Hello, everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last updated, and that this chapter is much shorter than my normal ones. It just felt like a good place to end it.

A lot of stuff has been keeping me busy from focusing on this. My family is always going to be my top priority. I'll update whenever I finish writing each chapter, so the update times will vary. But I'm not giving up on this story! I have some big things planned for these two and their friends, but it will be slow getting to it. Please be patient, and let me know how you like the story. Creative criticism is always welcome as well.

The day started out really well. Marcy made eggs for breakfast and they had a nice chat about what they would do for the day. So far a bike ride along the beach and another trip to the carnival was on the list. Marcy had a hankering to bake later on so she decided to head to a small store for some groceries while Keas finished getting ready for the day. Now that she's made it to the store, it's not going so well anymore.

"Help, someone! They took all my money!" a dark haired woman shouts next to an ATM machine just down the street from Marceline.

Unfortunately for the robber he was running right towards her car. Waiting until the perfect moment, Marcy opens her car door just in time for the blond man to run right into it and fall to the ground. She climbs out and grins as he scrambles onto his feet.

"Stay out of this, man!" Marcy cocks an eyebrow at that. He tries to rush past her but she grabs the back of his shirt and whips him around, slamming him into the side of her car. She holds him there with her arm across his shoulder blades and pressing her weight into his back. With her free hand she nabs the purse he stole.

"I would scram if I were you. I'm packing an uzi with me today and it would be wise not to piss me off."
The look on his face made her swear he was pissing himself.

"Sure, whatever you say, man!" She lets him go and he takes off. "Stupid bitch!" he yells over his shoulder. Big mistake.
Marceline pulls her uzi from her shoulder purse and aims right at his back. With narrowed eyes she pulls the trigger. He falls to the ground and she doesn't let up until her clip is empty. As soon as it's empty she replaces the clip with a full one.

With a satisfied smirk Marcy joyfully walks down the street to the distressed woman and holds her purse out to her.
She smiles gratefully as she moves close to retrieve it. "Thank you so much!" she exclaims.

"Women should stick up for each other, right?" Marcy responds with a grin.

"There should be more people like you around here." With that the dark haired woman turns and walks away, pulling her phone out in the process.

The auburn haired woman smiles. "If there were, we would be fucked." She laughs to herself as she moves towards the grocery store she had intended to shop at.

Upon entering the man behind the counter greets her casually. She gives a nod in return as she grabs a basket by the door and proceeds to browse through the shelves for what she needs. Milk, eggs, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, instant oatmeal, and a few other things as well.

Once satisfied that she has everything she'll need she begins heading to the counter. However, a brown haired man who looks to be in his mid forties walks in with a large assault rifle in his hands.

I certainly hope he's not friends with the guy I stopped. My uzi won't be enough against that. Marcy muses to herself. However the man doesn't pay her any mind and aims the gun at the cashier.

"Give me the fucking money!" He shouts. He opens fire on a few liquor bottles behind the man.

"Ok ok, please! Don't hurt me!" he whimpers as he works the register open and begins putting money into a plastic shopping bag. As he does so the robber continues to break the merchandise to intimidate the cashier. Marcy takes the opportinuty to grab some extra things she hadn't planned on grabbing before: a box of tampons, condoms, a few energy drinks, a 6-pack of beer, a pint of vanilla vodka, and a couple lighters.

Finally the cashier tosses the bag over the counter onto the floor. The older man moves forward and scoops it up. As soon as he turns his back to run out the door the cashier ducks under the counter and comes back up with a shotgun.
Instincts take over and Marceline finds herself pulling her uzi from her purse and gunning the cashier down. As he falls back his gun goes off, hitting the shelving unit next to the robber.

He whirled around at the sound of gunshots and witnessed the save. He turns his gun to Marcy and they seem to have a stare down. Green eyes bore into intense hazel ones, neither of the two lowering their weapons.

Finally Marcy offers the man a nod and lowers her gun. He nods in return and cautiously heads to the door, still keeping a close eye on her movements. It isn't until he's right before the door that he sees her stuff the gun back into her large purse. He hurries out and quickly gets into his Maibatsu Penumbra he had stolen shortly before. He hastily buckles in and takes off before anything else can happen.

Marcy strolls out of the store with her basket full of now free goodies. She sets the basket in her passenger seat before taking her place behind the wheel. Hearing the sounds of sirens coming from the south, Marcy takes a backroad north then heads northeast on a main road. She knows it's away from her apartment but it's better to drive further than get in a cop chase.

Less than 30 minutes later Marcy waltzes through the front door to her apartment with a pleased grin on her face. In her arms is the plastic grocery basket. Keas raises an eyebrow at the sight.

"You're not supposed to take the basket," he comments as she sets it onto the counter. She smiles.

"Well once I killed the cashier it would have been pointless to leave it behind," she retorts playfully. Keas' eyes widen as he watches her unload the basket. She spots the look on his face and laughs. "Honestly it was an accident. This guy burst in with an assault rifle and started robbing the cashier so I grabbed a few more things than planned. When he got the cash and went to leave the cashier grabbed a shotgun and went to shoot him. I grabbed my uzi and shot the cashier instead. The robber left and I left shortly after."

Keas frowns, a small blush appearing unintentionally when he spots the box of condoms laying on the counter. He had asked to go along with her to the store, but she insisted she would be fine. And although he's glad she came home safe, he's worried that the next time they won't be so lucky. Her bruise still hasn't faded, after all. He steps closer to her and places his hands on her shoulders when she turns to him.

"I go with from now on," he states sternly. Marcy blinks up at his serious expression and grins.

"Of course. From now on you go with me to the store," she responds easily. Keas narrows his eyes at the way she worded it, but drops it since she did agree to what he wanted. He drops his hands and grabs the milk, moving to put it in the fridge. Marcy grabs the eggs and follows behind him.

"So we'll rent some bikes and ride around down by the beach, right?" Marcy asks. Keas glances at her before moving away to grab more of the groceries.

"Right." His short response is no surprise to her. He's mad and concerned so he won't talk much until he can calm down.

"Then we can come back here for lunch, and then head out to the carnival afterward. Does that sound good to you?" Marcy picks up the box of tampons. Keas shifts his eyes to her briefly before picking up the flour and going to put it in a high cupboard.

"Yes."

Marcy nods and moves to the bathroom to place the box in there. When she comes back out she's pleasantly surprised to see almost all of the groceries already put away. Keas works quickly when he's agitated. She grabs the box of condoms she bought and brings them to their shared bedroom. It will be a few days before the smell of bleach fades so one of them can move into the other one.

Keas frowns as he places the peanut butter in a cupboard. They were supposed to be here on vacation to get away from the excitement of their criminal lives, but lately that seems to be a lost cause. Ever since they showed up here they've been dragged into more dangerous situations than what they would normally go through back at home in this short amount of time.

Maybe... God he doesn't want to think this, but... maybe it would be best if we just went back home. Marcy's hurt and is so carefree here that she's dropping her guard too much.

Keas watches Marcy return to view in his peripheral vision. She moves about the living room humming a happy tune, picking up a few things here and there to straighten everything up. A smile graces her glossed pink lips.

This is the happiest I've seen her, though... Keas' conflicting thoughts confuse him, and there's only one other person he can turn to when he can't talk to Marcy about what's bothering him.

"I'll be outside," he tells her. Marcy looks up from the book cover she was inspecting and smiles bright.

"Alright. I'll just check out this book."

Keas nods before slipping his shoes on and stepping out. He takes a seat on the steps and pulls out his phone. After selecting the name he was looking for he waits patiently for them to pick up.

Daniel yawns as he grabs his ringing phone from the nightstand next to him. He had planned on sleeping in since he didn't have anywhere to go until 3, but he supposes that was just wishful thinking. After seeing the name and picture displayed he tries to smile in the middle of his yawn. He answers it with a wide grin.

"Well good morning, Keas. This is a pleasant surprise," he greets. Keas chuckles on the other side.

"Good morning, Dan."

"What seems to be troubling you?" Daniel knows phone calls from Keas are very rare. They usually only take place when he's troubled and looking for advice. It doesn't bother Dan; he's just happy to know that the older man trusts him enough to turn to him.

Keas smiles briefly before frowning again. "We've had lots of trouble here. Car chase, boat chase, even killed Janice and group she had. Marcy has bad bruise, too. And today she was at the store when it got robbed. I don't think this good place for vacation away from crime."

Daniel hums, throwing his blanket off and swinging his legs over the side. "That does sound troubling. Is Marcy unhappy?" He slips on a pair of black sweats.

"She's happier than her 30th birthday party."

Dan whistles. "She was the happiest I had ever seen her. Man that was a night." He stands and heads out of his bedroom. He begins his trek downstairs to grab some breakfast. "If she's that happy then you guys must be doing something right. I don't think Marcy minds the danger; she's always lept headfirst into it. Especially when it comes to helping someone else." He pauses a moment to think of how to word his next sentence. "I think... a life without crime for Marcy is out of the question. It's what she grew up with and she pursued that sort of life on her own. Maybe one day if she moves out in the middle of nowhere she can get away from it, but in any city she'll always be a part of trouble. So long as you keep her safe and you're both having fun without the responsibilities of our lives here then you're still having a successful vacation."

It's silent for a moment as Keas contemplates what Dan told him. Daniel takes the chance to set his phone on the kitchen counter and turn on speaker phone. He begins rummaging through the fridge for the eggnog he was able to find at the grocery store the other day. He was surprised they carried it so far out of season but was glad none the less.

"So..."

Daniel pops his head out of the fridge momentarily to hear, but when Keas stops himself, he dives back in to snatch the eggnog he located. He grabs a cup from a high cupboard and pours himself a small glass. When he goes to take a sip Keas speaks up again.

"So as long as Marcy is happy, we're going ok?" Dan stops himself from chuckling.

"It's a vacation for both of you, not just her. If you're not happy then tell her. She'll understand; you know she will." He takes a gulp, leaning on the counter next to his phone.

"I'm happy as long as Marcy is happy and safe."

"Then I don't see a problem. Just enjoy your vacation with her and leave the business to me," Dan replies easily.

Keas smiles. "Thanks, Dan. That helps a lot."

"Well of course. You know I love hearing your voice, big man. Any chance to speak with you is a blessing." Daniel grins, just knowing Keas is blushing simply by the silence.

"...I'm hanging up now."

"Oh come now, Keas. Don't be like that. I haven't seen you in a few days now. I miss you guys." Dan smiles when he hears Keas chuckle.

"I know. We both miss you, too. It's... weird not having you around."

"Same here. It's really lonely here without you two. I was thinking about getting a puppy to keep me company while you're away," Dan muses. He takes another sip as Keas laughs.

"It would probably eat one of the stray bullets you leave around."

Daniel chokes on his drink. He coughs a few times to clear his airway. "Hey!" He turns to look at his phone in disbelief. "I would clean up first!"

"It would be messy within the hour."

"I resent that!" Dan shouts. Keas' laughter makes his scowl fade to a smile, however. "It almost feels like you're right next to me sharing our usual banter. You should call me more often while you're away. It would make it less lonely."

"I'll... try. Not sure how busy it will be."

"Makes sense," Dan agrees. A beep signals a message was recieved on his phone. He picks it up and scrolls down on the screen to see who it's from. Daniel can't stop the chuckle that escapes. "Looks like we should hang up. Marcy just asked if I've had breakfast yet. And you know how she can get when I don't eat." Keas chuckles as well.

"Yes. Thank you, Dan. I'll talk to you again."

"You had better! Goodbye Keas. Until next time."

"Until next time. Goodbye."

Keas lets out a deep sigh. Talking with Daniel always helps him, and also calms his nerves. Keas takes a deep breath then slowly lets it out, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. He repeats the action once more before standing from his spot on the stairs.

Everything's going alright. We're happy and having fun. That's important.

Keas walks through the door and stops when the living room comes into view. He takes a moment to watch Marcy as she sits on the couch reading the book she held earlier. The light coming in from the window across from her makes her auburn hair shine as it rests in loose curls down her back. He can spot some of her tan skinned shoulders that are exposed thanks to her spaghetti strapped turquoise tank top. They're hunched just a tad as she holds the book aloft in front of her. She's calm, a small relaxed smile just barely visible from where he stands. He could stand here watching her all day and he would never be bored.

Keas shakes his head. It's time to get their day going in the right direction.

He walks forward into her line of sight and clears his throat. Marcy looks up, her smile widening at the sight of him.

"Hey! Are we ready to go?" she asks. She leans forward and rips a page from a small notebook resting on the coffee table. She then stuffs it between the pages she was reading and shuts the book, and then places it carefully on the table.

"Yeah. Bikes first, right?" he mutters. She grins happily, bouncing off the couch and onto her ankle socked feet.

"That's right! I think there's a place just down the beach here we can walk to. Let's go!" She practically skips to the closet where their shoes are located. Keas follows her with a smile.

We're happy and having fun. His smile grows as he watches Marcy tie her shoes while whistling an unfamiliar tune. I'll make sure she has the best vacation ever. With that last thought they both saunter through the door to officially start their day of fun.