Love's Never Easy (LittleWolfie, NessieAlways and SetMeFree)

[SetMeFree]

@LittleWolfie


@NessieAlways


Stefanie lay on her bed as she stared up at the stark white ceiling, Walk Beside Me by Tim O'Brien played softly in the background. Her dog had settled her head in her owner's lap, expression just as pathetic. For some unknown and god forsaken reason, her parents had decided to leave the comfort for their small farm and join the hustle and bustle of the city, although they were living in the suburbs. None of this made sense to her, if they wanted to move they could have just waited for her to go to college in a few months. But no, instead she had to trade dirt for mulch, climbing trees for trees that had to be held up with sticks and worst of all spacious green for cramped, grey buildings. And don't even get her started on the now half hour drive to see Winchester, he used to live in her back yard.


Deciding she'd had enough of a pity party for herself, Stef gently removed her dog's head from her lap and then proceeded to fling herself up from her bed. She put on her favorite pair of jean shorts, a loose American Flag tank and of course, her cowboy boots. Stef pulled her hair into a quick, casual fishtail braid, looking in the mirror to ensure messy perfection, before putting on what to her was on the verge of too much makeup but to others could have been the bare minimum. She did a baby cat eye, not wanting to accidentally overdo anything and she did a pale red lip, it was just enough to bring her outfit and makeup together. Eh, she didn't look too country, well she probably did but that's who she was and this move wasn't gonna change that.


A sharp, short whistle emanated from her lips, signalling Rebel that it was time to get off the bed. The large dog happily complied, taking her time when it came to going down the carpeted stairs, her owner close behind. Stefanie swiped her keys off the kitchen counter as she passed, not speaking a word to her parents as she headed out the door. Before getting in, she opened the passenger door for her dog, shutting it behind her. Then, with a huff, she headed out into the city to explore and perhaps not hate it more than she already did.

 

[NessieAlways]

It was a nice sunny day out. Aaron was walking down the busy city street with his sister, Marie, on his back. They were making their way to a small children's museum that had just opened. Marie had been dying to go every since they gave out flyers at her school and she begged Aaron to take her every day for the past 2 weeks. Aaron finally gave in telling her that she'd have to wash dishes all week if he took her. Marie agreed reluctantly and now she was on her way to the children's museum.


After a few blocks walk, the sign from the children's museum became visible. Marie began to squirm around in excitement making Aaron's grip loosen.


"Marie, stop moving around or you'll fall."


"Oh I'm sorry brother. I'm just so excited!"


Aaron stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and brought her down from his back. Marie started to complain about him stopping and putting her down. Aaron ignored her and gave her a mischievous smile. "Race you to the museum?" A wide ear to ear grin spread across Marie's face and, without a second thought, she sped down the street running towards the museum. Aaron laughed and ran after her. "I'm gonna beat you!"


It's small moments like these that makes Aaron such a loving person. The only down side is that only a handful of people know Aaron like this. Instead of getting to know him, everyone just categorizes him as the bad guy that they must stay away from. It's a shame really that so much kindness is hidden in him, but life has created a hard shell around Aaron that only a few can open.

 

[LittleWolfie]

Alyss was across the street when she saw Aaron and Marie and it made her smile. It was nice seeing him when he was like this and didn't care, when he let the shell take some time off. Just a shame that not many people got see him like she did. Safe to say it had taken a while before even Alyss saw him like it, more like a couple of years, and she was his best friend.


Marie was a sweet kid too, still at that age where her life was a picture of innocence. Where believing in magical fairies and fluffy unicorns was still possible and where life was never serious. But the Alyss guessed that in some ways she was still there too really, what with her outlook on life.


She shook her head, removing the thoughts from her brain. Since when was she, Alyss Goodman, ever serious about anything in her entire life? And she was ignoring the obvious answer, making her brain go back to it's normal self before she ran across the road behind Aaron. Still running as she reached him, Alyss pushed of his shoulders to jump and land in front of him. "Good morning good evening good afternoon" she greeted him with a smirk.

 

[SetMeFree]

As she drove with the windows down, she look in the steel that surrounded her. The buildings where just so depressing and lifeless. The people weren't any better, at least not in her opinion. At one stop light, a group of guys in a car next to her whistled at her and asked for her number. Yeah, she got it, she was pretty but back home, none of the guys would dare to do that. They were all gentlemen. If everyone here was gonna be rude and noisy, she would be more unhappy than she thought. Luckily, Stefanie had found her way through the too busy of streets to a slightly quieter area. There was a children's museum and a large park next to it, the perfect place to relax and play with Rebel, still it would never compare to her home.


Cutting the engine, she leaned over her dog to open the door to allow her out then shut it once more. After a moment, she too got out and locked her car behind her, walking to the front of her Jeep and smiling at the sight of her dog waiting patiently for her. With a click of her tongue, she started to walk, Rebel right at her side. Taking a moment to look around, her eyes focused on a young man and his little sister racing to the museum. She smiled, it reminded her of something that her and her oldest brother would do. However her happy moment was cut short as she was nearly cut off by a girl racing to join them. The proximity of the girl caused the Spanish Bulldog to bark. It was a bark that was bound to turn heads.

 

[NessieAlways]

Aaron was caught off guard when Alyss came by behind him. He stopped for a moment in order to take in her presence. She was his best friend and companion. The only person aside from his family that had actually taken the time to get to know him. If it hadn't been for her personality and persistence on getting through him, Aaron would have no one. He laughed at the sight of Alyss running behind Marie and continued to run behind them keeping his pace so Marie could 'win'. The sound of angry dog barks alerted Aaron and he sped up to make sure Marie and Alyss where okay.


Marie was running happily knowing that she had left Aaron way behind. She turned to look back and saw Alyss catching up to Aaron and then passing him. "Alyss!" Marie stopped in her path and turned around running towards Alyss. With a grin on her fame Marie ran to Alyss until Alyss ran by a girl with a big scary looking that started to bark. Terrified of the menacing looking animal, Marie stopped just a few feet away from them and stared at the dog in fear.

 

[LittleWolfie]

The smirk on her face changed into a grin when Marie ran at her. She loved this kid like she was her own sister she really did. However her grin faded as the dog barked at her, scaring Marie. Alyss was over to the little girl in a heartbeat and picking her up, trying to ease the fear and make her smile with her own smile. "Hey It's alright Marie, come on it's okay" she reassured the girl in her arms quickly as best she could. It was easy to say that Marie was one of the few people Alyss cared about and was protective over but she'd known this kid since the girl was born so that wasn't hard.


"Aaron, she's okay" Alyss called behind her as he came into view and she swung Marie onto her back with practised ease, even though she knew some people hated her doing it because they thought she would drop the person being manouvered. She was just too awesome for some people to handle it would seem.

 

[SetMeFree]

Stef took in the three bewildered and terrified looks that her dog was receiving. She shook her head as a gently amused expression settled upon her face. After taking a moment to giggle to herself, she addressed them all but seemed to be speaking to the youngest of the trio, Marie, directly. "She looks pretty tore up, don't she?" If her cowboy boots didn't give it away, her word choice and slight accent surely did. "Well, let me tell you those scars are all from her getting into someone else's space and them attacking her. She ain't never hurt a thing." To further prove her point, she put her finger on a scar on the dog's lip, which earned her a lick rather than a bite. "That right there is from a baby raccoon. Do you believe it? That raccoon tore her up and ran off without a scratch."


As she moved closer to the group, she smiled softly, green eyes zeroed in on the little girl as they had wandered to what she guessed to be the older brother, who was quite cute. "I promise you, she won't bite." Rebel's nails clicked on the cement under her as she trotted to keep at her owner's side. Had the blonde not picked up the girl, Stefanie would have instructed her to hold out her hand so that the teddy bear of a dog could sniff her. However the Spanish Bulldog needed no invite, she sniffed at Marie's leg for a moment before her tail wagged rapidly and she started to lick at girl's shoe and leg. "She likes you, means your special. She don't like a lot of the folk 'round here."

 

[NessieAlways]

Marie began to laugh when the dog started licking her. "Hehe It tickles." She looked up to see her brother finally catching up to them, "Look brother a puppy!" Marie squirmed around and made her way off of Alyss's back and went over to pet the dog. She grinned happily as she played with the dog.


Aaron heard Alyss shout that she and Marie were okay, so he eased up. However, Aaron's face was cold and stern. He looked over at Marie was was playing with the dog and frowned. "That dog should be on a leash," he said sharply. He grabbed Marie by the hand and pulled her up. He turned to Alyss to make sure she was okay. She was fine. Aaron looked at the girl with the dog. She was quiet a looker.


Aaron's expression soften, "If someone finds her without a leash they can call the pound on you and you wont be able to get her back." He bent down to pet the dogs head and smiled. "This dog is too nice to be in a pound." Aaron straighten up and smiled at the girl. "Guess we must be going now. See you around." Aaron gave the girl a small nod and looked over to Marie and Alyss, "Let's go." He began walking to the Children's Museum with Marie's hand in his.

 

[LittleWolfie]

Alyss watched the dog carefully but relaxed slightly and in that moment Marie was off her back. She turned to Aaron and threw him and apologetic smile even though she was smirking slightly at him running and his reactions. Oh dear..... it seemed the Aaron that the rest of the world saw was out....


She stayed quiet through the conversation, feeling she wasn't needed right now, especially when Aaron softened a bit, letting the shell fade slightly. Okay then, crisis averted and now their day could go back to being good and fun. "Yeah watch it you know, dogs are high in price around here, right status symbol, wouldn't wanna lose it" Alyss commented before heading off to join her friend.


Catching up with him, she fell into step the other side to Marie and flung her arm around his neck, her hand hanging loose off his shoulder. "So what exhibit are we going to see first then?" Alyss asked, directing the question at Marie around Aaron.

 

[SetMeFree]

Rebel was more than happy for the pets, delivering plenty of kisses in turn, one landing on the girl's right cheek. If any part of her was dangerous, it was her tail, which was now wagging rapidly. She truly was a classic big dog, wanting nothing more than the love of everyone.


Stefanie laughed softly when the boy brought up leash laws to her. She'd heard of them but had vowed to ignore them since, in her opinion, it would be unfair to her dog. "She's a country dog, wouldn't know what a leash was if it were dangled in front of her. Thank you for your concern but I think it's time Rebel lived up to her name. I'll keep an eye out though." An amused hum escaped her lips once she'd spoken, her mind mulling over what the girl had said. A dog was a dog back home but here, apparently, your dog meant something to others around you. That made no sense to her, just something else to add to the list.


Just before the trio set off once more, she bent down and got the little girl's attention. "If you wanna play with her some more, we'll be in that park," she pointed to the open space right behind the museum, "just ask your brother." She straightened and watched them all for a moment, there was an interesting dynamic. Shaking her head to clear it, she clicked her tongue and stepped onto the grass, off to search for a decent sized stick to play fetch with.

 

[NessieAlways]

Marie looked up at Alyss and frowned, "No silly! This isn't a boring museum. There's games in here and sorts of other stuff to play with." Marie stopped and looked at Alyss to make sure she was listening.


Aaron placed his arm around Alyss's waist, but he was still thinking about that girl they had just met. She seemed very different from the rest of the girls here and that turned him on. When Marie answered Alyss's question he snapped back to reality and added, "Yeah Alyss get in the game. This isn't a boring museum."He said in a mocking tone.


Marie grinned and continued, "There's a castle and building block and..."She looked over at Aaron and began jumping up and down in excitement, "Oh Aaron! Can we build a house of blocks first, please, please, please pleeeeaaaasssseeee! We can then play house! You can be the daddy and Alyss can be the mommy."


Aaron laughed and looked over at Marie who was whining. He rolled his eyes at the mention of him and Alyss being parents and smiled at his little sister, "Yes Marie we can build a house first, but Alyss wont be the mom, she'll be your crazy grandmother." He shot a devilish grin towards Alyss and wicked his eye. They were a few blocks away from the museum and Marie was becoming more and more jittery.

 

[LittleWolfie]

Alyss rolled her eyes at the girl as they walked off before grinning at Marie "Oh it is is it?" she replied, feinging shock by her eyes said otherwise, not that the young girl would notice. "Well that sounds so much better I think, who wants a boring museum after all?"


She poked Aaron in the side with her free hand. "Oh I'm sooo in the game you have been left in the dust my friend" Alyss joked back. House? Wow she felt like she was five again just like that, magical much. "Oooooh, Daddy Aaron, now there's an entertaining though" she teased, her turn now. "You're practically middle-aged already right dude?" Alyss questioned looking at him deadpan for a moment before she just burst out laughing, not able to hold it in any longer.


"Crazy grandmother? I can do that me thinks, Crazy is my middle name" she retorted, "After Trouble that is" With that, Alyss gave about a five second warning through the mischevious glint in her eyes before twisting and jumping on Aaron's back. "Now this is more like it" she smirked.

 

[SetMeFree]

Once Stefanie was far enough onto the grass, she slipped out of her cowboy boots. The feeling of lush grass under her feet made her smile, her whole face lighting up for the first time since she'd moved. It was something familiar.


She made her way over to a small tree and set her boots at the base. By the time that she turned back around, Rebel had found a stick that she was rather fond of and had trotted back to Stef, her whole rear wiggling with anticipation. Laughing, she took the stick from her dog, having to deal with a mini game of tug-o-war before she could toss it.

 

[NessieAlways]

As soon as Aaron paid the entrance for the three of them, Marie bolted out of their side and into the museum. Her face was lit up in joy and her mind could take so many games and so many toys she could play with. There were several houses, and toy kitchens. As well as other educational toys that taught kids about science stuff and engineering stuff. Marie spun around taking it all in with a glimmer on her face. "This is amazing!"


Aaron laughed at the kid. He still had Alyss on his back which had gotten him dirty looks when he paid the entrance, but he didn't care. He got worst looks at school. He started in awe at the magical place that was the Children's museum. If only he had had something like this when he was growing up. A small smile came to his face, "This is like kid paradise."

 

[LittleWolfie]

She was still smirking wicked as hell when they got glared at by the workers at the front desk but she didn't care for their opinions, her tongue just poked out at them earning scowls as well as dirty looks. "Kid paradise is an understatement, why didn't we have one for us at that age? Would've been so awesome I swear"


Alyss jumped down off Aaron's back finally with a laugh. "Alrighty then, well now I've sufficiently wound up the staff and security people I think the basic work is done and the secondary fun can begin, lead the way Marie!" she exclaimed, mischief in her eyes, the usual Trouble look.

 

[SetMeFree]

[ One Hour Later - Lunch Time ]


Stefanie collapsed on the ground, huffing and laughing. Rebel laid on top of her, head on her owner's stomach. "Good girl~" She tossed the stick one last time though her dog only stood, too tired to go after it. With a heavy breath, she pulled herself to a seated position before popping up. Dusting herself off, she whistled softly then headed for her truck.


The pair settled themselves in the truck before Sloane took off. She drove slower than normal, looking around for places to eat. Her eyes followed sets of locals as they headed off but the restaurants they headed too didn't interest her. After a short while of driving, she came upon the local diner, finally something that was familiar. She parked and rolled the window down for Rebel. "I'll be back."


As she walked in, she felt suddenly and painfully out of her element. Sliding into a booth by herself, she sighed. When the waitress came by to get her order, she gave Stef a strange look. Apparently girls around here didn't order a cheeseburger and a coney. She shrugged to herself and sunk back into the booth to people watch in silence.

 

[NessieAlways]

"But I don't wanna leave! I wanna stay here and play!" Marie was yelling at the top of her lungs causing a scene as Aaron tried to tell her that it was time to go eat.


"Marie we can come back later, aren't you hungry?" Aaron's face was struggling to keep calm when he was raging on the inside.


"NO! I WANT TO PLAY!"


It had been a mistake to bring Marie to the children's museum before lunch. If there ever was a next time he would sure remember it. Aaron looked over at Alyss with an apologetic face. He knew Marie could be a bit of an annoyance once she started throwing her tantrums.


Aaron frowned, "I'm sorry Marie, but you give me no other choice."


Aaron grabbed the 7 year old by the torso and threw her over his shoulder.


"NO!! NO!! NO!! I DON'T WANNA!!" Marie began to swing her arms and legs in protest, but Aaron had a tight grip on her.


As they exited the children's museum they got weird looks from the staff, but since they had seen him walk in with the little girl an hour before they knew he wasn't trying to steel her. He looked over at Alyss ignoring the cries and pleas of his sister, "So were do you want to go eat?"

 

[LittleWolfie]

Trouble was having a hard time not laughing at Marie while also resisting the urge to say I told you so to Aaron. It was priceless it really was. However when he threw his little sister over his shoulder, she couldn't hold it in any longer and erupted into a laughing fit. "Aaron you should of thought of this, although the entertainment's great it really is" Alyss commented between laughs as they walked.


Getting outside, she waited a moment or two and leant against the wall as she waited for the laughing to stop. Once that was done she looked across the road, from right to left, and back across the road again thinking. "How about.... our favourite diner round the corner?" Trouble decided as if he was silly for thinking there was any other option, a grin plastered across her face. 
((Sooooo sorry this took so long to do. I was finishing up exams and then have been in the middle of absolute madness ever since making a mess of me keeping track of everything. So so so sorry))