Running on Empty//Closed; Kay

[Ashton Wentworth]

“I got some from the farmer’s market the other day. They’re exquisite.” Listening to her answer he walked into the kitchen, less than a day and he was already comfortable with the layout of her home, and by proxy most of the condos in this building he assumed. Sure, the furniture could be in different positions, but there was only so much that could be done with a space like this. Opening the fridge door slowly he was pleased to notice that the light was only moderately blinding now. . “What were you asking me when you were in the bathroom?” Pausing to consider, he had actually forgotten that he had asked her anything. Checking the contents of her fridge for anything else appealing he turned away. Grasping the plastic container with relish he closed the fridge behind him and trotted back to the living room and fell backwards onto the couch next to her, landing in a slouching position, it wasn't the most flattering angle but he didn't mind. Resting the container between his stomach and his hip he pried open the plastic tabs to release the fruit inside. Selecting a red fruit he smiled, of course his favorite color was red, he hadn't made that connection before now. Taking a bite out of the tip of the fruit the juice slid down his fingers slowly. Pausing to lick the mess up before it had traveled any further he extended the package to her given that it was hers in the first place. He hoped that she didn't mind that he was eating a lot, he was a man after all. Maybe she had never lived with a man before, and given the state of her fridge, she couldn't possibly eat home all that often. If she did, she had to go shopping at least once a week. Which wouldn't surprise him given her affinity for shopping. "I was asking you what house you were in" taking another bite of his strawberry he once again cleaned his hand, turning his focus to the television.

That same movie was on again, whatever it was apparently it was fairly popular. He could remember it, but he didn't remember why they had been watching it, the swearing children had been interesting enough afterward. Or were there two seperate programs? Sinking into the couch another inch as he fully relaxed his body he fast moving lights were too much for his eyes to handle at this moment. “Do you remember this from last night? I have no earthly idea what’s going on and why everything looks so…technological.” Finishing the last bit of his food he replaced the green top into the container and made sure that his hand was clean by wiping it on his pants and sitting up a little taller since he needed to focus. "I remember the swearing children" He was hoping that they were going to come onto the screen at any moment now. Reaching into the container that was placed between the two of them now he pulled out another Strawberry. He could feel his temperature rising as the sweet fruit sunk into his stomach, his head was already feeling better. This here, food of the gods it was. To him at least. Georgie may have exploited his weakness for all things strawberry, but he couldn't blame her. He was a slave to them. “what are you doing for the rest of the day? I’m sure you’ve got other plans besides eating me out of house and home.” Smiling he swallowed to free his mouth. If she was attempting to kick him out again she was going to be unsuccessful, he had no plans for this weekend. He wasn't supposed to be doing field work so it was unlikely that he was going to be called in for anything. She was going to be stuck with him for awhile longer, as he saw no need to leave, even if he did it was only going to be a few feet that he walked, and she might as well come with him. He could feel the fruit starting to have its effect on her, despite her yawning he knew she wouldn't protest too much so long as he wound them up in the bed. She had proven that last night.

Smiling to himself he knew that he couldn't have possibly worn her out all that much, he was aware of what he was like while drunk. "Wasn't aware that you had asked that question actually" he stalled as he considered what to tell her, he obviously couldn't tell her about his job even if he wanted to, but given that it was the weekend he was off. Unless of course he got called in for an emergency, given his 'active' status, he was on call 24/7 which was the pits. Since that infernal secretary liked to call him and other choice members of the response team in at odd hours just to stare at them. Granted they just apparrated into the office, but whenever she constantly awoke Ash at 2am just to talk it was horrible, if he was ever granted the power, she was going to be the first one to go. "I have the weekend off" Was all he left her with, hopefully that gave her some sort of idea, he didn't have any plans other than that. She was just going to have to deal with his eating. Placing another green top into the plastic container he allowed the fruit to sit in his stomach awhile before venturing for a third one. What he had working on was just being present, to be here where he was, conscious and nowhere else. Which meant, if he was going to be in this with her, he was intent on keeping to her. It would be a new endeavor for him, and he knew it was going to be damned difficult for him given how he grew bored rather quickly. His gut told him to go ahead and head home, she was tired anyway no sense in wasting more of her time when shes obviously done with you. Moving the strawberries to the table in front of them he leaned over her body, kissing her chin as he took the remote from her and began flipping through channels, only to come to the same conclusion that he assumed she had come to earlier.

Tossing the remote back between then where the strawberries had been before he grabbed one more strawberry and settled into the couch, maybe if he actually watched he might be able to figure out what the deal with the lights. It was on an apartment with a lit white floor, seemed like it would be right by Kaydence's alley, she would be able to see each and every speck of dirt on the floor and scrub to her hearts content. Shooting her a sideways glance he kept his thoughts to himself, while it would be amusing to him, he didn't think that she would have taken it that way and today was going well as of yet. Polishing off his fruit and disposing of the leafy bits he wiped his hands off using one another, hopefully she didn't have plans. Hands behind his head he confirmed his thoughts "I hope you didn't have plans for today" As he extended one arm over to her shoulders, pulling her body closer. He was intent on undoing all that work that she had just done to get 'presentable' for her day, personally he liked the robe better. Pulling her onto his lap he smiled "Because I can think of a few better things"

[Kaydence Morgan]

It was cute the effort he was making to be respectful of her pristine house. Why had it taken him so long to show this side of himself? She grinned as he licked his fingers to keep the strawberry juice was dripping onto her couch. Actually, everything that he had done since she had brought him back to the condo had been cute. There was nothing that pleased her more than when house guests were aware of their surroundings. Several times back at the Manor she had friends over who made a mess of her room or kitchen. While she did have house-elves to do the cleaning, they never did it the way she wanted it to be done. So instead she would huff and puff about how she hated everyone while she got on her knees and scrubbed spilled alcohol off of her carpet. Kaydence never really thought too much about being obsessive compulsive, but Ashton was bringing it to light. Looking around, she was amazed with how spotless she managed to keep this place. Granted, she hadn’t brought anyone back to her place since coming home and always cleaned up after herself as it was, but the place was so bright that not even a speck of dust could be seen. Kaydence pondered if the brightness was hurting his ailing head at all.

”I was asking you what house you were in.” Somehow, she was dreading this question. Even though he was usually an asshole, it would be her luck that he had been in Hufflepuff or something. He didn’t seem the type, mostly because he wasn’t airheaded and stupid, but she was very unfortunate when it came to these type of things. “Slytherin,” she answered, puffing out her chest a bit, “and a very proud house member if I may say so. I was Head Girl in my final year.” She swallowed nervously and glanced up at him. “What about you? Think what you will, but if you were in my house then I would have almost certainly known about you. I made it a point to know everyone worth knowing.” Kaydence hoped he wouldn’t take it as an insult. She was just being honest. Besides, she was 17 and had an even bigger ego then she did now. You were nobody unless Kaydence Morgan knew you. That was the motto she had lived by for so many years.

She made a face as he wiped his hands on his jeans. Kaydence was tempted to get up and go get him a towel. Lines of red juice streaked across the top of his thigh. As long as it wasn’t anything that belonged to her being affected then she didn’t need to say anything. Also, she didn’t want to look as obsessive as to not even being able to stand the sight of his messy jeans. “Yes,” she responded, forcing herself to look away from the denim, “the swearing children were hilarious. I wish an episode was on so I could really pay attention to it. I was a bit distracted last night so I was only able to catch a few pieces here and there.” She winked at him. She hadn’t minded at all though. She had been so comfortable when Ashton had pulled her close to him that it was hard to focus on the show. Kaydence recalled the feeling of absolute content. He had been drunk, and she had been defensive, but it had felt right. She was curious if he had remembered his actions as well. If so, it was one of those unspoken understandings.

He had still said nothing about his motives. Kaydence looked up to the clock on her mantle. It was afternoon already. She should have been out and about by now. There was one person of particular interest that she hadn’t even contacted yet. It had been her goal to find out where she lived and if she was still working at the same place in the area. Kaydence didn’t even know if Cammie was still in the country, but she needed to find out, and she needed to find out fast. ”I have the weekend off.” That answered her question. She was momentarily concerned. Three days of not running around trying to make peace with anyone she could was going to lose her a lot of time. The idea of spending more time with Ashton was even more compelling. She had no clue what else there was to learn about him. Even if they said nothing and spent a majority of their time watching tv, it would be more rewarding than plotting to overthrow her brother. His kiss on her chin only confirmed that. “Good luck,” she told him as he began messing with the remote control, “there’s nothing on.” For having so many damn channels, it was remarkable how the money she spent on it never showed.

”I hope you didn’t have any plans for today.” His statement moreorless confirmed what she had been thinking. He had no desire to leave as she had none for wanting him to. Her plans would be placed on hold temporarily, but she would accept it. The man sitting across from her on the couch had her undivided attention. If only he knew the significance of it. His arm fell across her shoulders, placing them in the same position as they had been several hours ago, only this time on the other side of the couch. Kaydence had no time to nestle herself into him before he had pulled her on top of his lap. ”Because I can think of a few better things.” Oh she was sure he could. She laughed, shaking her head and draping her arms around his neck. She had a strong feeling that she shouldn’t have taken the time to dress up earlier. Ashton obviously had no intention on letting her show off to the world. As she had proven to him, he didn’t need her to be dollied up to be satisfied with her. She really didn’t need to have on any clothes period.

She moved her head onto his shoulder. Slowly, she began to kiss at spots on his neck that she had noticed he reacted particularly to. “Hmm, I think we both can think of a few.” Kaydence brought her hand up to the back of his head and pulled him closer to her. Her lips moves upwards until meeting his ear. She continued kissing him, now moving down his jawline. “What..should..we…do…first?” she asked in-between kisses. Eventually she reached his chin. Changing directions, she began kissing up until she reached his lips. It was there that she stopped. She knew she had him hooked. The question was whether or not she should continue playing hard to get or just go with it. She decided on the latter. “It’s lucky that I only have to worry about getting your pants off.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

“Slytherin,and a very proud house member if I may say so. I was Head Girl in my final year.” It wasn't possible that she was young enough to have not been at school whenever he was, otherwise she would still be attending school. He was willing to place good money on the assumption that she wasn't older than he was, certainly not a full 7 years older than he was. Which only left him with the fact that they had to of been in school at the exact same time. He wanted to believe that they were even in the same year. It didn't surprise him much that he didn't know her, if they had only met in passing he wouldn't have remembered her. Apparently they had been in the house, which would have meant that if Ashton had been one to attend classes he might have ended up next to her at some point in time. Fallen asleep and snored in her ear during classes even. He had only attended one class without fail his entire schooling, and that had been Transfiguration. It was just about the only subject that he found worth while. The irony wasn't lost on him that now he worked very closely with the whole animagi population. He had always just had Georgie give him the assignments, to which he would have some underclassmen do it for him, and have Georgie hand it in for him. The classes were always so full he was never missed, whenever he was he was placed in detention for a night or two and then it would be over. It had been a system that had worked very well for him. The fact that she had been head girl was interesting to him, he thought that he would have at least remembered her from graduation, hadn't she given a speech or something? He couldn't even remember most of the professors names or faces. What he could remember of school that didn't include Georgie was scattered at best. The men that he had roomed with for the first six years were interesting enough, but they had never really been close friends. They had been more close with each other, Caulfeild and Monroe more than the other one, he forgot his name but they hadn't been close with Ashton.

Whenever he had moved out the summer of his sixth year he hadn't told anybody at the school what he had done. It was highly improbable that he had been missed whatsoever whenever he hadn't shown up in the dorm for his last year at school. Maybe things would have been different if he had, kept his libido and relationships in check. He was fairly certain that his former room mates had been into a few harder things than Ashton had been, he was in Slytherin due to his attitude and temper, there was no doubt in his mind about that. He was never destined for the Dark Side, despite his past. He just didn't have it in him to take orders of that sort of nature, while he was currently taking a few orders, he would soon be in a position where he felt that he would be the one giving orders. He couldn't fathom what it must be like to be the 'Dark Lord' it must be exhausting, not to mention lonely. Nobody that you could really trust as you would have surrounded yourselves with liars and criminals who only did your bidding out of fear and self loathing. He assumed that there would be at least a few who wanted to over throw that very same 'Master' and wouldn't hesitate for a second to stage a full blown mutiny if the chance presented itself. To have to watch your back all the time, or to be confined to your home so as to have the best chance of defending yourself all the time must have been the most unrewarding job in the world. He figured that the Minister must have the same sort of threats in his position as well, but they couldn't have been nearly as bad, at least he could show his face in public. While, if the Dark Lord showed his true face he would be stopped, and if Ashton was very, very lucky he might have a part in bringing him down. “What about you? Think what you will, but if you were in my house then I would have almost certainly known about you. I made it a point to know everyone worth knowing.”

He almost choked on a bite of strawberry to suppress a laugh. "I guess that I wasn't anybody worth knowing then" he teased, he didn't think that she had meant to offend him this time, but it was apparent that she had never noticed him before, and he couldn't blame her. He doubted that he would have been able to stomach hanging around a self obsessed group of teenaged women for more than a night, which was exactly how long he spent with most of them. There had only been one real exception there. He refused to think that far into the future again, no matter who the woman was. It felt different with Kaydence, despite the fact that they had spent almost every moment they had spent together either yelling or intertwining themselves with the exception of today. Since yesterday had mostly been another roll in the hay, today had been the first time, and the longest amount of time that they had been able to keep their hands off of each other. It was an interesting change to not have her snapping at him, or using that bored tone after every single thing that he said, her tone had infliction which was nice. He had doubted weather or not she even had emotions, or if she had been just so rich and snobby that the world no loner held any surprise or joy for her. The suspicion always seemed to creep back up with every eye roll he had gained every time he donned a shirt that looked similar to one that he had already worn that week. The easy smile she wore now as she allowed herself to be pulled onto his lap intrigued him, apparently there really was more to her than just shopping and money. He had assumed that there was only because a person like that would have to be so full of hot air they wouldn't be able to stay on the ground.

His hands grasped the backs of her legs, finger tips gradually adding more pressure into the fabric of her pants. Had she really been lying about having things to do today just to get him out of her hair and changed her mind? Or was she rearranging her schedule for him. He hoped it was the former, he wasn't ready for either of them rearranging anything for the other. He hoped that they were just carving out time of an already blank day to be together rather than be alone. He didn't like to share, so he wanted her to know that he wasn't going to be sharing her any time soon, but he also didn't want to have to sit down and have any version of 'the table' to define their boundaries. “Hmm, I think we both can think of a few.” Nodding he found his visual scan of her firm body was cut short by her face moving close to his, out of instinct he closed his eyes, as her lips met with the bare skin of his neck the muscles in his shoulders rippled, and his hands slid up to the backs of her thighs, pressure still building. Her face was moving across him, at least she knew how to take a hint fairly well. Smirking until her face was in front of her “What..should..we…do…first?” Grinning he used his position to push her off onto the couch, tugging at the legs of her pants, he wasn't sure which kind of clasp they had, but he did know that he was far too impatient to deal with it. “It’s lucky that I only have to worry about getting your pants off.” Ignoring her comment he managed to get her pants undone with one hand, and his with the other, he could still smell the fruit on the table, and he planned on wasting no time what so ever. Moving closer until she was pinned beneath his weight he positioned himself to be closer to her. x

The sun was starting to pour in though her multiple windows, so it had to of changed positions in the sky. Meaning it was getting later in the afternoon. The woman sitting in front of him sure knew how to wear him out. They were on the floor between the coffee table and the couch, thankfully the couch was behind him as back support. That had been a new experience for him, she was using him as back support and his hands were draped around either one of her shoulders. He wondered if that had been a different experience for her, it was certainly an interesting one for him, but he didn't dare comment on it. Pulling her closer he didn't know what their relationship was going to look like in the morning, or even in the outside light, but it seemed that her OCD apartment was a good setting for them.

[Kaydence Morgan]

She wasn’t sure how long it had been. The bright light that once came through her windows was now settled and much dimmer. If she had to guess Kaydence supposed it was late afternoon. Sighing, she pressed her back into Ashton’s chest. She was comfortable. More so than when her and Ashton were sitting on the couch together. The soft fiber of her carpet felt good against her bare skin. Besides appearance, Kaydence usually tried to make sure that there was some element of comfort with her purchases. Why would she want to spend hundreds of galleons on something that looked pretty, but was felt like sitting on a bed of nails? She had that attitude when she was younger, but now that she was older and had her own place her mind had become much more open. She looked down at the stainless carpet and rubbed the palm of her hand lightly over the carpet. It didn’t feel like any mess had been made, which was surprising considering several of the positions that two had bended each other into. Kaydence may have thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with him, but it was inevitable that she’d start looking for messes as soon as they had finished.

He pulled her body closer to his and Kaydence smiled. Resting the back of her head on his shoulder she let her mind run away from her for a few minutes. The change in her attitude was remarkable, but not unexpected. Her mood swings tended to make her look like a crazy person. Though at this point in time Kaydence sincerely hoped nothing would be said or done to her to make her irritable. This was the happiest she had felt in a long time. Since Evan, she had not actively pursued any sort of relationship. There hadn’t been anyone worth her while. Sure there had been males who had intrigued her, but none who she could ever see herself being with. When she had left Austria, she hadn’t had any desire for one. Her time away was for herself. She had been wild before leaving, but when she had spent time in various parts of Europe, a new side had been exposed. Kaydence had experienced things she never had before. She had met men who looked at the term ‘friends with benefits’ as something completely different then what she had envisioned. In comparison, the men here were tamer than others in different countries.

She liked someone who could keep up with her. She found that she got along better with someone who she could consider her equal in bed, among other things. Most of the guys she had bedded had been the dominant ones, usually not ever letting her get her turn. She hadn’t minded in the beginning, but after awhile it became dull. Ashton always kept her on his toes and she knew she did the same for him. Kaydence had a connection with him that was indescribable. She wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship, but she could imagine something being there with him way down the road. If things continued to go that far. He was still going hard for her to figure out. For all she knew, he could push her off of him any second and accuse her of being a tramp. He was mysterious and unpredictable, but that’s what attracted her to him. It was like she was constantly pushing the limits to see how far she could go. That’s how Kaydence had always lived her life. Things were too boring if they stayed the same for a long period of time. For now she had to run with what was going on.

Reaching forward, Kaydence grabbed a strawberry from the carton and chewed thoughtfully on it. She had enjoyed her roll around with Ashton immensely, but wondered if the day had anything else in store for them. She placed the leafy top back in the container and took another strawberry out. This time, she moved her hand backwards and followed the movement with her eyes. She was extending it towards his mouth. A bold move on her part, but it seemed appropriate. Once feeling the weight of the strawberry vanish Kaydence pulled back and dropped the top of the strawberry back into the container. The air in the condo kicked on causing a cloud of cold air to fall slowly on them. She shivered slightly, drawing the blanket covering them up closer. Taking the opportunity she burrowed herself into him. The result was better than she expected. If she closed her eyes, she would undoubtedly fall asleep. She had situated herself in such a position that it would only be too easy to do so. “This is not fair,” she muttered, knowing well that Ashton had probably heard her. It was the truth. It may have been crossing the lines, but her own selfishness was cause. She wondered if he would try and push her off or weasel his body into making her less comfortable. She hoped he wouldn’t. There was nothing romantic about this to her.

Pulling the blanket up further, she looked up at him. “If you need your nicotine fix, then go ahead and get up before I get too comfortable. Because I will get terribly moody if you disrupt it.” It was a fair warning she thought. Normally, she wouldn’t have said anything and let him deal with her wrath.

[Ashton Wentworth]

His body was covered in a mist of sweat, he had managed to lose his pants at some point in their little escapade. Not that he minded, the carpet was soft, none of that fake shag that caused such horrible little rashes around his body, he didn't think that he was going to be getting any rashes from her home, he might get sick from how clean the place was, but that was about it. Somehow she had managed to wrangle up a blanket and pulled it over her body, her constant coverage made him wonder if maybe she was more self conscious than she led on. No matter how many times he had seen her naked in the throws, the second that it was over she had a blanket pulled up to her ears. The first few times he had pulled the blanket back down to at least her waist and every time his hands had left the blanket she had pulled it back up. He had given up after the first week or so. Given that he didn't talk much he was far more prone to listening, even if he came off as a slacker. He had never tried to come across as the man who just doesn't give two shits about life, but he did none the less. He knew how people looked at him, covered in tattoos, messy hair and most often dirty cloths but he didn't care. If he did, he would indulge in labels and dress in nice cloths. Perhaps send out for dry cleaning every week. He smiled at the thought, it would only happen in an alternative universe. Lowering his head he settled against the couch. He really hoped he wasn't getting in over his head here. He felt her body move, she was going for the fruit. He was going to need a breather before he had too many more of those, he was still fighting a hangover. Lifting his head off the couch a couple of inches he noticed she was grabbing another and extending it back his direction.

He wasn't sure if he should take it, while he did love strawberries more than almost any other food on this earth, she was offering to feed it to him. Glad that she couldn't see the look on his face as he contemplated taking it. He assumed that she didn't have any ulterior motive behind it, but she might have. He didn't want to assume too much from a girl that he hardly knew. He took it from her with his teeth, leaving only the leafy part alone in her hand. He chewed slowly and not because he had too much in his mouth which he did. It was a little strange how different they were acting after only one conversation. The fact that they had gone to the same school at the same time was interesting that life hadn't caused them to meet before now, and he now knew her last name. As the air kicked on he felt her shudder, goose flesh began to appear on all the exposed parts left on his own body. He didn't move, the air was doing wonders to dry his skin. As she was settling into his body he began to feel uncomfortable and at ease at the same time. At ease because it felt good, it was something that he wanted to do, it was natural. He was good at this part, the holding. He knew how to hold a woman and well. Uncomfortable because he hadn't been with a woman like this since his wife had died. He wasn't sure if he wanted Kaydence to be that woman, he wasn't sure if he wanted any woman to be that for him again. He had grown accustomed to being single, he was comfortable in that way, he didn't have to do his dishes, his laundry could sit in the corner of his bathroom for days and nobody would care.

“This is not fair,” Frowning he moved to look at her, she had snuggled up to his body. The same body that was betraying him, his arms were wrapped around her torso, and she was so warm. He missed the physical contact with her, "What's not fair" he could continue to sit here, holding her but a tension was building up within his throat. “If you need your nicotine fix, then go ahead and get up before I get too comfortable. Because I will get terribly moody if you disrupt it.” Was that supposed to be a demand or was she asking him not to go? If he hadn't been out of cigarettes he might have taken her up since she was allowing him to move out from underneath her without taking his head off. "I would have to go out to the stand" he referenced the one that he had bought his knock off sunglasses at, it also sold newspapers and shoes. A random combination but he assumed that the name got a decent amount of business. He considered apparating outside for a moment, and the picture of Kaydence suddenly falling backwards was amusing, but since he didn't have any cloths, or know where any were that option was out. However, he was going to get up. He was highly upset with himself for wanting to sit there and be with her, its like his emotions were turning on himself.

Sliding out from under her his face blank. He wandered back in the direction of her bedroom wordlessly and grabbed his boxer briefs and pulled them on. He didn't know what to say but he didn't want to sit on there any longer, well, he did but that was the whole problem. He had warned her before any of this, before anything had ever happened between them that she didn't want to go there but she had, whatever consequences arose from this was her own fault, he had warned her. Coming back into the living room a thousand things were running through his mind. Huffing he glanced at her "Where do you get off sitting like that" he wagged a finger in her direction, referencing the way she had been sitting with him. His tone wasn't condescending, it was confused, cautious. Stopping in his tracks he ran his hands down his face "I'm not jumping" he sighed, sinking into a sitting position on the table next to her, he knew that she wasn't going to understand what it was that he was saying, but it made sense in his head. He was referencing that he wasn't ready to just jump into this, it would have to be worked up too, if it was going to happen at all. He would be seen in public with her, but the holding was too much.

[Kaydence Morgan]

”I would have to go out to the stand.” The tone in his voice was different, unsure. Kaydence brought her gaze back down to her carpet. She had made a mistake. A huge mistake. As much as she wanted to move away from him, she couldn’t. She remained where she was and his arms remained where they were. They were both too nervous to move. Kaydence closed her eyes and silently cursed herself. She had gotten too comfortable. If she hadn’t said anything perhaps the mood would have been the same. Ashton must have assumed that her position had some underlying meaning. That she was going straight to stage five clinger mode. If only he knew her. Kaydence never let her guard down right away. She may have gotten complacent, but never allowed her vulnerability to show initially. His body moving out from underneath her confirmed her thoughts. She was careful not to look at him as he got up and went into her bedroom. Kaydence brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on the tops of them. So much for the idea of having a peaceful night.

She kept her head down as she heard his heavy footsteps coming back down the hall. She didn’t want him to say anything. Kaydence had gotten used to the peace between the two. His heaving breathing indicated that it wouldn’t last much longer. She wished she had some clothes on. If they were going to argue, she doubted she’d be taken seriously standing there naked. Pulling the blanket a little closer to her Kaydence lifted her head and stared straight ahead. ”Where do you get off sitting like that?” Turning her head to him, she glared. He came closer and she braced herself for the worse. Instead, a look that she was all too familiar with appeared on his face. Confusion. ”I’m not jumping.” Once again, he had completely caught her off guard. She was expecting the worse. He had done nothing. She suddenly felt beneath him. Sitting on the table, he was at least a foot above her. She didn’t feel like having to stare up at him if they were going to have another talk. Kaydence made sure to keep the blanket around her as she pushed herself off the ground to sit on the edge of the couch. She was unsure of where this was about to go.

“I’m sorry,” Kaydence apologized, not meeting his eyes. It was big for her to be the first to apologize. In her eyes she had done nothing wrong. Wanting to avoid a confrontation or some long discussion about why he didn’t want a relationship right now, she figured it be best to just go ahead and get it out of the way. She propped her elbow up on her knee and laid her chin in her open palm. “The last thing I want you to get is the wrong message. I got comfortable and I didn’t want you to move. Did I feel we were having a moment? No. It got cold, I moved and you know the rest. Don’t take it as me moving too fast. I’ve never done this…casual dating thing, but I do know what it does and doesn’t involve.” She wouldn’t tell him she was still learning. That was a conversation for another day. She didn’t wait for his response. Standing up, she grabbed the strawberry container with her free hand and shuffled over to the kitchen, putting the carton back in the refrigerator. Kaydence emerged back into the living room a few seconds later. “Maybe you should go out and get a bit of air. I want to go sit on the patio for a bit anyways.” She continued her shuffling to her bedroom where she grabbed the first part of sweatpants she could find. Sliding into them, she grabbed a top from her bedpost and wiggled into it.

Wandering back towards the kitchen Kaydence silently made herself a drink. She still had another bottle of rum left over that she was in the mood for. Grabbing the bottle of cola from the fridge, she poured it in the glass and mixed it together. She pushed the door shut with her foot and slowly walked to the balcony. Ashton was still in her living room, but she said nothing to him. She wondered if he’d be upset that she hadn’t made him one. Then again, he was still nursing a hangover. The smell of alcohol might make him vomit. She didn’t know, but she wasn’t about to ask. Kaydence slid the door open a few inches and squeezed her way through it, shutting it behind her as she did so. Retreating to the lounge chair she had taken refuge in earlier in the morning, she sat down and crossed her legs at the ankle. Bringing the glass up to her lips, Kaydence began slowly sipping at it. It was probably best that they take a bit of time to themselves. She had clearly made Ashton uncomfortable and had no idea how to better the situation. If there was anything else he had to say, then he could come to her. Because in Kaydence’s mind, space was usually the best way to get her thoughts together.

[Ashton Wentworth]

For a moment, the look on her face made him doubt his decision to move in the first place. Like he was the one to make a mistake, that he was the one who read too much into things. There was a point in every single argument that he had ever been into, that hint of doubt before he really dug his heels in and stood his ground. Weather or not this was going to be worth the argument had yet to be determined. He had tried very much to wrangle in his temper, which was no small task. He had tried to keep himself contained otherwise this whole Kaydence situation was going to get very out of hand very quickly. He knew that if he allowed himself he was going to become attached to her and that was just not something that would work out very well for either of them. The table top was cold against the back of his legs, and the air conditioning was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. He waited for her to say something, he knew that if she didn't he was going to blow a gasket. His eyes followed her as she clung to the blanket and moved from the floor to the couch in front of him. She just couldn't bear to appear vulnerable to him for even a second. “I’m sorry,” If he hadn't been so dumb founded he would have dropped his jaw. Nobody, no woman had ever apologized to him for anything. This was a rare first in his life. Ashton felt his eyes widen and his jaw go slack as his hands fell limp at his knees. He tried to read her face, get any information from her gaze but there was nothing there. She was stoic and her voice gave away even less. She seemed to be very interested in the ground, he had just been in that very place not to long ago.

“The last thing I want you to get is the wrong message. I got comfortable and I didn’t want you to move. Did I feel we were having a moment? No. It got cold, I moved and you know the rest. Don’t take it as me moving too fast. I’ve never done this…casual dating thing, but I do know what it does and doesn’t involve.” He lifted his eyes to watch her mouth as she spoke. Apparently he was freaking out over nothing by her definition. He felt like they were having a moment, which was a bad thing. It meant that he was already more emotionally invested than she was already. There had to be something unhinged in his mind. Apparently he was less ready for even the most casual thing as she had put it. A part of him wished that she would clarify for him what exactly she was wanting out of him, she wanted to sit with him, she enjoyed being in his arms yet she was detached.“Maybe you should go out and get a bit of air. I want to go sit on the patio for a bit anyways.” No sooner than she was done speaking had she risen to her feet and gathered up the one thing that was out of place in her apartment and went to clean it up. Heaving a sigh as she left him alone with his thoughts. Never a good thing in the world of Ashton. Merlin what he wouldn't give for a cigarette right now. He didn't move from the table as she headed to find cloths, making it her third change for the day and he sat alone on the table and watched as she headed out to the patio without him, drink in hand. She had been so specific, telling him what to do and then adding herself in as an after thought, it was odd. He wanted to brush it off, to pretend that it had never happened but he couldn't bring himself to pick a fight this time.

He wondered if perhaps she was actually talking to herself and just directing it to him. Watching quietly he wondered if this was the time that he needed to make his exit. Glancing in the direction of the door he wondered what kind of looks he would get from the door man if he were to walk downstairs in his underwear and leather jacket. A strange one no doubt, but since his hotel key was in his pants pocket he might as well apparate into the comfort of his own bedroom. He had made up his mind at some point during the day that he wanted to go house shopping this weekend, just not in this building. That he knew yesterday. He considered helping himself to a drink, or to a few chugs from the bottle. He sat on the table for longer than he was willing to admit. He wasn't so great with translating the subtle hints. Rising to his feet he headed out toward the balcony, wishing that he had a very strong cup of coffee to warm him up, and an Irish coffee for courage. The more he watched her the more alike he felt that they were, like she was the female version of him. He was no stranger to getting up and leaving whenever things got uncomfortable. Walking outside onto the balcony he positioned himself against the wall of the building next to the rail. The sharp intake of breath made a hissing sound. Taking her drink out of her hand he made a face as he took a drink and handed it back to her, blank faced. "Please understand, I'm never going to be something you can clean up" It seemed to be the most fitting description that he could think of. He didn't want to give her the sob story of his life, he was trying to warn her to reject him, kick him out, scream, kick, tell him that she never wanted to see him again. Those were emotions that he was familiar with, that he could work with and tolerate. This whole healthy, happy coupling thing wasn't something that he knew how to handle. "I will not fit your mold, so if you ask me to leave now, I will"

[Kaydence Morgan]

The sun was at a position in the sky where it would be setting soon. The sky was still blue, but darker than it had been earlier. Dark clouds were starting to roll in, indicating that night was coming or that it was about to storm. The wind had picked up a bit and it smelled like it rain, but that could mean that it wouldn’t be coming until much later. Kaydence loved watching the coast as a thunderstorm hit. The waves rose angrily and moved with such velocity that if anyone found themselves caught in one then they’d be a goner. The wind was so heavy that she could see it when it moved across the tide, sending sprays of water in every direction. When lightening filled the sky, it looked as if was sparking right into the sea as if activating some source underneath to bring it to life. Kaydence wished for one to come tonight. Regardless of whatever it was that was going to happen between her and Ashton, a thunderstorm would undoubtedly be the distraction she needed whether it was due to Ashton leaving, or him staying here and continuing to make things awkward. If worse came to worse, she could push him out on the balcony and lock him out. The condos had anti-apparition spells for all the homes for privacy issues. Even she couldn’t apparate inside of her home. She could apparate outside of the door, but that was the extent of it.

Kaydence could hear his footsteps from behind her. This time she chose not to look. She hoped he wouldn’t be coming out here to talk to her. She was completely serious when she had indicated that she needed some space away from him. If he had allowed himself to do it earlier, then why couldn’t she do it now? She felt that if he were to come out now, then all that was going to happen was the she was going to be lectured. Lectured that she was moving too fast for him, that he had made a mistake in offering her to the chance to be his girl. Kaydence didn’t want to put up with it. She wasn’t a child anymore. If anyone was going to lecture her, it was going to be her parents, not someone she barely knew. The thought of her parents made her heart hurt a bit. All she wanted to do was forget them; pretend that she hadn’t been the ones to give birth to her. It was much easier said than done. She had tried over and over to remove any traces of her family from her life, but as she could attest to, it was nearly impossible. Her recurring nightmares of Darren were proof.

The door slid open behind her. Kaydence closed her eyes. She needed to learn to stop hoping for things. All that wound up happening was disappointment. Frankly, she was tired of it. She yearned for a life free from stress where she could just do what she wanted and not care about the consequences that came from doing something the wrong way. Too long had she been forced to watch what she said to this one or did that one. There was only so much stress that one person could handle. Kaydence could feel her blood starting to boil. Ashton hadn’t done anything per say since being in her apartment besides constantly confusing her, but she was tired of being confused. It was unfortunate for him that he was going to be in the way of her wrath. She felt bad, but he had done this to himself. He had opened himself up to her to an extent so now he had to see what he would have to put up with himself. She was sure he had some inkling of an idea of the layers beneath her skin, but she knew he fully didn’t comprehend who she was. The image she portrayed was a spoiled little rich girl who had the world revolving around her. Ashton couldn’t see the complex mess that was underneath.

Her eyes were still closed as she felt her glass being taken from her hand. Opening them, she glared she he took a drink from it. She accepted it as he gave it back, but suddenly she wasn’t very thirsty anymore. If it hadn’t been the contents in the glass she probably would have thrown it at his head. ”Please understand, I’m never going to be something you can clean up.” Kaydence made no secret of the surprise on her face. Since when did she give off that impression? At what point at she asked him to clean up a mess he had made? When had she told him to stop being such an asshole and to go buy her flowers from the floral stand on the boardwalk? When had she insisted he go down to one of the shops and buy himself a new wardrobe? It had never happened. ”I will not fit your mold, so if you ask me to leave, I will.” She felt like she was being looked down upon. Had she really set him to standards without realizing it? Kaydence looked him up and down. It was true. Ashton was not the type she would have normally been attracted to. His disheveled look and rebellious nature usually was what she went for, but not this constant guessing game of which side of his personality she was going to meet next. Evan had been a much different specimen. He had his moody moments for sure, but he coddled her. He made her the center of his world. He cared for her and he looked out for her. He was the best boyfriend that she had ever had in her life. She had been the one to screw that up. Ashton, on the other hand, didn’t seem to even bat an eye towards her. Never before had she felt more used then she did with him. He saw her as nothing more than a plaything. When he had asked her that question earlier Kaydence saw now that it was probably because he didn’t like to share his toys with others. She felt sick to her stomach.

If he hadn’t learned by now, Ashton would quickly see that Kaydence frequently jumped to conclusions without taking a minute to assess the situation and figure out how to go about from there. She breathed in and out deeply for a few seconds. She would do this as calmly as she could but it was going to be bloody difficult. Lifting herself up as to not make herself seem inferior to him Kaydence walked over until their bodies touched. She placed her hands on both hips and stared straight into his eyes. “Listen to me. Your arrogance amazes me. You’ve come out here to tell me that you think I have already put you in my pocket and zipped it up. I understand that we don’t know where the other has been and that there are parts of us we don’t want the other to know. I get it. To me, you are a lost cause. I see nothing past being casual with you.” She knew exactly what to say to make words cut deep, even if she didn’t mean them. He was just unlucky enough to be in her way. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking that you know my type.” Kaydence smiled in a way that she knew would make him want to smack it off of her. “How do you know that I don't just feel sorry for you?” She wondered if he could see past the wall that she refused to have broken down. Ashton would never know the real her until it had. It was probably safer for him that way.

[Ashton Wentworth]

Ashton was no stranger to storms. Of any kind, emotional, mental, physical and that actual weather storms. During his time traveling this past year he had learned to pick up on things. The smell of air thickened just before a rain storm. It was more crisp, palpable. He could feel the pressure dropping and the seas becoming more restless as he stated his case to her. He almost wanted her to back out of their unspoken agreement so that he would be free to crawl back into the hole that was his job and live there until he decided to venture out into the world again. Lather, rinse, repeat. He placed his hands behind the small of his back to allow the least amount of skin contact with the cold wall without losing his footing. Had he been in his condo, he could be out on his very own balcony, drinking a glass of something sweet and chain smoking to his hearts content. He could think of a dozen things that needed to be done that could have been completed during the span of his wasted day. He had spent the past two years being efficient with his time, scheduling things by the hour so as not to have to worry about plans or not having anything to do. It was the complete opposite of the Ashton from Galaxia. He wasn't sure exactly how he had done the 180, but he wasn't stupid enough to assume he had made the decision to change out of pure intentions. It was something he had done out of self preservation and a need to exist. Today, here in this country he was working on living again. He could do so with or without her, while it was preferable that she be at his side while he made the transition, it was not vital to the cause. He had enough on his hands without whatever drama she was going to bring to the table, he had been willing to put aside time for her, judging by her body language from inside she had been ready for that too.

Merlin he could be wrong sometimes, even if he wouldn't admit it to anybody. From the look on her face, he had been very far off the mark, she didn't honestly want anything to do with him. She had just been indulging him. The bottom of his stomach bottomed out as regret filled his chest. How could he have honestly thought that she was genuinely interested in him? The confusion on her face was quickly replaced by anger. He wished that he was anywhere but here. She closed the distance between them in a few short paces, her pants blowing around her legs in the wind. Her hair was starting to get messy and he wondered briefly if she was going to have to go inside to fix it before scolding him, she did seem the type after all. His legs were a few feet in front of him, making him seem a few inches shorter than he normally was, she made a point of moving close enough to him so he could feel her breath on his skin, but not in a way as though he was going to be stupid enough to touch her. Keeping his hands locked behind his breath, he waited for the beating to begin. “Listen to me. " No matter the woman, of any age, height, weight, or race if a female begin a speech in that way, all positive thinking for the night was out the window. In this case, off the balcony. Wherever she was headed with her little speech next was only going to be bad, and he wasn't exactly sure that he really wanted to listen to it. Averting his gaze to look back out at the ocean the tide was starting to rise, meaning the rain had already started, even if it was out a mile or so. The waves licked at the shoreline, it was better than seeing the wrath in her eyes. The one time that he thought he was doing everything right and up to her her standards. Maybe she was bipolar on top of her OCD. "Your arrogance amazes me. " Well that was nothing new, he had heard that dozens of times before. Sighing he pulled his hands out and let them dangle at his side, no longer caring if the cold made his shudder. "You’ve come out here to tell me that you think I have already put you in my pocket and zipped it up." Returning his gaze to hers in time for her to catch the tail end of a rather exaggerated eye roll he saw her anger start to bubble. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he figured the best way to fuel her fire was to brush off whatever she was saying. "I understand that we don’t know where the other has been and that there are parts of us we don’t want the other to know. I get it. To me, you are a lost cause. I see nothing past being casual with you.”

That's when he snapped. A sadistic smile replaced his bored gaze. That was a lie if he had ever heard one, he didn't have much tolerance for liars. A lost cause? That was something he thought about himself on a daily basis, he didn't permit himself too much reflection time, but when he did that was the soundtrack that played on his film reel. Whenever he had asked her earlier, he had left it open ended, to her interpretation, he knew what he had meant by it. What sort of effort that he was planning to put forth he was aware of, but since she hadn't felt the need to verbalize her thoughts he was just assuming she had agreed to the arrangement. If there was no point in perusing a future of any kind with him then why was he wasting his time with her at all? She would be no better than some fan girl he used to pass the time, or sooth the sting of loneliness whenever he couldn't find a better option. He knew there were better options out there, ones that wouldn't go postal whenever he offered to ensure she had a way home. Ones that would flip out on him whenever he was attempting to play by the rules. There was something very wrong with this woman, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was or not. Sure, she was an interesting specimen but he wasn't sure the juice was worth the squeeze. She was starting to get crazy eyes, and while he was insulted, he was doing the best he could not to be hurt by her words. Animals tended to attack whenever threatened after all, he wasn't even considering weather or not she didn't mean it because he preferred to take things at face value. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking that you know my type.” He scoffed "Is that the best you can do?" he grasped her hips, thumbs pressing against her pelvis and pushed her up against the railing of her balcony, he knew that it might frighten her and that was his hope. "Oh Sweetheart, I know I'm just your type" For all he knew, she was just a thrill seeker who didn't ever like being happy. His eyes were swimming and he knew that the royal blue color was not going to seem inviting. He hoped this would intimidate her, he wasn't going to be her plaything.

He had seen that smile before, Georgie had worn that same, overconfident, smug 'i'm better than you' look all the time. It was normally how she ended arguments between the two of them. She had worn that same look on her face whenever he had slapped her hard enough to cause her body to slam into a wall. She had been real surprised then, convinced herself that he hadn't meant it, that his temper had just gotten the best of him, that he saw red. He had gone along with her, refusing to comment whenever she had brought it up the next morning. He had refused to follow her whenever she sulked off to her room and waited for him to come apologize. He hadn't apologized because she had deserved it. While he couldn't recall what the fight had been about now, but he could remember the feeling of vindictiveness as he struck the side of her face. The hollow lack of concern whenever her head had impacted with the wall or even less whenever she crumbled to the ground. She had looked up at him then, her large doe eyes full of hurt and concern. That damned smile had been gone, he had never seen it again. She hadn't left him like he had half expected her to, she had come into his room the next morning, the side of her face swollen and shabbily covered in make up, hesitantly crawled into bed with him, no doubt feeling cowed in his presence. She had snuggled up to him, clinging to his back in attempts to make up with him. The nature of their whole relationship had changed that day, but she had never smiled at him like that again. Georgie had never mistaken his love for her as a tolerance, or a free pass to say whatever ignorant dribble she felt like saying. Georgie tried to understand, but she never really could. Sure, she had been abused with a horrible father, but Ashton had taken care of him.

Staring into Kaydence's eyes now he felt that itch in his palm, he wanted to correct her. To explain to her that while he did respect her, and he was trying to connect with her one something other than a primal level, he wasn't going to tolerate being spoken to this way. He wanted to show her that he wasn't a man to be messed with, he liked her company but she was replaceable at this point, she needed to learn that, or he would make her learn it. He didn't know if she was wanting him to calm her down or if a fight was really what she was looking for. He wanted her to understand that she will have bitten off more than she could chew if she pushed him.


{totally contradicted yourself with the apparating thing. btw}

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence hated being brushed off. She hated being ignored and she hated being treated like a child. He was doing all three things to her and she couldn’t take it. It took every fiber of her being not to haul back and smack his face as she had done after their first meeting. The arrogance that was radiating off of him made her entire body shake with anger. Never before had she had so much hatred for someone. Even with all of the fights they had, not once did Kaydence fantasize about drowning Evan in the lake behind the Manor. Now, she wished the waters from the beach would turn into a monstrous tsunami and take Ashton’s useless form back into the sea when it receded. It made her even angrier knowing how much of an effect his nonchalantness was having on her. She wanted him to do something, anything. Yell at her. Try and grab her. Leave. Anything other than making her feel like she was insignificant to him. Kaydence thrived off of the reactions people had to her whether they were good or bad. She had no idea what to do now that he wasn’t giving her what she wanted.

When he finally showed some sign of life, she returned his smile with an even bigger one. Kaydence prayed that she had finally said something to strike a nerve. It was almost pathetic to see how badly she wanted to get under his skin. At the same time, this was all more of a test than anything. He may have infuriated her to no end, but she needed to see how far she could go until he snapped. It was sick, but she had to know. She had to know if he could stand up to her and dish back to her everything she said or did to him. She was nothing compared to the secrets that lingered in her soul. Nothing compared to the family that had left her behind. Her pushiness was an ample taste of how bad she could get. She had to see what he was made of. Kaydence needed to know if he was her equal in every sense of the word. Mostly, she wanted to see just how far he was willing to go to prove his interest in her. If he could win this battle and overcome every obstacle she hurled in his direction, then there had to be something there worth looking into. Deep down, she hoped there was.

”Is that the best you can do?” By the time she got done with him, he’d be regretting provoking her like that. Leaning in closer to him, she shook her head slowly. The smirk still plastered to her face. He looked like he wanted to kill her and Kaydence loved it. Finally. However, she was not expecting his hands to fly to her waist, tightening as they landed and pushing her into her balcony. Her lower back hit a particularly rough edge of the railing, but she was careful not to show the pain in her face. "Oh Sweetheart, I know I'm just your type.” His thumbs pressed deeper into her hip bones. A spark of fear suddenly hit her, but she tried her damnest to keep her face unwavering. His eyes were bearing into her soul. He was certainly giving her a reaction alright. But now, Kaydence wasn’t quite sure she wanted it. She shifted her weight a bit but felt the ever-present pressure from his finger tips. “Is that the best you can do?” It was highly possible that Kaydence had a death wish, but she just never knew when to stop. If she wasn’t getting her way, then she wouldn’t quit until she did. His response to her provoking was only half of what she wanted to see. There was still a whole other layer for her to unpeel. The dark side of him that he had revealed to her was only a preview of what she was desperate to see underneath.

“What’s the matter Wentworth, you gonna hit me like some big, strong man?” Really she had no idea of what he was going to do or what he was capable of. The crazy eyes he was giving her now convinced her that they seen a skirmish or two in his lifetime. Her hips were now stinging where their skin touched. Not noticing until now how uncomfortable she was Kaydence felt her smirk falter slightly. If he kept this up he was going to leave bruises on her for sure. Still, there was something from within her egging on her. Keep going it told her. You’re not even close to being done. Slipping her arm though the open space between his own and his chest she found a pressure point on his spine and jammed her own thumb on it. Cocking her head to the side, she lowered her eyelids until they were almost slits. “Does this get you off darling? Trying to show me how strong you are? You’re pathetic.” She said the last bit as if she had a horrid taste in her mouth. It was hard to not spit up at his face to try and get rid of it.

Without warning, a flashback that she tried to keep hidden came up from out of nowhere. His blue eyes reminded her so similarly to another pair almost identical. The face they belonged to was drastically different and much more terrifying though. Ashton’s hair was similar to the other’s, although his much lighter than Cillian’s darker mane. The thought of his name send a shiver done her spine. He would think that he had begun to scare her, but it was the furthest thing from Kaydence’s mind. She watched in terror as his face slowly morphed into the one that had haunted her for so many years. A smile formed on his lips as he replayed the scene in her mind from her. The woods. The darkness. The carefully plotted space that prevented anyone from hearing her screams of pain and for help. Her arm dropped from Ashton’s back. His hands suddenly felt like Cillian’s, keeping hold of her as to not let her escape. He had her right where he wanted her. The expression of triumph fell from her face and was replaced by one that was sure to confuse Ashton. Kaydence lowered her eyes and mumbled, “Stop.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

At the rate Ashton was going, he wouldn't have been surprised if he pushed her straight through the metal railing, she was going to have marks on her body in the morning, there was no doubt about that. She was egging him on, like she was really trying to get her rocks off. He wouldn't have been surprised, a bored girl like her must have to do some desperate things to get off. Why had she strung him along for this long? Why not just tell him what she had really wanted from the get go, would have saved them both a lot of time and energy, maybe then he might be getting some attention from a sane woman. There was a flicker of something that crossed her eyes, only momentarily, he hoped to Merlin that she was starting to regret her decision. He was a man that was constantly under estimated and normally he didn't mind. Whenever it came to personal aspects of his life, he didn't let people in for a reason. Those who knew him, knew him well and most of them had been there his entire life and knew to stay well enough alone. His best mate lived in an entirely different country after all. His mother was on another continent and most of the ones that he had considered his real family here deceased. Any one of them would have told you that whenever Ashton is in a bad mood, just get yourself and any other bystanders out of his way. Georgie had managed to handle it by keeping him tired all the time, and become rather proficient at throwing things. He leaned into her hips, pressing himself up against her, looking down on her. She was picking a fight wit no grounds other than she was tired of playing her game and was ready to toss him aside like all of the things in her life she was tired of. He wasn't trash, and would not be treated as such.

“Is that the best you can do?” he chuckled darkly, she was turning his own words against him? No doubt because she couldn't think of anything original to say. She was moving, attempting to get away he assumed and it wasn't going to happen. People like him couldn't be pushed, and pushed and just expect to step aside. Like she had said before, pride in ones house says a lot about a person. Had it not been for his temper he was sure he would have been in Ravenclaw at best, he wasn't exactly the hero type, or at least he hadn't been at the time. He did like to read, so that was the only other house that he could have been in. If he had been a level-headed person he would have avoided a lot of things, spent more time in class. Maybe even come out a better person, with a living wife and two point two children. He was a Slytherin to his core, and he knew it showed. “What’s the matter Wentworth, you gonna hit me like some big, strong man?” His lips curled into a sneer. She had only known his surname for a few hours and already she was addressing him by it, just like everybody else did. What could he had possibly been thinking earlier? Must have been the alcohol talking. That's the only thing that he could put it up to, her flaws seemed so obvious now. He didn't need to hit her, he had a feeling that he was going to get his point across without having to do too much to damage that pretty face. So long as she didn't smile at him like that, then he couldn't be held responsible for what he did. Maybe she had thought that he was some Johnny pencil pusher who caved to women and wished to do their bidding but he wasn't. The fact that he had stayed in her apartment this long said worlds about how much he was interested in her, the fact that he had extended her a wordless courtesy that not even his wife had been given deep down said he was willing to stick around so long as he was treated fairly. Not that she would ever know.

His knee buckled, back arched to get away from the unknown threat. Whipping his head around he spotted the top of her hand, he could picture her thumb jabbing into a tender spot on his back between discs. He felt his soul grow darker as it forced its way through his eyes. She was crossing into dangerous territory. Shifting his grip he let go of her hips and grasped the bar behind her close enough to her waist so as she couldn't get away. “Does this get you off darling? Trying to show me how strong you are? You’re pathetic.” Finally, the smug smile dropped off his face. She knew that wasn't true, she was grasping at straws, he was winning. Moving in for the metaphorical kill he was stopped, suddenly she wasn't looking at him anymore, her mood once again stopped as suddenly as it started, she was pleading with him "Stop" the part of him that honestly cared for her tugged, he managed a step back before rational thought was wiped from his body. He wanted to stop, really he did. His body wouldn't stop. His mind drifted up out of his body, hovering in the nothingness above his head. He felt his knees want to buckle, the rage coming up like bile in his throat. He couldn't stop, he knew how bad his temper was, he had seen what it was capable of. "This is what you wanted isn't it?" he spat back at her, the thunder striking the sky was reflective in his eyes, the tide now whipping up against the shore as the last merchant closed up shop. Leaving them alone, nobody else in the building was going to be stupid enough to stay outside at a time like this, their fight would fall on deaf ears. No matter the victor.

This was it, the moment that he had been dreaming about for months. Ever since he had met that odious man that fateful day in hell. The coward had landed a few good shots once the bouncer had kept him restrained. He could still taste the blood in his mouth from whenever the mans fist had collided with his face and gut. Standing over his body now he couldn't stop kicking him. The fight had long ago left his eyes, there was no opposition no rebuttals. The tongue that had insulted him for years, so condescending had permanently been silenced. His boot was colliding with the mans rib cage over and over, a sickening crack every time he found it's target. Who knew by this time how many ribs it was that had broken by now? His body wouldn't stop the momentum, he had been helpless to stand over himself, watching. Liquid poured down his face as he felt he was delivering justice. Every scar on her body, another kick, every tear that she had cried, another kick, every time he had left her broken and bleeding, at the foot of the stairs, every mirror he had broken on her, every time that he had hurt her, another kick. Blood poured out of his face, this hollow shell of something that once resembled a man, was long gone. He wasn't sure when it had stopped, most likely whenever his body had given out on him. He had collapsed, fell to his knees. Never before had he lost control like that, it wasn't something that he had ever wanted to experience again. His chest heaved, there was no air left in his lungs. He heaved and heaved, until there was nothing left in his body, no contents in his stomach and no air, no rational thought. At some point a reflex must have kicked in, because he wound up back at home, kneeling by her bed side. Se desperate no sound emitting from his lips. Hands, cloths and heart stained with blood.

He was afraid of what all he was capable of, he couldn't stop once he started. Not anymore. His reason for restraint had died with her. Any possibility of Kaydence ever taking her place had fallen off the edge of this balcony with his temporary sanity. Spinning her body one hundred and eighty degrees back inside of the house he did so with force, blatantly ignoring her pleas. He watched her body crumple against her carpet. He pleaded with himself to stop, he needed to take a step back, have a drink, go home. Jump out of the window, she may have been a snobby little brat but she didn't deserve this. She had mouthed off, it wasn't a crime, it was something a toddler was apt to do, and often his tolerance was just no longer there. He wanted to go to her, scoop her up off the carpet and apologize, tending to the rug burn that she was sure of have on her back there her cloths didn't meet. He wanted to tell her how stupid he was and sit there, listen to her yelling, allow her tiny hands to beat against his chest as she burned out whatever anger she had left but it was futile to fight himself. He watched helplessly as he advanced toward her.

+hope thats okay

[Kaydence Morgan]

”This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Earlier, yes. Now, no. Before, Kaydence hadn’t been expecting Ashton to somehow morph into Cillian Doyle. She couldn’t fathom how it had happened. She had pushed and pushed at plenty of males after him and before Ashton, but they have never produced this kind of result. Then again, the men that she had egged on where not nearly as twisted as the one standing in front of her was. He brought the same sense of danger that Cillian had. After that night, Kaydence had pushed her luck several times, but none of those other times had made her feel like this, like she was slowly succumbing to the same power that Cillian had over her. Her defenses were breaking down fast. The wall that she had spent years building up was crumbling like dust. It was too early for Ashton to see her so vulnerable. This wasn’t part of the plan. Inside, she was freaking out, but was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that she could do nothing to portray them outwardly. Kaydence was frozen. Knowing full well that Ashton could do whatever he pleased without it phasing her, she braced herself for whatever was coming to her. She prayed that somehow her body would snap out of it and slug him in his face, but the chances of that happening were slim to none.

The clouds in the air continued to get thicker and darker. The wind had picked up causing the waves to move faster inland. A thunderstorm was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before it hit land. Kaydence wished she would have just stayed inside so she could have enjoyed it. She wished she could have just stayed in the same position she was in. None of this would have started if she would have just stayed put. She and Ashton could have been sitting in the same position, curled up in her blanket watching the storm. That would have been immensely better that whatever was about to happen to her. Anything would have been better than was about to happen. The backdrop around Ashton made him look sadistic. She was frightened, but her face remained frozen in that sad look. She was numb.

She felt his hand grab her. His fingers kneaded into her skin as he pulled her and swung her around and into the open patio door. Kaydence could feel the blood rising to the top of her skin. He had grabbed her strong enough to leave, at very least, extremely dark shades of black and blue. As he let her go, she stumbled, unable to remain on her feet. Her elbow clipped the halfway-open door causing her to fall violently. She felt skin erode from the middle of her back. Not knowing the extent of the damage, she could only judge by her enflamed back. She was willing to guess that the red patch on her back was fairly large. As she settled onto the carpet the bare skin touched the fibers and she moaned in pain. Her arm automatically went to the area, though careful to only graze her fingers over the infected area. Her fingertips felt wet. Bringing her hand back in front of her Kaydence saw faint traces of blood. She was enraged. He had thrown her hard enough to not only fall, but to draw blood. She had sworn after Cillian that she would never let a man take advantage of her the way he did, yet here she was. On the floor, bleeding lightly, battered and bruised.

His footsteps were approaching again. She looked up to see him advancing on her. All she wanted was to get up, tackle him to the ground as best as she could and begin pummeling him until her knuckles bled. But she couldn’t. Kaydence’s eyes widened in fear as Ashton once again morphed into Cillian. She was brought back to how he had approached her, gotten down to her level and restrained her to prevent her resistance. One hand had managed to pin both of her tiny wrists down onto the ground as he used the other to rip, fondle and penetrate. Kaydence scooted away from Cillian as he continued his advancing until her back hit up against the coffee table. She was helpless. A single tear rolled down her cheek as he stood in front of her. She was back in the woods, up against the tree that he had left her at. Her clothes torn and revealing. In reality, Kaydence was flashing in and out of her memory, but she was so disturbed by Ashton’s hostility that the only thing that was real to her was that Cillian had lowered himself to her and gave that same smug look that he had given her right before he had taken advantage of her.

Her hands went up to shield her face from his slaps. “STOP!” she screamed. She was bawling now. The tears flowed freely from her cheeks. The pain and torment that she had been subjected to had now made itself known. She sobbed, lowering her head and covering her face in her hands. Cillian had been replaced by a still very angry looking Ashton. Her body shook as the fear overcame her. She had no clue as to what Ashton was going to do next, but she couldn’t look at him. Kaydence was afraid that if she did that then Cillian’s face would reemerge once more. It was bad enough that he still haunted her dreams. He didn’t need to be a few mere inches away from her.

[Ashton Wentworth]

Droplets of water started to spray the bare skin of his back, hitting and sliding down toward his boxer briefs. The rain was just starting, they would have some time before it really started to pour, but whenever it did it was going to come down hard. The cracks echoed across the top of the body of water behind him. The clear water was beginning to grow murky from the abundance of debris being churned around in the bottom of the water, bits that had been left orphaned on the beach being dragged away to it's new watery home, nothing was safe. The Last merchants were strapping down their stands to the iron pegs cemented to the ground as if it would help from having their livelihood being washed away. One by one, they all apparated home, or ushered their children in the direction of the lobby's of the larger buildings or the nearest port key so hopefully obtain some safety. The whole spectacle was lost on the pair here, if they had been in their right mind, still enjoying their fruit they would have locked the door, perhaps either charmed the furniture into place or at the very least brought the lounge chairs inside so they wouldn't be damaged or tossed about in the storm. They could have drawn the curtains, and spent the time fornicating or watching television. Ashton would have cooked dinner and begun drinking, perhaps talking too loudly and her laughter would be the sounds seeping under each and every door frame and into the atmosphere, not her heavy breathing, not his foot steps or his shouting which was soon to come. Her pleas wouldn't have been necessary and they might not be rapidly becoming enemies. Maybe, if they had been feeling very crazy, they would have ventured out into the world, chasing the rain or looking for an open tavern. The world apparently just wasn't ready to let these two souls embrace happiness just yet.

The door behind him remained open, soon the carpet would be dark with the weight of water, and once dry would leave her a very unpleasant smell to work out of her home. His bare feet didn't make much noise as he moved toward her, there were red spots on the carpet, he must have thrown him a little more forcefully than he had originally intended. A flicker passed his eyes, doubt was working it's way into his heart but it would have a while to go before his momentum would be effected. He had seen her body fall, and now he was watching her scoot away. His mind dipped back and forth between his memories and his present. She was slipping between herself and his late wife. Her cloths seemed to transform into a nightie before his eyes. Hair strewn over her face, makeup running and her eyes wild. He watched with interest, standing beside his own body he watched himself advance. He might as well be foaming at the mouth. It was as if all three years of his pent up anger and aggression were finally bursting free and it felt so damn good. He could practically smell the walls of his house, the dim lighting casting shadows on her face, she had been spitting insults at him, as she had crawled away, calling him a coward and a bastard. A liar and a hypocrite. It had been the first time that she had cheated on him, he never was one who could tolerate the taste of his own medicine. He had been such a miserable curd, whenever he found out what she had done, she hadn't even apologized, she just shrugged her shoulders. The woman didn't deserve him. He felt the same way now about Kaydence, she had been pushing she had made him do this. He was only giving her what she had asked for, even if she was starting to realize the error of her ways. Outside of his body he went to her, cradled her and wiped the tears from her face, he wanted to very much to regain hi control, to stop what he was doing. He screamed to himself 'she doesn't deserve this' but he wouldn't listen to reason. She was moving as fast as she could away from him. There was a distance in her eyes, he couldn't be sure that she was even seeing him anymore. Terror played on repeat on her face. She lifted her hands up to shield her body before he had even touched her, his hands were not raised, he hadn't said a word. Was she really that afraid? Did she honestly believe that he was going to strike her while she was wholly defenseless? She should have. “STOP!” her voice cracked, the epitome of desperate.

Suddenly, it was his wedding day once again. Lavinia stood in front of him fixing his tie into a proper knot. Her black cocktail dress laid across the bed not far from them as she spouted random encouraging tid bits, her bright eyes searching for any hint of cold feet. No doubt Georgie had sent her in here to watch for a flight risk. Whatever the reason he had been thankful for her help. He couldn't affix a tie to save his life, and while he would have loved to be in jeans right now, Georgie would just about murder him if he was standing at the end of the flower lined aisle waiting for her in his jeans. She would have turned around, either called of the ceremony or at the very least postponed until he was wearing the proper attire. Time had gone quickly, his heart thumping time to go faster still. The majority of him had just wanted to get it over with, to be done. Nobody had arrived yet besides family. He knew that Hannes had been in the other room giving Georgie the pep talk of a life time, he was a wonderful man. The kind of man that Ashton was glad to able to call father. Pleased that Georgie hadn't tried to invite her birth father to the proceedings, that was the last thing he could have possibly wanted on such a grand occasion. Sure, the ceremony was small and taking place in their very own back yard but he knew it was going to be beautiful anyway. Georgie had been slaving away for months to get every detail as close to perfection as humanly possible. Satisfied, lav nodded once, and removed her hands, snatching up her dress she headed for his bath room to get changed herself, a last smile before she ducked around the corner, leaving him to examine his reflection. He had talked her out of the cumber bun, but hadn't been able to get away from the three piece suit. Smoothing his hands down the vest he whistled. He knew he looked damn good, right as he had been about to turn to examine the rear view, he heard a scream. Crossing to the door he heard the sobs getting louder, a sickening crunch was all he had needed to go busting out of his door in the direction of Georgie's room. Leisel had been helping affix her hair with flowers, and unless her hair had magically dissipated, he had a feeling that their bad luck was starting to hit. Seeing her in her dress now couldn't make things any worse.

The scene behind the doors waiting for him he never would have been able to guess, Phillip was there holding Georgie by her hair, flower petals were scattered across the floor, Leisel was nowhere to be scene. If she was a smart girl she would be hiding in the closet or outside of the window. His heart had dropped to his stomach, tears falling like rain down Georgie's cheeks, her arm hanging at an odd angle, her other grasping her hair to keep it from being ripped out of her head "YOU! you bastard, who gave you permission to marry this whore?" He knew that Phillip hated their union, but he never dreamed that he was going to find out about the wedding until it was too late for him to do anything about it. He had been forced to watch has he tossed Georgie like a rag against the wall, her head hitting solidly against a door frame. The fight that ensued had ruined the whole day, that fateful night was when Phillip had met his maker. Georgie didn't speak much for weeks after that, it was supposed to of been the best night of their lives, and it had turned out to be a nightmare. Here, looking at Kaydence he couldn't miss the similarities. He was no better than him. Phillip. The name was like sulfur in his mouth, it clung to his tongue and wanted to make him sick. The fire drained from his eyes, the fog was lifting as thunder shook the sky and the rain started to pour. Water came drifting into the apartment, bringing along with it freezing bursts of wind. He grew cold, and it had nothing to do with the weather. His body gave out, his legs buckled, shoulders stooped. He wanted to crawl into himself and hide there. His ethereal self drifted back into his body, he lowered himself back down against the backs of his legs. He didn't dare look at her, he wouldn't be able to handle her tear stained face.

With the last bit of energy he could muster he rose to his feet. Hints of anger still lingered within his tissue, it was hard to come off of a rage like that. Grasping the first clean towel that he could see he came back into the living room and tossed it at her, not only to dry her face but to apply pressure to her back. Heading next for the kitchen he found the bottle of rum she had made her drink with earlier, and took a good long swig. Setting it down on the counter he came back into the living room, still towering over her. "Don't ever talk to me like that again"

[Kaydence Morgan]

”This is what happens when you toy with people’s emotions Kaydence.” He had said to her while zipping up his pants. ”You play with fire and you expect not to get burnt. Lucky for you, this fire has finally been extinguished. Unlucky for you, I got what I wanted.” She pulled her broken frame as tightly into herself as she possibly could, terrified of his touch. He bent lowered himself down to one knee and cupped her chin into his hand. That smug smile permanently attached to his face. ”I’m done with you now.” And with that, he had pulled her in for one final kiss. Kaydence did her best to keep her lips shut. Due to her badly swollen lips it was nearly impossible. The more pressure she used to tryt keep them shut, the worse they stung. His own lips on them was like a thousand pins, each piercing deeper than the one before. He had made sure to kiss her with intensity. He wanted her to keep feeling the pain that she had caused him for months. Gasping as he pulled back Kaydence began sobbing again as he lifted himself from the ground and turned his back to her, leaving her there to fend for herself. It hadn’t been too long after when the sounds of Evan’s voice calling her name reached her ear. Her throat was raw from screaming and crying so much that she was unable to respond. He had found her quickly enough, knowing instantly what had happened.

In that moment, Kaydence had experienced something she had never before. The feeling of being a broken woman. She had been alone. If it hadn’t been for Evan, it would have taken hours for her to crawl back to the campsite. Every bone in her body ached. It hurt so much to breathe that she was fairly certain Cillian had broken a rib or two during the several times he had fallen on top of her to keep her restrained. Blood spilled from so many wounds on her body that upon being taken to St. Everdines, she was uncertain of how she hadn’t lost more blood. He had done a number on her physically, but the damage internally was much worse. She didn’t want to be touched, whether the hands were female or male. Paranoia had sunken in deep. She jumped with every footstep outside of her door, every medical tool accidentally knocked off its cart and every cough from one of the few visitors that frequented her room. Kaydence refused to sleep alone for the longest time after her discharge. Poor Evan had put up with so much from her as she slowly healed from that awful night, including dealing with the fact that he couldn’t touch her without some sort of recoiling on her part. She knew that was what had cut him the deepest. Many times when she had woken up from the nightmare that played over and over, she would see him sitting on the edge of his bed lost in the moonlight, lost in though. It amazed her how the actions of one person could affect the lives of so many others around them.

As she continued sobbing into her hands Kaydence tried to listen for the sound of movement around her. There was nothing. It would have been a smart idea to keep her eyes open and unshielded to see what he was doing, but she didn’t want to look at him. She couldn’t. She had pushed Ashton to the point where his anger had brought her back to a time she wished to erase from her memory completely. Secretly, she must have been so frightened that her mind reacted by turning her home into the woods where she had been raped, and Ashton into Cillian. This had never happened to Kaydence before. However, there hadn’t been a time previously in which a person’s reaction to her constant prodding had been this intense. In some twisted way, this was her body’s way of telling her to stop. That if she didn’t, this was what was going to happen to her. It sensed the danger and needed to make her aware that she was treading in dangerous territory. She had gotten the message. She would never again push Ashton to this point just for fun. The results of her last escapade had ended with her in a hospital bed for a week. The results this time could have been much worse.

The floor beneath her creaked as Ashton walked away. Thunder clapped loudly off into the distance, adding more uneasiness into the situation. The sounds of her sobbing had subsided now, leaving behind silent tears that continued to pour from her eyes. Even if she hadn’t stopped, the sounds of the rain drops hitting her patio were so loud that it would be hard for him to tell what he was hearing. Kaydence felt soft fiber graze her arm. Looking up just enough for only her red eyes to be exposed, she saw that it was a towel from her kitchen. Resting next to it were Ashton’s feet. "Don't ever talk to me like that again." How she hated being threatened. Rubbing at her eyes she slowly eased her way to her own feet. It was difficult given the throbbing pain from her back, but somehow she managed, grabbing the towel he had thrown at her as she did. Kaydence was still intimidated by him, but there was still enough anger from within her to shove the towel into his chest and storm off into her bedroom. She slammed the bedroom door loudly behind her, doing the same to her bathroom door as she entered the room. Breathing in and out deeply, Kaydence stood in front of her mirror and turned around enough so that she could see her back. Grasping the ends of her top she slowly pulled up under the fabric was just under her breasts.

The patch was much worse than she had expected. The skin had been rubbed off a good couple of inches length and widthwise. It appeared to have stopped bleeding, but she wasn’t too sure. The throbbing pain made it seem like blood could still be pumping to the wound. She sniffled as she let the fabric fall back down her torso. Kneeling down, she opened the door underneath the bathroom sink. Kaydence grabbed a wash cloth and a tube of burn cream. She carefully applied a generous amount of the cream onto her finger tips. Using her free hand, she pulled up on her top again and began to gracefully apply the cream onto the area. She hissed a couple of times as the cold cream hit particularly tender spots, but relief was nearly instant. After applying the cream, Kaydence wet the washcloth, wrung it out and applied it gently on top of the eroded skin. Holding onto the cloth with her right hand, she brought her left hand up to her eyes and covered them. The tears started to fall again as she stood there in silence. She had no notion of what to do next.

[Ashton Wentworth]

Georgie had cried all through their honeymoon. Her parents had been nice enough to fund the trip for the two of them. They were supposed to have spent a week sitting in some little cabin on a random beach somewhere, eating and drinking, consummating their marriage. Snorkeling. Ashton had been forced to pack their suitcases, and finalize all the travel arrangements. Something that he was not comfortable doing in the least bit. He had done it out of nessesety, he had even actually packed her cloths, because given his choice he wouldn't have let her bring anything other than what she was going to wear onto the plane. However, given that he was doing everything in his power to avoid a fight with her, he was sticking her her precious rules. Their cabin had a private beach access that she hadn't stepped foot onto once. She had been too heart broken that their wedding day had been ruined by that odious man. She was equally upset that he was now gone, something that he would never really understand. For somebody had tortured her for so many years, he assumed that she would be glad that he was gone. Granted, he had never killed a man before that night, and a part of him had died along side Phillip. She had cleaned him up, washed the blood from his hands and taken control of the situation so quickly he hadn't had a chance to do so much as blink. She had handled her fathers body, what she had done with it he wasn't sure and he didn't ask. After she had returned home the two of them had not spoken another word about it. She had tried, but he refused to talk. Georgie had sat on the edge of the bed for days, refusing even to eat. She had done what needed to be done if he forced her, he had helped her shower and dress, even helped her onto the longest, most silent plane ride of his life. He had pleaded with her for days to come out onto the beach, that he wasn't going to watch her kill herself. Not that she cared. He nursed her back to health little by little, ruined their whole trip.

Ashton was not a man that got excited over much, but he had been looking forward to that trip. It was symbolic to him, the sex was nothing new, they had been doing that since the day that they had met, the beach wasn't new, nor the clothing. It finalized their commitment, as surprised as he had been to feel joy on their wedding day. It meant that she was his, not just as a possession as she had been before, but body and soul she belonged to him, as he belonged to her. It was a content feeling, he wouldn't have guessed that he would like stability as much as he did. Had he known what was in store for their union, he might have physically dragged her out to the beach. It was the one time in their life where they were alone, supposed to be care free, only to have the real world ruin it. The not talking, awkward tension that had filled the time space was more foreshadowing for their marriage than he cared to admit. As Kaydence picked up the towel and started to dab at her face, he attempted to get a read from her swollen eyes. They were a stage past blood shot, he knew that he had frightened her, it had been the whole intent but for her to look that petrified was a little much he thought. She must be seeing something else. They were a better match than he could have ever assumed. Offering her a hand as she struggled to rise to her feet, no doubt ashamed that he had seen her like that, she had no way of knowing that he was beyond used to it. Not surprised that she didn't take his hand, she didn't even so much as look at him before squeezing past him and huffing off to her bedroom. Rolling his eyes he followed her, footsteps heavy on the floor as the texture changed from carpet, to tile, or carpet again. He hadn't bothered closing her balcony door, letting in the rain as a petty form of spitefulness.

As they approached her room, she slammed the door in his face. A second door slamming he assumed was the closet, although he had no way of knowing why on earth she would want to slam a closet. She was telling him to leave without ever saying a word. If she thought that he was going to leave just like that she was mistaken. Throwing the towel that was still in his hand at the door it hardly made a noise, but the frustrated grunt that left him was audible. Pulling his hands down his face with force he was sure to have left white lines from where his fingers were he dropped his head to the door with a comforting thunk "How bad is it?" He asked softly, knocking on the door with his knuckles. Whenever she didn't answer, the rage that was so precariously contained burst through. Taking a step back he fought against his urges "Dammit Kaydence, Answer me" he wasn't getting through to her. He wasn't about to just get up and leave before he found out the extent of her damages. He judged the size of the door, it seemed to be hardly above standard issue wood, and though he was barefoot he knew that with the right amount of pressure he could force his way into the room. "Kaydence if you don't answer me, I'm going to break this door down" He warned, he fully intended to get his answer, even if he had to take it from her. Taking a step back until he was up against the far wall he called to her "Kaydence!" Reaching forward his intent was to rattle the door knob to coax her into letter her in, only to find that it was still unlocked bloody brilliant Ash rolling his eyes he opened the door and let himself in. She was nowhere to be seen. Double checking he looked on the other side of the bed in case she had been curled up on the floor. No luck.

Glancing around for what he hoped was her closet door he wondered if maybe that was a comfort spot for her? Hopefully it wasn't some sort of panic room, that would be the worst because who knows how long he was going to have to sit in her room waiting for her to come out, he could always try leaving crumbs on the carpet, soda cans and the like. She might come out for that. Picking one of the two door knobs he twisted, the rain was drowning out all the sound in the apartment. Easing the door open he kept his head low in case she was going to throw something at him. "Kaydence?" He asked softly, he spotted her standing close to the door, shirt all hiked up and a cloth on her back. Judging by the faint red marks starting to come through the fabric he knew that she had not only hit it ground, but slid a few inches. Grimacing he held out a hand as if to touch it or assess the damage only to hold his hand back, hovering. If Ashton hadn't guessed she would slug him if he attempted to touch her, he would have tried it. Closing the door behind him softly, he looked at her through the mirror, not holding her gaze directly. "Does it hurt much?" He asked softly, averting his gaze to the floor.