After - The Society Fanfic.

32.

Gwen places mugs and glasses around the table. No one seems particularly happy. Gwen can't say she is either. Grizz still hasn't joined them. He went straight up to his room as soon as he got in. When the door had opened, everyone had stood. Gwen had seen the panic cross Grizz's face before he mumbled something and scurried up the stairs. It'd left everyone staring at her who stalled. However, now, glancing around the room she can tell their patience is wearing thin. But they still wait.

Gwen, of course, knows what he's doing. Apart from pacing and getting his head together to address, what she's assuming is, his inner council, he's gathering his notes. Notes which Gwen had insisted on presenting more formally than his usual crumpled sheet. Granted, he had gotten better over the past week but the notes he's about to bring downstairs are her doing. They're colour coordinated, labelled and neatly written. She'd drawn diagrams and beautiful headings and titles. She'd found laminator paper in the back of one of their parent's offices. She practically cried as she watched the paper slowly enter one end of the laminator and come out the other shiny and pristine. It was so satisfying. Party planning, organization and order, is something Gwen loves. It's something she's had to put to one side over the past half a year. However, now, she can finally revel in it again. Granted, she's not keen on taking over Grizz's position as leader of the expedition team but she can't help but look forward to organizing stuff. She hated the reading and studying, yes, but if someone asks her to put together a table of information for them and give her the notes? She'd do it in a heartbeat. Her team are going to be the most put-together since The Guard was first formed.

Gwen and Clark's eyes meet. The delight that had been dancing behind her eyes flits out as her face falls into a stony glare. Clark grins at her. Clarks a brut, an ass and many things but she knows most of her anger isn't warranted. Their breakup is why she dislikes him so much, but others still love him. Most of the community still love him. With Lexie's account, she thought the town would turn on them, they didn't. Even Lexie took him back as one of her most trusted Guard members. Everyone loves Clark. Now, Clark is on the inner council. There is a glaring issue about Clark that Gwen hopes Grizz has taken into account. He's an idiot and an idiot with power. She can see behind his grin he thinks that being on this council will grant him passes and access. That it will give him more power than he's already had. Some people get drunk on power and Clark is one of them. He's giddy inside. Gwen knows that what he's thinking isn't quite true. The plan Grizz was about to explain to them, is going to knock him down slightly. This isn't a free for all.

Her and Grizz for the past few nights have been discussing their plans, been discussing what the next few months are going to be like. Grizz hadn't just planned to sit on the throne and wait until the next election. It wasn't about just tiding things over. No, he has planned a functioning society. He wishes for a more stable and succinct plan. A plan which future leaders can build upon. A plan which can fail and be rebuilt easily. He's made a plan and it's less chaos, less pain. But it's also a plan that made Gwen realise that Grizz wasn't preparing for their return home.

They hadn't discussed it properly. She didn't want to ask if she's honest with herself. Gwen doesn't think that Grizz has given up hope. It's just that as a leader, hope will lead you blind. You're not allowed to build plans on hope, it's not a stable foundation. If he had given up everything on returning home, Gordie wouldn't be on the council. Yet when Gwen made the nice folder of plans, home wasn't in it.

Chewing her lip, Gwen glances at the door. A door upstairs had slammed, and the stairs had begun to creak but stopped. She knows he's waiting in the middle of the stairs, going through everything one last time before he can't turn back. Not that he could turn away now anyway; not after that speech in the church.

No one else was used to the groans or creaks of this house. They didn't know what each noise meant. Gwen had spent enough time here to know exactly what floorboard made what groan, what door needed an extra push to open in and what handle was loose. This past week she'd learnt all of that during sleepless nights filled with anxiety and stress. They'd brought a bit of comfort to her.