~.: De's POV :.~
I snorted in amusement, rolling my eyes as Aria nearly stumbled while trying to hurriedly cross the street towards Dick's parked car, "You sure you don't need any help, Aria? I can help you if you want," I offered, picking up pace to match her stride for stride as Amelia reached a hand behind me to reach for Wally who was walking alongside Dick behind us.
"Daddy! I want my daddy to carry me!" Amelia grumbled as I shifted her in my arms once more while waiting for Dick to catch up with the rest of us.
"How come I'm the one with the sprained leg but they're the ones moving as slow as turtles?" Aria groaned irritably as she reached the car and leaned against it exhaustedly, "C'mon, y'all, less chit chatting, get a move on! I wanna get to the hotel so I can take a bathhhh," she wailed impatiently, pouting as I giggled in amusement at her complaints. She scowled irritably at me as Amelia forced me to put her down, taking off at lightning speed towards Wally and jumping into his embrace while squealing happily as he and Dick finally approached the car.
"Sorry we don't walk fast enough for you, Princess Aria," Dick chuckled, smirking arrogantly as he pulled out his car keys and unlocked the car doors for us to get in, "Some of us aren't in a rush to book a week's stay at the nearest hotel, in case you hadn't noticed," He grumbled, rolling his eyes irritably before leaning towards me and pressing a tender kiss to my cheek while Aria huffed in agitation as Wally carefully maneuvered her into the backseat so that she'd be comfortable then hopped in beside her. I giggled at Dick's annoyance and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him into a quick frenchkiss before heading to the other side of the car and getting into the passenger's side seat while he smirked at the affectionate attempt to get his mind off of arguing with Aria for the moment being, slipping into the driver's seat and closing his door before buckling his seatbelt and starting the car.
"Are we gonna stay at a pretty hotel, mommy?" Amelia chirped, playing with a few strands of Aria's hair as she smiled brightly up at her parents while I smiled warmly at the adorable sight. I wonder if Brodie, Bella, and Allysa are okay back at the hideout? I thought quietly to myself as I leaned back in the passenger seat and glanced thoughtfully out the window at the passing street signs while Dick focused on driving us safely away from the hospital.
"I'm not sure, sweetie," Aria replies with a sweet smile at her daughter while kissing her forehead gently before looking meaningfully at Dick through the dashboard mirror, "That's up to uncle Dick, but I'm sure he'll find a good hotel for us to stay at! Right, big bubba?~" She smirked deviously at him as he shot her an irritated glance through the mirror while pausing at a stop sign.
"Don't tease Dickie~" I giggled, resting my elbow on my door's arm rest while placing my cheek on my palm leisurely as he huffed in agitation, rolling his eyes, "He's driving right now, so he needs to focus~" I purred, though I trailed one of my hands to his thigh causing him to blush slightly while smirking amusedly at me as Aria grumbled irritatedly before burying her face in her hands in exasperation.
"I'm so ready to take a bubble bath," she mumbled into her hands, leaning against Wally who laughed softly before kissing her cheek affectionately.
"I hope you'll save room for me in that bubble bath, babe~" he chuckled teasingly, and I rolled my eyes as I caught sight of him rubbing her thigh suggestively while Amelia clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes bright with excitement.
"I wanna take bubble bath too! Will the hotel have any rubber duckies?" She chirped, snuggling between Aria and Wally as she started to settle down while Dick made a steady left turn before glancing briefly at me.
"Can you look for a hotel nearby, baby? I would do it myself, but I'd rather not risk getting into a car crash," he sighed, watching the street signs as we drove farther away from the hospital towards a group of high buildings up ahead, "Lemme know if you can find one that has one room open for-"
"Hold up," Aria interjected agitatedly, sitting up so that her elbows were propped on the cup holders between Dick and I as I pulled out my cellphone and started to search, "One room? I am not sleeping in the same room as you and De; no offense, De, I love you but my bubba snores like a lawnmower and I ain't about to wake up in the morning with a migraine when I'ma have to deal with Chelsea already," She groaned, leaning back against the backseat and snuggling up to Wally a little bit more while Dick let out an annoyed grumble before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Sure, Princess Aria, I wouldn't dare disturb your precious beauty sleep..." He growled irritably, scowling unamusedly while I giggled slightly as we drove past a few more buildings , "Find a nearby hotel that has two rooms open for the week, okay, De? Maybe we can find one quick so I don't have to listen to Aria complaining the whole time," He made a displeased face while rolling his eyes as I nodded in agreement.
"Pft, complaining?" Wally laughed amusedly, "You call that complaining? Try listening to her when she's hungry and on her period," He snickered only to yelp in pain as a loud slap met his left arm, "OW!"
"You take that back right now, Wallace," Aria growled, scowling unamusedly at him as Dick cackled in response, "Or no cuddles for the whole week!"
"Damn, she used your full first name, Walls," Dick laughed and I rolled my eyes before going back to searching while Wally pitifully rubbed at his arm and mumbled an apology as Amelia cocked her head curiously at the interaction.
"Mommy, can I hit daddy too?" She asked Aria, pointing at Wally who instantly scooted away, "Pweeeze??" She begged, her eyes round and sparkly as Aria shot Wally a mischievous grin while he shook his head 'no' vehemently.
"Mmm, maybe later, cutie pie~" Aria giggled, pushing her hair out of her face while Amelia pouted in disappointment, "I think daddy learned his lesson for now~"
"Sounds like you still got punishment ahead of you, Wallace," I giggled softly before catching sight of the perfect hotel in the advertisement listings I was currently scrolling through, "Found a hotel!" I chirped proudly, tapping on the hotel address and pasting it into my Google Maps before placing it in the dashboard phone holder so that it could safely direct us to the hotel while Dick drove.
"Thank goddddd," Aria groaned, resting her head back against the headrest while Amelia curled back up into Wally's lap to take a nap, "How far away is it from where we're at now?" She inquired, leaning forward as she tried to get a look at the map on my phone screen while I settled into my seat to take a power nap as well.
"Looks like it's a good 45 minutes away," Dick murmured in response, then nudged his sister back with an elbow carefully as we came to a stoplight, "And stop hovering over me, I can't concentrate with you constantly leaning forward like- are you even wearing your seatbelt?" He suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she hurriedly scoots backward like a child who'd been scolded for doing something bad.
"What? Of course, I am, bubba!" She giggled not too convincingly before her eyes flashed to the streetlight over Dick's shoulder, "Light's green now, by the way," She stated matter of factly while Dick groaned and faced the steering wheel to start driving once more.
"I swear to god, Aria, if you get me pulled over tonight," he growled softly under his breath as I grinned in amusement before sighing quietly and closing my eyes contently. Maybe I won't have those nightmares like I did in the hospital if I'm here in the car, I thought quietly to myself as I slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
Almost as soon as I closed my eyes, unfortunately, I was greeted by Seth's leering face and I groaned in agitation, "Aw, c'mon, not this again," I hissed irritably, "Why am I dreaming about you?" I grumbled, scowling at Seth as he approached me with a cool smirk on his face, his piercings glinting with menace.
"Because I'm the guy of your dreams, sweetheart," he chuckled arrogantly, grabbing my face in both of his calloused hands, "Whether you like it or not~ That's why I'm in your dreams and not that stupid birdbrain you're crazy about," he huskily murmured, pulling my face close to his before forcing me to the ground despite my struggling. My heart was in my throat as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp but even in dreams, Seth would always be stronger than me.
"That's right, just lay still like a good little princess~" He growled in my ear, his hands slipping under my shirt as I whimpered in protest, "Cry all you want because even if you do wake up, I'll always come back~"
God, please let Dick or Aria wake me up right now or something! I thought in despair as Seth bites down on my collarbone, leaving a bruise while one of his hands slips my jeans and underwear down my legs just enough for him to have access to. I bit back a disgusted sob as a sharp pain hit and I glanced down to see that Seth was guiding himself roughly past my nether lips, forcing an agonized groan from my throat as I threw my head back.
"You like that, babygirl?" He chuckled darkly, his voice cold and heartless in my ear as tears streamed down my face from the pain, "Scream for me~"
Almost as soon as he growled those words against my skin, his entire body evaporated like mist and I blinked in surprise, my gaze flying around haphazardly as the scenery was beginning to change but before anything could solidify in my view, a familiar and comforting voice reached my ears and I sat up, eagerly waiting to reach consciousness.
My eyes flew open as a hand gently shook me awake and I mumbled something unintelligible before glancing up to see Dick looking very concerned at me, Aria frowning worriedly from the backseat.
"Wha..?" I murmured hazily, stirring a little bit but freezing up as a pang hit my collarbone causing me to hiss in pain, "Shit.." I huffed, moving my hair out of my face while Dick sat up a bit, still turned toward me.
"You were crying in your sleep, babe..." he murmured softly, his dark blue eyes bright with anxiety as I glanced downwards to see the bruise that Seth had left on my collarbone, "How long have you been having nightmares like that?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at me while Aria placed a comforting hand on my shoulder carefully as she kept her gaze on me when I glanced bewilderingly outside. I must have scared Dick to death... I thought guiltily as I frowned before looking tearfully back at them, He pulled the car over and everything just to wake me up from that horrible dream...
"That wasn't just a dream, Dick," Aria murmured as I shakily held myself while closing my eyes and shuddering, "That was a really bad nightmare. I know because I had a few too while at the hospital..." she sighed, glancing at me. I felt a prickle up my spine while Dick reaches a hand over and squeezed one of mine in reassurance as I whispered softly. It's like I can still feel Seth all over me... I found myself thinking in the back of my head as I peered anxiously up at him while he briefly glances at his sister confusedly.
"Aria told me the nightmares feel unnatural," Wally suddenly speaks up and I nearly jump out of my skin because I assumed he had been asleep due to how quiet he was, "Almost like there's someone creating the visions and sending them to her. Maybe De's being affected by whatever's affecting Aria?" He murmured thoughtfully while Dick eyed me in concern before leaning back and facing the steering wheel once more with a heavy sigh.
"For now, lets just... focus on getting to the hotel. We'll work out whatever's going on once we get into our rooms," He murmured, though he casted one last anxious glance at me as he rebuckled his seat belt, "Stay awake for now, okay, baby? The hotel is just 15 minutes away so it won't be long before we finally get there, I promise," I nodded quietly in response, reaching over and squeezing his hand to indicate that I'd heard and understood what he said while Aria settles back in her seat and cradles Amelia's sleeping form close to her.
~.: Tim's POV :.~
I felt like my heart was constantly jack hammering away in my chest as I laid in my new bed, staring wordlessly at my new ceiling with my phone lying beside me on my new mattress. I could still feel Lexie's lips on my cheek and it was making it hard for me to even try to get back to sleep. I didn't expect her to make that kind of move on me, I thought quietly, reaching a hand up to my cheek and touching it gingerly, Am I being unfair to Addyson though for wanting to go back to that moment in Lexie's room and turning that tiny kiss into something- no. Stop thinking that way. I huffed softly, closing my eyes tightly as a slight twinge in my heart ached at the thought of Addyson. It hasn't even been a month since Addyson was shot.
I can't just move on like this, I thought quietly as I tossed over onto my side and picked up my phone, easily unlocking it and swiping to my photo album app before opening it up to reveal all the photos I still had from when Addyson was still here, It's not fair. Why did you have to go back into that room, Addy? Why can't you still be here? It hurts to think back to that night when you were ripped away from me... just like mom and dad... I clenched my eyes shut as tears threatened to overflow and hurriedly shut off my phone, shoving it underneath my pillow as I curl in on myself.
"What is wrong with me...?" I whispered, staring at the wall that separated my new room from Lexie's, "Can I really just... think about someone new after I lost Addyson...?"
~.: Jason's POV :.~
A shiver ran down my spine and I grumbled in irritation, rolling over onto my side and reaching out to pull Octavia into my arms but was greeted by empty space. My eyes flew open bewilderingly as I mumbled something incoherent while blearily sitting up and glancing about my bedroom. The hell? I thought confusedly, squinting in the dark as I rubbed at one of my eyes before catching sight of Jackson's and Jessica's crib. They were still sound asleep. But where's Octavia? I thought sleepily, shifting so that I could get out of bed to find her but a little note on the bedside table caught my attention and I flicked on the lamp light to read whatever it was.
"Jase, don't worry, I'm safe," the note read as I narrowed my eyes while running my right hand through my tusseled hair agitatedly, "I'm going to find whoever is making me and Lexie have these nightmares. Please don't follow me, I need you to watch over the twins. I'll be back soon, I promise. Love Always and Forever, Octavia 💜"
"Dammit," I hissed, pulling my hair frustratedly after setting the note back down on the nightstand, "Why didn't you wake me up?" I growled softly, staring out at the nightsky outside the window before crossing over to the twins' crib and checking on them quietly. Please come back safe, Octavia. I need you...
~.: Jared's POV :.~
I woke up suddenly due to a weird heavy feeling looming over me and I huffed irritably, seeing nothing else in the room other than Acacia sound asleep at my side with her head on my chest as she slept peacefully amongst the blankets. The sight of her so at ease warmed my heart and I smirked tenderly before pulling her carefully closer and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"I love you, babygirl," I whispered into her hair before settling back down and surrendering myself back to the dark inky blackness of sleep as my heart rate slowed to a calm and steady beat. I'll never let anything happen to you or the twins. Nothing's gonna hurt you guys. Not while I'm around... I found myself thinking just before I finally passed back out, cradling Acacia's sleeping body gently against me.
~.: TO BE CONTINUED :.~
