The next morning Ace lay on Laura's bed in a deep sleep. She decided to leave him there and eat breakfast with her mother.
"Do you want to go and get our hair cut?" Caroline asked.
"Okay," Laura said happily, she couldn't remember the last time Caroline had taken her for a haircut, she usually had to go by herself.
"It's been a while since you got it cut anyway," Caroline said running her hair through Laura's long hair. Laura hadn't really thought about it but it had been nearly a year she realised.
"I need to get something from my room," Laura said as they were about to leave, "I won't be a second."
"Okay, I'll wait for you outside."
Laura scribbled Ace a quick note should he wake up and headed out the door.
When she arrived home she went into her room, her hair a few inches shorter, to find Ace still asleep in her bed.
"Ace," she said rubbing his shoulder, figuring he wouldn't want to sleep all day. He rolled over and continued sleeping. She sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "Wake up," she almost whispered, "you shouldn't sleep all day."
His eyelids fluttered open and he let out a gigantic yawn. "Morning dollface," he said.
"It's nearly afternoon," she told him.
"Shit," he said, he had to 'work' this afternoon. He got up out of bed and started dressing.
"Got anything to eat babe?" he asked, he was starving.
She poked her head out of the door to check the coast was clear and led him to the kitchen. She made him a sandwich to tide him over before she started cooking him bacon, egg and fried tomatoes. She figured he'd be extra hungry after such a long sleep.
"Afternoon Ace," Caroline said walking back into the kitchen. "When did you sneak in here?"
"Just now Mrs Stratford," he said.
"Do you like Laura's hair cut? She got it done this morning."
He hadn't even noticed. It did look quite a bit shorter which he thought was a shame, he loved how long her hair was. He wished they'd left just an extra inch or two. He curled it around his fingers.
"You look beautiful as always," he said grabbing her from behind and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Is this for the both of you?" Caroline asked noticing how much food there was.
"Nope," Laura said flipping the bacon over.
"I guess I've forgotten what a man-sized meal looks like," she said a little teasingly. "Well I'll leave you to it, try not to let my daughter work too hard," she said, "she'll cook everything we have if you don't stop her."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said.
When she had turned of the pan and served his lunch he sat down and devoured it almost immediately.
"Are you still hungry?" Laura asked a little worried.
"God she was right about you," Ace said pulling her on to his lap, "you really would cook everything."
"I'm just worried about you, you look a little sick." He did look paler than usual but it wasn't summer anymore she thought to herself.
"I'm fine," he insisted. "I have to go do something though, hopefully it won't be too long."
"Okay," she said a little suspiciously, that was another thing, he was always busy.
"I wish I could take you with me," he said squeezing her slightly before standing up. He knew that couldn't happen though, firstly because he never wanted her to get with in five miles of Bear, the guy was a creep, and second he was sure she wouldn't understand what he was doing.
"Will you be here when I get back?" he asked.
"Definitely," she said clearing her expression of worry. She had no plans to go anywhere.
"Well I guess I'll see you then."
He made his was to the Junk Shop to find Bear outside waiting for him.
"Tick Tock, where have you been?" he asked in a knowing voice.
"Get in the fucking car, let's get this over with," Ace growled. He had no time for this guy's shit.
Ace sat in the passengers seat. He would kill for a way to drown out Bear's incessant talking, or even to drown him period.
"Will you shut up for five fucking minutes," he said.
"Touchy aren't we," Bear chuckled, but then he was mercifully quiet.
They got to the job and Ace was still fired up from Bear's annoyance so he was extra aggressive.
"I'll get fired," the truck driver wept.
"I don't fucking care," Ace said as he smacked the guy in the face. He had no respect for a man who cried.
He started moving the stuff as quickly as possible.
"What's the rush Merrill?" Bear called out to him, "anxious to get back to bed?"
"What?" Ace spun around to look the larger man head on.
"You look tired," he said but Ace wasn't fooled, his last comment had been smothered in innuendo. "If that's the case I'd be happy to take care of that little girl you got, I hear she's a real peach."
He had only just gotten the sentence out when Ace launched at him. Holding his switch blade against his knuckles he smashed Bear in the jaw. Bear tried to reciprocate the blow but Ace ducked it easily. He had fought people as big and slow as this before. He swung again with his bare knuckles and got him under the jaw and then quickly with his other hand in the nose. He heard a crack and Bear snapped his head backward, blood pouring from his nose.
He let out a large roar and landed a punch on Ace's ribcage which was still sensitive from his broken ribs which were only just finished healing.
"You fucker," Bear said pushing him over. Ace rolled away and stood up quickly, flicking out his blade. As soon as Bear seen the glint of the metal he started looking a little scared. Ace didn't come at him however but thrusted it into Bear's back tire.
"Have fun walking home faggot," he snarled as he began to walk in the other direction. The truck driver had long gone, taking with him most of his cargo. Reg wouldn't be happy. Fuck him.
"Ace?" called out a voice behind him a few minutes later. It was Vince. "What are you doing out here, where's your car?"
"Long story," he said as he got into the passengers seat, "Good timing though, I thought I was going to have to walk all the way back."
Deciding not to push it Vince drove Ace back to his car and said goodbye.
"What are you doing back here?" Reg called out when he seen him, "where's Bear?"
"I'm not doing anymore jobs with that asshole," Ace called back.
He got into his car and sped away.
When he got to her house Laura was sitting on the stairs reading.
"Hey bookworm," he said, taking the book out of her hand as he leant down to kiss her.
"It's for school," she complained, "It's so long."
"Poor baby," he said pulling her to stand so he could kiss her properly.
"Are you bleeding?" she said alarmed as she noticed blood on his white shirt.
"It's not mine," he assured her.
"Did someone fight with you?" she asked.
"Yeah but I don't think I'll be seeing him again," he said, hoping that was true.
"Come sit down," she said pulling him into the house. He sat down on the couch and Laura went to the kitchen to get him a drink of water but when she got back he looked on the verge of sleep. She gave him the drink and found him a spare pillows and a blanket. He was soon asleep again.