Chapter 37: A Little Crazy
We were at the police station.
By 'we' I mean Dylan, little Dylan, Nathan and Dad.
And me of course.
Dad had spoken to a lawyer and we were just submitting the piece of evidence for them to use at court.
Well, dad was submitting the evidence. The rest of us were outside in the waiting area.
Mom was forced to stay at home even though she clearly wanted to come but she had just flown in and was clearly tired.
Sure dad was angry at first for us taking such a "huge action" without consulting our parents but he can't deny the amount of pride he feels.
"What the hell!" A voice I knew all too well shouted, storming inside the police station fists clenched and anger raging within him.
Hunter steps in. Enraged, his tousled hair looking like it went through a snow storm unscathed, his eyebrows pulled down in worry, jacket flying behind him as each powerful step gets closer to me. His grey eyes electrifying.
"Hunter?" I say quietly.
"Oh erm- did I tell you that Hunter called to check up on you and I told him we were in the police station. Yeah he jumped to conclusions, didn't hear me out and voila, thus he appears." Dylan whispered in my ear sounding amused.
I glared at him. "I didn't think he was actually going to show up." He attempted to defend himself.
"What the hell is going on here Anastasia?" Hunter approaches me all worried and confused and defeated?
"Nothing. We're not arrested or anything." I quickly say as I hold his hand instantly demolishing the anger within him.
"I'm fine." I say to him.
"Okay." He says, taking me in for a hug.
"You have no idea how worried I was." He whispered in my ear ever so lightly.
"I can imagine." I replied. I wonder what he was going through his mind when he was making his way down here.
Why on earth would I ever get arrested?
"Weren't you out of town?" I asked him as we broke the hug.
"I was on my way back anyways." He mutters scratching the back of his head.
"So why are you here?" He asked me beginning to get worried again.
"Is everyone okay?" He asked, looking around and only just noticing the presence of everyone else.
His eyes meet Nathan and little Dylan. He looked very confused.
"Everyone's fine." I respond.
Nathan stands up and bro hugs Hunter quite awkwardly.
Little Dylan also stands up and fist pumps Hunter.
"How'd you get here buddy?" Hunter asked him looking surprised yet happy.
"We escaped." Little Dylan excitedly replied.
"Yep, sounded just as good saying it out loud!" Dylan squealed. "Though I think we broke out is cooler?" He began muttering to himself.
Hunter laughed and ruffled little Dylan's hair before standing straight and coming back over to me.
"Escaped?" He directed his question toward me.
Here it goes.
"We had to get them out of there. Hunter that place wasn't good for them." I told him honestly. Not wanting to go into details, I know that's not what anyone wanted to hear right now.
"Why didn't you tell me though, what you were going to do?" He asked, looking hurt as though he failed himself.
"You already have too many problems of your own. I didn't want you to worry." I replied looking down.
It was true. He always worried and besides I had it under control.
He sighs, "well I do already worry. Every single second. So you tell me when you're going to help patients escape from a mental institution. Okay?"
"Alright." I nodded, understanding and fighting back a smile.
It good to know he'll have my back and help me release a bunch of crazies back into society.
Only joking.
Hunter then pointed at Dylan.
"You." He walked straight up to him.
"You should've told me. What if something happened to her?" Hunter told him assertively as though he should've known better.
It was quite nice to watch actually.
"Hold your horses Romeo. I was there with her and I'd like to think I'm perfectly capable of protecting my sister." Dylan exclaimed, nearly shouting the last parts as Hunter had walked away from him mid sentence and back over to me.
"Just tell me next time is all, yeah?" He said kissing my forehead and giving me a lazy smile.
"Promise." I said feeling slightly guilty that I had him all worked up and probably coming up with different scenarios on his way here from the time he heard the news.
"Because Anastasia I swear if anything happens to you-"
"Good news is that it looks like this case will go a long way. Bad news. Well there isn't really any. Apart for you Dylan. They're going to have to hold on to your phone a little longer." Dad walked in with his lawyer, a smile plastered on his face.
Everyone cheers apart from Dylan, who practically groans in frustration.
"Cheer up, you did good today." I told him as I lightly punched his arm.
"Now about this young fella over here..." Dad said, scooting down next to little Dylan, "I've pulled a few strings and it looks like you'll be staying with us until we find you a home fit enough for you."
Little Dylan smile practically illuminated the whole police station.
"Score!" He whispered, throwing his fist in the air.
"Hunter? Young man. What brings you here?" My dad stood and approaches Hunter with a manly shake, patting his back.
Hunter shook his hand in return, "your daughter does sir. I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions when I heard she was at the police station."
My dad actually seemed impressed, "you came here from where?" He asked Hunter expectedly.
"Newport." Hunter almost whispered.
"You came all the way down here from Newport, to check up on my daughter." Dad didn't pose it as a question but a mere fact.
"I'm happy to know that you care this much for her." He then patted Hunters shoulder. "Join us for dinner young man."
"Thank you sir but I don't think I can." Hunter resisted, his eyes meeting mine, as though he had something to tell me.
"Nonsense. You must come." My dad guided us all out.
"If you insist." Hunter replied.
Little Dylan grabs a hold of Nathan's hand and we all head out into the parking.
"We have one too many persons to fit in the car." Dylan stated very loudly right next to my ear making me slap my hand on to his face.
"Relax will you." He mumbled something incoherent and I took my hand of his face, "gosh." I backed away from him as he began evil eyeing me.
"I have my own car, sir." Hunter said to my dad.
"Very well." My dad nods, "Dylan may ride with you."
Of course. Typical dad move.
"My dream have come true." Dylan said sulkily.
He moved forward, slapping Hunters head and following him.
I stepped into my dads car and sit down beside little Dylan at the back whilst Nathan took the front seat.
Back already but he doesn't forget calling shot gun.
He never fails to surprise me.
"Dude you guys are loaded!" Little Dylan said making everyone in the car laugh as he admired the interior of the car.
I noticed when I turned to face Hunters car that he was play fighting with Dylan as he struggled to start his car with Dylan attempting to punch his face.
"So Nathaniel..." My dad proceeds to interrogate Nathan.
***********
"I still feel very bad." Nathan said taking a sip of his coke.
"You shouldn't. You had a right too." My dad assured Nathan as he continues to laugh.
"He did have a right, I guess but did you really need to punch him in the nose? You of all people should know how much that hurts." Dylan said to Nathan referring to the guard that Nathan knocked unconscious and possibly blinded.
Also referring to all the times Dylan beat Nathan up when we used to have fights.
"Yeah yeah okay. I let you hit me. I didn't want to hurt you. Plus I was like 14!" Nathan shouted back in defence.
"Well, I think violence is never the answer." My mother said cutting Ito her roast chicken.
"Right mom? They should've just politely asked the armed guard to let them escape. How much easier would that have been?" I replied sarcastically and they all burst out laughing.
"I see your point for this instance." She said giving me the evil eye playfully. Mouthing the words 'watch it'.
"I guess we're all just a little crazy." I expressed and I saw that everyone nodded with a light smile.
I turned to face Hunter and little Dylan who were so engrossed in their own conversation that they didn't realise we were all getting up to move to the sitting room.
"Come on guys!" I called out to them.
They immediately looked up as Dylan muttered a thanks to Hunter before running into the sitting room.
"Go on. They're all in there." I tell Hunter as I began helping Martha take the plates into the kitchen.
"I'll help." Hunter said, taking the plates off my hands and holding them in his own.
"Tell me Anastasia. How are you?" Hunter asked me as I walked beside him with other plates into the kitchen.
"Fine but that's irrelevant. How's things on your end? You know..." I' had been dying to ask him what's going on with the whole police case.
"You are not irrelevant." Hunter replied in a low and serious voice - trying to change the subject.
I sighed and looked back to him with raised eyebrows.
"Smooth." I gave him that, "but seriously."
"Everything is just fine." He replied nonchalantly, trying to shrug it off.
He wouldn't tell me. I knew him too well. He doesn't want to burden me with his problems but he just can't seem to understand that his problems are my problems too.
"How long are you back for?" I asked him, I hate it when he's not here.
It's like he was gone for war.
Well actually he was...
"For good maybe." As soon as those words leave his mouth I smiled to myself in joy.
"Which reminds me. I know we haven't gotten to spend much time with each other and I was hoping we could change that?" He told me with a hard expression on his face, kind of ironic relative to what he was saying.
"Sure. But there's not much we can do when the weather is this bad. I mean it doesn't even snow. It rains." I said pointing outside to the rain with a frown.
I mean don't get me wrong, I love winter weather but kinda restricts the fun.
"Oh come on." Hunter replied with a slight unnoticeable yet noticeable smirk on his face as he leaned closer to me, "Don't tell me you don't enjoy the rain."
I smiled as I knew what he was referring to our first time under the rain.
"Oh please I hate rain!" I responded teasingly, backing up into the counter.
"Oh you do, do you?" He asked challenging me, taking another step forward.
"Mhm." I folded my arms across my chest.
"Well then it won't rain tomorrow. It'll snow." He stated affirmatively as he stopped walking forward.
"Impossible. The forecast said we won't even get snow until mid January maybe." I argued.
"Nothing is impossible, Anastasia." He says in a way that makes me question what we were really talking about.
"No but really, how are you going to pull that off?" I asked him, genuinely intrigued at what he's planning.
"Don't you worry Anastasia." He smiled, "I have my ways."
Of course that smile still wasn't a proper one. It was a Hunter one and I was beginning to think that maybe his smiles were the proper ones and these weird ones that other people do were just fake and wrong?
"You know?" I began...
"What?" He asked me, looking concerned.
I loved how he got worked up over silly things.
My thoughts drifted and I ended up thinking why Hunter is here.
I mean, I know he's here because dad invited him but why is he really? Why does he care? Why me?
These are the things I've been thinking for a long time but I've never had the guts to ask him.
"Anastasia." He called my name concerned, I guess I zoned out.
"Hm?" I softly asked him as I made my way back to the sitting room.
He got a hold of my wrist before I went, "what's wrong?"
I didn't turn back. Not just yet.
I swallowed hard then look at him, into his grey eyes, "nothing." I said.
I felt guilty as soon as I said it. Hunter never lies to me. I shouldn't either.
See what I mean? He never lies.
He's just too good.
"Anastasia, don't lie to me. Please." Hunter looked hurt.
I let go of his hand and tugged at the sleeve of my shirt.
"Why me, Hunter?" I asked him quietly.
"What do you mean?" He spoke beginning to get even more concerned.
He took me to the dining room and we sat down on the chairs.
"Tell me what you're thinking." He said as he moved his chair to face straight ahead of me.
"Tell me, what is it that you like about me?" I managed to ask him as I looked down at the floor.
"I understand, where is this coming from?" Hunter placed a hand under my chin and pulled my head up, forcing my eyes to meet his.
I was flustered, "Hunter why do you care for me? Why are you really here? There's absolutely nothing special about me, so why me?" I honestly asked all the questions I've been meaning for.
"You idiot." Hunter said.
My eyes widened.
"Is that what you've been worrying about?" Hunter asked slightly grinning, looking relieved.
"Anastasia. You deserve so much more than me. You deserve the world at the palm of your hands." His voice was soft and he knelt down in front of me and held my hands.
"Please." He spoke. "Don't ever think like that. You are different. Special. In more ways than you'd ever know and truth be told I could pick you out from millions,"
"Anastasia you're down to earth. Honest. Intelligent. Breathtakingly beautiful and..." I stopped listening. All I could focus on was his face. I could stare at it all day.
He was picture perfect. Even with all the little cuts and scars, he was perfect.
And he was mine.
"Anastasia, are you listening?" Hunter lightly shook me.
I smiled and nodded and then pulled him in for a hug.
"Anastasia, because of you, I think ten times about everything I do." He gently whispered in my ears, causing a tickling sensation.
I laughed at the sound of him rhyming.
"Thank you." I whispered in his ears.
"For what?" He asked me laughing in return.
"For everything."
He gave me a Hunter smile and rested his forehead on mine.
For moments we didn't move but then we did. We stood up and we began to walk towards the sitting room.
I stopped.
It's when I realised how different we both were.
This wasn't a typical teenage relationship. It wasn't just for fun.
It felt real, and deep.
"I love the way you smile." I told him.
Hunter turned back around.
He cracks another beautiful smile that had me amazed. The way he smiled was like no one else and it showed so much about him, something he rarely does. Something he's incapable of doing.
Yet this smile, it was a Hunter smile and it made my day all the more better.
"I love the way you smile when I smile." He said, making me realise that I too was in fact smiling.
"Well then maybe we should smile more often." I stated, proposing my hand forth for him to shake.
"Maybe we should." Hunter said as he reached to shake my hand.
As his index finger came in contact with my hand I pulled my hand back viscously because of what he had done.
He electrocuted me. Literally.
"Hey! What are you Static Shock?" I asked him referring to the DC Comics and show.
"You electrocuted me." I whined as I gripped on my hand even though the pain had gone by now.
Hunter gave his smile and held both of my hands before saying,
"See that Anastasia? We're electric."
***********
A/N *sparks*
Dedicated to @LittleDoYouKnow- for her constant support and fun-to-read comments!
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If you think it was an okay chapter at least - Vote! Comment!
Tell us what you think of Anastasia and Hunters' electricity?
And does anyone really want to see Hunters smile in person? I wish we could.
It's actually heartbreaking, for us at least, to know that we are in fact nearing the end of Always and Forever...
Peace and Love!
-Z&M