Aftermath of the Dark War

by Jurassicfatt

Young pastry chef Allie has had better vacations. After days inside, she finally gets to go scuba diving with her neglectful boyfriend. In an underwater cave, she finds a jade jewel, and an evil sorcerer. He drags her down into another dimension: the Undead Realm. There, she is saved by the dark yet enchanting Demon Assassin, Rosemary. AU Femslash Multiple Pairings [DemonxBunny]

38. Chapter 37

Author's Note: Hey everybody. Okay, so the twist in this chapter (you'll see soon), I didn't plan on it. Impact's storyline just had a perfect timing/happy coincidence with my updates. I'll see you at the bottom. Please enjoy!

NOTE, CONTENT WARNING- There are some heavy themes in this chapter, including mentions of torture and SA, that may be triggering for some individuals. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

The story has elements of both Dark War storyline and DemonxBunny's Masters of the Multiverse, so all credit goes to both Impact Wrestling and DemonxBunny. I do not own the characters, only the OCs. The story is entirely fictional.

Characters may look and act different than they do in real life. This was done intentionally, and things will change over time in this story, so please be patient.

Rating: M, for violence, coarse language, and mature themes/events that will appear throughout this story. Remember, this is Femslash, so if that's not your thing, you may not like this story.

Pairings: Allie/Rosemary (DemonxBunny), others over time.

Aftermath of the Dark War Chapter 37: Confessions of Past and Present Deeds by Jurassicfatt

Allie's Pov, Omni Sports Tournament, Tent, Night

She pushes a loose stand of hair behind her ear, before speaking again.

"Hey Bunny." Her voice is calming, but my heart is still pounding hard against my chest.

"Hi." I respond, waving. Why did I just do that?

"Did you have fun?" she asks. I nod my head.

"Rebel, Cal and I went to a serving tent. Lots of athletes celebrating wins. I didn't drink anything except loads of that wood pulp. Cal thinks Vivian might have put a spell on him." Her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What kind?"

"A spell that makes him, uh, want her." Rosemary blinks a few times, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, I-I think he'll be okay. He's got the right knowledge to reverse that spell." She pauses, then motions to the table. "I hope you don't mind, but I got some extra grapes for us to eat."

"Oh, you know you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to." She smiles, bringing a fuzzy feeling to my stomach. "I know you haven't seen me without my face paint. I saw how much effort you put into your appearance this morning, so I thought I'd surprise you with this." She points to her face. My God she's gorgeous! I can't stop staring at her. I thought she looked good with the face paint on, but she looks great with it off too. "Do I look okay?"

"Yeah! Um, I mean, yes. Of course." She blushes, turning her face away for a second to hide it. Hey, what's the matter with you? That was completely uncool! A harsh voice screams in my head. I completely ignore it, my eyes roaming over features. They focus on her tongue running over her lower lip and her light brown eyes as they look back at me. Rosemary goes towards a chair. I snap back to reality. "Just, let me get changed real quick and I-I'll join you." She nods with a smile. I grab a simple black shirt and shorts and dart into the bathroom. I quickly change into new clothes, wash any grime off my face, fix my hair and take a few deep breaths. I then walk out to see Rosemary sitting at the counter-style table.

"Sit with me." I obey, sitting down and moving my chair closer to her. We both grab an ice water and munch on a few grapes. I watch as she bites into one, some of the juice running down her lower lip and onto her chin. I feel my tongue hang out, suddenly wanting to know how it tastes, before she wipes it away. Damn, what the hell is wrong with me? Do I WANT to get caught staring? She takes a sip of her water, before speaking. "I wanted to talk with you about something."

"Okay. What's on your mind?"

"We… we haven't cleared the air about what happened, back in the village with that Warlord and the little girl." she starts, before stopping. She looks me in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Allie. I was still angry about you not mentioning your dreams. I was mean to you, and said things I shouldn't have. I realize now you were doing it out of selflessness. You only wanted to protect that little girl. Now, I don't like the way you approached it. It was dangerous. But that doesn't give me the right to speak to you that way."

"I understand what you mean. I know you told me to run from Warlords, but I just couldn't let Serena get hurt." I admit.

"That just proves what kind of person you are. Someone who puts others before themselves." A small smile graces her lips as she stares at me. A few seconds later, she blinks, then breaks eye contact and clears her throat. "On top of that, it was wrong of me to push you into telling me about your dreams. You had already been through so much. It wasn't my place to condemn you on that, especially when I was reluctant to tell you about what was happening with my amulet. Or the fact that I never talked about my past." She looks down, and I can tell by the look in her eyes that mentioning it hurts her.

"Hey, I was just as wrong. I-I held back on telling you about those dreams, thinking they would go away on their own. It was a mistake, and I'm sorry that I didn't come forward right away. And for the record, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." I assure her. She shakes her head and looks right at me.

"I want to, though. I want… I want you to know about the real me." She stops, running a hand through her hair again. "That's part of the reason why I took off my face paint. I wanted you to see what I really look like."

"You're beautiful." I blurt out, my eyes widening seconds after I say it. We both blush and look away, before I ask her to continue. "Um, sorry if I cut you off."

"It's fine. Allie, you've told me so much about yourself. Family, friends, your life back on Earth, everything. And I haven't been as forthcoming. You wanted to know about me? Here goes… *Deep breath* Rosemary isn't my real name. It's an assassin name, one I chose for myself during a ceremony, when I entered the Hive. My real name is Courtney. Courtney Rush."

"Courtney." I repeat the name. "I like it." I say, smiling at her. She smiles back.

"I'm 36 cycles old. I was born in Kaduran, during harvest, to two parents who, despite their quirks, loved me. My father was an announcer for sporting events, and my mother an assistant vendor. My younger brother, Jonathan, used to play jokes on me and get on my nerves. My grandmother lived with us, helping my mother with the cooking and cleaning. We used to travel up North to a city called Vinnislet when I was really young, for my parents' work. I spent most of my childhood going between Vinnislet and Kaduran, with Kaduran being our summer home. We used to get visits from my mother's sister and her husband, as well as cousin Rebel. She gave me the nickname 'C', short for Courtney. Rebel was always into makeup, and Jonathan wanted to be an announcer like our father. But me… I always dreamed of being an assassin. Protecting others, and hunting down Warlords. It was all I ever thought about. And yes, I did cut into trees with an axe when I was five cycles, pretending to be one." I laugh, Rosemary chuckling to herself.

"I used to play tea party with Rebel and be her 'test case'. We spent a lot of time together. We became really close as children, and despite how far apart we lived, our families tried to stay in contact. Then, when I was eight cycles, everything changed. In Kaduran, our summer home was in the lowland district."

"I don't remember that district being mentioned."

"That's because it doesn't exist anymore." Rosemary says in a low tone. "We had just finished our schooling the week prior, since we were ahead in most of our classes. I was playing outside with Jonathan, when the ground shook. We thought it was a tremor. A huge Beast Warlord, with mighty antlers and a long jaw, broke through the ground. Panic ensued, and people were screaming in fright. My father called to us. We grabbed what we could, my father put my grandmother on his back, and we ran. I ran as fast as I could, Jonathan keeping up with me. I turned back, our parents right behind us. The Warlord seemed so far away. And then, it wasn't." She looks down, taking a breath. "It all happened so fast. The Warlord slammed its head on the ground, to the right of us. I fell from the force of the hit, my brother and parents staggering. The Warlord scratched his antlers across the ground, knocking over a nearby building. The rubble fell… landing right on top of my parents, brother and grandmother, crushing them instantly. The Warlord pounced on the rubble and roared. I got up, screaming and crying for them. But they were gone. The Beast wasn't done, though. As it approached me, I ran away to another district with the few remaining survivors, taking refuge in a shop. Minutes later, assassins came in and killed the Warlord. This was before they were stationed in every major city."

"Rosemary… I'm, I'm so sorry." I put a hand atop of hers. She nods.

"After the Warlord was dealt with, there was another problem. The lowland district was completely destroyed, which means we were technically homeless. Back in those days, Kaduran was run by a rogue merchant faction, who constantly competed for more land. The district the survivors and I were hiding in was under the control of Huddin, a notable vendor who had ties to the slavers. Due to the zoning laws at the time, we had trespassed without proper identification, and so Huddin had to decide our punishment."

"What the hell? You were running for your life! How could they-"

"They didn't care. All those merchants cared about was profit. Don't worry, they were killed and eaten long ago by some of the residents. And good riddance for it. My aunt and uncle fought in court to take me in, so I could come live with them. But the zoning laws prohibited their involvement. They even tried 'buying' me, but Huddin refused to give them any privilege to see me. I never got to say goodbye to them or Rebel… Not a week later, I was sold to a group of slavers who owned a quarry in the Midwest. Went there by caravan, in the heat, with no food and minimal water. When I got there, I saw thousands of slaves, both demons and Realmers. One entrance. Six-foot-high walls, with hellhounds and patrols. Very heavily guarded. They had me lug rocks and metal ore in buckets on my back. However, that didn't last long. Most slavers have multiple ways of making money. Resources. Arms. Food. You name it. This particular group had a cage-fighting syndicate. Held events almost every day. Let people gamble on the fights. But the cage-fighting there was not regulated like in other places, such as Pevonia. There, if you lost, you wouldn't get food: you'd get whipped. Sometimes even after you've passed out. A lot of fighters who lost didn't survive their first week. I was selected to go in. First few weeks, I got more whippings than I could have ever imagined."

"How could they do that you? You were only eight! You were just a child!" I say, feeling the tears well in my eyes at the thought of a younger Rosemary being whipped. She shrugs.

"It was their way of doing things. I was a slave. I had no control over it. I spent a lot of time in their infirmary, recovering." I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Is… Is that why you hate spending time in hospitals?" She nods.

"Brings back both good and bad memories. Mostly bad." she mutters. "One good thing that came out of that was Vetra. Vetra was a nurse, just over 20 cycles old. She always tried to help others. Vetra had some books that she used to let patients read while recovering, since there were so many of us injured all the time. I made a habit of choosing the same book to read over and over. Vetra did make me read others, such as mathematics, history, language, and other subjects, but this was my favorite. It was a book called 'Warlord Trials: A Guide to Demon Assassins'. Had everything you'd ever want to know about being an assassin. I also read some Realmer/demon anatomy books. She seemed particularly fond of me. Called me 'her little starlight'. She taught me how to read and listen to the Ancient Tongues, as well as the standard demon language in the Undead Realm, which I was having trouble grasping initially. She told me to keep pursuing my dream of becoming an assassin, even when times were tough. When I was sad, she tried to cheer me up by singing. The slavers used to hate it and would whip her if she did it too often, sometimes taking her in another room to do torture her further, too. Hot iron pokers, leech attack… among other unmentionable horrors."

"Did they-"

"Never. But Vetra was a different story." She stops, closing her eyes for a moment, then reopening them. "I used the knowledge I learned from the anatomy and assassin books. I started to go after my opponent's weak points. If I was grabbed, I'd punch the elbow pit or throat. If the opponent was large, I'd aim for the legs, especially the knees. I improved my fighting skills, and eventually started to win. Vetra was kind enough to get me a face paint. It was similar to the one I have now. It was a simple paint, but I used it anyway. Over time, I became a pretty good fighter. Many of my opponents had my respect, and I had theirs. By the time I was eleven, I was one of their top ten fighters."

"Most of us… Pretty much all of us hated the slavers. We wanted a way out. But a lot of us were afraid. The slavers weren't too kind on revolts. They'd stuff you in a box with a few holes to breathe, in the sun, for a whole day if they caught you trying to escape. The fighters were always more for it, because we could hold our own and didn't know if we'd survive another whipping. But there were more slavers than fighters, so we needed to get the quarry workers and other slaves on board. It took time, but eventually we had the majority on our side. We had a plan. Most of the facility was underground, so we had a few scouts go up, saying they were needed for maintenance outside. We struck in the middle of the night, silently knocking out guards/hellhounds and taking their weapons. We freed so many slaves. I went into the hospital, Vetra and a few of the men helping to move the weak. She had seen too many slaves die from their injuries. She knew getting the others out of here was their best chance of survival. We were making our way up, when someone alerted the slavers. We had to fight our way out. Some of them threw fire or sicked hellhounds on us."

"What happened?" I ask.

"We made it out. Took out most of the slavers, although some had managed to run away. We had enough transport for everyone, but then we heard the slavers screaming outside. A Beast Warlord had heard the commotion and attacked. He killed all the slavers, eating them, before turning his attention to us. We tried to escape, but he destroyed the caravans. We closed the gates, but he crawled over the walls. He was cleaving through the slaves, biting and gnawing on their bodies. We took shelter in whatever buildings we could. I remembered reading that some Beast Warlords were attracted to both scent and sound, so I had an idea. I told some slaves to distract it with noise, while the others fetch the slavers' bodies and whatever rotten food there was outside, and to pile them up at the bottom of a quarry pit. We collected whatever oil lamps and flammable liquids we could find, dosing bodies and blankets in it. I told Vetra to take the wounded and bring them to the slaver compound, a pretty obscure building on the right. The smell of blood and noise from some metal buckets got its attention. Everyone was counting on me. I remember thinking to myself 'This is my chance. I can save everyone, take out the Warlord and prove that I'm good enough to be an assassin.'"

"The Warlord crawled into the pit, going towards the bodies. One of the men, Teku, had a group of slaves push a boulder down into it, which knocked the Warlord down. We dumped as much oil as we could, covering the Warlord in it. I took a pack of matches, lit them and threw it in the pit. The flames crawled up the oil and onto the Warlord's skin. It shrieked, its burning flesh charring in the Dawn's light. We were all screaming in joy, when all of a sudden, it jumped. High. So high it escaped the pit and landed right on the slaver compound. It was thrashing around, rubbing its skin to try and remove the burning oil. It smashed through the roof, and I could hear the screams of the people inside." Rosemary pauses, her breathing going quicker now. "I ran, trying to get its attention, hoping I could save Vetra and the others. But Teku grabbed me and ran to the exit. I was pounding on his chest, telling him to let me go. He said it was too late. He carried me into the wilderness, then let me go when were a few meters away. I tried to run back, but he stopped me again. He told me 'It's over, little one. There's no going back now.' I kept trying to get past him, but he repeated it over and over until I stopped. I fell to my knees, smashing my fists on the ground. It… It was all my fault! If I told them to run, Vetra would still be alive and..." I grab Rosemary and hold her against me. I can feel her shake as she relives the memory. "My fault. It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't." I pull back to look in her eyes. "You were just a kid. Trying to do the right thing. At that moment, you thought the compound would be the safest place for them. If you knew that Warlord could do that, you never would have let them go in there and put them in danger."

She hugs me back as I rub my hand down the nape of her neck. We stay like this for a few minutes, just holding each other. She begins to calm down, takes a few deep breaths, before we pull back from one another. She wipes the corner of her eyes with her hand.

"Thanks, Bunny."

"No problem. Do you want to continue?" I ask. She nods. "Okay. What happened next?"

"*Sigh* We got caught, after all that shit. Me, Teku and a bunch of others. Some slavers happened to be coming by for an inspection. Tried to fight them off, but they knocked us out with darts. When I woke up, I was in a flesh market. One of the slavers sold me to a new master named Korak. Korak was vicious. Not because he whipped people, like other slavers did. No. Because he made every slave he had carry their body weight and then some, for hours at a time. If we tripped, he'd take away food. If we walked 'a certain way' he didn't like, same deal. If we collapsed, he'd leave us to die. He was a big fucking slaver too, so no way I could take him hand-to-hand, nor could the meager slaves he kept beside him. I spent months doing what he asked. Treading carefully. I fought hard to stay alive, and I was still processing Vetra's death. One day, we had to go North in the middle of a blizzard. Korak didn't want to wait, said he had 'important business' to attend to. He was in his caravan, fur coat and hot drink in hand. Meanwhile, the slaves and I were carrying his bags with no shoes and in summer tunics. I hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, and it was so cold. My body was shaking. Every step I took was wobbly. Eventually, I just collapsed on the ground, my body not able to handle the harsh weather. Korak left, and I was sure I was going to die. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in an infirmary…"

*Flashback, Rosemary's Pov, 25 years ago*

Cold. So cold. Vetra. Vetra, I failed you. I'm sorry. I thought I had it under control. I wish I-

"Hey, I think she's waking up." I hear a female voice say.

Opening my eyes and blinking away the bright spots, I see two people standing on either side of me. On my right is a nurse, her blue uniform sticking out against the white stone walls. She has red hair, pulled back in a bun, and kind blue eyes. On my left is a huge hulking man. 6 ft.6, with long dark brown hair, a black vest, gray shirt and pants, and a black mask. The mask covers his nose, cheeks and part of his forehead, but leaves the rest of his face and his left eye visible. Over his nose is gray triangle design. They both seem to be only a few years older than me. Maybe 25 cycles, at most. The man's deep brown eyes stare at my face, his lips a single line.

"Hey, you okay sweetheart?" the nurse asks, checking my forehead. I push her hands away. "Don't worry, just checking for fever."

"What happened? Where am I?" I move my body and feel my feet wade in water. Looking down, I see they are stuck inside of a bucket of warm water. I try to get up, but the nurse pushes me back down.

"Uh-uh. No can do, sweety. You need to stay right there. Damn near killed yourself in that cold. Could have lost your feet out there. You're lucky Abyss found you when he was searching for his target." She points to the man with the mask. Target? The large man continues to look at me, before crossing his arms over himself. "What were you doing out there, young lady?"

"My master was going towards a town up North, for business. I had to lug some bags with me, and I couldn't handle the cold. I fell to the ground and passed out. Then I woke up here." She looks at me with concern.

"Your master? Do you mean you're a slave?" I nod. Abyss grumbles in his throat, before walking away. "Don't mind him. He doesn't like slavers."

"Neither do I." I respond. She pats my face with a warm wet cloth.

"Pretty girl like you shouldn't be sold to anyone. Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

"Grandparents?"

"Both sides dead."

"Any family we can contact?"

"My aunt and uncle… although I haven't seen them in a while." I miss them. And I miss Rebel so much. I'd do anything to be her test case again. She nods in understanding.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." The nurse walks off and passes through a brown wooden door at the end of the room. Feeling a bit antsy, I decide to take a look at my surroundings. I'm lying on a simple white cot, in a really large room. Around me are a bunch of other cots, identical to mine. I seem to be the only patient here. Strange. Oil lamps lit everywhere. Metal bucket with water where my feet are. My hands are a bit tingly, probably still recovering from the cold. Suddenly, I hear glass shatter and a scream. Pulling my feet from the bucket, I search for a weapon. I find a metal pan with some sort of water in it beside the bed. Emptying it out, I grab it and try to leave the cot. More screaming, followed by a bang sound. The minute my feet touch the floor, a burning feeling comes to them and I drop to my knees.

I bite my tongue, wincing at the pain but trying to remain quiet. Taking a few quick breaths, I push myself to my feet, ignoring the pain and wobbling for a few seconds. I slowly walk, one foot at a time, away from the cot and towards the door the nurse went to. The voices are still a bit muffled, but definitely louder. Putting my hand on the cold metal doorknob, I twist and push the door open.

The nurse from earlier is in the corner, crawling away as Abyss and a scaled bipedal demon fight above her. The demon's head looks human, with normal peachy complexion, orange eyes and hair, but the rest of his body is covered in round blue scales. He has a blade in his hand, Abyss trying to wrestle it from his grip.

"My time has not come. The Vortris is wise. He will provide an answer to all questions!" the demon screams out in the Ancient Tongues, stabbing the blade into Abyss's hand. The large man grits his teeth, before the demon sweeps him off his feet. He straddles Abyss and grabs his neck, choking him. Abyss tries to kick him off, but the demon holds strong. Fighting through the pain, I slowly walk towards the demon, as Abyss's face turns different colors. I don't even know if I should be trusting these people, but I'm not about to try my luck with this creepy-looking demon. I lift the pan with both hands and smack the demon across the back of his head. He staggers forward, then backhands me. Abyss grabs him by the neck, but the demon headbutts him down. Pulling the knife from his hand, he lifts his arm above his head to stab the man. Without thinking, I jump on the demon's back, laying punches down on his head and neck. He screams, grabs me by the hair and throws me into the wall, my back slamming against the stone as I topple to the ground. Fuck!

"Stupid girl! You shall die first!" he says, inching closer to me with the knife. The nurse gets up to stop him, but is smacked away. I try to crawl to the other side of the room, but he is faster than I am. He grabs me by the hair, yanks me up and lifts his arm to stab me. I try to break free, but his curved fingernails tangle around my brown locks. "Time to die!" he screams, aiming the knife above my head.

The hand comes down and I freeze up, expecting to feel the sharp pain of the blade. Instead, the arm stops and I see a large hand grabbing the demon. Looking up, I see it is Abyss, who holds the demon's throat with one hand and his arm with the other. He pulls him away from me, the demon's hand roughly yanking some hair from my scalp. Ow!

Abyss breaks his left arm, the blade falling and clanging against the floor. He chokes the demon, then brings him towards a wooden countertop and smashes his head over and over until the demon is bleeding from his temple. He then pulls him close and knees him in the stomach, the demon falling down from the hit. Abyss places a boot on the back of his neck and pulls on his head until a loud CRACK echoes out. The demon slumps to the ground. Dead. Abyss lets go, then walks over to the nurse and helps her up.

"Thank you, Joseph." He nods. Abyss then walks up to me, holding his hand out. I pull away, but then, surprisingly, he speaks.

"It's okay." he says in a voice a bit higher than I expected. Seeing as I have no other alternative, I take his hand. He helps me up, before helping me walk back to my cot.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"This is medical station 2-01, a small infirmary just a few meters from the Hive." the nurse tells me.

"Wait, the Hive? As in, the assassin academy?" I ask. She nods.

"You know it, do you?" the nurse asks, as Abyss looks on. I nod my head.

"Hell yeah, I do!"

"Language, young lady." Abyss stares at me for a few seconds, like he's deep in thought. He nods his head, before going into the other room. "I know that look Joseph." He just continues walking, the nurse turning to me. "That was very brave, but also very dangerous."

"I've been trained for worse." I tell her. She huffs, looking over my face for scratches.

"I don't know what those slavers put you through. But I can tell you one thing," she points over her shoulder with her thumb, "while he may not say it, you just impressed Joseph with your actions back there."

"Who is he?" I ask. She smiles, tending to a cut on my arm.

"One of the top assassins this side of the continent."

"Are… Are you serious?" I ask, dumbfounded. She just laughs as I look over her shoulder, trying to get another glimpse of the large man.

"Don't worry, he'll be back. But for now, you need to take it easy and lie back down on that cot. That's an order young lady." I do as I'm told. My mind is playing over what just happened.

"I can't believe it. A real assassin. I saved an assassin." I say aloud, causing the nurse to chuckle.

Allie's Pov, Present, Omni Sports Tournament, Tent, Night

"Wow." I say.

"I know, right. Didn't think I'd end up at an assassin's academy during my travels with Korak. When I recovered, some of the assassins were quick to try and ship me to another city. But Joseph, who was still training at the time, thought I had potential and convinced them to let me stay until my injuries healed. Many still didn't like it. So, he gave me two choices: I take a huge bag of silver, more than enough to start over, and ride to the nearest town, or, I join the Hive academy and become a demon assassin. I didn't even hesitate and jumped on the opportunity. The minute I got the chance, I contacted my aunt and uncle. When they arrived to come see me, Rebel nearly strangled me to death with her hug. I was so happy to see them again, after so long apart. They asked me to come with them, but I told them I wanted to stay, because I finally had a chance to choose for myself, and not let others do so for me. After a few talks, they relented, but made me promise to come and see them when I could."

"It wasn't easy. Sure, I had my fighting and language skills, but some of my classmates had lineage, prestige, money and power. I had to prove myself. Learn new skills. Make new friends. Forge a new life. I got a degree, in the magical arts. It included how summoning cauldrons are made and the inner workings of appropriated Earth tech, like my bike. After I graduated, most of my squad mates died while hunting Warlords on the outside. But somehow, I'm still here. Met Caretaker and Cal along the way. Got a place for myself. Saved countless lives. And more than 12 years after graduation, I could say I was happy with what I had. At least, that's what I thought. Until I met you." She looks directly in my eyes as she utters that last sentence.

"Wha-uh, what do you mean?" I ask, my heart pounding hard again.

"Things in my life have changed since I met you, Allie. The day we met in that forest; I had just finished a hunt. My boots were worn out and I was covered in muck. I was tired, pissed off, and wanted to go home. I thought 'Oh, another Realmer I have got to save. How typical.' The funny thing is, it was anything but an ordinary task. Certrius was smarter than I gave him credit for. I overestimated my abilities, and it nearly cost me my life." She pauses, then smiles at the ground. "And then, you, a girl with no training, hit Certrius, a Warlord, in the back of the head with that branch. Saving my life. And I… was in shock. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. No Realmer had ever done that for me, not since I started hunting on my own."

"I couldn't let you die. Not after you tried to help me." I answer simply.

"I'll always be glad that you did." She pauses. "After we met, I started getting these weird feelings. Ones I've never felt before. I passed it off as gratitude, tried to ignore them, and let them go away on their own. I brought you to Caretaker's. I still felt them, and I thought it was just my sense of duty. My oath, telling me to protect you. But it was more than that. Over these past few weeks, as I've gotten to know you, these feelings didn't go away. I felt them more often. I thought about you more and more, and for some reason wouldn't even think of allowing anyone else to keep you safe. I'll admit, it was selfish. I want to protect you… but I also want to know more about you. Your hopes, dreams, likes, and so much more." I stare at her, mouth agape, trying to process what she's telling me.

"Wh-what are you trying to say, Rose-, uh, Courtney?" She smiles.

"I'm saying… that I like you, Allie."

I freeze up the minute I hear those words. "R-Really?"

She looks down, a slight pinkish hue going over her cheeks. "Yeah, I do." We stare at each other for a few seconds. I can't believe it. Oh my God. Oh my God. Is this actually happening? Rosemary has feelings for me? Do I… have feelings for her?

"Allie?"

Are you really that naïve? It's only over a month that you met! You can't fall that easily for someone! A harsh voice says in my head. Can't you? I mean, I wouldn't say I'm in love with her, but I think there's something there. No. I know there's something there. Ever since I arrived in the Undead Realm, she's become my Guardian angel. She's been nothing but a wonderful, caring, and compassionate person to me. She's taken care of me. Shown me everything she could. Taught me about the Realm, its history, peoples and customs. Literally put her life on the line to protect me. And she just admitted that she has feelings for me.

"Allie? Are you okay?" I hear her ask in a concerned tone. I realize that I dazed out and have been staring at her this whole time. I take a deep breath.

"Can… can I tell you something?"

"Of course, Allie." I can hear there's a little pitch in her throat. She must be so nervous coming forward.

"You're not the only one feeling it." I see her eyes go wide. She doesn't respond, so I continue "Remember when you told me to forget about that kiss we shared, back in Pevonia?" She nods. "I tried very hard to do just that, but I couldn't." I tuck a hair behind my ear, my hands shaking and foot tapping as I continue. "When Certrius took me from Earth, I thought I was going to die. I had no idea where I was or what was about to happen. Braxton… was gone, and I was all alone. But then you saved me. Or I saved you. We saved each other. And, and you brought me with you to Kaduran. You and Caretaker were there for me. Answered my questions. Gave me a place to stay and call home. I've never had anyone do that for me. You brought me with you to all these exotic places. Then in Pevonia, with the amulet… I just… that kiss has, has been on my mind. YOU have been on my mind. Then with what happened with Jed. I thought you died, and that thought alone killed me. I didn't understand it, because I was convinced that I was straight. But now, I'm not sure what's going on. I was so confused, and I still am, but I didn't want to put you on the spot, not knowing if you even liked me."

"Are you kidding? You are the most amazing woman I've ever met, Allie."

"Do… do you really think that?" She nods enthusiastically, a big smile plastered on her lips.

"Yes, Allie, I do. That's why I want to ask you-" I look up, our eyes locking. "Allie *deep breath*, wou-would you like to go out sometime? After all of this is over, of course."

"You mean, like a date?"

"Yeah." she says, her eyes searching mine for her answer.

"I… I don't know." I say.

She nods her head, the disappointment etched in her frown as she looks down at her feet. No, no! Not like that.

"Wait! I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just that I'm… I'm scared." I start playing with my hands, looking away from her. She shifts her chair closer to me, placing her left hand near mine.

"Scared? Of what?"

"Of… this." I motion between the two of us. "I've… never felt this way before. Not with a woman, anyway. This is all new for me."

"This is all new for me, too. I've never felt this way about anyone, demon or Realmer." She gives me a small smile.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in going out with you." I tell her, causing her eyes to go wide again. "It's just that with Certrius, and what happened with Braxton. Then coming here, getting used to the Realm and all this moving around. Things have been going so fast between us. No matter what, you have a friend for life, but I still want to pursue this. It's just… I'd… like to take things a bit slower. If that's okay?"

"Of course. We can go as slow as you want. This is at your pace, Bunny." she tells me, grabbing my hand. I squeeze her hand, then look up.

"You mean it?" She nods her head. "You'd be willing to go slow with me?"

"Absolutely."

"O-Okay. Then I'd love to go out with you."

"Really?" I can hear the genuine shock in Rosemary's voice. I just nod, then kiss her cheek, my lips quickly pecking her warm skin. As I pull away, my eyes widen when I realize what I just did, and I blush up a storm. Rosemary blushes too, coughing to break the tension. "Um, what do you say tomorrow, we hang out around the vendor tents? Maybe grab midmeal, er, lunch together?"

"I'd love to."

"Great! I mean… great." I snicker at how flustered she sounds. "We, uh, better get to sleep so we don't wake up too late tomorrow." The two of us get up, Rosemary letting me pass first. We both approach the bed, then look at each other.

"I can take the couch if you're not-"

"NO!" I say way too loudly. "Uh, I mean, no it's okay. My injuries aren't too bad. We can share… if you want?" I suggest. Rosemary just smiles warmly. I love it when she does that. She goes to the other side of the bed. We both get in the covers at the same time. Rosemary and I turn to each other.

"Good night, Rosemary."

"Good night, Allie. Sweet dreams." Rosemary turns off the lamp and I close my eyes. I giggle silently for a second, as a warm fuzzy feeling passes over me and I finally fall asleep.

Author's Note: Hey everyone. Hope you enjoyed this newest chapter! As you can see, Rosemary just admitted her real name is Courtney Rush (I swear, I didn't plan this. I love that she went back to being Rush, but this was just a happy coincidence that makes me smile), and told Allie of her past. Poor Courtney. I hope you guys liked the inclusion of Abyss in the flashback. And of course, we have Courtney admitting she likes Allie! About time, huh? Allie is feeling the same, but wants to take things slow. And now they've planned a date for the next day?! Next chapter will be on their first date, so stay tuned. Please feel free to leave a review if you enjoyed this. I read them all and they are always appreciated. Until next time, take care and enjoy your day!