A/N: It took longer than usual to write this chappie. So I have a picture of the wound my character gets and it's kinda icky... I may link it on my profile along with other photos of costumes or places, etc, etc. El oh el. The thing with Griffin's shirt was Ashley being a slight klepto. I wanted to show that maybe she picked that up from hanging around Jimmy on the Venture. Heh. And Tori is klutzy at times. I jus thad to have her fall. XD
Read, review (tell me if the guys are in chracter!), and enjoy!

Chapter 23: Healing Wounds

(Ashley POV)

She held onto her newly wrapped arm and paced the dock. Ashley smoothed the tape holding the fresh bandage down. As she walked, her eyes drifted to the wooden pier under her feet. The boards looked old and deteriorated. 'Amazing how they haven't broken yet.' She walked to the edge and sat down; her shoes hovering just over the surface of the water. Ashley swung her feet a few times and watched the small waves being created just by the air moving.

"What are you doing here?" a voice boomed behind her.

Ashley looked over her should and saw a man in light brown sweater and jeans. "Just checking out the scene."

She heard a click as the man said, "Any other last words?"

Her eyes grew wide with terror. 'Shit. Paladin…' Carefully and slowly she got up, hoping the man wouldn't kill her on the spot. 'Where can I go? Where can I go?' Her mind was too boggled and she couldn't focus. The medicine she took for the pain in her arm was making her mind unstable, too. Ashley finally caught an image in her mind. Just as she was about to jump, the man shot something at her. It made contact with her right arm, wrapping around tightly. She stumbled back and felt her footing go over the edge of the wooden pier. Electricity surged through her arm and her body. She screamed and shifted her balance forward. She noticed the Paladin walking towards her with a smug grin. "Would you really hurt someone who was wounded already?" she asked, hearing her voice crack a few times from the pain.

The man scoffed and said, "You're all the same." He kicked her in the stomach and pulled on the rod connected to the tether. Ashley felt the tether loosen and she fell back into the water. The coldness of the water startled her as she went completely underneath the water. Ashley kicked wildly to get to the surface as her hands tried covering her mouth and nose.

When she bobbed to the surface, David and Tori were holding out hands to try and pull her up. "Good Christ, it's cold!" Ashley chattered as she extended her right hand towards Tori. The two hoisted her up out of the water, trying to be careful of her wounded arm. Ashley collapsed at the edge of the pier, her arms wrapping around herself to get warm and coughing a few times. Her eyes scanned the dock for the Paladins man nervously. At the far end of the pier, she saw two figures fighting. The taller one was being punched in the face multiple times by a slightly shorter one.

Tori was kneeling next to her and said, "Griffin's taking care of it. Now how hurt are you?"

"My arm and my fricken pride is all," she informed her. Tori snickered and David patted Ashley on the back lightly. "Jesus it's cold. Can we go home?"

"We should. More might show up." She felt David's hand flatten on her back and saw him grab onto Tori's shoulder. Next thing she knew, they were on the floor of the living room. Ashley ran her right hand through her saturated hair with a shiver. "Go warm up. I'll get you something to eat."

"No thanks," Ashley said, shaking her head at David. "Kinda don't wanna eat…"

Tori stared daggers at her. "Eat so you get your strength."

Ashley flinched a little. "Okay," she whined. She got up and wandered into the hallway.

---

(Griffin POV)

He sensed the jump, signaling that they had left. Griffin threw another punch at the Paladin man. "Bloody twit," he grumbled. The man went limp under his grip. Griffin smirked and jumped over to the edge of the pier. He tossed the Paladin into the water and jumped to David's place. He turned and saw David and Tori in the kitchen, making some sort of food, smiling at each other all the while. "Where's she?"

Both of their faces dropped. "In the spare room," David said.

"Is she, uh…hurt?"

Tori shook her head. "Not really. She said she wasn't."

Griffin scoffed and turned, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as he stormed towards the hallway. He opened the door and found Ashley, sitting on the floor against the bed with a blanket wrapped around her. She looked up at him; her expression blank as a sheet of paper. "How bad were you hurt?" he asked.

She turned, staring at the closet door. "Not hurt," she mumbled as she shifted the blanket around her. Griffin walked over to her side and sat down. Ashley shot him a slightly curious look quick before looking at the ceiling.

He glared at her and said, "Let me see."

Her fists tightened around the ends of the blanket and she sighed before letting her grip go, the blanket moving slowly from her shoulders. Griffin saw the bandage from before was gone, showing a red cut that was in the healing process. His eyes were settling on it when he noticed a bright red outline around her right arm. Griffin looked up at her and their eyes met. She had a look of both worry and serenity at the same. "I'll have a scar, right?" she questioned.

Griffin gave her a small nod as he began to pull his jacket off. Once it was off, he laid it on the floor next to him. As he shifted his right side towards her, she shot him a look of confusion. Griffin pointed to two different areas of red crisscrossed patterns and said, "I've got plenty of 'em so don't feel bad about it."

Ashley shot him a suggestive look. "I thought I noticed some scars a few nights ago." She winked and wrapped the blanket around her once more with a half smile. He started to pull his jacket back on and she said, "Oh. By the way, your shirt's over there."

He shot her a look of annoyance. "Why do you 'ave my shirt?"

Looking around nervously, she told him, "I borrowed it, but I was wearing it when I fell in the water so…yeah…"

"You owe me," he snarled before getting up and leaving the room.

---

(Tori POV)

She was walking to the hallway with a tray; a bowl of soup and some crackers on the tray, along with a bottle of water. Griffin was walking out of the room and swiped a cracker from the tray as he passed her. "Hey!" Tori shouted. Griffin spun around and smirked as he continued out to the living room. She heard him say something to David as she walked into the room. Ashley was sitting on the floor with a blanket around her. "Feeling better?" Tori asked.

Ashley turned her head, nodding and setting eyes on the food. "That for me?" she asked.

Tori knelt down and sat the tray beside her. "Yep and David helped make the soup quick."

She sat down as Ashley said, "Griffin said I'll have scars from the tether."

Tori looked at her quizzically. "Can I…?" She motioned toward her and she shooed the blanket off her shoulder. Ashley pointed to a red outline that looked a lot like a rope burn. "Ooh. Yeah… That probably will. Sorry."

Ashley shrugged and got up. She picked up her bag and pulled out white bandage pack. "I'm gunna go wrap my cut though. When I get back I'll eat."

"Okay," Tori said as Ashley walked out of the room. She looked around the now empty room. Tori got up and walked out to the living room. She could hear David and Griffin talking, but didn't see them. As she looked around the room, she noticed they were on the small-ish second level where David had some photographs hung on the wall. Tori went up the steps quickly and the two looked at her suspiciously. Griffin jumped away after a quick word to David. "Something wrong?"

David shook his head and turned, looking at the nearly covered wall. "Just wanted to tell me something." Tori nodded and looked at some of his pictures. "Oh, uh, do you still need to go shopping?"

Tori nodded, "Yeah. Maybe it'll get Ashley's mind off of the scars she's developing." David frowned but it soon turned to a weak smile. "I'll go get her." She turned and bolted down the steps, tripping down the last one. 'Oh crap!' She thought her face was going to hit the floor but she found herself in David's arms. Tori looked up at him and blushed a little bit. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Just be a little careful," David chuckled.

He helped her stand upright and she dashed off down the hallway. The bathroom door was still shut so she knocked on the door. "Ashley," Tori called as she opened the door. She stepped in and found Ashley bandaging the red outline on her upper arm. Ashley looked at Tori, frozen in mid wrap. "Hello?" she said with question in her voice.

"I was just wondering if you wanna go shopping. David asked."

She smiled and nodded as she finished wrapping the rest of the bandage around her arm. Ashley secured it with a piece of medical tape. "Let's go."