Survival of the fittest - AmyMarie and Shadowfax

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George raised a brow as Ash approached. He stood up properly as she came into full view. He knew she knew that he had told the group; and he suspected that she felt awkward about the current situation. Still, he needed to make sure she was ok. He walked towards her and stood by her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a small comforting smile.

Aimee glanced up at Ash from the car and gave her a sympathetic look. She hoped that Ash knew that she'd be there for her. She might need a female friend to get her through this. Aaron took the opposite approach and gave her a more stern glance. He liked the woman, she was capable, determined and didn't falter with her hand-to-hand combat, but he couldn't help but think of the problems that this all arises.

Night was finally upon them and Aimee stretched out her arms. She grabbed a few blankets that she didn't need out of the car and trod over to Ash through the autumn leaves. She handed them to her.
"I'm here if you need anything" she murmured. "Anyway, I'm going to bed". The teenager hugged her brother and kissed him goodnight before walking back to the car.

"G'night Aimee" Aaron called with a glint in his eye. Aimee turned around to look at him curiously.
"Goodnight" she replied with a confused yet kind smile; nice of him to say goodnight, she thought. She climbed into the car and kicked off her shoes, lying across the back seat.

"Are you guys gonna go to bed?" Aaron asked George and Ash after he finished watching Aimee get into the car. His friend gave a sharp nod, he'd be retiring to bed very soon. "Its only I think I'm going to stay up tonight" he added, glancing at his hidden crate of bottled beer.

[Shadowfax]

Ash snapped out of her trance as George approached, but smiled when she saw it was him.

"Yeh... fine. Thank you.. For telling them" She managed to say after some time. Her voice was strained and there was a lost look about her, but she tried to hide it as best she could.

When Aimee arrived with blankets, she took them gratefully and nodded to the teen. She had grown so much in the short time she had known her. Like her survival instincts finally kicking in. When Aaron came over to them afterwards, she locked eyes with him for a moment. Neither he or Ash had quite worked one another out, so they were often quiet around each other, though his words made her speak on this occasion.

"You should sleep... No point in tiring yourself out..."

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George placed a hand on Ash's shoulder and rubbed it with a soft expression across his face.
"It's ok. Thanks for telling me. You could of kept it too yourself". He nodded at what Ash had said directed towards Aaron. "Yeah mate, you need some sleep. Anything could happen, we need you at your finest".

Aaron shook his head and put on one of his trademark 'everything's alright' grins.
"Honestly, I'm not tired. I fancy a night under the stars". He gave George a pat, smiled at Ash and returned to where he had been sitting. "You get some rest, I'll be fine".

[Shadowfax]

Ash watched him for a moment. She felt a little suspicious at his sudden voluntary action to stay up when there was no need to. But, she didn't question it.. Maybe he did just want some time alone under the stars.

"Alright then... But you'll probably regret it come morning" She said, trailing off towards her tent.

As she passed George, she gave him a soft smile before leaving the two best friends. She paused at the entrance to the tent however. Each night she had nightmares of that night and of the whole situation the world was now in. Ashelin felt her arms shaking as she stood there staring at the doors. It was if it were the gates to hell. A bark snapped her out her trance however and the form of Cody came padding towards her.

"Thanks boy.." She said, patting the dog on the head and disappearing into the tent.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George watched Ash disappear and sighed. Aaron, while not all there in his state of mind, sympathised for a moment. "You like her, don't you?" he asked. His dark haired friend held his head in his hands. After a moment he shrugged.

"I...I think I do". Aaron chuckled light-heartedly.
"I knew it. Don't worry mate, everything will be ok".

George doubted that. With another sigh and a headache forming from the stress of it all, he retired to his tent. His friend waited until things fell silent, and then his lips began to curl into a smirk as he bounded across the camp-site and into the woodland to retrieve his goods. He returned with quite a number of bottles of beer and sat himself down.

He cracked open his first of many and made a gesture with it towards the sky.
"To the apocalypse!" he muttered quietly but enthusiastically.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Aaron being a douche: show

A couple of hours later, Aaron was completely s***-faced. He had finished his 7th bottle and had not bothered to conceal the evidence. The 8th was his last, and as he cracked it open he saw the light in the car being switched on. Aimee was awake.

He had felt stronger feelings for her over the past couple of weeks, and now, with his mind hazed with alcohol, he was about to act upon them. He heaved himself to his feet and staggered towards the car. As he opened the car door the light went off and she turned around with wide eyes.

He could tell she was going to scream, but he had the sense to turn the light back on.
"Only me" he whispered. The fear drained away from the teenagers face.
"I thought you were...I thought you were someone else" she said, not forgetting her own experiences back in the hotel.

"Nope; just my usual gorgeous self" he said with a lopsided grin. Aimee became puzzled, he looked a bit out of it. He began to advance a little closer and Aimee could smell booze; the same sort as she smelt that night she spent with him. She looked to his hand and saw the bottle. "Let me in, we can have a cwtch" he mumbled, not being able to get inside the car due to the position she was in.

"I think you need to go to bed" she replied sternly. His grin faded, realising that she wasn't as keen as he thought. Grumbling he took a swig of his beer and then dropped it. He forced himself into the car, falling on top of her. Aimee tried to heave him off. "Aaron, I'm serious, get out of the car-"

His lips crashed against hers and his hands fumbled about under the blankets to grab a hold of something. She pushed his head away from her own and glared at him, managing to push him high enough to slip away from underneath. Aimee liked Aaron; but this wasn't the way to go about it. She knew he was drunk and couldn't be blamed for his actions but she was having none of it. He reached out to grab at her again and she managed to slap him.

Some sense seemed to come back to him as he laid down in the car, face stinging.
"Ugh, suit yourself woman". He rolled onto his back and Aimee exited the car; looking back on him with worried eyes. She wanted to cry even though she didn't have too much to cry about; it might of been assault but Aimee saw it as a wrong approach to what might of been. She was barefooted as she fumbled along to George's tent, unzipping it and getting inside.

He didn't wake immediately, but as she settled down he sat up and stared at her.
"Aimee, what are you-"
"I couldn't sleep". With a shrug he accepted her answer and put his head down to sleep again. She didn't manage to get shut eye until her eyes forced themselves shut.

The morning approached quickly. The camp-site appeared in worse shape, beer bottles littered the ground and the car door as wide open, Aaron hanging out of it. Aimee was still and George was yet to wake.

[Shadowfax]

Again, Ash visited dark places that night. She had taken to keeping her gun under her pillow which made it less likely for her to freak out and aim fire at anything and anyone. Still... She liked having it close by, just in case. As morning approached, Ashelin sat bolt upright and rubbed her eyes before getting to her feet. The usual morning sickness visited her and she stumbled from the tent over to a nearby tree where she coughed and spluttered.

The air was still around the camp, but there was also an air of suspicion. Like something had happened whilst the others slept. Ash wiped her lip on the back of her hoodie sleeve before looking up and around the camp. Over by the lake were beer bottles. Alot of them. She frowned and trudged over to the scene. Looking down, she saw footprints in the dirt leading over to the car.

Ashelin wandered over to the car and grit her teeth with anger when she saw Aaron there. She had seen Aimee sleep there many a time and judging by the beer bottles and the state he was in she had reached her own conclusion as to what happened last night... and she was furious. Despite her being pregnant and 'weak' it didn't stop her grabbing the man by the front of the shirt, dragging him out the car and throwing him to the floor before her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in there?!" She yelled at him.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aaron groaned when he hit the floor; his head was pounding now due to the inevitable hangover. He was pretty out of it and he rolled over and closed his eyes on the floor. He told her to go away in perhaps not the politest of ways and drifted back into his state of sleep, head resting on the leaves.

George heard Ash yelling, as did Aimee. She would have hoped for nothing to come of the incident and for Aaron to make an apology and there to be no arguments. She assumed Ash had found him in the car. George glanced over at his little sister.
"Gaah, better see what that was". His expression slowly turned serious. "Did something happen?"

Aimee gave him a look and he stood up, burrowing his way out of the tent and rushing to the scene. The teenage girl rushed out with him, still barefooted. She tried to avoid the bottles as she followed her brother. George arrived at the car and saw Aaron on the floor, bottle just outside the car door and Aimee's clothes and blankets scattered about inside of the car.

He took one look at his sister who looked incredibly anxious; more so at the sight of Aaron.
"What did he do?"George hissed. Aimee's eyes welled up with tears.
"He just-he was drunk and he...he just wanted to get in the car with me-he kissed me and-" she stammered. Aimee backed away towards Ash when she saw the look in her brother's eyes. George approached the still sleeping Aaron and nudged him with his foot. Aaron turned onto his back and opened his eyes, smiling up at his friend.

"Good mornin' buddy" George said, imitating what Aaron usually called him before making an unhuman noise. "Good morn-". The young man cut Aaron off and grabbed his best friend from the front of the shirt as Ash did minutes ago and heaved him to his feet. His fist flew into Aaron's face before he had a chance to reply. George pulled Aaron along and slammed him into the nearest tree, holding him still and growling.

"If you ever make a move on my sister again; I swear to God Aaron I will kill you". Aaron's face screwed up into a scowl as blood dripped from his nose. After a stare off between the two George let go and turned away.

"You know George; if the situation had been different, she probably would of shared the night with me in that car" Aaron said, wiping the blood away from his face. His best friend turned back around and glared at him, the fury in his eyes even making Aaron regret what he had just said. George went to punch his friend again, but Aimee looked petrified and he didn't want to cause serious damage.

Even if he felt like it.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin turned her head slightly as the others appeared at the scene. By the look on George's face, she assumed he knew what had gone on too without having to think about it too much. Ashelin placed a hand on Aimee's shoulder as the teen shied away from the scene and towards her. When George began to pick Aaron up by the shirt, she knew what was coming and didn't even wince as George's fist collided with Aarons face. She had an idea of how George was feeling right now and if she intervened, he would hate her.

Plus.. She knew this needed to happen. For both their sakes if they wanted to move on from it. That aside... Ashelin was not impressed by his actions. Anything could have happened and she would hate for Aimee to be in a similar situation to the one she was in. Aaron was ten times kinder and less violent than Matt, but she wasn't impressed by what he had tried to do.

When George turned away and made to stalk off, Aarons words angered Ashelin and anger flared in her eyes.

"I'd shut up.. Right now if I were you. How could you.. Especially after what George told you last night about me. You're an idiot Aaron" Ashelin snarled.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George glanced at his sister and walked off; not listening at what Ash had to say to Aaron. He needed some time on his own before he broke down. He ambled along through the camp, kicking bottles as he went, wondering how Aaron got his hands on them. He was headed towards the lake, hands in pockets and anger plaguing his mind.

Aaron turned to face Ash as she spoke to him. He groaned and rolled his eyes.
"You have no idea" he replied, leaving them to question what he meant. He gave Aimee an apologetic look, which she happened to see.

He was going to apologise to her later, after his head stopped pounding and his nose stopped bleeding. He wasn't going to apologise to George; he had nothing to apologise for to him. She had already forgiven him a little; she could tell something wasn't quite right with him. He turned and slunk away to the supplies, hoping to find some tissues and some painkillers.

Aimee's hand found Ash's and she squeezed it,
"This incident is probably something you didn't need; I'm sorry, I shoulda said nothing" the teenager said with a frown.

[Shadowfax]

Ash watched as George walked off, her eyes saddening slightly, but flaring up again when Aaron spoke. She wanted to lay into him. Yell at him. Partly for all the emotions she was struggling to control and partly for hurting George and Aimee. Aimee squeezing her hand bought her back to her senses however and she blinked with confusion for a moment as the teen apologized.

"Hey... Don't you apologize alright?!" Ash said, sternly.. But not unkindly.

She placed her hands on the teens shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes.

"You ever have a problem.. With anything, or anyone you can speak to me. We have all got to look out for each other if we want to make it in this world alright?" She said with a slight smile, a rarity for Ashelin.

At that moment Sam appeared looking tired, but also worried about the scene before him.

"What..." The boy began, but Ash cut across him and placed a hand on his shoulder now.

"It's ok.. We will be fine. You two should take Cody for a walk. I'll go and check on George ok?"