In the Arms of Danger

Mixed Feelings

"You have a tent too?" You ask him in amusement. "We can't camp without one."

"I even got us a mattress!" Bob grins, rushing to the closet and bringing out an air mattress box. "That way we're at least a little comfortable."

You smile at him as you shake your head, frowning when a thought comes to mind. How are you supposed to make a long trek through a forest with just crutches?

"I do love the idea but I can't exactly hike," You point out to him.

"Thought o' that. I borrowed a side by side from a friend. We can just drive through. Explore trails, things like that," He grins. "Ever been in one?"

"Do you really need to ask that question?" You snort with laughter.

Your cheeks blush a light pink at Bob's deep belly laugh. Even when your jokes are totally lame he laughs like they're the funniest in the world and you know it's the wrong feeling. He kidnapped you pretty much and is holding you hostage and yet you can't find it in yourself to hate him for any of it. He's being calm and patient, following you every step of the way as you process everything.

"Get clothes for three days! Warm and cool," He grins, rushing over to you.

You're both caught by surprise when Bob is suddenly kissing you, Bob jerking back with wide and slightly terrified eyes. How could he possibly be scared of something as small as this? Your hand jerks out to grab his before he can retreat too far, looking up at him in what you hope is a gentle look. You're crazy and you know it....

"It's okay," You tell him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

No, it's not okay, but to you it is okay. You still crave this man on so many levels. You give his hand a gentle pull to try and get him to kiss you again but he retreats instead, leaving your hand feeling cold and your heart be aching with loneliness.

"Pack up. We'll head out in an hour or two," He mumbles before he leaves the room.

A heavy sigh leaves you but you do as told and pack a small bag to take with you, setting it on the bed and waiting for Bob to come back and get you. Your eyes go to the cuff and chain still attaches to your ankle and you sink onto the bed. You feel like you're going insane. There's so many clashing emotions and it's driving you absolutely crazy. You have a life to go back to, a world of friends and people you saw as family, but you also have the chance to make a life with Bob. All of those days you spent dreaming of being with each other are still so strong in your heart. Your head says you need to leave but your heart begs you to stay.

"Ready?" You ask hopefully when Bob comes back into the room.

"Do ya really wanna do this or are you just in it to try and escape?" Bob asks you point blank. "Of all you're gonna do is try ta run what's even the point?"

"Bob, I'm on crutches and missing my leg. I'm not going anywhere," You tell him, unable to hold back your amused smile. "I'm not stupid and neither are you."

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry," He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just....."

"Want to check. I got it. Now, can we please go? If I'm in here any longer I'm going to absolutely lose it," You tell him.

"Here," He says, handing you your crutches and also undoing the metal cuff.

He does a quick check of your ankle before grabbing your shoe and helping you slip it on. You follow him out of the house and to the side by side loaded with supplies. You glance over at Bob's scratched up truck, feeling a bit guilty knowing that was probably your doing. You climb into the side by side and settle in your seat, Bob setting your crutches in the back before climbing into the driver's side.

"I can't believe it's already fall," You sigh in delight as you rest your back against the seat.

The fall leaves are all sorts of autumn colors and scattered upon the forest floor.

"November actually," Bob tells you.

"Huh, I hadn't even realized," You hum with a shake of your head. "My days kind of blend together in one happy blob when I'm with you."

"Do they now?" He asks with a chuckle. "It makes me happy to hear it."

You nod your head and just enjoy the ride Bob takes you on through the trails in the trees. He finally comes to the area with the brook he was talking about and parks. You do your best to help him get the tent and stuff to but it's not very easy on crutches and one leg. You miss your prosthetic. Eventually, you and Bob are settled around a fire in camping chairs. You smile as you listen to the sounds of nature around you, feeling more free than you have in a month. It's nice to finally be out of the house.

Your mind wanders to the side by side. Bob left the key in it. How fast can he really run? Surely you'd be able to find a clear enough trail to follow out of here? You watched the twists and turns and you're pretty confident you can find yourself way back to Bob's house and then out of the trees completely. You could do it when he's asleep. It would be harder to drive with only one leg and traveling in the dark is a lot different than doing it at night. You would most likely get lost and Bob seems to have tracking skills, so he'd find you right away. You don't want to know what would happen if it ever came to that. Could Bob actually bring himself to kill you.

So, that escape plan is out the window. Despite this you want to enjoy your freedom out here. Enjoy what you can get before you're stuck on that chain again. You glance down at your bandaged ankle, twisting it a little to look it over. You're not looking forward to the scarring. You glance at the fire crackling before you as the day quickly turns to night.

"Hungry?" Bob asks you.

"Yes." You tell him, giving him a smile in the dark.

"Hot dogs and s'mores?" He asks you.

"Please!" You tell him, accepting the stick you're handed with a hot dog on the end.

You look over the skewer branch, a part of your mind wandering to Bob. You could try to stab him with this thing and escape that way but it's a branch. How much damage could it actually do? The worst part is you don't want to hurt or kill Bob for everything he's done. You don't want him to have any kind of punishment for all of this. You still want to protect this man. You rest your head on the back of your chair and look up at the starry night sky through the trees. You smile softly, remembering night ages ago where you've done just this. To end a battle and sleep beneath the stars knowing you're victorious. It's a different kind of feeling if you're honest.

"Y/N?" Bob calls, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Hot dog is on fire."

"Shit!" You curse, quickly pulling back your skewer and blowing off the hot dog. It looks almost like charcoal.

"We have plenty. Throw it back in the fire," Bob chuckles.

"Sorry," You mumble, tossing the food back into the fire as Bob grabs you another one.

"Try not to zone out near a fire. Lot of accidents can happen," He scolds you gently as he places another hotdog on your stick. "What are ya thinkin' about?"

"How beautiful nights like these are. Relaxing with a fire and watching the night sky filled with millions of stars you can't see in the city. It brings back pleasant memories." You explain.

"I'm glad." Bob chuckles softly.

You nod your head with a smile, keeping your attention on your hot dog, cooking it to the way you like. Bob helps you with any condiments you want and you both sit in silence as you eat. It's not uncomfortable. It's actually really nice.