Secret Visits and Talks of War [Closed]

Zara stood watch quietly at the entrance to the Tunnels. It was getting late, and the longer she stood there, the higher chance there was of being caught. But today was a special day - the leader of The Rebels was coming. It had been nearly three months since his visit, and she felt a little jump in her chest at the thought of his arrival.

She could not deny that Andy Black was an attractive man. Nearly everybody is Chero believed it - even the other guys. Of course, they were all jealous. It was rather annoying how so often there would be guys trying to get her attention, but she just had no time for it. It only annoyed her, and to a certain degree angered her. There were so many important things she had to deal with every day and "dating" was not one of them. Sure, she understood it was key to human survival, but it was illogical for her to waste her time on it. It was not her place. Her place was leading The Renegades through these bad times.

That was why Andy Black was visiting again - there had been some problems lately and it was time they got together again to discuss a new plan. The Renegades had been secretly gathering information as best they could over the past year, and it had been given to Andy. Zara was not certain of what Andy was doing with this information, but was aware he would not tell her even she asked. Top Secret , he would say. It frustrated her how he could be like that sometimes. So secretive, but like he had all the answers and would not give her one. Sometimes she felt like he treated her like a doll; she hated to admit it, but sometimes she liked it.

Glancing out again into the ruins, she spot a dark figure through the streets and instantly tensed. Unsure of who it was, she quickly hid behind a part of a building that had fallen over, and watched quietly. Her hand rested on a small dagger hidden at her waist - a present from Andy on their first meeting nearly five years ago. She could have traded it in for something much better long ago, but there was something about it - she just couldn't get rid of it. It meant too much to her.

Hearing the person get closer, she remained hidden and hoped the unknown visitor would move past without seeing her. She hoped that Andy would not be caught in a fight against a demon today, though she had no doubt that he could handle it. She just didn't want to deal with the clean up today. All she wanted was to get back to Chero, and out of the city. It made her nervous. Where was he??

Today was a big day. It was nearly three months ago that he’d last seen the leader of the Renegades, but today was the day that they’d decided to meet up and talk strategy. Andy did his best to brush out his long black hair, pushing his bangs out of his beautiful light blue eyes as he sighed. No matter what he did to his appearance, she always averted his advances and managed to keep them as on task as possible. Highly strange, considering it was a well-known fact around not only Chero, but also Incanto, that many people would love the chance to be with him… So why did Zara always push him away? Something he planned to bring up during their meeting today.

Of course it was difficult to not just meet, but be fully alone, so he could understand her hesitation. It was a reason why he too tried to deny how he felt. Maybe today he could he bring himself to talk to her about it. But it was doubtful. Andy had to remember what he was there for, and it wasn’t to find himself love. It was to help the humans regain control of Earth. It wasn’t like him to be open with her anyway.

Putting on a black shirt, a black leather jacket and tight black jeans before leaving to meet Zara. He knew that he had to take the safest way possible, but tucking his favourite weapon into its holster, he took off in the opposite direction. What’s life without risk?

He made it to the ruins in record time, managing to walk through them swiftly without being seen. As he walked closer to the tunnels he thought that he saw something near the entrance, but as soon as he blinked, it was gone. Biting his lip, he walked closer cautiously, hoping that Zara hadn’t been hurt in his absence. That girl liked to be early getting anywhere and if she was early, everyone else was late. Once he got to the entrance, Andy looked around for her. “Zara?”

Zara looked over her shoulder and smiled a bit as she saw him. There he stood - six feet of pure perfection. Though, his attire reminded her of a movie she'd seen when she was younger where the main character was a complete badass - she had loved that movie. It was her father's favorite. Andy on the other hand, was nothing like the character from the movie. The man in the movie was tough and never smiled. He said cliched lines before shooting evil things in the head, and all without breaking a sweat. Andy was completely different. While he always had an intimidating aura about him, she knew well what his smile looked like, and knew herself well enough to stay clear of it. It made her heart skip a beat, and she was sure that couldn't be healthy.

Zara noticed Andy was now facing away from her and took that as an opportunity to show off her skills and maybe make him look a little stupid in the process. She loved the opportunities when she could outwit him. It was almost like a game to her. Sneaking up quietly behind him, she grabbed her knife and quickly went up behind him pressing it against his neck. She felt him tense but grinned anyways.

"A little off your game today, Black. Where's your brain, huh?" STill grinning, she took the opportunity to enjoy how close she was to him. Despite living in a world such as this, his scent was alluring: pine trees and something she couldn't quite place. It was soothing and made her relax. However, in this particular case, it also distracted her, and she forgot for a moment what she was doing - completely letting him have the chance to take over the little game she had started.

Andy tensed automatically as he felt someone press behind him and press a blade against his throat. He was about to growl and his hand instantly went to his gun at his side, but hearing that delightful voice in his ear, he relaxed. “I just… knew I was late and was trying to hurry” He said colding, noticing the change in her grip on him, a smile slowly coming to his lips. Now was his turn.

Grabbing her hand, he turned and pushed her back against the boulder she was hiding behind, pushing her own hand to her neck with the blade against it. “And don’t jump out at me. I almost killed you this time” Smirking a bit, he pulled away and let go of her gently. Taking in her appearance almost knocked the breath out of him but he hid it well as he pushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled a bit. “Happy to see me?” He asked with a grin and a chuckle.

“Come on, lets get out of sight” Looking around, he grabbed her shoulder and tugged her down a bit. “Lets go, hurry!” He said quietly, running with her back into the tunnel. Once they got halfway, he stopped them and listened quietly before grinning and looking at her. “Totally freaked you out!” He said with a laugh.

She couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise as he turned the tables on her. She felt the knife in her hands press against her own neck. Instead of giving in, she slowly looked up at him and raised her head a bit - if he had actually wanted to kill her he could have, but this time it was all in fun and how she loved it. As much as she wanted to deny it, Zara trusted this guy with her life, though it sometimes led her down some strange roads.

"Well, I'll stop jumping out at you the day you stop giving me the opportunities to do so." She laughed a bit. "And as if you could kill me. You're funny, Black." Standing straight as he moved away, she took in his appearance. He looked well - he always did. The trials of this world never seemed to affect him much, and she was jealous. She probably looked like a big old pile of poop right about now. She had tried cleaning up, but water was precious and it was not worth wasting just to look nice for a guy she didn't even need to impress - though she still tried as hard as she could to impress Andy. "Happy? To see you?" She shrugged off the question with a small smile. "Of course, but only because it's getting dark, and the last thing I want is to be standing out here in the middle of the night waiting for your lazy ass to get here."

Zara's heart leaped into her chest as Andy quickly tugged her down and led her through the streets. Had something seen them? Were they being followed? Quickly, she followed him into the tunnels and down the dimly lit pathways. She had a candle for wandering them, but if something were following them, it would be better to travel in darkness.

When they stopped, Zara was trembling slightly as she listened. She couldn't hear anything, but when she looked up at Andy and saw him grinning down at her, her eyes burned with anger. "You're a fucking jerk, you know that?" Pushing past him, she walked off further into the dark tunnels. She didn't need a candle, she knew the way and right now whether he did or not was completely inconsequential.

Zara never really had to try hard to look beautiful, something that actually kind of pissed Andy off. How was he supposed to work with her when all he could think about was her? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to force the thoughts of how she looked out of his mind. It was harder than he remembered… She was absolutely breath-taking. Shaking his head mentally, he huffed and looked away. ‘Focus Black’ He thought to himself. He may trust this girl with his life. But his heart? Forget it.

“Oh relax, I wasn’t that late!” Andy rolled his eyes. “You said dusk, and it’s… you know, dusky” He shrugged and tugged a cigarette out of his pocket. They were rare to find, but it was nice when he did. Lighting it up, he took a long drag and closed his eyes. It was something he only did when he was overly stressed, and right now, he knew that he could really use a cigarette.

He couldn’t help but laugh as she got pissed at him, probably pissing her off more. It was hilarious though, how could he not laugh? “Come on, I was only kidding!” Andy said as he followed her. “You still haven’t learned to take a joke, have you?” He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he followed her through the tunnels. It was easy enough for him to see with his enhanced vision, and he kept up with her fast pace. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he stopped the blonde gently. “Hey.. I’m sorry, okay? I was just having some fun”

Her eyes found the smoke as he lit it up and gasped. "Where the hell did you find that?" She eyed it jealously but simply bit her lip and said nothing. They were rare, and you can't just deny someone something they probably worked hard to find. Looking at the sky, she noticed the old sun setting over the city. She loved this time. It made the ruins look incredible; sad, but wondrous. If it wasn't so dangerous, she'd stay up here watching the sun set every night. Looking over at Andy, she smirked a bit. "You know, those things are bad for you."

There were moments like that when Andy calmed down enough to almost act like a normal guy. Though usually those moments didn't last long as he would do something or another to annoy her. Like this stupid stunt he pulled! Did he not realize how much it scared her? She had waited far too long out there on her own waiting for him. She could handle herself, sure...for one or two demons, but what if there had been a group? She was by herself, and although she was decent with a knife there would have been little she could do in a situation like that.

She stopped when she felt his hands on her shoulders, her whole body tensing. He was touching her. He shouldn't be touching her like this! Her heart skipped a couple beats - that REALLY can't be healthy. Her breath came out shakily, as she blinked a bit. What was she supposed to do? He was so close. It was different when they were in the light - it was playful and fun, but this...it was dark - so dark she couldn't see anything, only feel. What she felt was his breath on her neck as he spoke softly to her, sending shivers down her spine - which he could probably feel, now that she thought about it.

Pulling away quickly she cleared her throat. "Whatever. It's not a big deal. Come on, we have to hurry back before anyone gets worried." She smirked a bit, knowing how much he hated being underground. She didn't know why exactly, but she figured he was just claustrophobic or something like that. "Better hurry before a tunnel caves in on you." She sure loved teasing him, and after a stunt like that - he fucking deserved it.

Andy smiled as she eyed the smoke, taking another drag. “Found it while I was scavenging in the city” He replied, passing it to her so that she could have a bit. He wasn’t selfish, he’d let her have a drag. But only one. Taking back the smoke, he chuckled at her. “Says the woman who’s just as happy as I am that I have it” He said, finishing the smoke and dropping it, stomping it out with his foot. “Lets just go already”

He hadn’t thought about how much it could scare her. Andy didn’t know how long she’d been waiting for him – she’d said dusk! If she’d wanted to meet at dusk, why risk coming out earlier? Especially without him there! It wasn’t like she totally incapable of protecting herself, but it would be better if he were there with her, just to make sure nothing went wrong.

Sighing softly as he realized how much he’d actually scared her, he rubbed her arms gently as she pulled away, pouting a bit even though she couldn’t see it. He sighed softly and continued to follow her quickly, rolling his eyes at her once again. “You know as well as I do the tunnels aren’t going to cave in on me, as much as you’d like them to” He said quietly, looking around the tunnel.

Why did his touch make her go weak in the knees? She didn't even like him like that! She couldn't! He was an ass that lived to annoy her every chance he could get! Granted, she did the same to him, but still! The fact that he was so goddamn attractive had nothing to do with it....right? She blushed a bit. It wasn't like the idea of sleeping with him hadn't passed her mind. In a world like this, it would be nice to let of some frustration occasionally. The idea never last long however. He wasn't around enough nor did they really have the time for such trivial things when he did visit. Though it would be nice.... 'Don't let those thoughts even enter your head, missy! You have work to do, now do it'

"There's been word of Demons expanding the slave trades. Nothing alarming at this point, but it's put us all on edge." Zara started to go through the news as if nothing dirty had dare cross her mind, though the blush was still on her cheeks as they reached the underground city, lit up by candles. She walked through the narrow passageways between the homes, nodding to people as they waved - almost all of them sharing the same awe-filled look as they saw Andy. She smirked - they all wished they could have him. Too bad he kept himself off the market from everyone....even her....'Don't think like that!!!' Sighing, she continued. "In other news you might be more interested in, the Demons are moving forward on the plans to start cutting down the trees. They want to build some big sacrifice place." Looking over at him, she bit her lip. "Then they plan to completely eliminate the forest."

Stopping in front of her own place, she looked at Andy. "I assume you'll be staying next door as usual? They have your room set up for you..." She couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that he never stayed with her, but she figured it was for the best. They need to get at least SOME work done....but still...there was always a way...

"Though, maybe it would be a good idea for you to come in for a bit so we can discuss a way to prolong this plan of theirs. I found a half bottle of whiskey the other day." She smirked a bit. How could he refuse?

Andy might be an ass, but he could still be sweet, and romantic, and more often than not those actions were directed towards Zara. Even if he was annoying, he was equally as nice – though sometimes she didn’t act like he was. He really did care about her, and if ever the chance presented itself to be with her – even for a night – he wouldn’t hesitate. Come on, she was beautiful, and more than that, he only drove her crazy on purpose because he liked her. Yes, he really acted like a typical boy.

Her words shook him out of his thoughts and he looked at her solemnly. “There is no way I will let them tear up that forest” He said with a frown as he tried to think of something that could be done about that problem. Right now though all he could think about was how good she smelled. ‘Get it together, Black!’ He thought to himself annoyedly. ‘Your people are in trouble!’

Noticing the looks that they were getting as they passed through the tunnel, he smiled and waved to the people that greeted Zara, wanting to be nice and caring towards these people, as was his nature. And fuck did it boost his ego to see their faces when they looked at him. They all looked like frightened baby deer.

Stopping outside their usual rooms, he was about to say his usual ‘goodnight’, but he was stopped. He bit his lip as she asked him to come in, hesitating. Sure, they could talk about plans now, or in the morning when he was rested and had his head on straight. “Oh, that’s not fair. You know whiskey’s my weakness” He said and smiled a bit before nodding. “Alright, lets go in and talk”

Zara smiled a bit as he agreed. Of course the whiskey would have won him over, though she had kind of hoped he would've agreed without it. Truth is, she had found that whiskey not long after his last visit, and as much as she wanted to have some, she waited for him. She smiled a bit and led him into her own space. Nobody came in here but her - he was the first, and she briefly wondered if this meant something, but shook it off. Did it have to?

Grabbing two whiskey tumblers off her shelf - one was chipped - and set them down on the small table next to her bed. She didn't have chairs - nobody really did. It wasn't like they have access to a lot of wood, and chairs from above didn't fit down the manhole. So now, she sat on the bed and grabbed the liquor bottle from under her bed. Holding it up to show Andy, she grinned. It was a little over half full - a great find indeed.

Pouring each glass half full, she handed one to him and patted the spot next to her. "So, tell me about the Rebels. What news do you have for us?" Though it was less necessary for The Renegades to be kept up to date with the Rebels, she figured it was only fair it went both ways. Besides, it would get him talking - she liked to hear his voice. Taking a sip from her glass, she smiled and closed her eyes - god, that was good. "Wow, this is even better than I'd imagined." It sent a shiver up her back - it'd been so long and it was perfect - almost better than an orgasm. She smirked a bit - almost.

As Andy walked into her room, Andy briefly wondered how many guys had seen inside it, but shook it off. Why should he care? She wasn’t his girlfriend or anything – no matter how he actually felt about her. Zara was still free to do who or whatever she pleased. Though the thought of her being with someone else made his heart hurt a bit, which made no sense, but he still felt the sting right in his chest.

Sitting next to her on the bed, he took the tumbler from her and licked his lips eagerly, happy to have any sort of alcohol in front of him. Whiskey was always his favourite – and hey, it’s hard leading a whole bunch of people. “Well actually, we managed to finish enough little cabins to get people moved in” He replied to her question, looking down at the taunting glass in his hands. He wanted to finish answering before he drank. “We’re still managing to catch plenty of food, but if the demons go ahead with their plans I don’t know what we’ll do….” He sighed and played with the tumbler a bit. “I’m training an army, but we’re just not ready yet”

Finally finished with his little update, Andy quickly downed the whiskey and let out a contented sigh. It’d been so long since he had a drink, and it felt amazing to have the familiar was sensation spread through his body.

Zara listened quietly but found herself caring less and less with each sip. She continued to watch Andy as he talked about the Rebels. God, she missed him. She could admit that - maybe not to his face but it was true. It was nice to be around another leader, but it was more than that. She remembered the day she first met him out in the forest. If she hadn't been watched, she probably would have run off that day and stayed with him I they might have even had a different kind of relationship. However that was not the case. She has her group and he had his. Plus, she still got to see him occassionally.

She thought quietly to herself. Did she really just invite him in here to talk? Of course not. Did he realize that? She wasn't sure, but never before had she invited him into her private space 'just to talk'. She wondered what he thought of this, or if he'd thought about it at all.

Finishing her drink, she looked up at him pouring herself another. "Do you need more?". That's right, get him drunk. What exactly is that going to achieve?! She shook the thought from her head and set the alcohol aside, keeping her own drink close. Her cheeks were red from the booze. Looking over at him, she smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if something happened....whether that was her or the alcohol thinking, she totally agreed.

As much as Andy enjoyed talking about himself and the success of the rebels – which he did, very much – he enjoyed whiskey more. And the fact that it was sitting in that bottle right in front of him gave him the chills. It almost overpowered his thoughts about being in her room at first, but once it came back to him again, he looked around the room once more. After another sip of whiskey, his thoughts about who was in this room before him started to get amplified. He shook his head mentally and sighed at himself. Zara wasn’t like that and he knew it. He just had to remember that while intoxicated.

As he finished off the whiskey in his cup, he nodded to the offer at more, no longer wanting to talk about their groups, or really wanting to think about the pressing matters. She’d never invited him into her room before, and he wondered why now out of all the times he’d visited was she letting him in. She’d said that she wanted to talk, but now there was no talking at all, or at least nothing about strategies or their camps.

Looking at her, he smiled softly. She really was beautiful, just like when they met. Back then, he’d wanted her to join him so bad, she’d been too afraid to just take off and back then he hadn’t been able to risk a demon attacking his camp. So they’d parted ways. But now here they sat, each equally powerful leaders, and all he wanted was to kiss her, despite the desire to keep his emotions hidden from her.

Andy might not have known it but she was watching him. The more they drank, the more he stared at her. She didn't really mind; it was flattering. She liked staring at him too. He was attractive...so...damn...attractive... Inching closer, she sat closer to him and once more got the scent of pine trees and the unique scent only Andy could have. It was almost more intoxicating than the alcohol.

Zara didn't know when she had closed her eyes, or when she had gotten to the point of sitting so close to Andy that their legs touched. She should really say something....but what the hell was she supposed to say? 'fuck me. ' yeah...no...not her style. 'please fuck me?'...better, but still no.

Zara huffed and opened her eyes. Whoa...she was closer than she realized...why hadn't he pushed her away? Why wasn't she moving?

Andy’s mind went blank as he watched her get closer to him, shivering slightly as their legs touched, not even noticing that he too was moving closer towards her. It was so weird, watching her get closer, his eyes half closing as she did. He licked his lips, and started to move his hand over slowly.

Seeing her open her eyes, Andy blushed a bit but he didn’t move. He bit his lip but slowly brought his face closer to hers and pressed his lips against hers gently, closing his eyes as he did. He half expected her to shove him away and yell at him, but before she did, he cupped her face gently and pulled her a bit closer.

Zara was shocked to say the least. Sure, in her drunken state she wanted him and badly. But that didn't change the fact that he was doing it. Was he as tipsy as her? Did he want this because he was drunk or because of some other reason? She moved to push him away. It was the perfect time to make some sort of comment to him about his intentions, but his hand touched her face, pulled her closer and that was it.

Moving closer, she kissed back deeply. After all, one drunken night couldn't make that much of a difference to their relationship, right? It's not like they had to TALK afterwards. She crawled into his lap, managing not to spill a drop of the whiskey, and bit his lip playfully.

Thoughts on what he was doing went out the window as soon as his lips touched hers. Sure he’d been thinking about what might happen if they hooked up, but only briefly before he was actually kissing her. Now he focused on nothing but the feeling of her lips on his and the softness of her skin on his fingers as he touched her cheek.

Pulling her closer, he put down his drink, taking her drink as well and setting it with his on the table. There was no need to spill the precious whiskey. Sliding his hands over her sides and down to her hips, gripping them slightly.

Her mind was blank - there was no reason to think right now. She would have plenty of time to regret her actions later, and maybe chastise him a little too for allowing it, but for right now all she cared about was getting closer to him - to feel more of him. Her drink was taken away, and her lips formed a pout. It tasted so good! Of course, not as good as Andy's lips did against her own. If only the people of Chero could see this! She's be getting dirty looks for...well, forever! They all wanted Andy, and right now she had him underneath her.

Seeing as the precious alcohol was out of the way, she wasted no time pushing him down onto her bed and pushing her lips harder against his. If they were going to play, they were going to play her way - rough. She liked control - she liked it a lot, when it was her that had it. There were plenty of reasons for the way she is - why she was rude to people, why she needed to be in charge of everything, and why she never, never let anybody into her room. For the most part, she had kept to her rules around Andy, but she had already broken...seven. Yes, SEVEN rules. This visit really was interesting...Three months really was just too long.

Sitting over him, she brushed her hips against his and felt the tenseness of his pants and the reason behind it. It sent shivers up her spine, and she let out a trembling moan. Biting her lip hard, she managed to stop the sounds. Stupid noises... Zara was almost nervous to make eye contact with Andy - if she saw the look she guessed he had right now, she would probably die....or just have a really good orgasm...Either at this point was not a good plan.

Andy was not used to being the submissive one, and the one not in control. It was something that he needed in every situation, but he didn’t want this to stop so he wasn’t about to complain. Feeling himself being pushed down onto the bed he made a little ‘oof’ sound and looked up at her, grinning a bit. The alcohol was a very big contributing factor to letting her take control like this. Though it could only be her, if someone else tried this he wouldn’t let it happen.

Not that anyone else tried, they were too intimidated by him. And even though he didn’t admit it, everyone already knew who he liked. A shudder ran through him when he felt her hips against his, pushing them back against her lightly, biting his lip as he heard her moan. What he wouldn’t give for her to look at him right now. He moved a hand to her face and cupped it gently, making her looking at him for a moment before pressing his lips back against hers eagerly.

Zara kept moving her hips - god, it felt so good. It had been so long since she'd had any kind of sex....never had it been with somebody like Andy. She had spent this small amount of her life sleeping with whoever was around - she was desperate to know anything of sex other than pain. She had found it, but it meant nothing to her - it wasn't like this. This, as much as she would NEVER, ever admit, meant something to her. She had wanted this for so long....maybe it was the alcohol, but was it that she could finally admit that Andy might actually mean something to her?

His touch on her cheek caught her a bit off guard, but when she raised her gaze to meet his, she completely lost it. Her whole body shuddered and she let out a small gasp. Those eyes....the look he was giving her - she couldn't help but moan out loudly as their gazes linked. Fuck! Her whole body felt like it was on fire - she needed to be touched, and badly. He kissed her and she returned it deeply, eagerly. Moving closer, she tried to move closer to him. Would he be as receptive and know what she needed?

Andy was never really a type to sleep around – not saying he didn’t, just saying it wasn’t really his style. He preferred to be with someone that he cared about, but that hadn’t happened in a long time, so he had to make due. Until now at least. She didn’t know it, but he really did like her, a lot. And she wasn’t going to know it, he couldn’t tell her, even after this.

He moaned as he moved his hips against hers gently, breath hitching at the sensations that ran through him. God, who knew it would feel this good?

When their eyes met, he couldn’t help but shudder and moan softly. As they kissed, he moved his hands to her sides, rubbing them gently, one hand making its way slowly up her shirt as he felt her press closer to him. There wasn’t a time he hadn’t imagined doing this, being where he was, and now it was finally happening. Finally.

Finally.
Even after it was all over, it was still a word that was replaying in her mind - over, and over, and over again. It was warm in her room - a first, since being underground usually meant she needed a lot of blankets to have a sound sleep. Now, the air was warm and heavy. Her head resting against Andy's chest, she wasn't sure what the next step was. Her mind was still fuzzy from the alcohol and she didn't want to think. Honestly, she didn't even want Andy to know she was awake.

After what was probably the best orgasm she had ever had, Zara had fallen next to him with her read resting against him - the same spot she still occupied. She had closed her eyes, and just didn't feel like opening them again yet. She didn't want to face what had just happened, or what it meant. Did it have to mean anything? It meant a lot, but she wasn't going to admit that or even waste a second thinking about it. If she opened her eyes, would he want to talk about it?

She could feel his breathing, and could tell he was still awake, though she couldn't feel his hands. Zara wondered if he was regretting it. It felt so good, there was no way she could regret it post-orgasm. Tomorrow, though, there may be more than a few thoughts going through her mind: was this going to change the way they worked?

Zara opened her eyes slowly. She didn't want to hide from Andy. He was her best friend (if not anything else.) The least she could do was enjoy this moment.

Andy’s eyes felt heavy and his skin tingled as he lay in the bed, enjoying the feeling of her head against his chest as a small smile played on his lips. The whole experience had been better than he’d imagined - and that was saying something considering when he imagined it, it was pretty great. ’And on the list of things I’m not going to tell Zara…. That’ He thought, with a small sigh, the slight tremble in his body slowly beginning to subside.

Looking down at Zara, he wasn’t sure if he should hold her or not. It would make it more personal, more… intimate… But how much more intimate could it be? Hesitantly, Andy wrapped his arms around her, getting more comfortable as he did, stretching his legs out before settling back into his position. It was nice to hold her like this, especially after what they’d just done. It couldn’t get any better than this.

Kissing her forehead gently as she looked up again, Andy smiled at her tiredly before closing his eyes and nuzzling her forehead as he started to drift off.

Even after Andy had drifted off, Zara stayed up a bit and watched him sleep. How he always managed to look just perfect was beyond her - she probably looked like she took a trip through a lawnmower. Her fingertips traced his jawline slowly before moving over his lips. She blushed, remembering all the places those lips had been. It had been more than she'd hoped for. After so long of not being touched, it was wonderful, but what made it even better was that it was him. Going against her better judgement, she had looked at him and she was glad she did. It made it so much better, and she really doubted anything or anyone could have made it better.

By this point, she had broken nearly every rule she had when it came to Andy, but by this point there wasn't much she could do about it. She would have loved nothing more than to stay here, wrapped in his arms enjoying the warmth, but she just couldn't. She couldn't let herself indulge in such...relationship type activities! Sex was sex, but cuddling? It was just taking it too far. Carefully, Zara got up and maneuvered her way out of his hold without waking him up. This time, she would let him sleep in her bed, since he had already passed out anyways. She would have to reinforce her rules though, and sleeping over was a big no-no. Where was she supposed to go now? She couldn't exactly stay with somebody, they would wonder why she couldn't sleep in her own room.

Grabbing a towel, she dressed and went down to the small wash area. Nobody was awake this time of the night, so she could take her time. A bucket in each hand full of cold water, she went behind one of the dirty shower curtains and stripped down to wash herself off. She smelled like sex. Crinkling her nose, she huffed a bit and scrubbed at her skin. It was so dirty. She missed indoor plumbing. She missed being clean every day. She missed the way things used to be. At least Andy's group had a river they could wash up in, and a lake to fish and swim in! They had none of that, and to a certain degree she felt like she was letting her group down. All of Chero depended on her and the Renegades, but they didn't even really know what they were doing - she didn't know what she was doing.

Sadness washed over her, and the tears started to fall from her eyes. As quietly as she could, she allowed herself this moment of sadness to just cry. She never could. Sitting down on the hard ground, she openly sobbed into her hands. What the hell was she doing playing with the lives of hundreds of people? She could put on the brave face - the one that showed everybody she indeed knew what she was doing, but it was all a mask. Without Andy, they would have failed long ago. She wasn't a leader...she was just a child pretending.