A/N: Happy Birthday to JDMlvr1! I hope you have a great day with lots of celebrating, cake and ice cream!
Thank you to the reviewers, you guys are amazing!
And thank you to Greg for beta-ing.
Read.
XXVII.
To Ben's relief, it seemed the four unharnessed teens could be stealthy when danger was eminent. Their footfalls were more precise, and they put effort into muting their movements and breathing. Ben kept his focus split between the group of strangers perusing the grocery store, and his charges following at his heel, every so often flicking his attention to Jimmy's group slinking hurriedly up the back way. From the sounds of things, the strangers had split up into pairs or trios, presumably to cover more ground more quickly. It gave Ben, Jimmy, and the others another advantage; they wouldn't have to worry about splitting individuals up from the larger group to pick off one at a time.
As predicted, Ben's group reached their entrance first. Ben used the opportunity to peek inside and get a glimpse of their quasi-enemies. A few of the men were visible, standing in the middle of one of the aisles, talking in low, determined voices. Ben took in their appearances, noting the irony that only moments ago he and Jimmy had discussed looks not being everything. They were burly men, mid-thirties to early-forties, in ripped jeans and heavy jackets. They were all armed, just as Ben had assumed, one toted a sawed off shot-gun, another stood with a submachine gun lazily resting against his shoulder, and the other had a machete hanging at his side.
I don't like it, Jimmy had lamented in the bookstore, and a strange sense of dread settled inside of Ben. Maybe they should have brainstormed a few more ideas, or maybe just taken their chances making a run for it.
Ben listened intently for the other men, there were two pairs roaming through the aisles on the north end of the store, while two others wandered alone through aisles on the south end.
Ben grimaced, according to plan, Jimmy and Roman would be heading north when they entered the building, right up to where the strangers were more heavily concentrated. To make matters worse, the three chatting mid-aisle would undoubtedly see Ben and Gia as soon as they made a move for the door. The element of surprise: gone.
Jimmy and his group were almost in place. Ben drew in his breath, let it out slow. He needed to trust in Jimmy's capabilities at that moment, he reminded himself, doing anything less would at best cause another rift between himself and Jimmy, at worst it would screw up their attack plan and endanger everyone. The only problem was, Ben also needed to trust in Roman, and snowflakes had a better chance of falling in hell. He looked back at Gia and Kelsey.
"Gia, let me go in first, count to ten, then follow," Ben instructed in a low whisper, "Kelsey, let them see your rifle barrel but keep out of sight."
"But I thought we had to go in together," Gia protested.
Ben gave her a smoldering look and she fell back, clutching her rifle up towards her chest. From the sounds of things, Jimmy was at the backdoor preparing entry. Ben situated himself so he could slide smoothly through the hole he'd made earlier in the glass door. He heard the click of the backdoor opening and ducked through the hole, gliding onto his feet.
The men had exactly three seconds to register Ben's appearance before he sprinted up towards them, put his fist through the machete-wielder's face, and swiftly kicked the submachine gunman in the groin – both dropped instantly. The sawed-off shotgun had risen to face level, but Ben by-passed its barrel, darting right up next to the gunman and sinking a fist in his gut and then, as he doubled over, finishing him off with a sharp knee to the face. For final good measure, he swept the keel of his foot across the face of the submachine gunman, who was attempting to pick himself back up off the floor. As Ben worked at disarming the three men, now sprawled out unconscious on the ground, Gia sidled anxiously up next to him, her rifle at the ready.
"The others heard," she informed Ben of what he was already aware. He could hear Jimmy and Roman struggling with their first two opponents, but the other two strangers on the north end were already advancing on them.
"Stay with these three," Ben hastily commanded, starting for the south end.
"Wait, I thought we were supposed to…" Gia called protest, but the sound of gunfire cut her words off.
It had come from the north end and it was far too loud to be the report of an assault rifle.
Movement came as pure instinct, an ominous, cold, and ragged feeling bleeding through Ben as if the bullets from that rapid gunfire were ripping right into his own gut. He burst into a sprint towards Jimmy and Roman's location. Adrenaline was kicking violent through his bloodstream and the only thought that managed to push through the cloud in his head was that dreadful moment weeks ago when he arrived back at camp after demolishing the tower, stared into that tent full of haggard warriors, and found Jimmy not standing amongst them. There was more gunfire, a mixed variety now; rifle repeats had entered the symphony of battle.
Jimmy and Roman were ducked behind a freezer shelf of rotted cheeses as cover, exchanging gunfire with a few men scattered behind aisles. Ben came across one of the men attempting to sneak up on the two boys, and rushed him. The man attempted using his gun as a club, but Ben was too quick, dodging under its slow arc and bolting upright with the butt end of his own rifle. There was a gratifying crunch as the man's nose broke under the sheer force of Ben's strength, the man's hand instinctively clasping the wounded area, blood gushing through his fingers. Ben swiped his elbow across the man's jaw, and the man fell unconscious to the ground.
Ben could hear one of the men on the other end of the store howling about a gunshot wound. Jimmy was continuing a stream of bullets as Roman, seated behind their cover, fumbled in Jimmy's pack for the extra clip inside. Ben crept to the edge of the shelving and whistled Jimmy's attention. Jimmy gave him a perfunctory glance out the corner of his eye, his brow furrowing slightly in confusion. Yes, Ben silently answered Jimmy's unvoiced question, he was supposed to be on the other end of the store.
Using Jimmy's splay of gunfire and rattling off a stream of his own, Ben hurriedly crossed to where Jimmy and Roman were knelt, falling beside them.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jimmy demanded, "Where are the girls?"
Ben sought a rational answer to explain his presence on the wrong end of the store, but beyond, "you were in danger," he couldn't quite find one. And then, as if he weren't feeling sick enough at his foolhardy emotional decision, a high-pitched scream cut through the hail of gunfire.
"Shit," Jimmy seethed, as he slipped behind the counter and Ben took his place returning fire to the men at the end of the store; Roman looked ready to bolt if not for the bullets whizzing overhead and all around him.
Jimmy had a distant, troubled look in his eye, the same one he always got when he was chewing his cheek something vicious as dark, terrible thoughts roiled round his mind. Ben managed to clip one of the men in the shoulder, falling once more behind the cheeses. He strained to hear for the girls, from the sounds of things, Douglas had left his post on the back door, and there was some struggle going on but there wasn't much more that Ben could discern from the chaotic noises.
"Why the fuck would you leave them alone, you piece of shit, bastard?" Roman demanded, gripping Ben's collar violently, and threatening in a low hiss, "Anything happens to them you're a dead man."
"We have to finish this quick," Jimmy decided, his voice underlined with a severe tremble, "Ben, if Roman lays down cover fire, do you think you can you get around to the other side and take out the rest of these guys?"
"Not a great idea, you know, I might 'accidentally' shoot him," Roman said, though he sounded more jeering than concerned.
"Just fire the direction of those men," Jimmy hissed, slamming his rifle at Roman, so as the older boy had additional bullets. He pulled his handgun out of its holster on his back hip, checking its clip, and then cocking it, repositioning himself for a quick move.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked.
"Back for the girls," Jimmy answered starkly.
To do what you should have done, Ben mentally finished for him, grimacing and nodding.
The two lovers held one another's eyes for only a heartbeat. The impulse to kiss Jimmy flushed through Ben. They were both about to race through a shower of bullets towards untold dangers, it might be the last they saw one another, but Ben let the feeling pass. Jimmy wouldn't appreciate the sentimental action and he was already pissed by Ben's decision to head the opposite direction of the plan.
As if to signal start, Roman opened fire and Jimmy took off back towards the other end of the store from where Ben had come, keeping his head low and darting behind cover when he could. Ben crossed back over to the shelves, using his own rifle to provide further cover.
Ben swiftly moved up the aisles as Roman continued to provide distraction. The one man Ben had dropped on his approach remained unconscious, which left three men on the other end of the store, two of whom were shot, but as to the severity of their wounds, Ben couldn't be certain. At least, two of the men were still discharging their weapons.
Getting to the other side of the aisles was easy, and Ben moved hasty but silent up along the shelves to come up on the backside of the attacking men. As much as he wanted to listen for Jimmy's movements, he needed to focus on the sounds of his targets. It didn't sit well with him, trusting that Jimmy would be alright by himself against the two armed men, and furthermore, there was no telling what preempted that scream, no telling what Jimmy would find when he reached the girls. Ben grimaced, that terrible sickness churning in his stomach. Whatever happened to the girls, it would be on Ben's hands, and he knew it.
Ben came upon the first two attackers. One of the men lay on the ground, holding his left shoulder, damp with blood that seeped down his shirt front. He whimpered and moaned about the injury, though it looked to have only clipped the side of his arm, wrapped in tight bandages and kept clean, it would heal good as new in several weeks' time. The other man was busy returning Roman's fire around the shelving, he touted a twenty-gauge shotgun, at his feet lay open a box of shells, empty rounds popping out of the gun and falling steaming around his feet. Ben slipped up on the injured man first, muffling any cries for help with a hand over his mouth, and bopping him unconscious quietly on the head.
A single, deafening gunshot sounded off at the other end of the store and caused Ben to hesitate, straining his ears for sounds of Jimmy, heart pounding harsh in his chest, long enough for the shotgun wielder to realize his friend had stopped whining and company had arrived.
The man spun round, catching Ben by surprise, using his shotgun as a club instead of attempting to shoot with it, and glancing the barrel tip off the side of Ben's head, searing the flesh a bit. Ben recovered quickly, the pain of the blow not even registering, as he fell back, blocked a few more strikes, caught hold of the rifle, ripped the man forward – throwing off his balance – and putting a fist through his face. He crumpled to the ground and there was one man left.
There were no more sounds of gunfire on the other end of the store, which deeply troubled Ben. Despite the blaze of bullets around him, straining his ears, he could hear people breathing, hearts beating, a person crying, all at the other end of the store but it was chaotic, co-mingled noises. None of it told him anything as to Jimmy or the others' well beings.
Without thought beyond ending this quickly, Ben maneuvered round the shelves where the bullets whizzed by and ripped through groceries. A few bit into his arms, legs, swipes like kitten claws that snagged his clothes and barely tore the flesh. He bore down on the last man, grabbed him by the gun and collar and tossed him into the shelving across from them, bringing boxes of cereal and oatmeal crashing to the ground. Once more, Ben descended on the barely recovering man, tugging him up by the shirt and preparing to lay him out with a single blow across the brow. The man was in his forties, graying whiskers and stringy hair, tattoo of a crow on the side of his neck, and eyes the color of tea clouded with milk.
"You're one of them," he coughed out and Ben faltered for a heartbeat at the comment.
One of them.
The man hadn't seen the spikes along his back, Ben realized, but yet...
Them…the aliens.
Ben knocked out the man and then laid him gently to the ground. He took a few steps back, frowning at the rumpled figure, his heart constricted in pain. They'd wanted to strike first, to protect themselves from being attacked, and it seemed perhaps their decision was founded. These people…they didn't see the situation as a group of children taking precautions to keep themselves safe, they saw them as children possibly under alien control.
Ben shook the feeling away. He spun round and sprinted back towards the other side of the store. There was still a strange hush from the south end, and he didn't like it. Roman noticed Ben's changed movement, lowered his weapon and followed, but Ben didn't acknowledge the older boy, his mind was focused on only one thought, and as he approached the front of the store and found Jimmy standing there safe and in one piece, gun lowered in front of himself though still gripped tight in his hands, Ben felt himself able to breathe again.
Until he took in the rest of the scene.
Kelsey lay on the ground by the front entrance, Ben could hear her heart beat, but she was out cold. Roman immediately went to kneel beside her, intently checking her over for obvious injuries. Nearby, lay one of the men, blood pooling beneath his body. Standing a few yards away over the last man, who was unconscious as well, was Douglas with Gia buried, sobbing, against his chest. Although he absently stroked her back in attempt at comforting her, his eyes – like Jimmy's – stared blank at the man bleeding out beside Kelsey.
Ben took a few steps towards Jimmy. Jimmy tensed and Ben paused, catching his breath and attempting to steady his swirling head then he put a hand over Jimmy's – still wrapped tight enough his knuckles were bone white around the gun – and brushed a haste kiss across Jimmy's cheek.
"We have to go," Ben whispered.
A few heartbeats passed, Jimmy unmoved, his breath trembling from his lips, his eyes blank and unfocused, lips slightly parted. He looked still as stone but, standing beside him, Ben could feel the quake of his body. Roman lifted Kelsey from the ground, cradling her gently in his arms, darkened eyes boring into Douglas; the other boy still held Gia loosely to himself.
"Let's move," Roman barked at them.
Jimmy flinched at the sound, he glanced once at Ben, a slight and swift darting gaze, then dropped his eyes to the ground, before squeezing them tightly closed. He wriggled his hand out from Ben's clasp and loosened his hold on the gun, bringing it to hang deadweight at his side.
"You're bleeding," Jimmy noticed, but the words were a low susurration, barely loud enough to be considered a whisper, let alone, audible.
"I'm fine," Ben responded, reaching up to brush the hair from Jimmy's eyes, but Jimmy pulled almost mechanically away from the touch, shoulders bunching up and shaking visibly. The pain of that reaction rippled something awful through Ben, and was made all the more terrible by the knowledge that he deserved it. That he deserved for Jimmy to pull away entirely and never let Ben touch him again. After all, they were standing there because of Ben's decision…and, though perhaps only indirectly, because of the spikes down Ben's back.
They shuffled to the exit, Roman leading the way out of the store. Douglas guided Gia out next, and Jimmy reluctantly followed, Ben trailing behind. They kept their eyes carefully trained away from the man drowning in his own blood. Outside, Jimmy pressed the truck key into Douglas's hand, mumbled instruction that he drive, and then quietly slipped up into the bed. Douglas and Gia hopped into the cabin. Roman climbed into the truck bed, laying Kelsey down with her head rest in his lap.
Ben lingered a moment, studying Jimmy. Jimmy gazed distantly at the supermarket. It was difficult to discern where his thoughts were at in that moment. He had his gun set on his lap; his arms folded over his stomach, his mouth twisted into a small frown. While the desire was on Ben's tongue, itching at its tip, to say something, anything, to remind the other boy he was there, his heart and head were too foggy to find the words. He started to reach out, the urge to touch the other boy so strong, he didn't want to leave Jimmy alone there, but there was something in Jimmy's expression, in the way he held himself away from Ben, the way he had his arms wrapped almost protectively around his body, that reminded Ben that this was exactly how Jimmy preferred it, alone with his darkness. So Ben flinched back, turned and walked away. He mounted the bike, kicked it into gear and led the way out of the parking lot back towards camp.
Ben distanced himself from any thoughts about the events that had just transpired as he drove. He couldn't let himself think about it, maybe when they got back to camp, when he could speak in private with Jimmy, but not in that moment when returning to camp safely was the more important task. Instead he focused his attentions on the static noise forever hissing in the back of his mind. It had become oddly muted out at the shopping complex but the closer they drove towards camp, the louder and more insistent it seemed to become. He thought of his conversation with Rick outside of camp. Rick had mentioned 'messages', and Ben found himself wondering, was the noise a signal of some kind? The means by which the 'messages', those strange visions, were being sent. And if that were the case, then did that mean the shopping complex was farther away from the signal than camp?
A realization suddenly struck Ben and he swerved slightly from the sudden impact of his personal eureka. He slowed his pace and steadied himself a moment, then kicked the bike into full throttle for a few seconds, zooming out of sight of the truck and then slowing again to let it catch up. The light he had seen the other night had illuminated the opposite direction of the shopping complex. Rick had thought the light was connected to the visions, even suggested that something near those lights, perhaps even the lights themselves, were sending the visions but there was no evidence to support it until now. Ben's heart was pounding against his ribcage; his breath was sharp and drawn. He furrowed his brow and tried to keep himself calm, as another revelation came to him. The alien structure was located between camp and where those lights had been. Hell, as far as Ben knew, that structure could have been where the lights originated in the first place. And then a question came to mind, a strange, and probably farfetched question: could it be possible there was a bigger reason, something tied to that structure, those lights, that 'signal', that the shopping complex was near devoid of alien presence?
Suddenly, the truck pulled over and, noticing in his side mirror that the vehicle had faded from sight, Ben startled back into reality, confused by the inexplicable maneuver. He doubled round and stopped in front of the truck, dismounting and wandering closer to the vehicle.
Roman and Jimmy stood at the opened driver side door, looking in at Douglas, seated behind the wheel, and Gia beside him in the passenger seat. While Roman seemed to dominate the conversation, Douglas contributed most of the responses, Gia and Jimmy listened intently. Jimmy was leaned back against the driver door, arms folded over his chest, face downcast and features severely drawn. Roman had his hand on the fringe of the door beside Jimmy, supporting the bulk of his weight. It almost appeared that he had Jimmy pinned there, trapped, and right away their positioning put Ben on edge.
"What's going on? Why are we stopping?" Ben demanded, trying to reel back some of the agitation in his voice. He walked around to the other side of Roman, struggling to suppress his violent urges towards that older boy the entire trek. He locked his eyes on Jimmy, a seemingly futile attempt at curbing his unruly nerves. Jimmy's dour disposition did little to put Ben's turbulent emotions at ease.
"We're trying to decide what story to give when we get back to camp," Douglas answered solemnly.
"We really should wait until Kelsey wakes up before we decide anything," Gia whispered.
"There's not really any time," Roman replied solemnly.
"We have to get back to camp," Douglas agreed, almost apologetically.
Ben furrowed his brow.
"Story?" he puzzled, as slowly realization dawned on him.
Kelsey was still out cold in the truck bed it seemed, and Ben wasn't exactly in tip-top shape at that moment either. They were trying to determine an excuse for why those injuries occurred and, more importantly, why they had used more than half their rounds on what should have been an uneventful practice op.
Ben scowled and grumbled, "What do we need a story for? We should just report the truth."
"The truth…you mean, that you fucked everything up and nearly got half our group killed? That truth?" Roman sneered.
Ben faltered, guilt hammering through him, but Jimmy bristled at the comment.
"Shut the fuck up, asshole," Jimmy snapped, lifting himself from the driver door and wandering away a few paces.
They all watched his retreat warily, Ben's features furrowed in concern. Jimmy was stressed, but there was more to his anger than just irritation and anxiety. Watching the other boy, there was a strange sensation in Ben, of understanding but not quite understanding. Ben wondered briefly if this was how everyone, all the sympathetic people anyhow, felt towards himself: understanding that what he went through at the alien's clutches was a terrible ordeal but never being able to fully grasp how terrible because they themselves had not and possibly never would experience it.
"Shot went right through that guy's chest," Douglas murmured, too low for Jimmy to hear. He screwed his expression and disgustedly remarked, "It was gruesome."
"The guy was still alive when we left," Ben whispered response, "It might not have killed him. He could still…"
"You really think he's going to survive a bullet like that?" Gia challenged silently, her words breaking somewhat, "Not without a doctor. Probably not even with…"
"None of this would've happened if you'd just stuck with the plan," Roman bit out harshly, and without reserve. His heated glare fixed on Ben, but Ben couldn't be bothered to tear his eyes from Jimmy and acknowledge the older boy's accusations, at least, not until Roman demanded, "Why the hell didn't you take care of those other two like you were supposed to?"
Ben grimaced, all eyes suddenly intent on him. Even Jimmy paused to glance at Ben askance.
"I…" Ben attempted, slumping slightly as he lowered his head and admitted, "I heard the gunfire and…and I…" He trailed off, sheepishly peeking up at Jimmy, "…I needed to know you were okay."
Jimmy shook his head, turning away. Roman growled low in his throat.
"You left my sisters alone because you needed to make sure he was okay? Of course he was fucking okay, I was with him, and I thought we had an agreement," Roman seethed.
"Agreement…?" Ben baulked.
"Yeah, I take care of him, you take care of them, and no one needs to break anyone's face," Roman explained, straightening and taking a menacing step towards Ben.
"Stop," Jimmy haggardly commanded, his back still to the group, as he said in a low, peevish voice, "Let me get this straight; you heard the gunfire and changed the plans because you didn't trust that I could handle myself?"
"That's not what I said," Ben whispered, insistently, mentally berating himself for saying anything in the first place. He should've just lied, told them he'd forgotten the plan. Looking like an idiot in front of those four was certainly preferable to having this same argument with Jimmy all over again, "I wasn't thinking…is all. I just reacted. You were in danger and…and I just felt like I needed to be there."
Jimmy turned back to peer at Ben, his expression a strange mix of surprise and fear. They both knew the implications of what he was saying.
"You know, Mason, if you trusted him about half as much as you cared about him, none of this ever would of happened," Roman griped, and then he leered at Ben and amended, "Or maybe the problem is that you do trust him that much, you just don't care about him a whole hell of a lot."
The crunch of Roman's jaw beneath the weight of Ben's fist was a satisfying one, and he readied to throw another punch, Roman making attempt at recovering from the sudden jab, until Jimmy and Douglas pushed between the two boys. Douglas had lunged out the side of the driver car, holding Roman back by the shoulders. The older boy shuddered in obvious rage, smearing away the new trickle of blood from his lip. Justice for the split lip he'd dealt Jimmy the other day, Ben decided. Jimmy made a valiant but failed attempt to shove Ben away, but only by putting himself directly in-between Ben and Roman, did he garner any success at all of keeping them from fighting.
"That was a big mistake, Mason…" Roman grumbled.
"If you got something to say to me, asshole, just say it," Ben roared, "I know every kind of bully there is, and you're kind is the lowest scum of them all. You don't have the guts to come at me head-on, so you mutter 'witty' remarks under your breath, as if you're so fucking clever. Stop screwing around and just come right out and say what you think?"
"Ben, cut it out," Jimmy pleaded.
"You want to know what I think?" Roman challenged.
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Ben shot back.
"Rome, this is stupid," Douglas grumbled, "I'm mad at him too but..."
"You really want to know what I think?" Roman pressed.
"Yes, I do," Ben growled.
"What I think is that me, and the rest of them, never would've been harnessed if not for you," Roman spat, "That's what I think."
Ben halted in his struggle against Jimmy. Jimmy relaxed against him, quirking his head to look back at Roman curiously.
"What?" Ban gaped. An ache spreading through his chest and pounding in his skull told him he knew the answer to that question; that he didn't need to, and he really didn't want to hear the explanation.
The passenger door slammed shut, and the four boys startled at the sound. There was a crunch of footsteps approaching from the other side of the truck and then Gia appeared. She squared off in front of Roman, Douglas hurrying aside, out of the way, and her hand suddenly cracked across Roman's cheek. They all stared at her in stun. She put her hands on her hips, glaring out at each of them.
"You boys need to knock the testosterone levels out here down about five notches," she seethed, "In case you all forgot, we have other, more important things to be thinking about right now. We need to think about what we're going to say when we get back to camp. Mason might have the spikes in his back, but we were all harnessed, and if word gets around that we attacked a group of humans and one got shot, it won't matter that Jimmy was the killer, outcry will be for all of us to get kicked out."
Jimmy flinched noticeably at the 'killer' comment and Ben darted a dangerous look at Gia. Maybe she had a point, but she needed to watch how she made it.
"We don't need to think about anything. I'll handle it," Jimmy spoke up, his voice wavering and soft, "I'm the one that's supposed to report in to Weaver anyway…"
"Handle it how?" Roman demanded.
"Yeah, what exactly are you going to say?" Douglas piped up.
"Jimmy…" Ben began quiet question, brushing his hand against Jimmy's own. Jimmy pulled away, trudging towards the back of the truck, and pausing halfway.
"I made the call to go in. I made the plan," he murmured, tensing his body as he whispered, "I pulled the trigger. It's my responsibility; I'll take whatever the consequences are."
"They were going to attack us either way," Ben argued, overwhelmed with a sudden rage, "The man said it…they thought…I guess they thought we were with the aliens. That's why they probably opened fire, right? They thought we were harnessed…being controlled by aliens. Going in, attempting to disarm them first before confronting them…it was the right call, Jimmy. None of this is your fault."
"Let's just get back to camp," Jimmy muttered, continuing to the truck bed and climbing up into it.
Feeling suddenly deprived of air; Ben watched as the others slowly unraveled their discontent and climbed back into the truck. Eventually, begrudgingly, he trekked back towards the bike, remounted, and sent it rocketing towards camp.
.
.
.
A/N: Yes, so, as you can see, that "cliffhanger" I left you guys several chapters back...not actually a cliffhanger. I wish it was, but I got to use it as one, so that was awesome. Thanks for playing, guys!
Anyhow, yeah...this chapter certainly puts a damper on the evening Ben and Jimmy had planned.
Let me know what you thought!
Reviewers: SassySavanna190, to true about the worm, oh and first thing's first, I'm glad you enjoyed Falling Snow! I hope it didn't answer too many of your questions about this story though, there's still well over forty more chapters to go...oi vey, this story is going to be near eighty chapters? WTF am I doing to myself? Sorry, momentary panic attack. Yes, the bookstore, I have had that scene in my head for the longest time and I'm so excited I finally got it written in the story! Glad you liked it and I hope the "cliffhanger" proved worth the anxious wait. typhoonboom08, tell me about it, bookstore is high on my list of make-out places, has it made your list now? I'm glad to hear the humor was right on task, how'd the action do in this chapter? JDMlvr1, happy birthday, once again! Everyone seemed to enjoy the bookstore scene, which makes me incredibly happy, because I really enjoyed writing it. Hope this chapter made your birthday bright, if not, let me know, maybe I'll type up a quick one-shot for you. Cookie97, caught on to that, huh? Good eye! And I'm glad you liked the chapter...it was a bit sweet. IcicleLilly, ah! Always happy to hear when a chapter earns "favorite" status! Jimmy-Ben flirting time is awesome, and should come in heavy doses, I know, or you all go through withdrawl and take it out on me. I have the reviews to prove it...and I'm glad to hear Gia and Douglas are growing on you. I'm quite fond of them, personally. We'll find out more about all the OCs soon enough. Roman is going to have a few big moments in the next coming chapters, in which we learn quite a lot about his past and a teensy bit of his motives.
Thanks for stopping by, you guys! Always putting a smile on my face.
I'll see you guys next update!