Survivor?

6

When Ana gives him the order to quit football, he's angry but more than a little relieved. The injuries aren't healing and his playing is getting worse.

"You're not going to hate me now are you?" Ana's voice is all wrong. He's never heard it sound so lost and alone. Things haven't been going good between her and Damon and it's taking its toll on her.

"No, to tell you the truth I'm glad. I don't want to be a quitter and so I've forced myself to stay in far longer than I know I should have. With you ordering it, I have a legit excuse for others and myself." Trinity smiles at his boss. She doesn't smile back though.

Damn, he hates the strain between Damon and Ana. He pulls her into his arms and holds her. He can tell she's fighting tears but doesn't say anything. Finally the tears come and he just holds her tight.

After the storm of tears ends he sits with her on her bed. "Want to talk about it?" He really hopes she does. 

"Not really anything to talk about. Ever since I've become Hawk Damon hasn't been treating me the same. He had more respect for me before. Now it's all kinds of little things and his attitude. I don't know Trinity if we'll still be here for my birthday."

The words make Trinity's stomach want to flip over. He's sure of the men, but he'll be the only body guard. Here there are three of them and it still seems like they need more help.

"It's only October, so there is still a long time until my birthday, but I don't know. Something has changed. He does't talk to me like he used to and he avoids me. He doesn't want me here. I've caused him too much trouble, Trinity. I think it might be better if we leave now." Ana says in discouragement.

"You made a promise to him to give him until your birthday in June." Trinity hopes the reminder will be enough. Almost eight months for Damon to make things right.

"Or until he's shown me that I've overstayed my welcome. He's about got me convinced on that one."

"Let me talk to him, Ana. He probably doesn't understand that he's even doing it." Trinity isn't above throwing his gender under the bus if it will help convince Ana to give Damon more time. "You know how blind men are when it comes to clues."

"I don't know." Ana thinks about it then does her change of subject that makes people queasy. "Do you know if he's dating anyone specific? I think he is, but like I said he doesn't talk to me any more."

"I think it's just his toys right now. Every time he's in the papers it shows him with someone new. He does tell you when he gets a new girlfriend doesn't he?" Trinity starts sweating. If things have gone so far that Damon won't even tell her that then they are pretty bad.

"He used to. Go ahead and see if you can talk to the hard headed idiot. Things should have gotten better after our last little talk but they haven't." Ana goes to the garden window and stares out at it unseeingly. Trinity slips out of the room.

He half expects Damon to either not answer or not be in. He is therefore surprised to hear Damon tell him to enter.

Damon stops what's he's doing when he sees Trinity. There is no love lost between the two. Trinity knows Damon doesn't like him, he just doesn't know why.

"Yes?" Damon's cold voice brings him back to the present. He hates having Damon's full attention on him.

"It's about Ana, sir." He was wrong, he didn't have Damon's full attention before but he does now and he's feeling more than a little sick.

"What about her and does she know you are here?" Damon demands.

"Yes, she knows. She thinks that she's reached the limits of her welcome. She wants to know if she should pack now."

Damon turns white with his words. Trinity isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want Ana to go or if he's angry at Trinity for talking to him about Ana.

"Sit and tell me what brings this about." Damon demands to the younger man.

Trinity finds himself doing as he is ordered. He doesn't dare not do so. There is something different about Damon in this moment that makes Trinity think he's about to explode.

"I just got done holding her while she cried. She wants to know if she should leave now. She mentioned something about your last talk that I didn't understand and that you treat her with less respect than you did before she was Hawk. 

"It really didn't make much sense to me. The only thing I understood out of it all was her wanting to pack up and leave. I know you don't like me, but I also know I won't be able to protect her properly away from here. Please, Phoenix talk to her. She really doesn't want to leave but is starting to feel like she doesn't have a choice any more." Trinity is starting to have an anxiety attack at the thought of leaving here.

"She talk about anything else?"

"That you avoid her and don't talk to her like you used to and something about your dates as well." Trinity wracks his brain trying to think about everything Ana talked to him about.

"Is that everything?" There is a note of finality to Damon's voice that makes Trinity think that it better be everything. Maybe leaving would be better, even if he can't protect Ana properly alone.

"Yes, sir." Trinity says wanting nothing more than to leave.

"Then you are dismissed." There is no reassurance on Damon's part as to whether or not he will talk to Ana and work things out.

Trinity gets up and leaves without another word and feels that he didn't help anything.

The tensions around the house heighten as the days pass. Ana starts looking like she hasn't slept in some time.

She gives him a monitor, "I locked the doors. I can't keep this up Trinity. If something doesn't change soon we'll be leaving."

That night Ana's screams wake him up. He holds her to him and rocks her back to sleep He wonders just what the hell is going on with Damon.