woman wrangling three children in the corner of the bathroom.

Cinder followed her gaze and winced sympathetically. "Hey, at least we don't have to do this in a moving car."

"Agreed," Iko chirped, layering on her mascara. "How fancy is this joint, anyway?"

"I researched it online. It's supposed to be one of the best in the country," Cress commented, stepping into heels that still didn't bring her up to eye level with any of the other girls. "There were no complaints about the food."

"But there were complaints?" Scarlet met her gaze in the mirror when she said this, swiping on some lipstick in the process.

"It was weird," Cress said, furrowing her brow. "At first I ignored any negative comments because of the place's high ratings, but there were too many to dismiss. It was mainly about the service."

"What, are they rude? If they make any comments about how many meatballs I eat I'm socking them in the face," Iko threatened, waving around her hairbrush like a weapon.

"The comments mentioned that the owner was super creepy and you could hear her screaming at people in the kitchen, too. I just don't understand why this place hasn't been investigated for violence issues."

"Money takes care of things like that," Cinder sighed. She had long since given up on doing anything remotely fancy with her hair and just settled with putting it down. She wasn't any fashion expert, but a limp ponytail probably wouldn't cut it in a fancy restaurant.

"The food is good, so we shouldn't worry," Scarlet reassured.

Iko just laughed in response. "You sound more and more like your boyfriend every day."

~o0o~

Cinder walked up to the front table, thankful she decided on wearing flats. She probably would have struggled with keeping an authoritative look about her while wobbling in high heels.

She gave a half smile to the host, dropping it when he blatantly examined the quality of her clothes. She was wearing a simple black dress that she bought two days ago from Target, but it was a dress for star's sake! That was fancy enough in her book.

Gesturing to her friends, she tersely said, "We have a reservation."

"Under what name?" His voice was both nasally and monotone at the same time. What a charmer.

"Linh." She raised her chin, looking him dead in the eye.

With the speed of an elderly woman driving on the highway, he began flipping through the list, eyes drooping with what appeared to be both exhaustion and boredom. "I don't see a Linh on my sheet."

Her heart froze. "Could you check again?"

He sighed loudly, as if she was inconveniencing him. A quick glance over her shoulder showed that there was no one else waiting in line.

"Cinder Lihn? Party of seven?"

She fluttered her eyes shut, relieved. This trip still had a chance.

"Yes."

"Right this way."

Their table was situated in the corner of the restaurant, which Cinder liked. It gave them both a sense of privacy and the ability to observe their surroundings. The bistro had a modern look, with swanky art framed on the walls and sleek black tables surrounded by surprisingly comfortable red chairs. The lights were dim, but still bright enough to look someone in the eye and have a conversation with them. The people were dressed similarly to themselves, but you could sort out the people who were there just for the experience and the ones who were having a regular Saturday meal with their friends and families.

"This place is nice," Iko squealed, lowering her voice to an acceptable decibel. "Look, the spaghetti is fifty dollars!"

"Why does good food have to punch you in the wallet," Wolf grumbled, obviously uncomfortable in his suit. His sleeves were too short and his tie hung loose around his neck, but there was no way anyone in the restaurant would dare point that out to him. He could wear a short pink dress with a silver tiara and still look intimidating.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't take us here if I wasn't willing to pay," Cinder reassured. "Get whatever you want."

"Even if I want the 150 dollar lobster dish?" Thorne smirked when Cinder rolled her eyes. "Just kidding, sweetheart. I'll get something else." He nudged Cress, who was no doubt looking for the cheapest option out of courtesy for Cinder. "Hey, you like Disney movies, right? Why don't we split some spaghetti and go Lady and the Tramp style with it?"

Iko gripped Cress's shoulders, her worries about her voice level instantly disappearing. "OMG do it! I'm totally instagramming this!"

"S-sure, that's fine," Cress stuttered, flushing. Her smile didn't go unnoticed, though.

"Congrats, Thorne. You finally found a girl who responds to your cheesy ideas of romance." Kai smirked, showing that his banter was meant to be friendly.

He grinned, wrapping an arm around her. "What can I say? She's my lucky star."

"Excuse me, sir?" They all averted their attention to an employee who looked pretty annoyed that they had to address Thorne as "sir."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to remove your arm."

Thorne blinked, obviously surprised by the words that came out of his mouth. "Uhh… remove my arm from my girlfriend?"

"Yes. Remove your arm from your…" he scanned Cress up and down with his eyes, noting her height and youthful features, "…girlfriend." This action only made his arm tighten around her.

"May I ask why?" His tone was bordering on sarcastic.

"We have a rule here at Levana's; no PDA. It makes the rest of the customers uncomfortable."

Thorne made a big show of looking around the room. "Uhh, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't see any elderly ladies shaking their canes at my arm resting on Cress's shoulder."

The man grit his teeth. Cress, getting the hint, quietly said, "it's fine, Captain. We should follow the policy."

Thorne looked prepared to fight this tooth and nail, but one look at Cress's pleading eyes made him drop it. "Alright, fine." He retracted his arm, discreetly resting it on her knee instead.

Smirking at his victory, the waiter whipped out a pad of paper and a pen. "My name is Aimery, and I will be your waiter this evening. What drinks are you interested in?" He spoke as if the previous events hadn't occurred.

Everyone stared at him for a bit, trying to comprehend their bad luck. Iko, always helpfully oblivious to awkward situations, broke the silence. "I'll have a water, please!"

They had all agreed beforehand to get water because the bill was going to be so pricy, even though Cinder insisted that they order whatever they wanted. Aimery seemed unimpressed with their choice of drink, doing everything in his power not to roll his eyes.

"I'll have three bottles of vodka," Thorne deadpanned when it was his turn. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not. Cinder kicked him under the table, causing him to grimace.

"Make that a glass of water. Geez, Cinder, your foot is practically made of metal," he muttered under his breath.

Aimery stiffly closed his notepad. "Excellent choice, sir, especially considering the fact that your girlfriend is probably too young to drink anyway." He promptly left the table.

Both Wolf and Kai had to hold Thorne down as the waiter walked away. "I'm not as young as I look," Cress muttered forlornly.

"Can't we request a different waiter?" Thorne said this through clenched teeth, which made everyone nervous. Thorne wasn't one to get mad easily.

"Let's just thank our lucky stars it isn't Ze'ev this time, or else we'd be kicked out of her in minutes," Scarlet whispered to Cinder.

"Thorne, just ignore him," Kai reassured. "So what if he's a snob? It'll just make this evening that much more interesting." Cinder flashed him a grateful smile.

"Besides, he's probably just a crotchety single person who can't stand to see happy couples," Wolf snorted.

Thorne huffed. "Alright. But I better be getting some damn good spaghetti."

They all shut up when Aimery arrived again, distributing their water glasses and taking their orders. Thorne managed to grin and bear it when he insisted on bringing a separate plate for the spaghetti he and Cress were splitting. "Remember, we want to keep things PG," he sniffed.

"That freaking movie was G," Thorne later told the rest of the group.

After he left their table for the second time, the mood seemed to brighten immensely. They were able to relax and have an actual conversation, which was something they hadn't been able to do for a while due to job complications and the general chaos of their lives. There was an unspoken rule in that moment; nothing heavy or work-related was going to be discussed. So instead they spoke of more trivial matters, like how Scarlet was intent on adopting a dog and whether or not Iko should change her hair color. Everything was right in the world once more.

And then the food came.

Aimery was a little less smug than usual when he distributed the plates across the table, probably because behind him stood a hostile looking woman. She appeared to be beautiful on first inspection, but if you looked closely you could pick out the false eyelashes, spray-tanned skin, contoured cheeks, and silicone-injected lips, which were stretched in a fake looking smile.

"Hello, my name is Levana, and I'm the owner of this establishment. Are you all enjoying yourselves this evening?"

Cinder, not quite sure why she was approaching them but always one to be polite, said, "Yes, thank you. We've heard that the food here is supposed to be excellent."

Levana seemed disinterested at her reply, and her eyes kept flitting towards Kai. "Mmm-hmm, it is, yes. Now you," she now directly addressed Kai, "I recognize. Aren't you a state senator?"

"Yes, I am," Kai replied, slightly confused that she would recognize him despite being from an entirely different state.

"We go through our reservation list and note any more important people who come," Levana explained with a brief wave of her hand. "Word on the street is that you're considering running for president." Her eyes took on a malicious glint. Kai squirmed in his seat.

"Well, er, that's something I'd wait several years to pursue, once I get settled down-"

"Settled down? Like marriage?"

"Yes, but even then I may not-"

"I'll make this easy for you. I'm wealthy, attractive, and will be the perfect first lady as well as vice president." In a hushed tone she added to Aimery, "Vice president takes control if the president dies, right?"

All seven stared aghast at Levana's directness. Cinder's fist was already forming around the wrench she carried with her in her purse.

Normally, Kai did everything in his power to be as polite as possible, and he had experience with letting girls down. In this situation, however, he was so taken by surprise that he could only weakly croak, "I have a girlfriend."

Cinder raised her hand, not quite sure what expression to have in this scenario. Sure, she was pissed, but Levana had to be embarrassed after being shot down so directly. Then again, a woman this forward and demanding maybe didn't deserve any sympathy.

Levana eyed Cinder, from her stringy hair to her scuffed-up flats. "She's expendable."

Wolf choked on his drink.

Iko dropped her fork.

Thorne's jaw fell open, a strand of spaghetti falling out.

Now Cinder was on her feet. "Excuse me?"

"Cinder isn't expendable!" Kai, shutting his eyes to maintain his composure, cut off whatever Levana was going to say with a terse, "I think you should leave our table, now."

At this point the entire restaurant was watching them, their expressions ranging from awe to horror.

Ignoring Kai's request, Levana continued to speak. "Look, you're the best potential candidate I've seen in a long time. People love you. Now, what do you want? Money? I have that." She was leaning far too close for comfort now, her hand resting suggestively on Kai's thigh. He froze.

"Now that's PDA," Thorne muttered.

"Levana," Kai started, struggling to keep his tone even, "I appreciate the interest but I'm very happy with my girlfriend Cinder." Cinder slowly sat back down in her chair as Levana retracted her hand from Kai.

"Alright. You've made your decision. Levana began to walk away. "But perhaps this will change your mind."

In an instant she spun around, crashing her lips forcefully onto Kai's.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Cinder, wielding her wrench and shouting a fierce battle cry, tackled Levana onto the ground. Kai just stood there, touching his lips with an expression of horror on his face. Some of the guests had started to scream, and Aimery promptly began calling for security through his walkie-talkie.

It was when the hulking men in suits poured in, forcefully grabbing Cinder's arms and dragging her away from a triumphant Levana that Kai snapped into action.

"Let go of her!" Kai shoved one of the guards off of Cinder, and she kicked the other one in the shin, satisfied when he howled in pain. Eyes flashing, the two guards approached them with a not-so-gentle attitude. "I didn't really think this through," Kai muttered, taking a defensive stance in front of his girlfriend.

The rest of the gang found themselves in tight spots as well. Iko was darting around the table, evading one particular security member. She had pulled her camera out at some point, and was shouting the play-by-play of the fights around her with too much enthusiasm.

"And over there Kai is punching the guard who knocked Cinder to the ground- OOOH that is going to leave a bruise! Whoops, got distracted; the dude who's chasing me almost grabbed my hair. If he weren't so rude I'd totally hit on him, he's pretty cute…"

Wolf remained surprisingly calm once the fighting broke out. He simply scooped Scarlet up bridal style before setting her up on the bar, silencing her protests with a firm look. The bartender and the customers seated there then watched in awe as he flung off his jacket and began taking on security guards by the handful, not even breaking a sweat.

"Stars, I love him," Scarlet murmured, sending him a thumbs-up when he looked her way.

Thorne thanked his lucky stars for those few months of military training, because they were certainly going to come in handy in that moment. A particularly large brute headed straight towards Cress and himself. Blue eyes wide, Cress whispered, "Captain, should we run for the door?"

He smirked, pulling her into a side hug and burying his nose in her hair "Oh, my dear, sweet Cress. Have you forgotten that your boyfriend just happens to be a fighting master?" He released her, about to face the guy, but he frowned. "Hey… stay behind me, okay?" He added in a more serious tone. She smiled, pecking him on the cheek in response.

"Go get him, Captain."

At this point some of the customers had called the police, outraged by the display. Iko overheard one of them doing so, and called out, "GUYS, WE MIGHT WANT TO WRAP THIS UP SOON!" Lowering her voice, she turned back to the security guard. "Yeah, my number is 555…"

Wolf was still going strong by the bar, being as quick as he possibly could when he knocked someone out. The customers over there drunkenly cheered each time a guard went down, and Scarlet would occasionally throw out bits of trash talk. "What, you call that a punch? Compared to Z's strength that's like trying to knock down a mountain by blowing on it! And you over there, you call those arms! Those are thinner than the pasta noodles I ate for dinner!"

Yeah, she was a proud wife. It was hard to believe that she once frowned upon his fighting career.

Cinder and Kai were definitely not as strong as the two men, but they were smarter and faster. They backed them to a corner before simultaneously- Kai with a bottle of wine and Cinder with her wrench- knocked them out. Cinder collapsed in a nearby chair, breathing heavily.

"Well this was a disaster," she moaned. Kai smiled, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Yeah. We planned to only drink water this evening to save money, but I just wasted a perfectly good and probably expensive bottle of wine."

Cinder laughed before suddenly freezing, the blood draining from her face. "Kai… how much is this disaster going to cost?"

She felt him stiffen behind her. "Oh. I didn't think about that."

Yep. They were screwed.

It took him a while, but Thorne eventually took down the guard with a firm blow to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He spun around, flashing a cocky grin in Cress's direction.

Except Cress wasn't there.

The blood drained from his face. "Cress? Cress!" He frantically searched the room before he spotted her struggling in Aimery's arms several yards away from him. Even from the distance at which he stood he could see the bruise blossoming along her jaw.

With a furious yell that made some of the onlookers screech with surprise, he charged towards them, determined to break every bone in the waiter's body.

He was only feet away, arms outstretched and ready for action, when Aimery and Cress suddenly collapsed to the ground. She backed away from him as he groaned in pain, only to be swiftly lifted up by Thorne.

"Captain!"

"Cress." His fingers brushed the bruise on her face before moving up to smooth back her hair. "Cress, are you okay? What happened to him?"

She was trembling slightly, and he held her tighter against him. "N-no, I'm fine, I was just s-s-scared because he came out of nowhere, and Scarlet told me that if something like this ever happens I just had to hit him in the… well…" She blushed, averting her eyes from the floor.

Thorne was confused. "Hit him where?"

"You know… his special spot." Her face was burning now.

Realization creeped onto Thorne's face. He was smiling at both the thought of what had just occurred and Cress's adorable reluctance to say certain words.

"You hit him in the crotch?" He confirmed, beaming when she nodded bashfully. In one swift movement he lifted her up onto a table, ignoring the protesting customers who were seated around it, before standing up on it himself.

"EVERYONE, MY GIRLFRIEND JUST KICKED A GUY IN THE NUTS!" He then scooped her into his arms and kissed her with more vigor than he ever had before, cherishing the cheers (and several exasperated protests) from surrounding customers. After a while they pulled away, both gasping for air.

"How's that for PDA," Thorne shot at Aimery, who was still holding his crotch and moaning.

Iko ran up to their table. "Okay, you two, first of all that was AWESOME and I caught it all on camera! Second of all we kinda have to go now." She gestured towards the door, where the others were already waiting.

"Right." Thorne jumped off the table before lending Cress an arm- which she gratefully accepted- to lower herself down as well.

"I didn't know you had that in you," Scarlet teased, nudging Cress with her elbow. She just smiled shyly in response.

"Let's just go before we cause any more trouble." With that Cinder swung open the door, only to reveal a rather angry looking policeman. All of the noise- the shouts and cheers from customers, the moans from security guards, Levana's furious screeching- stopped. It was completely silent.

The cocked an eyebrow at the disaster in front of him before giving a stern glare to the seven young adults.

"Actually, I'm going to have to ask you all to stay a little while."

~To be continued