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Chapter Thirteen: Together Again

~Unbowed-and-Unbroken~

Finally together, Piper and Dolly walk through the forest, clearing their tracks off anything that could give them away, staying close beside each other.

"How's Cortez doing? Was the dog bite bad?" Piper asked, hiding her anxiety behind a careless facade that did little to fool her friend.

"He is okay but there will be a scar on the back of his leg." Dolly said, glad to have solid ground underfoot once again. Piper stayed silent but worry tightened her features until she was stone cold and closed off again. She refused to acknowledge worry because right now, Dolly must come first. Piper glanced to the side, dark eyes burning with anger at her situation, her jaw tightening until it began to ache with the force.

"I can't believe he was so stupid and didn't check for dogs." Piper muttered and Dolly glanced over at her, a small smile on her face.

"Well, he was so frantic after you were kidnapped that he wasn't thinking clearly." Dolly said, a small hint in her voice. Piper glanced over at her and shook her head, rolling her dark eyes at the younger girl. Dolly grinned, walking closer to Piper and bumping their shoulders together. Piper ducked her head down, shorn half curls tumbling around her face, gilded in crimson red and brilliant gold, giving her copper hair a beautiful look.

Dolly was slightly envious of Piper, who was (most of the time) clueless and uncaring about her exotic looks.

"Wait." Piper froze, her arm rising and crossing in front of Dolly's chest, keeping her from moving forward.

Piper cocked her head to the side, all of her focus trained in front of her, body tensed up and her white teeth glinting threateningly in the sunlight. Piper really did look stunningly dangerous with her copper skin, gleaming white teeth, tall, slender build, wild curls and dark, dangerous eyes. She slipped her hand down her boot, pulling out an island dagger, thumbing at the tip to make sure it was still sharp, her every sense on high alert.

"What is it?" Dolly whispered.

"Shh!" Piper hissed sharply, her dark eyes narrowing while she stared into the heart of the forest. She didn't know why she was so edgy, whether it was Pan or something else entirely but Piper wasn't about to relax for anything until she felt the danger had passed.

Dolly fell still, trusting Piper to know what was going on and to keep her safe.

After a few tense, strained moments, Piper straightened, feeling the danger pass. Piper took a step towards where the dangerous feeling had come from but was drawn to a halt when Dolly grabbed her arm and shook her head pleadingly.

"Can we please go?" Dolly whispered and Piper hesitated, glancing back at the forest from under her curling lashes before her shoulders visibly slumped, then straightened and she nodded. Striding briskly past the short blonde, Piper led the way down the path until they reached a place with no visible place to live.

"Follow me." Piper ordered quietly, moving towards a tree and leaping at it, catching a branch and swinging herself up. Sliding and twisting, Piper nimbly moved up the tree around the twisted branches, not having a problem. Dolly, on the other hand, is not nearly as flexible as Piper so she trips and flinches over branches, small welts on her arms from where she scratched herself on the branches.

Piper glanced back, feeling a pang of guilt for not helping Dolly up the tree.

See, the thing about Piper is: she doesn't have many physical failings, crossbow aside. Piper's problems lie with the non-physical issues. She has problems trusting people, she's too guarded, she prickly, snarky, sarcastic, defensive, doesn't connect well with people and has a major problem with manipulation, violence and having the need to always be in control. Piper also has problems with empathy or being able to place herself in other people's shoes. If another person doesn't manage to keep up with Piper, they are almost instantly dismissed in her mind as pathetic and weak.

She can't help thinking and feeling that way though, it was all started by her living on the streets, alone. There, she learned if you weren't strong then you were dead.

Honestly, it's a miracle that Piper ever managed to connected with Dolly. Cortez, she had no problem with because he was strong, violent and had no issues with manipulation. Her and Cortez are two sides of the same coin. Dolly was the odd one out. With those big blue eyes, bright hopes and an attitude that refused to be drowned, Dolly was the bright star to their dark shadows.

The angel to their dark guardian.

If it wasn't for that quiet inner core of strength that Dolly displays at times, Piper would have written her off and abandoned Dolly ages ago, refusing to listen to her heart. That's the thing. With Piper, nine times out of ten she will put her safety above her heart and at times, it scares her but then she ignores it and continues on.

Without Dolly, Piper has a strong feeling that she would have abandoned feelings a long time ago and that is one reason why she clings so fiercely to Dolly. In her mind, Dolly is the brilliant symbol of what is left of Piper's innocence. A hidden part of Piper is terrified that if she loses Dolly, then she will lose herself completely to the darkness within her.

"Here, let me help." Piper said quietly, swinging down and offering Dolly her hand. Dolly didn't hesitate to smile brightly and take Piper's hand, willingly following the taller girl through the branches. They moved slowly higher, Piper helping Dolly whenever she needed it and then a thought struck her.

If her and Cortez are different sides of the same violent coin then her and Dolly are different sides to a different coin. Piper is strong in body but weak in the matters of the heart while Dolly finds her strength from her heart instead of her body.

It gave Piper a bit of hope to think that her and Dolly weren't so different as the blonde might think.

"Here we are." Piper mummered, pushing a few leafy branches out of the way to reveal a large, comfortable looking hammock woven out of the thick but soft vines and padded with the thick, rubbery leaves of the bushes on the ground. Above the hammock were a few branches cleverly moved to hang over the hammock and provide shade, a stack of berries and bandages to the side.

"Wow..." Dolly breathed, stepping across the small platform that Piper had built over the branches and under the hammock, having guessed that Dolly wouldn't do so good on balancing herself so high in the trees. "This is amazing!" Dolly exclaimed, looking around. "Can I have some berries?" She asked and Piper nodded, smiling at her friend and sitting down, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

"Sure but eat slowly, you don't want to be sick." Piper quietly reminded Dolly, holding back a shudder when she remembered all of the times she had been starving, found some food, scarfed it down and promptly puked it up because her body wasn't used to the sudden influx of food. That was never pleasant and the first time it happened to her, Piper had cried until she puked again. Her whole throat had been raw after that and she couldn't eat even though she desperately wanted to.

"I'll be careful." Dolly promised, breaking Piper out the darker turn her thoughts had taken.

Dolly began to eat the berries, hunger in her blue eyes even as she moved slowly, popping one in her mouth at a time, savoring the taste.

Safe up in the tree, Piper relaxed and watched Dolly with a fond gleam in her eyes, a soft smile on her mouth. She loves the younger girl and Piper has no doubt that Dolly loves her too. Cortez...Piper changed the direction of her thoughts a little hastily.

"You know I'm going to need to take you back to the cage, don't you?" Piper asked Dolly softly, twirling the dagger in her hands. The silver flames rippled over the dagger, making the butterflies look like they were moving. Piper stared down at the metal, warmth softly brushing against her hands. It was a featherlight touch and Piper looked up, startled. Dolly had slowed in her eating but she hadn't moved, studiously looking away from Piper in an effort to not face the question so Piper knew it hadn't been her. Fiercemoon wasn't around so it wasn't her.

Piper glanced down at the dagger, gently sliding her fingers over the blade and then firmly gripping the handle.

Brilliant heat flared up in her palm, searing against her skin and reaching bone-deep. With a loud yelp, Piper dropped the blade, dark eyes wide with shock. What...how...

"Piper? Are you okay?" Dolly asked, a note of panic in her voice and wide blue eyes.

"Huh?" Piper asked, tearing her gaze away from the dagger. "Yeah, I'm fine." Piper muttered, her heart attempting to bludgeon its way out of her chest and giving lie to her words. Slowly reaching down, Piper picked up the dagger, tensing up and prepared to fling it away.

...but nothing happened.

The dagger rested innocently in her fingers, glinting prettily under the sunlight. It drew Piper in with how shiny it was but she blinked and shook her head, shoving the dagger into the sheath in her boot and rising to her feet, stretching out her arms in a show of nonchalance.

"After you rest here, I can take you back. Okay?" Piper asked Dolly, a little rattled at what just happened.

"Sure." Dolly said quietly, her face dropping a little. Piper hesitated before walking over to Dolly, her steps light and soundness on the platform.

"Come on." Piper held out her hand and Dolly paused before gripping it and allowing Piper to pull her to her feet. Piper led Dolly over to the hammock and sat on it, tugging her down beside her. After a few tense moments, Dolly relaxed into her side and they curled up together like they do on the streets.

Dolly falls to sleep easily but one lingering, stubborn thought refuses to be shaken away and it keeps Piper awake.

She finally admits it to herself and oddly enough, it makes her feel sad.

...Cortez is normally there to guard them and watch their backs...and now he isn't and it is throwing her off...

A/N: Thank you to all of my favorites, follows and reviews!

BookRain - Don't worry, I may be a bit late in updating at times but I wouldn't drop the story. I think that would create a mob of people out to get me and I don't want that!