Chapter 3: Lashing Out

"That was close," Gerard said setting Abby down. Too close for comfort. They had never had that close of an encounter with a Level 4 infected before. With the coming of the Bloaters, you could definitely see how long the infection had been active. They were the final stage. They had been around so long that the fungus actually developed into a sort of armor, causing Bloaters to be highly dangerous in comparison to any of their other foes; therefore it was best to avoid any contact with one.

Gerard sighed and looked down at his partner. She was looking back up at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry…" She whispered back at him, turning away. She had endangered Gerard's life and he still pulled her through to safety, even when he could have left her behind. Gerard gently brought his fingers under her chin and turned her to face him. Upon his face was a sincere, forgiving smile. "Don't worry about it," He said with a small laugh, "You're the one who got hurt, not me. I should be the one apologizing." Gerard would be the one to make a joke at a time like this Abby thought to herself. No matter how many times they got into a life threatening situation, Gerard would always have a positive thought on the matter after it was dealt with.

Abby sighed, rolling her eyes at Gerard's optimism. "I'm fine," she said quietly, standing up. Gerard shook his head. That was Abby, always trying to play the tough girl. The indestructible independent female who didn't need help from anyone. Taking her hand, he waited for her to turn to him. "You know, everyone needs help sometimes." Abby rotated to face him, a frown on her face. She was ashamed she couldn't handle herself back there, and Gerard knew it. He gave her a sympathetic look as she chastised him with her gaze. "You didn't need to save me," she mumbled. Gerard's smile immediately fell to a frown. "And then what? Let you die back there?" His voice was angry that she would even think such a thing. "I deserved whatever was coming to me. It was my fault," she recoiled pointedly.

Gerard's hand reached up to her cheek, holding it in his palm. He gazed into her eyes miserably, his feelings getting the best of him. "Abby I don't think you quite understand. We're partners. I would never let you get hurt, I couldn't. You just," He turned away from her, his hand still holding her cheek. "You don't understand…How much you mean to me," Gerard muttered quietly. "Gerard you're mumbling, I can't understand you," Abby said with a glum tone to her voice. She knew she had hurt his feelings one way or another. Gerard brought his hands to his sides and began clenching his fists, unable to take the pain of his thoughts. If he had lost her, what would he have done? He never would have forgiven himself. To lose his most precious possession, his most trusted friend, the love of his life. Even if she didn't return his feelings now, there was no definite in what the future would bring. He could never let her go, even if there was no hope left on their side, even if it seemed the whole universe was against them, he would still give his all to protect her, and now she was questioning if he would abandon her due to a mere encounter with a Bloater? No, he couldn't stand for that. It was like a punch in the face to him.

Abby searched Gerard's face, awaiting his response. His face contorted as he became lost in his thoughts, pain was evident in his eyes. Suddenly he turned to her, a wounded, outraged appearance on his face. "I said, you just don't understand!" He roared. Abby's eyes widened as she was taken aback by his reaction. Falling onto her rear, she shuffled away from her livid partner. She had never seen Gerard angry before, not at her and it honestly frightened her. "Gerard!" she said frantically, unknowing of how to calm him. Fists still clenched, he looked at her with narrow eyes. He knew he shouldn't be acting this way towards her, but he couldn't just let her pretend that she was untouchable any longer. He wanted her to know how each action she made had a harsh effect on him, the good and the bad. Her thinking that he would abandon her had made him feel like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He couldn't take it. Hot tears brimmed Gerard's eyes as he looked at her. He loved her so much it hurt him. It made him feel weak in the heart, crazy in the mind; he couldn't even describe the things she did to him. He just wanted to be good enough for her; after all, he thought she was perfect for him.

Abby's face held worry as she stared at Gerard. She wanted to just run to him and hold him, but his anger was keeping her away. She had never openly admitted she had feelings for Gerard, she just didn't know how. Ever since the passing of her father, she had had a hard time dealing with her emotions. She had tried to harden herself over the years, initiating her to become emotionless, but when she had met Gerard he broke through that barrier causing her to feel things she hadn't for a very long time and that was something she just didn't want to admit to herself, let alone someone else.

Gerard's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He was done dealing with this right now. They were on a time constraint and had to get to Max for the shipment. He turned away from his startled partner trying to regain his control on the situation at hand. He felt regret for what he had done. He had never yelled at her, no matter how angry she managed to make him. She just acted so dense sometimes, and this time he cracked. Suddenly Gerard felt arms around his waist and he looked down to see a trembling Abby with her face in his side. She was quiet small in comparison to him he realized. She being only about 5'4", standing next to him who was a good 5'11", there was a pretty distinct difference. He couldn't help but forgive her instantly. Smiling he placed his hand on her head, running his fingers through her smooth hair. She was mumbling into his clothes. He laughed quietly, lifting up her chin. Her eyes were firmly closed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She kept repeating, tears dripping down her cheeks as she kept her eyes tightly shut. It was amazing to him how she could appear as such a child when she was only a mere year younger than him. He himself was almost 23 now. Unable to contain his quiet laughter, he looked away from her. Abby frowned hearing his laughter, and looked up directly at him. "What's so funny?" She was becoming irritated. Gerard turned back to her. "Nothing," he said with a smile before taking control of her lips.

Abby's eyes widened as Gerard proceeded to kiss her. She didn't know whether to ravish in it or to pull away. If she was honest with herself, she wouldn't mind staying with him like this forever, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. Not here, right in the middle of the outside world, beyond the protection of the quarantine zone. When Abby did not pull away from him, Gerard took that as an invitation. He picked her up holding just under her upper thighs, balancing her against his body, never breaking the kiss. Their kiss slowly built in intensity, as Abby's thighs tightened around Gerard's waist making it easier for her to maintain her position on him. The passion being shared between them was something neither of them had ever experienced before. Gerard quickly reached for something to steady them and grasped a small fence. He began pushing Abby's back into it as he pressed his body harder against hers. Reveling in his touch, Abby's head went back into the fence as she bit her lip, closing her eyes in pure ecstasy. Seizing the opportunity, Gerard moved his kisses down to her neck, trailing them lightly over her skin. Abby's arms wrapped tighter around his neck, one of her hands going into his hair, pulling on it vividly. Gerard groaned happily, and continued attending to her neck, biting and sucking on the fragile flesh leaving red creases and small bruises. "Well I thought you two had gotten yourselves into some kind of trouble or something, but I guess not," a deep voice said, amusement threaded in his tone. They had been so enveloped in what they had been doing, they hadn't heard the male approach them. Standing beside them was none other than Max, his arms crossed his foot tapping. He was definitely tickled by their performance.

Well I hope everyone has been enjoying this so far! I know I love writing it. Anyway, have a nice day and thanks for reading! :)