The entire ride back to the diner I was fighting myself, trying not to pass out. Even though my leg felt a lot better than it did before they brought me to Adrenaline Raven, I felt every excruciating bump and crack in the pavement, and I was exhausted. When we had to drive through the sand, I thought I was going to break a tooth my jaw was clenched so tight. Finally back at the diner, I had to stay in the car for a few minutes before I could stand to move and get out.

"I'll just carry you in, 'kay?" Frank sort of asked as he scooped me up out of the car. "I don't know what Party's talking about, you're not heavy." I laughed a little.

"He was just trying to piss me off," I replied. Frank set me on the edge of a booth. My backpack still lay there, just as I had left it...weeks ago, I realized. I had no idea. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the table and took a long swig of it. I should save it but the burn felt so good. Missile Kid snatched it from my hand and replaced it with a dusty plastic bottle of water. "Hey! What'd you do that for?" I exclaimed.

"You need water. Alcohol dehydrates you," she said so matter-of-factly that I had to laugh. She smiled at me from across the table, taking a drink from her own water bottle.

"You really know what you're talking about, don't you, Kid," I asked her.

"Yep. I've been taking care of these guys for a long time." She smiled around at them. I noticed Party and Dr. D were not in the room. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Ray took a seat next to his daughter, ruffling her hair.

"As soon as you can, we're going to go to some ruins nearby and look for some stuff for you," he said to me. "We've got a spare room that we'll turn into a room for you but there's no bed or anything."

"It's okay, I can sleep in the booths, they're comfortable enough for me," I told him. I'd already been way to much trouble that I liked to be.

"Well you'll have to until you can move around on your own, but we are giving you that room," Ray instructed. I just nodded, I was too exhausted for words. Dr. D and Party came back in and I saw Frank start to make some food.

"It's good to see you doing better, Acid." Dr. D placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.

"Thank you."

"I'm gonna go to Strawberry Dream's and get some supplies. We're nearly out of food and Acid needs to change her hair," Party informed us.

"Hold up, Party. Frank and I told Angel our names. We're sick of using these nicknames all the time," Ray told him. Apprehension saddled his brow like a heavy shadow. It struck me that I was causing strain in the group, and I hated that. I knew that they had known each other for a long time, that was very apparent from the way they joked together and their shared stories from the old world.

Party breathed out heavily through his nose. "Fine. It's Gerard," he replied, sounding bored and annoyed at the same time. His hazel eyes bored into mine. He was so intense all the time. He was definitely a brooder.

"Luciana. Luce or Lucy for short," I returned. I was too tired to deal with his rudeness.

"I'll be back later." Gerard stalked out of the diner. I would have loved to follow him out there and introduce his ass to my foot but I still couldn't walk on my own. It would take some getting use to to call him Gerard.

Kobra slid into the booth next to Ray. I hadn't really spoken to Kobra much, so I didn't have a feel for him at all. He didn't seem like as much of an asshole as Party - Gerard - though. "My name is Mikey, I'm Gerard's younger brother," he said quietly. I smiled from across the table, unsure of what to say.

"My real name is Grace!" Missile Kid announced proudly. I chuckled and smiled at her.

"So who's Strawberry Dream?" I asked no one in particular.

"A Killjoy who has a killer knack for getting supplies, especially good food," Frank explained. "I can't wait for him to get back, I'm so ready for good food!" We all laughed at him and continued on in easy, comfortable conversation.




Much later that night, after I'd gone to sleep in the booth next to the door, I woke with a start. No one else was in the room, they were all in their rooms, so I was on alert. My leg was sort of stiff and still very painful, so I was terrified - I couldn't fight. I could barely stand. I managed to get myself up out of the booth, holding my ray gun unsteadily in front of me. I stood in front of the door, poised, hoping nothing would happen. My leg burned painfully, although nowhere nearly as badly as before. I wasn't going to be able to stay standing much longer. Suddenly, the door burst open revealing a man with a large box. And shiny, candy-apple red hair.

"Fuck! Party...Gerard...Whatever, I thought-" I hissed to a stop, pain overtaking my mouth. My ray gun clattered to the floor and I fell heavily into the side of a booth.

"What the fuck, Luciana?!" he sneered my name, clearly making fun of me. "What, did you think I was Korse or some shit?" He laughed as he set his box on the counter. I leaned heavily on the back of the booth, my bare feet sliding on the dusty linoleum floor. I was in no mood for his sarcasm and butthurt meanness, but I was also in no position to argue with him. I was getting along so well with the others, and truth be told I didn't want to fight with Gerard/Party, whatever, anymore. I didn't know why he disliked me so much. We'd never met before a few days ago, although we knew who the other was. He was right under me on Korse's extermination list, maybe he was jealous? He wanted to be number one?

"Look...Gerard...I need your help. I'm going to be on the floor in about five seconds if you don't help me and I'm not going to be able to get up. And besides, if I hadn't done anything, you'd have come in here ready for blood, so just save it," I huffed, breathing heavily. He looked at me for a moment with a very odd expression on his face. I could have sworn he was going to leave me there.

He sighed heavily, his pale hands falling to his sides. The familiarness of the action caused me to gasp. It was the same thing Dean had always done when he thought I was ridiculously funny - which was often. "Here," he said, crossing the space between us quickly. I thanked whatever gods there were that I was in pain so he wouldn't pay attention to the unnatural shine of my eyes. He placed an arm around me and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. I took one step and hissed fiercely. "Is it really that bad?" He had concern in his voice, like he actually cared. Now he was being nice? I would have to ask questions later because my leg was on fire.

"Yeah," I breathed. I leaned into him heavily, making him stop moving. "I'm sorry." I tried to breathe deeply, but my breath caught when the scent of Marlboro Reds filled my nostrils. The scent was so familiar to me. Gerard smelled just like my dad and for some strange reason, I couldn't get enough of it.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked me, wrenching me from my thoughts.

"I just...need a minute." I put a hand to my side, which was cramping something fierce, and I didn't like the backflips my stomach was doing. He rolled his eyes and scooped me up in his arms and started carrying me to the back. "Woah, woah, woah, where do you think you're taking me? I was fine where I was. What are you doing?"

"You need to sleep. You can't honestly tell me that you're getting enough rest in that booth and you need to heal so I don't have to save your ass," he said, gingerly setting me back on the bed that he stitched my leg up in. He removed his blue jacket and jeans swiftly, a very unexpected move. He grabbed a pair of old black shorts from a pile on the floor and slipped into them.

"Pa-Gerard, what the hell is this?" I asked, sitting up. "You hate me one minute and then you're giving up your bed?" I felt a little delirious, my head was spinning from pain and my mind was reeling.

"Who said I was giving it up? Scoot your fat ass over, I'm fucking beat," he said. I sat, mouth agape for several seconds. I closed my mouth, only to have it fall open again more than a few times. I was at a complete loss for words - too tired to think of anything to say and too tired and beat up to care. I laid back, facing the wall and fell asleep breathing in his oh so confusingly comforting scent.

Notes

Title: "Sail" by AWOLNATION

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