All That Remains

Picking the couch, she plopped down with out a care in the world. The bottle making another appointment with her mouth. Her goal had originally just been to try it, to see what all the fuss was about. But, now it didn't seem to have been such a good idea. Her subconscious was powerless to control her actions and emotions, both of which frightened her greatly. Gulping down another large serving of whiskey had her world not only spinning but fuzzy.


"Nah.....I'm not.....from heaven silly...."


She whispered in a slurred state, leaning forward to accentuate her point. A large grin cracked onto her features, the dam that held all of her emotions cracked leaving her mask disguarded to the point where a sober person could easily read her like an open book.


"I scraped...my knee....crawling up from hell...."


She giggled freely, bringing the half empty bottle to her lips once more. Gospel watched Chris, finding him rather entertaining to look at. Cocking her head to the side, gurgled thoughts swirled around in her noggin, questions that she might have asked him if she wasn't so drunk that she coulf barely talk right let alone think.

Chris watched Gospel with amusement as she picked the couch. Was it amusement? Maybe it was the high. Despite his smile though Chris could feel his heart racing. He slightly regretted taking the cocaine and then booze with it. In all his years and with all the knowledge he had collected he had seemed to have forgotten the risks of mixing the two and the outcome of it. Chris however didn't stop smiling for a second, and he didn't help his situation. He took another swig from the Johnny Walker bottle.


Chris thought for a moment as he listened to Gospel slur how she had come from hell instead of heaven. Chris couldn't help but chuckle at her statement. His laughter lasted a good chunk of a minute if not more. Thinking back to his thought he turned the chair around so that the back was facing Gospel and he straddled the chair, putting his arms on the back for support. "Alright..you've got..Bradley Cooper..and Ryan Gosling..who would you go for?" he asked with a grin on his face.


If Gospel wasn't drunk she probably would've seen the symbolism between Chris picking those two men. Then again if Chris wasn't high off his ass he wouldn't have even made the subtle question about who she preferred. He felt the world around him swinging as he sat in the chair. He felt like the chair was about to tip over. His face turned extremely red as he imagined it tipping forward toward Gospel. In his head he imagined his face falling flat on her chest. However in reality the distance between them would result with his face making friends with the floor.


Neil stood shirtless once again in a ring. This time though it was an actual boxing ring that the Angels had constructed. Joint still in mouth Neil smiled as his opponent, a red haired slightly bigger man came into the ring. Neil didn't take the joint out of his mouth. He got off the ropes as Angels, Irishmen, and biker girls alike all cheered the two on. Neil felt different than before. He wasn't angry. He wasn't in this fight out of force. he wanted this. As the Irishman approached Neil, fists ready, he spit the joint out into the crowd after one more puff and got his fists ready. He was getting into bed covered in blood tonight.

Gospel's expression lost it's laid back spark, her features constricting into a more serious look. She kept what was left of her focus on the bottle in her hand, his playful question rolling over in her head. The only pictures she could conjure of the two once famous actors were from the movies Drive and Serena. Both movies she had watched with her sister, Serena being one of the last ones that she ever saw in theaters before the start of the outbreak. Lost in thought, Gospel afforded another swig out of her bottle before returning to some serious contemplation.


"....Ryan Gosling is pretty hot....I mean...he was beautiful in Drive. Which is.....was....one of my favorite movies. But Bradley Cooper..."


Gospel thought out loud, not making the connection that Chris was using the two other men as symbols for himself and Neil. To her, it was an innocent question. One that didn't prove or disprove any of the feelings she had for either of them. A small smile cracked across her lips, finally dragging her eyes up to look at Chris's face.


"That's like asking....if you'd rather fuck Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johansson..."


Her cheeks puffed out lightly, giving him a mildly annoyed look for asking such a hard question. Sweeping one leg over the other again, her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip in an attempt to make her brain process the world around her at a slightly faster rate. Groaning, she uncrossed her legs and stood looking down at him with a very unhelpful balance. Gospel stumbled for a second, moving a little closer to him sitting in the chair. Her hand moved without her brain authorizing the intended action, her fingers curling around his Johnny Walker bottle. The interception was brief, bringing the skinnier bottle to her lips before handing it back to him. Her cobalt gaze remained on him for another few seconds, her lips parting slightly as the prospect of saying something arose.


The faint sounds of cheering and shouting broke through her fogged mind, derailing her entire thought process completely. Her body swayed in a constant struggle to keep itself up right.


"I think....we should go check out what.....all that fuss is about...."


Gospel slurred, wobbling off towards the door. Stopping at the doorway, Gospel turned back towards Chris with an oddly cocked eyebrow and a softer gaze.


"To answer...your question...I wouldn't choose either of them...if I could help it..."


Glancing at her feet, Gospel tugged the door open slightly and stumbled out. Heading off towards the pulsating roar and leaving Chris to either follow or sit there.

Chris watched Gospel with amusement as she thought about his question not seeming to realize the underlying meaning behind it. He listened carefully to her explanation. Hearing "Ryan Gosling is pretty hot" made Chris light up but as she continued his grin turned into a mere smile. It seemed she couldn't decide after all. The thought still made Chris smile, partially because maybe he was still an option. He continued smiling as she stated it was like he was making her pick between Scarlet and Charlize.


"Ugghhh" he groaned with a grin. "Don't make me..pick" he said. Thinking about it though as amazing as Scarlet Johansson was, especially when he was younger and he saw her movies, he thought about Charlize Theron and the first time he had seen her. It was in Prometheus. He was fixated with her. Absolutely fixated with her. At the same time...his brain stopped him. "Damn. You..are right" he said with a smile. He thought about the two women could symbolize Gospel and Crystal. Seemingly unintentionally Gospel had turned the question right back at him, and he wasn't going to lie he understood why she couldn't between Gosling and Cooper.


Hearing the screams downstairs he wondered what was going on. Hearing Gospel's slur of words he mumbled something that sounded like gibberish and followed her. Closing the door behind himself he stumbled a bit. The stairs were a tool built by the world to try and kill him now. As he gripped the railing as if he would fall through the world at any second, he noticed the lack of bikers and women. Music began erupting too. The lobby and bar were empty except for one couple making out. Chris' high state seemed to simmer down a bit as his brain tried to process where the music and his gang were. He then realized..Opening a set of doors there was a crowd surrounding "the boxing ring". Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya by Dropkick Murphys was booming as the crowd roared. He hadn't seen his men and his women so built up about a fight since he had Bruiser fight Rich.


Looking back at Gospel he yelled over the booming crowd and music. "Lets see what the hype is about" Chris said getting closer.


Neil was in wonderful state of mind right now, and his high was causing the music to entrance him. Every drum beat and guitar riff entered his body as his fist made contact with some poor biker's face. The biker was ripped and pretty huge. He was also very bloody in the face. Neil had a black eye but that was about it. Just moments before the crowd grew and the music filled the room he had beaten some Irish guy to a pulp. Now this ripped biker was opponent. Neil stayed on his toes like a boxer and hopped in place his fists in front of his face. As the ripped biker went to punch Neil Neil ducked to the side and kicked the biker in the ribs sending a crackling effect that the music drowned out along with the crowd.


As the biker fell Neil turned and looked. In the crowd he saw a biker with a joint in his mouth. Neil walked over to him motioning with his hand. The biker seemed to immediately understand and handed the joint to Neil through the ropes. Putting it in his mouth Neil stood onto the post so that he was slightly above the ring he raised his hand causing the crowd to explode as Neil puffed and another opponent started getting ready to enter the ring.

Gospel found herself stumbling, feet struggling to find suitable footing as she plunged into the invisible horde of hysteria. The world was a giant combination of blaring lights and blurred figures all melding together in one endless stream of consciousness. Never in her life had she felt so free, so completely unconfined to her own barriers as she did with the haze of alcohol inhibiting her rational process of thought. Taking it one step at a time, her right hand guided her down the stairs and kept her from falling flat on her face more than once. Gospel missed the last step, her body lurching lightly at the unexpected drop before recovering with a few staggers forward. Fuddled azure orbs lazily traveled around the now deserted bar area, her features scrunching in slight disgust once she noticed the lip-locked couple. Her brain had become distracted suddenly with lucid depictions of anything and everything that had to do with the slightest bit of romance. Gospel's cheeks became a dusted rose adding to her already flushed complexion from the 2/3 bottle of hootch she had just gulped down.


Music filtered in through the miasma, an unexpected Irish based beat drummed its way into her skull. As the roars of the crowd became clearer, Gospel felt her knees wobble a little more. She was a little nervous as to what they were about to walk in on, her garbled mind giving her images of the fights that happened down in the club basements of Pawnee. A coldness sparked its way down her spine, briefly remembering some of the things she had witnessed that made her so very glad that she had gotten out when she did. It was unheard of for a woman to hold a retaliative position of power for an extended period of time. She just happened to be one of the lucky ones, that and she was sure that Neil had scared the shit out of most of the men during his own time with the notorious group.


With her thoughts swirling back around Neil, her left palm pressed on the wooden door gingerly stepping through the thresh hold with Chris at her side. It was harder to concentrate with the cacophony of cheers, shouts, and the occasional high pitched swoon of a near by whore looking for the affections of one of the fighters. Gospel could only guess that a fight is what was actually happening, considering how the last time she had seen both gangs this riled up was at the extremely short fight between Neil and Jimmy. A tiny spark of fear speared her fogged mind, making her unbalanced movements much more urgent.


"Sounds like a plan!"


Gospel grinned out, already shoving her way in between the small spaces of bodies and more bodies. The music seemed to enhance everything, the guitar adding an extra layer to the already violently ecstatic atmosphere. It took her while before she had managed to worm her way up to the front of the crowd, pushing past a group of taller individuals only to take notice of the blonde raising his fists in the air. A milky white joint hung from his bottom lip, champagne tinted hair clung to the sides of his bruised face, and the man looked...content. She didn't know how to describe the look on his face, her own heart fluttering at the raw emotion that just emanated from him. A large grin threatened to split her face in two, knowing who he was the moment she laid eyes on him. Despite her own feelings of irritation towards fights for entertainment she couldn't help but stand at the front of that crowd and scream his name as loud as humanly possible. Her voice was drowned by the roar of the mob, forcing her to come up with one of the single most stupid things she had ever done in her life. Gospel forced her way towards the other corner, removing her sword from her hip as well as her jacket and gloves. Giving the guy who was about to step into the ring a wink, Gospel rolled under the ropes and onto her feet fluidly. The liquor adding to her sporadic moment of confidence, the grin on her face growing even wider at his facial expression.


"Ready to get your ass handed to you, sweetie?"


She mused, jerking her head upwards and giving him an air kiss that was so completely out of character it would have shocked her if she was sober. Her right foot slid back a few inches and her fists came up in a guard, shifting her weight in order to keep herself balanced. The rest of the world seemed to dissolve around them as she tried to remember the last time she had actually spared with him and won.....

Chris watched as Gospel made her way through the crowd. He didn't pay attention to the ring. But then he did. And he noticed who was fighting. A blonde haired man without a shirt that showed a very toned body. Grey cargo pants and black boots. A scar running across the nose. Fucking Neil. Chris smiled at first knowing that Neil would meet his match up there. Chris' smile faded though when he heard an intoxicated Gospel shouting his name. As she went off into the crowd somewhere Chris felt a feeling in his chest that he could only believe was resentment. He resented Neil. It was so childish of him to do so but he had a shot at loving someone again like he hadn't since Crystal and now this blonde swoops in and...


Chris turned and his heel and walked back. Back to his room. Back to the drugs and alcohol that would make him forget the night. He walked away from possibly stepping into the ring himself. He closed the double doors behind him leaving the sound of the crowd behind them.


Neil took a puff while on the post and waved his arms up one more time to hype the crowd. He smiled and dropped down. He gave the joint back to the biker who had been generous to him. Turning now fully to see who is opponent one his jaw dropped and the crowd almost completely silenced. Gospel stood a few feet before him ready to fight with him. He wondered for a second if he was hallucinating but then she spoke. Despite how nice it was that she called him sweetie he was in shock, and the crowd exploded getting even louder than before. They were excited by the fact that a girl had challenged him.


Neil wasn't excited. He didn't want to hurt Gospel which ironic given he did all the time when they sparred as coyotes. But now it was different. For starters Neil was high off his ass. Secondly he had feeling for Gospel. He could tell she was intoxicated just from how she stood. He thought for a moment. Nickleback's Burn it to the Ground started blasting. Even better. A song Neil wasn't the most fond of was playing. However despite that fact he felt the tingling in his body that played along with the music.


It seemed he had no choice now. He smiled at her, a bit sheepishly. "You asked for it sweet butt" he said. He motioned for her to hit him first deciding despite all the circumstances chivalry was still alive. As he motioned her over he got into his fighting stance, fists in front of face ready to parry anything and everything. He had no intention of breaking anything and he didn't want blood, but he wasn't going to have his ass handed to him. The crowd exploded now.


Chris was in a room now, but it wasn't his. He was drinking a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels, a popular beverage in the HQ. He was really hoping to just forget the night.

Her breathing steadied, fingers clutching in a relaxed fist keeping her guard up. Her grin shifted into a smirk, suddenly not seeming so intoxicated as she steadied herself into a fighting position that she hadn't used in a long time. Hand to Hand combat was never something she hand been extremely good at, the consistent beatings from Neil back in their sparring days were always there to remind her of that. But it had been a few years since he had seen her fight and she was hoping to use that to her advantage. The liquor amplified the adrenaline, making the usual gut wrenching sensation fade away with her sobriety. Gospel let out a slight chuckle at the invitation, feeling it necessary to wait a few more seconds for the crowd to meld in with the music and the violent pounding of her heart.


"Letting me have a free shot? Oh, Honey you wound me."





She teased, her right fist curling just a little more than her left giving away which hand she was about to strike with. Taking the extra millisecond to process the magnitude of feelings building up inside her, Gospel's left fist shot out in an attempt to connect with the side of his face. Subconsciously, she didn't want to hurt him or get hurt, her stepping into the ring was one of those stupid ideas that she had just acted on recklessly. In the moment she thought that a little sparing wouldn't matter much, it had been a while since she had been able to fight another person who wasn't actually trying to kill her. Her throat felt dry, watching him easily catch her fist. For a second, she stared at him and allowed the world to melt away into the nothingness from which it came. A sudden scream brought her back into the heart of the moment, a girl in the crowd screaming out some lewd comment about the man who had his fist clutched tightly around hers. A switch flipped in her mind, every ounce of anger, jealousy, and wrath....all the fear and worry...that she had felt in the years since she knew him exploded. Her right leg lashing out to connect with his side, hard enough so that he let go of her fist but soft enough to only leave a bruise. Her punches and kicks came out in rapid fire after that, getting angrier the more hits he dodged.


"You....are...the...biggest....jerk....that....I....have...ever...known!"


Her words flew out of her mouth with about as much thought as her kicks and punches. The crowds escalating noise level only added to the fumes circling in her mind. She was angry that he had such an impact on her...but what her drunken thought process was even more annoyed with was the fact that she loved him. Gospel didn't want to, she resented the things that love did to people, but somehow it had just wormed its way in without her knowledge.

Neil stood there the high having a very very slight effect on his brain's processing. However time slowing was exactly what he needed. He watched Gospel as she spoke. He smiled at her words his heart skipping at her saying honey but his eyes focused on her fists. Her right fist tightened. His eyes immediately shifted to her left and in the nick of time. He moved outside of her left hand's punch and grabbed her wrist. Years of hand to hand both in and out of the coyotes, alongside years of getting his ass kicked taught him to read moves and be ready for the fakes, the doubles, the barrages, and get through defenses.


Holding her wrist, but not too tight he locked eyes with her and his heart skipped a few beats. he really didn't want to hurt her. suddenly something in her changed. Neil didn't hear the lewd comment but he hurt screaming from he crowd and Gospel's attitude seemed to change. Neil wasn't ready for the kick to the ribs and he released her wrist immediately upon feeling the kick to the ribs. And in came the onslaught of punches and kicks. The crowd erupted. Neil was dodging each kick and each punch, feeling their force as he barely avoided them. She was angry. He needed an opening to subdue her.


As her words hit him though he stopped dead in his tracks and took a punch to the face, his head whipping around from the force. He immediately turned back though and grabbed her wrists to keep her from punching him. Time was slow again letting his brain process. He had been the biggest ass to her back then. He was an asshole. Sure he saved her from that life but at the same time he was an ass. And then when he left he left her behind to. Then he had the nerve to show up in her life and confuse her feelings. He leaned his head in close and talked loud enough for jsut her to hear but also so he could beat the crowd's roar as well as the music. "I'm sorry.." he said a genuine sad look on his face. At this point he was expecting a head butt and he was willing to take it full force.

Gospel struggled in his grasp a little before letting him hold her wrists, finding it rather useless to struggle. Her blue orbs flickered upwards to meet his green ones. Her heart felt like it got stuck mid-beat and gut did a series of somersaults that left her a bit disoriented. She hadn't been expecting him to look at her with that sad face, the one that always made a tiny piece of her break inside. Tears brimmed her eyes, the struggle to hold them back clearly evident from the way her bottom lip slightly trembled. She could feel her fingers throb from where they had connected with his face, the pain that came along with that observation was almost like she had gotten hit in the face herself. Even if he hadn't really touched her the entire fight. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to breathe and ignore the blasting of the rowdy crowd. This had been extremely stupid of her, to walk into a ring drunk when she had no control of the word vomit or the emotions that completely dictated her at the moment.


It was another second before her eyes slid back open, looking at the scar that slid across the bridge of his nose. She realized that he never told her how he got wounded in such a mysterious way. Her eyes analyzed it for a few moments more before her gaze floated down to his lips and then quickly back up to his eyes. The only thing she could admit that alcohol seemed to help with was the shyness in these types of situations. At least her brash actions while drunk would only stay with her for the rest of her life. A comforting thought to a reckless emotional drunk. Gospel felt her heart begin to hammer again, her disabled mind reeling in order to come up with a way to end this spectacle before the 98% nonfunctional side of her decided to blurt out something stupid. His apology caused a confused look to morph over her features, gazing up at him like he had started growing two heads.


"For what? You may be the biggest.....jerk-idiot ever....but you're my jerk-idiot...."





Gospel muttered, attempting to mimic his hushed tone only to come out as a really exaggerated whisper. Gospel leaned up towards him, her lips hovering above his finding it humorous to tease him. The cat-calls wafted in towards them, whoops and whistles reminding her about what they were actually supposed to be doing. Without moving, her leg hooked around his, applying her weight and bringing him down to the ground with her on top. A smirk played on her lips, proud of herself for being able to pull him down on the first try. She placed her palms flat against his chest, ignoring pieces of her hair that fell from their designated bun.


"....and as my jerk-idiot...I declare that...you have lost to a girl..."


She mused, pushing the loopy envelope on how much emotion she could actually hold back without slipping.

Neil stood and watched small, unnoticeable to the crowd, tears form in Gospel's eyes. He tried not frowning because he felt like thats what caused the tears and he didn't want her to be sad. He felt bad for apologizing at a time like this now because she probably felt bad. If anything the day was a lesson. Gospel didn't make a good drunk and Neil didn't think things through while high. He looked into her eyes and then her words came out causing him to smile. He was her jerk. Something about that made him want to throw up but out of joy.


The cat calling was expected and it made Neil chuckle a bit although normally it wouldn't have. Neil then froze up a bit as Gospel's lips hovered above his. Before he could attempt to kiss her or make a witty remark or do both he was on the ground. The whole thing happened way too quickly and his head felt like it was spiraling. He started chuckling loudly as the crowd erupted with cheers, laughter and just plain woos. Neil still chuckling tried to speak. "You can't.. really win.. with girls" he said with a grin.


Despite her being on top of him he mustered the strength to raise up and pick her up into his arms as he stood. "Well.. not all the time" he said making his way to the exit of the ring. A biker and an Irishman held the ropes down so Neil could continue carrying her and surprisingly everyone kindly made room, clapping, cheering, and yelling things that were less than appropriate as they approached the exit. "Where to m'lady?" he asked with a grin, putting her down once they got to the double doors that left back to the lobby/bar.


The crowd surprisingly and quickly went back to watching the ring as new fighters entered the ring. They were all probably so drunk and high off their asses they forgot the last five minutes.

"Is this the part where you tell me how much-"


A small squeak cut off the rest of her sentence, suddenly feeling him move under her in order to stand. Terrified for a moment that he would drop her, Gospel's arms wrapped around his neck tightly while her legs hooked around his hips. The position made her think of a koala bear just from the way he had picked her up and her reaction to the unexpected movement. Grinning childishly, Gospel looked at the side of his face for what seemed like a long time until he set her down by the set of doors untangling her limbs from his own. She wobbled for a moment, again surprised with the effect the drunken buzz still had on her system. She had always known that she was a light weight when it came to drinking, she just didn't know that she could possibly feel this loopy and emotional. Gospel looked up at him with both eyebrows raised, her expression clearly depicting that she had thought he had some sort of plan after just picking her up and walking out with her like that.


"Well.....we could..........." Gospel looked away from him, biting her bottom lip as she obliviously thought about what they could do in a place where all there really was to do involved things that Gospel really didn't part take in. "...Shit....I dunno....I figured you had a brilliant plan."


She mumbled, allowing herself to look at him. The filthy thoughts that had been locked away in the back of her mind slowly prodded its way through. Her face turned a light shade of cherry, chewing on her lip again as she hunted for any excuse that wouldn't leave them without clothes. Even drunk she knew she wasn't ready for that sort of thing no matter how much she may think she liked/loved him.

Neil looked at her thinking she had a plan. When she announced that she didn't he thought for a moment. He really had no idea what to do. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing when he picked her up and carried her over here. Now he didn't know what to do. Looking at the stairs thoughts crossed his mind, and they bombarded him further when he looked at her face turn red. They thought the same thing probably, but she was drunk and he wasn't completely there either. He couldn't have them make mistakes on his watch seeing as he was was the straighter of the two currently.


Thinking of it he wouldn't mind some moderation. Their tongues dancing wasn't an issue. He just didn't want them doing anything below the waist and then regretting it later. Just the thought of them making out made him red, his face now a completely different color from his once again shirtless torso. He had no idea where he had put it or where it had gone. He was going to need another one in the morning. For now though an idea popped into his mind.


Taking her hand gently he pulled her behind him as he walked up the stairs. Pretty much everyone was in the ring or out cold on the floor. The place almost seemed deserted. Neil walked down the hallway of the second floor and up a few more flights of stairs. Opening a door at the very top he revealed a massive roof with rails going around the whole thing, the sky purple now, with some stars visible in it despite it not being night just yet.


Pulling her out onto the roof fully he closed the door behind them and spread his arms. "Here we are. Best I could come up with" he said. Thinking about it now this wasn't really much of anything. He should've taken a radio and had them dance of something. His ipod was back in his backpack. They would come up with something better though.

Her heart fumbled for the thousandth time that day, his hand making hers feel way warmer than what it was only a mere second or so before. She stared at his fingers woven in with hers, feet moving automatically after him. Gospel found herself not caring about what they did or where they were heading off to as long as she was able to work off the remaining toxins defogging her mind. Tearing her eyes from their object of fixation, their beryl color shifted to different things as the two of them maneuvered the absurdly empty hallways towards places unknown. Gospel allowed him to lead the way, staying quiet for the entirety of the walk. She had yet to notice his shirtless torso, too squirrel to hone in on a piece of eye candy that sober Gospel would have been completely flustered over.


Moving up a couple flights of stairs and out a door, the first thing she noticed was the sky. The giant fiery orb of light had vanished from the horizon but threads of light still lingered in the violet sky, mingling with the rolling clouds and dyeing the heavens a wonderful mixture of purples and blues as the stygian darkness took over the sky. Biting her lip, Gospel stood fixated on the view as the world gave way to night. Keeping her hand tied to his, she paced towards the nearest ledge.


"It almost makes...everything seem as if the whole Night of the Living Dead thing never happened."


Gospel mumbled turning away from the sight of crumbling buildings with a pretty backdrop, her gaze sweeping over to Neil. Her lips parted to say something only to stop herself. Her thumb brushed across the side of his palm, trying to think of how or even if she wanted to say something more to him.

Neil watched for Gospel's reaction. She seemed to like the sky's color. Neil thought it was amazing. Despite all the pollution caused during his youth the post apocalypse seemed to in time clean the air out now that it wasn't being filled with toxins anymore. The stars looked so clear despite the color being purple and blue rather than a dark blue or black. Neil loved the beauty the post apocalypse brought. Moving to the edge with her he leaned on the rail with one arm and he held her hand with his other. He looked to the streets below. It was dark but he could make out the zombies outside the makeshift wall of the HQ probably attracted by the music inside. They would probably disperse by morning.


Neil turned to Gospel after she spoke. "As fucked up as this place is now, there's something so beautiful. It's kinda like when I went to Europe with my family as a kid. The country side there, with it's lack of people was more beautiful than the cities filled with millions" he said reminiscing to his trip to the Czech Republic. He remembered seeing the mountains in the distance past fields similar to the ones in Rotterdaime. The highway on the country side was just so barren and wonderful. Neil had loved every second of it. Realizing he was staring at Gospel after he finished talking his stomach did a small flip.


Neil watched as she opened her mouth and was ready to listen to whatever she had to say. No words came out. His stomach turned again and his chest tightened. Leaning over to her he decided to part his lips to so that hey could connect with hers. He didn't know if it was the high but the emotions he had felt before when he kissed her had amplified. She tasted of booze but Neil didn't mind the taste. He really didn't mind. He was just happy that his lips met her for what was the fourth time now?







Heels clicked against the asphalt. The sound was drowned out however by the overwhelming sound of fire and screams and gunfire. Women, children, old men and young laid dead in the center of Safe Zone Bravo. A woman with raven black hair, a leather jacket exposing some cleavage, a black mini skirt and combat heels watched as the bodies piled. A small smile flickered onto her face. "That was the last one. Lets head back" she said moving toward the black truck they had arrived in. The soldiers returned to the truck after setting the bodies on fire. Driving away the woman reached for the radio in the truck. "This is Crawford. Our spies were right this is where Hardwhick resided. Pay the spy in the Projects. And thank them for me~" she said. Hanging up the walkie she shut it off. "I don't know about you boys but I could go for a fuck when we get back to HQ" she said with a smile on her face as she kicked her legs up onto the dashboard.

Beryl orbs barely had time to notice Neil’s face swooping in closer to hers, his eyes closed, his medicine-sweet lips holding hers hostage, and every other speck of noise in the world going silent — the faint rustling of the wild trees below, the occasional sound of some sort of night insect making itself known, the clamor of the gang members inside watching yet another fight — all silent, as Neil’s highly educated lips moved softly against hers.


Gospel's heart voiced it's own reaction to something that she couldn't help but enjoy.


It wasn't a thump exactly, or even a leap. But, for an odd change of pace, a kind of swish, like a frog kicking off from a muddy bank. Gospel's heart, that amphibian, traveled between two elements: one, excitement; the other, fear.


Her fingers untangled themselves from his, transferring their position to the edge of his jaw. Her fingers glided up the side of his face until her entire palm was placed softly against his right cheek.


Gospel's lips continued to participate in the leisurely sweet kiss for another few moments before pulling away. Cold air filtered in between their faces, pressuring her to demolish that space once again.


"What...was that for?"


She mumbled gently, tingles reverberating throughout her entire body. Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots, her heart finding ways to yet again make its own rhythm. Gospel's blue eyes opened again in order to look up at him, perplexed as to what possessed him to just kiss her. Not that she was complaining, but his actions were not helping her fuddled mind process information correctly. Let alone help her try and talk herself out of trying to tell him anything that had to deal with feelings. Perhaps it was best...if only one of them felt this way anyway, then at least she wouldn't end up causing him so much grief if something happened to her. That was the last thing she ever wanted and if she could protect him from anything that was really all she'd ever need.

Neil enjoyed every spark of the kiss that they shared. His stomach spiraled and spun like the wheel of a speeding car and his heart kept skipping a beat in an effort to rush to some unknown destination. For half a second he was confused by her untangling her hand from his but before he could even open his eyes he felt her touch at the edge of his jaw. Her touch just made his heart jump faster than it already had. The area where her hand met his face tingled a bit with a sensation that he could only define as soothing. Feeling her lips part ways with his he opened his eyes with a very mellowed out look on his face.


"It just felt right" he whispered. Despite the dead, despite the partying, despite the people who could be dying nearby, his whisper came out just as that..a whisper. He didn't need to raise his voice. The rooftop was silent except for their breathing and the whispers they mumbled. Smiling he decided to sit at the edge of the roof resting his arms on a lower rail so he could support his head on his arms. He looked out into the horizon.





"That scares me" he started, his eyes focused on the sky's purple growing darker before him. "It scares me the things I want to do with you. Hold your hand. Feel your touch..kiss you..all over" he continued, pausing after those last two words to make sure he didn't make them sound wrong. He hadn't. His words came out soft. "I've lost so many that I loved...And it scares me that you are on that list. I don't know if its as a best friend..or maybe more..but I love you in some way..and that scares me" he said.


He turned to look up at her. "I don't know what this is right now..but I like it..and at the same time it adds a responsibility. If you aren't ready for that..I can leave before I make things worse..but only if thats what you want" he explained. He knew he had feelings for her and she felt something in there for him. He couldn't figure out what either of them felt..but Neil knew that he didn't want to put the strain on her. She probably lost loved ones just as he did. If she didn't want to experience that loss again or even be scared that she would he needed her to tell him now. He didn't want either of them experiencing what they had once felt..for Grace...for their friends..for Max..for Sam..for Rachael.


If she said yes though...Neil was ready. he was ready to take full responsibility and protect her, and working on finding out what they were to each other. He was ready for either decision, no matter how much both of them hurt.

Her lips curved upwards, hearing his whisper contrast with the practically dead silence around them. She stood in place, watching him as he moved back to lean against the railing. Gospel couldn't bring herself to understand why she had ended up feeling the way she did...only that it had happened somehow and there was just no way to fix it. And yet looking at him now with the fading light casting different shades of blonde into his hair, she had never felt so alive in her life. Every nerve seemed to buzz with awareness adding to the effect of the diminishing alcohol. Crossing her arms over her chest, Gospel's eyes drifted to the disappearing sun and she wondered briefly where the day had gone. His words cut off her thoughts, her heart leaping once again at the mere sound of his voice.


The more he talked, the more her smile receded and gave way to a dark dusting of roseate that exploded across her cheeks. Gospel couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, and she certainly couldn't think. The only thing she could do was just stand there, staring at him with a tormented expression. His words lingered in the spaces between them, shutting her brain down with just the mention of love. Never in her life had she been so fond of an idea and at the same time so completely terrified of it. Looking away from him, she felt the tears before she had time to stop them. The tiny salty droplets floating down her cheeks in a steady stream before rolling off the edge of her jaw and hitting the pavement below. Here she was, not wanting to cause him any pain by admitting what she thought she felt, when he was the one who had already taken the first bullet.


"....I don't know what I want...."


Gospel whispered, still making a point as to not look over in his general direction. It wasn't a complete lie, as torn as she was, she did know what she wanted. And she wanted was him, like she had never wanted anything in her life before. It was like he was her oxygen and stabilizer, something she couldn't ever bring herself to live without. "....I swore....that I wouldn't......" Gospel fumbled with her words, the more she thought about everything the more she seemed to break down. Her gaze flickered back to him, her resolve to uphold what she swore turning to dust. Inhaling, Gospel kept her eyes on him unable to hide the painful look on her face. "....but I have never wanted anything as much as I want you...all of you...and I'm....I'm terrified..." She mumbled out, palming at her drenched cheeks in hopes to brush them away before he noticed how hard she had started crying.


"...that I...love you too...and you're the one thing that I never want to lose..."

Neil stared as the sky made its final transition slowly into a darker blue. The stars were now a lot clearer illuminated the sky with patterns. Neil wished the effects of his high were still there. He would be tripping out and laughing at the patterns mindlessly. He put his focus back on Gospel as she spoke. His face turned into a frown as he looked and saw what looked like tears. Her words were as uncertain as his thoughts on the matter. Neil got up from where he sat. Going over and embracing her he smiled.


"We'll figure it out. For now lets sleep" he said. He wanted to go to the safe zone in the morning perhaps, and let everyone know he was okay. He moved away from her. "I'd like if you could join me in a trip to the safe zone I live at. You can sleep on the answer" he said with a smile toward her, wiping a stray tear away from her face.


((sorry for the shortness :0 ))

Gospel's tears cascaded down her cheeks at a slower rate, still a little shocked with how her own tears had just started to spill. His arms held her tightly to his chest for a momentary infinity, her eyes closing as she struggled with calming herself down. The buzz was starting to fade, a dull pounding ache nestled in the base of her skull replacing the once euphoric feeling of alcohol. Her brain was giving up on rationalizing her feelings and started to hoist white flags instead. Gospel couldn't remember the last time she felt so safe as to forget there was an apocalypse complete with all sorts of things that could just as easily kill her.


He moved back again, forcing her eyes to open and stare up at him.


"I'm going with you. I.....I don't need to sleep on anything to know that much."


She whispered, her voice filled with the rickety remains of what was left of her tears. Her cheek leaned against his palm and her eyes found their way to his once again.


((Sorry. Writers block))

Neil's once again wiped away her tears, in pain to see her cry. It had been a while since a tear fest like today had occurred in his life. He normally didn't cry and he didn't meet too many others that cried anymore. Seeing Gospel's tears now brought him pain, a pain he couldn't describe except that it felt like it was in his chest. He was happy to hear that she was going with him though. Seeing her eyes finally meet his as she leaned her cheek into his palm he smiled at her. "Part of me is so sorry for entering your life and tearing you up emotionally.."





"...but the rest of me is grateful for meeting you" he said fighting back a tear. Taking her hand he walked to the door of the roof. "Come on. We got a long road ahead of us tomorrow" he said with a smile that was fighting back sadness. Time seemed to slow as he went down the stairs from the roof his brain thinking of a million and one things. The smoke he saw in the distance. His feelings for Gospel. The upcoming war. Even Tommy was crossing his mind somehow.


Neil really needed sleep. It was the coward's way out of facing problems in his eyes and he had no shame being a coward. The party and the fighting must've ended because the halls were silent aside from some snoring harlots and bikers who lay in their own vomit on the floor, some with clothes some without. Otherwise there were no more cheers or yells or even talks. Silence. Neil was partially glad. He thought the partying was going to keep him awake.


He opened the door to the guest room where he and Gospel were staying and he gestured for her to go first, all the while looking out in the hall as if awaiting an ambush.

Gospel's eyes searched his face for a moment longer, forcing the confused emotions from her murky mind. His hand brushed away the little bit of tears that fought their way past the mental blockade she was struggling to put up. As much as she didn't want to be in love, a tiny piece of her was glad that she felt this way. With everything that had happened in the past, he made her future a little brighter. Smiling in response to his, Gospel kept her comments to herself for the moment. His hand engulfed hers as he led her away from the last of the sunset and towards the wondrous luxury of a bed.


Stepping gingerly around some of the less enthusiastic gang members, she struggled with not reaching her foot out to nudge a few of the bodies. Never in her life had she seen this many passed out bodies laying in.....fluids from unknown places. Her nose crinkled in disgust, quickening her pace in order to keep up with Neil's long strides. The dull pounding at the base of her skull became a steady drumming noise, the alcoholic beverage that she had previously consumed was starting to come back for revenge. Tripping a little over an unknown object, Gospel did a jumping like motion in a poor attempt to keep from face planting into the soiled carpet. Instead of slamming into the floor, she did a half stumble past Neil and into the now open guest room. Pretending that her tripping didn't just happen, she aimlessly headed over towards her bag sprawled out on one of the beds. Unhooking her belt that held her sword, Gospel laid it carefully on the bed biting her lip lightly. She was suddenly concerned about if they were sharing a bed or having different ones, her mind ran a mile a minuet at half speed.


"Neil..."


She started, her gaze flickering away from what she was doing in her bag to look over at him by the door way. Her voice was back to normal, the tears and confusion that previously coated her complexion were no where to be seen. "If you ever say you're sorry for entering my life....I will hurt you." She mocked with a soft grin curling across her lips. Going back to what she was doing, her gaze snapped back to the task at hand making sure that everything was set so she could just grab everything at once when they left in the morning.

Neil felt Gospel stumble onto him and he smiled. She acted like nothing had happened though so he played along. Closing the door behind him he looked to see all the beds there were to choose from, all different sizes. He was torn between sleeping in the same bed as her as they did in the motel or sleeping separately. He was a little confused himself now with how he felt. They both expressed how they didn't want to be without each other. However they both probably didn't want to be ripped to shreds losing someone close.


In argument to his previous thought it was already too late with the feelings they currently felt. If he were to die tonight she would probably be shattered. What if he just up an left though? Knowing he might be alive maybe she wouldn't be torn for long. But he couldn't just leave. He felt a lot of comfort with her, and fun, and joy. He basically felt..in love..as much as he hated to admit it. He didn't want to be, especially after last time, but he just couldn't fight the feeling.


He smiled at her mocking statement. "The last thing I need is you hurting me physically" he laughed. He knew she could give him a good beating and if he started besting her that katana on her bed was conveniently sharp. Neil took his gear and put it on a bed. He stared at the magnum, having placed it last on the bed. That magnum saved his life so many times. He loved it like family despite it being an inanimate object.





Turning back to Gospel he got closer to her and smiled. "I'll see you in the morning" he said with a grin. He kissed her on the forehead and took a step back and simply stared for a moment. He then smiled and fell forward pulling her down with him and he closed his eyes making contact with the pillow, his arm around Gospel's waist. "Sleep well" he said turning his head in her direction, eyes still closed.


He must've been more tired than he thought, cause it took him only a few moments to fall asleep.

Her lips curled into another tiny smile while her eyes remained on her bag. Thankfully she didn't carry much around with her so the only thing left to accomplish was completing the process of organizing. Another feeling simmered in the pit of her stomach, thinking about how much he must have made her happy in order to get her to smile so much. Gospel quietly turned to face him just as he stepped closer, his soft lips pressing against her forehead before she had time to carry out the kiss she had planed to steal. Gospel stood still with a bewildered expression, azure orbs watching him for a while until he moved again. This time his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her on top of him. The collision with the mattress was something she didn't think she'd ever get used to no matter how warm and fuzzy she felt wrapped in his arms.


Figuring that she might as well just finish what little she had left to do in the morning, Gospel leaned in to place a quick peck on the bridge of his nose.


"Goodnight."





She mumbled lightly, watching as his breathing steadied and he drifted off to sleep. It only took a few moments of listening to his own peaceful breathing to put her to sleep. Her own eyelids drooping shut to help ship her off to dreamland.

((TIMESKIP))


Sunlight shined through the window slowly raising one beam of light onto the face of a black haired biker leader. Chris woke up feeling strange. He felt as if he wasn't in his own bed. He tried sitting up only to realize he had a woman on each of his arms, both without any clothes. He slipped his arms out from under them and groaned, rubbing his face. Getting out of the bed without waking the two women he found his underpants, his pants and his boots. Slipping into each article of clothing he left the room and made his way back to his. He was hoping Gospel would for some miraculous reason be in his room but he knew it wasn't plausible. Besides he figured his drunk, high body decided for him that he should give up on her seeing as he slept with not one but two random women last night. Perhaps it was time for him to accept he wouldn't find something like he had with Crystal again. He got to his room and found a new shirt to wear for the day. He sat down just as a knock came to his door.


"Come in" Chris yelled. Keith opened the door. "Busy night huh?"


"What do you want?"


"The Irish are leaving. They wanna discuss final plans and thank you for last night"


"They should be thanking our women. I think I broke a bone last night"


Keith grinned and shook his head. Chris got up and walked out after him.


Neil woke up to the sounds of doors opening and closing outside the door of the guest room. He opened his eyes slowly and was really happy to see Gospel right there next to him, his arm around her waist. He wiggled his face closer so their noses touched. "Rise and shine cutie. We have a long day ahead of us" Neil said with a smile. He thought about the jokes some of the people would make about him coming back to the safe zone with a woman. The thought made him smile. It always made him happy to think about the safe zone. The people there were really good and he really tried his hardest to help them out.


A raven haired woman kicked a bunch of armored up soldiers who were sleeping on some wooden floors. "Rise and shine darlings. I set a meet up with the coyotes. We have to meet them at the edge of Pawnee" Ashley yelled cheerily. She had slid on her mini skirt, slightly excited. G.R.I.P. had inside sources that told them about the war. The organization had its own plans. It knew about the Irish weapon and it knew that the coyotes would possibly be outgunned so Ashley suggested setting up a weapon meet with the coyotes. This way the casualties on both sides would go up and G.R.I.P. would have less cleaning up to do after the war. The overall plan was to eliminate all the gangs in their entirety so there would be no group large enough to fend of G.R.I.P. when Phase III started. Ashley knew all of this because of her position and capabilities. Slipping on her heels she moved to the door. "Anyone who takes more than 5 minutes to get to the truck ends up decapitated~" she said with a sing-song tone.

Her nose crinkled, brushing her face back into the crook of his neck in an attempt to keep from waking up. His neck muffled her noise of protest, fingers curling around the white sheets that engulfed the two of them. Cold air mingled in the spaces outside of the snowy cocoon, urging her to curl back into a dreamless sleep. Gospel felt his nose prod at hers, successfully making a large tired smile stretch across her lips.


"Ngh....nah....cooote....sweepy...."


Sleep dragged her words out, giving them a childish tone without her actual knowledge or care. She never wanted to leave this bed or the hunk of a man she happened to be sharing it with. When she was with him the whole world just faded away, Gospel couldn't remember the last time she had slept so peacefully without the barrage of nightmares.


Cerulean orbs fluttered open, staring into a soft sea of green. Moving one of her hands from under the covers, she placed her warm palm against the side of his cheek. Gospel had barely woken up and her heart was already leap-frogging into overtime. Taking the time to enjoy the little things, Gospel leaned in slowly to match her lips with his. Ignoring any and all thoughts about actually getting out of bed, her mouth melded softly with his for another couple long moments before pulling away. She moved some of his hair from his face, wondering how long she could actually get away with being lazy.