After - The Society Fanfic.

12.

Allie's foot taps impatiently and her fingers drum the kitchen counter. The kettle is bubbling on the stove, whilst Will crunches on some crisps, watching her. She turns around, hands outstretched in front of her, grasping at the air between them. "Where are they? The meeting surely can't have gone on that long!" She goes back to drumming her fingers on the surface.

"I'm sure Lexie and Harry are just grilling them about-" The front door swings open, Gordie and Grizz practically collapse into the house, tired from their day. Will mutters to himself, "oh thank god." When he glances up, he sees Allie has gone, already striding towards the front door. Will sighs and casually follows after. Part of his love for Allie comes from her fiery spirit, but sometimes it's draining. She's already loudly questioning the two. Grizz is worse for wear compared to Gordie. His eyes puffy and red, shoulders hunched. He seems drained. He ignores Allie, holding up a hand to her, which aggravates her. He fist-bumps Will before leaping onto the sofa, closing his eyes. Allie stands over him, hands on hips.

"Grizz? Grizz what-"

"I need a five-minute nap" He pauses for a second, opening one eye, staring at her. "Please." Allie's face softens and she nods. Her need to know what's going on should not be greater than his health and taking a look at him with fresh eyes, she sees he needs more than five minutes. She gestures to Gordie and Will to follow her and they make their way up the stairs, giving Grizz time to rest.

They enter her and Will's room. It's messy. Neither of them has had the energy to really clean stuff. Will starts picking things up whilst Allie kicks it aside. Gordie stands awkwardly, unsure where to sit. He sees a chair. Allie eyes him weirdly, waiting for him to sit as her and Will get comfortable on the bed. He takes the seat. "Okay. From the beginning. Tell me everything."

Gordie goes through it all, doing his best to explain every single detail. Will and Allie listening quietly. Allie goes to interject a few times but decides against it, not wanting to interrupt the story. She's happy with the fact that Lexie is being patient about disrupting things. However, she's still wary over her. She'd known of Grizz's plans before he went to the meeting. They're pretty much what they discussed before his expedition.

"So you're going to be allowed to see Eden for an hour tomorrow! Campbell really tried-" Allie cuts Gordie off.

"Campbell!? Campbell was there?" Gordie frowns. Had he really not mentioned Campbell yet? He'd been so focused on conveying the information passed during the meeting that he'd forgotten to say who had actually been there. Allie stands and starts to pace. "She's got Campbell on the council? Campbell." Gordie just smiles awkwardly and shrugs.

"We can't do anything until the trial is finished and you two are acquitted! Until then, yes, Campbell is on the council. He doesn't do much, just sits and listens..."

"Because he's plotting! He's a psychopath! He's dangerous! He's got Elle! And what? We're to do nothing?" Gordie frowns at the mention of Elle but doesn't have time to say anything as Allie starts circling the room, grabbing her phone and messaging. She texts furiously as Will holds out a hand trying to keep her still. She'd been agitated all day; he'd known something was going to set her off. He'd hoped it wouldn't be a Campbell related issue but...

Allie hasn't always been a fan of her cousin. He'd been weird and different and not as kind as Sam. The hatred towards him started to develop when he pointed a gun at Cassandra. From then she watched as he manipulated Harry, changed his character before her eyes, and twisted everyone's words and worlds. He's cunning and manipulative, always one step ahead of them. She'd taken her eyes off him for a few seconds and he did so much. Elle, this weird revolution, and now he's sitting in the heart of it all. He'll pull the strings and they'll never know he's doing it. She throws her phone down. Gordie raises his eyebrows. "Where is Helena?"

"Helena? Why do you need Helena?" Gordie and Will exchange a look. Allie is having a conversation in her head, the other two are trying to figure out what that is. She could be awful for not voicing her train of thought. Especially recently, with all the betrayals. Allie is frustrated, she wants to talk to Helena. If she could just leave this bloody house! She needs to talk with Helena. Her and Helena need to come up with a plan. She's going stir crazy in this house and with Campbell now- With Campbell- She can't think straight. Please, she thinks, begging to whatever being has put them here, make sure Elle's okay.

*

Helena ignored Allie's messages. Her and Luke were trying to have dinner. A private dinner. They needed to go through some plans for tomorrow. He and Clark were chaperoning Will and Allie. Anything could set them off. She needed to make sure he has a clear head. If he doesn't, it'll only set Clark off, and once you set Clark off, everyone goes off.

It's the first time in a while she seems him at peace. He's enjoying the meal. The two of them have laughed about some of the stories about the new recruits in The Guard. They're trying to fill Grizz's gap but finding one man to fill that hole was proving difficult, so they've settled on two newbies. Their initiations are a little... rough. But Luke has always insisted he sat back from that, making sure that the initiates consented. She knows some of the others wouldn't do that.

They finish dessert and Luke clears the table. As he comes back, he wraps his arms around Helena, kissing her cheek. "It's nice. It's like before." She smiles in response. He's happy. She's... okay. She loves Luke, she really does but it's off. The whole relationship is off. She's shoving it aside, for now, giving herself some peace at home. Every time she steps out the door she deals with the world's problems. Whether it's Allie and Will's trial, residents in distress, Harry and Lexie and the situation with Campbell and Elle, she's got a lot on her shoulders. She needs to discuss Campbell and Elle with Allie tomorrow. It pains her to leave Elle in his house but she's unsure what they can do right now. She needs to get Elle out the house and into safety but how...There's nowhere to run, there's nowhere where she is safe. They'd need to find a place for her where Campbell couldn't find her, at least until they could find a way to keep him imprisoned. This is not a problem they'll be able to solve overnight. If only she could get a message to Elle, tell her they're trying, they're going to find a way.

This is one of the reasons why she doesn't need these issues at home too. When she's dealing with all of this, she can't deal with Luke as well. She'll address them fully after the trial after she's gotten the truth out of him on the stand. It angers her that he doesn't trust her enough to say the truth. She thought they'd been so strong, that they could do anything together. They'll get there again, she knows it. She loves him and she will fight for them for as long as she can. "Helena?"

"Hm?" She turns her head to see a concerned Luke searching her face, trying to figure out what she's thinking. "Sorry, drifted off." He frowns and she gives him a kiss. "Nothing to worry about." He smiles, unconvinced back at her. No matter how much she tries to hide his distrust, Luke can sense it. It hurts.