I do not own Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

Enslaved: Marks of the Past.
Chapter Fourteen: A Private Moment.

"Where'd Trip go?"

Core gestured vaguely as she dropped to the floor beside Monkey. Trip was talking to a group of young-looking people and they were all smiling, talking with their hands and, occasionally, laughing. "I introduced her to the tech-oriented people here. They seem to be getting on well. They were talking about the security systems in place around the colony when I left them. That stuff is way over my head." She smiled at Monkey and stretched out on the pile of blankets that served as a bed. Her eyes never left the flames of the small fire. She was so happy to be home; it almost felt like she had never left. "How are you doing?"

She heard Monkey shift, the blankets he was sitting on rustling as he moved. "It's good to have a safe place to rest for a while. Good food to eat and other people around."

"Yeah, I bet. Although traveling cross-country in a giant mech can't have been… unsafe."

"After we cleared out the other mechs on board, it was great."

"Of course. I really wish I could have seen that thing… a giant mech. Who would have thought they could make those. I mean, the dogs are big enough, but the size of mech you're describing…" Core rolled onto her back so she could look up at Monkey. He was upside down to her eyes, but the position still allowed her to smile at him, although it may have looked more like a frown to him. "That would have been awesome." She laughed a bit and smiled wider. "I'm glad you found me Monkey. If you hadn't, I imagine I would have ended up wandering around lost in the desert until I was squished by mechs because I couldn't fight them anymore." They had a moment where they just stared at each other, a small smile remaining on her lips the entire time. "When I was in there… in Pyramid… it got to a point where all that kept me going was thinking about getting back to you; to hunting mechs, to running around the ruins, to the way things used to be." The smile turned whimsical and Core turned her blue-green eyes back to the flames.

Monkey reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She leaned into the contact, her head against his arm. "You said people had lives in Pyramid. Why didn't you?"

When Monkey's hand slipped off her shoulder, Core reached back to grab it. He didn't fight her. "I tried. I tried hard to enjoy what everyone else was calling perfection, but no one seemed to be able to handle me." She laughed. "Can you believe that?"

"Yeah actually, I can."

Core attempted to reach back and slap Monkey, but the awkwardness of the position didn't facilitate her desires. So she rose onto her knees and punched him playfully in the shoulder before dropping onto her butt beside him. She laughed and settled herself so she was sitting close enough for their arms to press together. "I had drawings of everything in my house in Pyramid. Everything I could remembers. Bo, Pike, Badger, Twist, my mom and dad, this place, the mechs we'd hunted and you. I fought to hold onto what I looked like—you could actually lose your scars and birthmarks… you could change yourself if you wanted to. You could become what you thought was perfect."

"You held on to your scars and tattoos?"

"Of course I did. They're reminders of my life. Of my battles." She brought her knees up to her chest and leaned her head on them so she could look at Monkey. "Why did you keep travelling after the attack? Why didn't you find another colony?"

Monkey shrugged. "None of the remaining colonies that I found wanted my help. They had their own people to protect them, their own warriors. Although, none had hunters." He put his hand on her cheek, thumb running back and forth over her skin. The slave headband glimmered in the firelight and would have drawn most people's eyes, but Core's were locked on Monkey's face. "The families reminded me too much of you and yours. I couldn't have stayed even if they had wanted me."

Again, they fell into a moment of silence, Monkey's hand still on her cheek. The moment passed fairly quickly however, when not too long ago, it would have escalated into something more, into something Core badly wanted. Again, Core was almost overcome with the desire to act like she would have, but she stopped herself and remained sitting still, save leaning into his hand. His thumb traced her lower lip briefly before he pulled his hand back and turned his gaze to the fire. The silence continued for a few minutes longer, until Core couldn't stand it anymore.

"I like Trip," Core said. She wasn't sure if Monkey had even really cared about that fact, but she felt it was necessary to say, to let him know that she did like the redhead who had enslaved him. "She's… different."

"You were different, too."

"Yeah, I was, but you and I are exactly alike. She's different from us." Her eyes finally fell from the side of Monkey's face to the flames he was staring so intently at. "She's changed you, you know. You're not as unyielding as you used to be."

As if to prove her wrong, Monkey returned the playful punch to the shoulder. Core laughed and leaned into Monkey again. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a one-armed hug. "I did miss you, Core."

"I know you did."

Author's Note.

So I think working on one project at a time is the answer… So that's what I'm going to be doing. Finishing up all the fics I have on the go one at a time and the rest, if I feel like writing more, I will work on them ONE AT A TIME. *determined*

Core's colony is located in the ruins of the Kodak Theatre, the place where they have the Oscars. I'm a bit of an Oscar nut and around January, I start getting stupidly excited for award show season for movies. This year, I'm excited for the Emmys as well because Game of Thrones is nominated. Not that you guys care about that.

And Shauna, even if you have nothing to say, give me stupid reviews so my review number goes up!

One chapter left!

Enjoy!

Next Chapter: Goodbyes.