Living Was Extreme

Tuesday she texted him in the evening. It took over an hour for her to hear back, but he finally responded. But he didn't say much again. Just that he was okay, but tired. She did mention she was going out with Amanda for her birthday Friday evening. He didn't really react to that, just said "okay." She started feeling like something was off, but she didn't know what and didn't know how to ask, so she didn't.

Wednesday...nothing. She'd decided she wouldn't text, maybe he needed a break. And when he didn't text, she assumed she was right.

Thursday...the same. Nothing. She was really starting to feel uncomfortable. But she fought the urge to text. She remembered that he'd said she could text anytime, he wouldn't get tired of her. But this week felt different.

On Friday at lunch, he texted.

H: Hey, would you want to come over tonight?"

W: Oh, I'm going out with Amanda for her birthday, remember? I don't know how long that will be, but it might be late before I'm home.

Then nothing. Finally about fifteen minutes later...

H: Fine.

Fine? Fine?! What does that mean? She had to admit she was a little irritated. She'd told him she was going out with Amanda. He acknowledged that he read the text. Why was he acting like this now? Like she was blowing him off or something.

She didn't know what to say.

W: Sorry. Maybe Saturday?

H: We'll see. Have fun.

W: Okay, thanks. Have a good night.

Then nothing. No response. She had a sick feeling in her stomach. What just happened? She couldn't cancel on Amanda, it was her birthday. She'd told her she would go out with her. What did he want her to do? Why was tonight so important to him?

She tried to put it out of her mind, but it gnawed at her all day. One minute she would be annoyed. Then the next she would be sad. She might even tear up. Then she'd be anxious. Then back to annoyed.

She didn't tell Amanda any of this, she didn't want her to feel bad. She probably would have said to not worry about going out with her, go see Hunter instead. But Wren had already told her she would go. She wouldn't back out.

That evening, Amanda, Wren, and Amanda's other friend, Stacy, went out to eat. Then after that, they went to shoot pool. Wren had mentioned Wolffe to Amanda early in the week. She said she remembered him coming into the library more than once. He's hard to forget with the scar and all. She said he was very quiet, but polite. Wren didn't want to betray his trust, so all she said was that he remembered Amanda and said she was very nice. Wren got the feeling that Amanda liked him well enough that maybe she'd be receptive to meeting him outside the library. She'd work on that.

They didn't stay very late though, they were all tired after a long week. Wren was home by 10:00. She received a text. From Hunter.

H: Are you home yet?

W: Yeah, I just got home. We were all tired. We felt like old women. How was your night?

H: Fine. We went out.

W: Oh, really? Who? The whole family?

H: Yeah, except Omega. She's at Hera's.

W: That's nice. Did you have a good time? Where did you go?

H: The bar. It was fine. I talked to Megan.

Wren felt the air leave her lungs as if someone punched her in the gut. Megan? As in, Megan who gave him her phone number? Megan who was after him that one night at the bar? That Megan?

W: Oh, the girl from before at the bar?

H: Yeah, she came over and sat with us for a while. I talked to her.

W: Oh. That's cool. I'm glad you had a nice time.

What was he doing? Why was he telling her this? Was he trying to hurt her?

H: Yeah, well, good night I guess.

W: Okay, good night. I'll talk to you later.

And that was all.

Then she sat there. And cried. What just happened? What happened this whole week? She didn't understand his attitude and how he was talking to her. It didn't feel like Hunter.

She decided she was just going to bed. She'd had enough of this night. But her phone rang. She was shocked to see it was Crosshair. She picked up:

"Hello?"

"Hey, Wren. It's Crosshair."

"Yeah, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Not really." Her stomach dropped. "I saw the texts Hunter sent you just now. He'd left his phone laying on the table when he went to the bathroom. I just wanted you to know there was nothing to the Megan thing. She sat down and talked to us. She did try to flirt with Hunter, but he wasn't receptive."

"Do you know why he told me that? Is something wrong, Crosshair? Something doesn't feel right with him."

"It's not." He paused, as if trying to decide how to proceed. "How much do you know about Hunter's depression?"

"Uh, not that much. Just that he sees a doctor regularly, he's on anti-depressants. But that's all. He hasn't talked about it much."

"Okay, well, this is really something you should hear from him, but when he gets like this, it's hard to get him to talk. He's been having a rough week. He just has these low points now and then. It's not because of something that happened. It's not because of something you did, so don't think that. I know you well enough by now to know that's probably what you're thinking."

"Well, I was beginning to wonder. He just hasn't been very communicative this week. Not many texts, which isn't like him. Then this thing tonight. I'd told him I was going out with Amanda. I told him that early this week. And then when he asked me to come over, and I said I couldn't, he seemed upset. Mad even maybe. I didn't understand."

"Are you able to come over here?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, if you can. I think it would be a good idea if you could talk to him in person. He's gone to bed now, but I doubt he's sleeping. He didn't even go to work the past couple of days. He didn't feel up to it. I know this is asking a lot, and not everyone is able to deal with this type of stuff. But this might be a good time to see if you're able to be with him. Because most of the time he's the Hunter you've seen up to now. But now and then, this other Hunter shows up. He probably needs a meds adjustment, and I think he has an appointment next week with his doc, but for right now, he's struggling. And no matter what he would say, I know he would benefit from you being here. If you are able to deal with it."

"Okay, sure. I'll come right now. Thank you, Crosshair. Thanks so much. I had no idea."

"I know. Just get here when you can. I won't tell him you're coming, but I know he'll be glad to see you, even if he doesn't say it."

"Sure, sure. I'm changing clothes, and I'll be on my way."

"Bye, Wren. And thanks."

"Of course. Thank you."

Oh no, she thought. I don't know if I'm equipped to handle this. I don't know what to say. I've never talked to a truly depressed person. Or not when they're in a depressive episode anyway. What should I say?

She changed into clothes that she didn't wear to bed, but that were still comfortable, a pair of sweats and a hoodie over a T-shirt. Then she quickly tossed her bed clothes in a bag, and some toiletries, not knowing how long she'd be there, and was out the door in less than five minutes.

She tried to keep calm on the drive over. She was trying to think of what she could say to him, but she didn't come up with anything. But as he said last weekend, she's a good listener. She would just listen and go from there. And if he didn't want to talk, maybe just being there would help. She had to try.

When she got there, the door opened before she even rang the bell or knocked. Crosshair was there, and he said, "Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, of course. Thanks again for calling." She looked around the doorway to the living room, but only saw Wrecker, Tech, and Echo. No Hunter.

Wrecker said, "Hey, Wren," but he was quieter than she'd ever heard him before. The other two gave her weak smiles and waved.

"He's in his room. Go on back. Just knock on the door, and let him know you're here. It's not locked."

She handed him her coat, so he could hang it up. She'd left her overnight bag in the car, not knowing for sure what would happen. She could get it later if need be. Maybe he wouldn't want her to stay. She'd play it by ear.

She walked quietly back to his room, standing outside for a few moments. She didn't hear anything inside.

She knocked lightly. "Hunter? It's Wren."

She didn't hear anything. She waited a few more moments and knocked a little louder. "Hunter?"

"Huh?" she heard his muffled voice.

"Hey, it's Wren. Can I come in?"

"Yeah." It was quiet and still muffled, but he said yes. She was relieved at that.

She opened the door and walked into the dark room. She saw a lump on the bed, under the covers, but she couldn't actually see him.

She closed the door quietly behind her and said, "Hunter?"

He just made a quiet groaning sound.

"Hey, is it okay that I'm here?"

"Yeah."

"Can I turn on this lamp? Just a little light, so I don't trip."

"Yeah."

She turned the light on, then made her way to the bed, sitting down on the edge. She put her hand on what she thought was his thigh or hip. She waited, and after a minute or so, he slowly brought down the blanket. She hoped her eyes didn't show the surprise she felt when she saw him. His eyes were so red and puffy. He'd obviously been crying at some point. His hair was a tangled mess. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked exhausted.

"Hi." She gave him the best smile she could.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" He was still mumbling into his blanket.

"I just wanted to come by and say hi. I've missed you. Thought maybe I could get some snuggling in. Do you think that would be possible?"

"I haven't showered in a few days. Not sure you want to be that close to me." The eyes he turned on her were so sad and almost pleading.

"Sure I do. I always want to be close to you. Can I crawl in there with you. You can stay right like you are, you don't have to move at all. I can just hug you from over there." She pointed to the spot behind him, on the other side of the bed.

"Yeah, if you're sure."

"I'm sure. But before I do, did you want anything? A drink? A snack? Anything at all from out there?" She was running her hand up and down his thigh, very gently, soothingly.

"Maybe a drink. A Pepsi? And my phone. I don't know where it is. Out there somewhere?" He gave her the faintest smile, and she could see some of "her" Hunter in there.

"Absolutely. I'll go right now." She stood up, but then leaned over him, kissing his forehead. "I'm glad to see you, Hunter." She held his cheek in her hand for a few seconds, before standing and turning off the light. "I'll be back shortly." He just grunted.

She walked out into the hall and saw Crosshair leaning against the kitchen counter. When he saw her, he hurriedly stood straight. "How is he?"

She whispered, "He's quiet, but he talked to me a little. He said he wants a Pepsi and his phone. Do you know where his phone would be?"

"Probably in the living room. I'll get a soda ready, you go get the phone."

Wren nodded, and turned to go to the living room. She walked into the room where Tech, Wrecker, and Echo were watching TV.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Hunter's phone?"

They all looked at her, and Wrecker pointed to the end table next to where Hunter usually sits. "I think it's over there."

She walked closer, saw it, and grabbed it. "Thanks."

"How is he?" Echo asked.

"He's pretty quiet, but he did talk to me a little. And he wanted a drink."

"Good. That is a good sign," Tech sighed after saying that.

"Would someone be able to go out to my car and get the bag that's on the passenger seat? It's an overnight bag, and I didn't know if I'd be staying, so I didn't bring it in. But I'm going to stay as long as he lets me, so I could use the bag."

Wrecker jumped up. "Yeah, where are your keys."

She walked to the closet and fished her keys out of her coat pocket. "Here ya go, Wrecker. Thanks. When you get back, you can just put my keys back in there. And maybe just leave the bag on the washer or dryer. I'll pop out and get it when I'm sure what my plans are. Is it right that Omega won't be home tonight?"

"That's right. She's at Hera's for a sleepover," Echo responded.

"Okay, good. Then I won't feel funny about staying the night. If he's okay with that."

"I think that would be a great idea. Thanks, Wren." Echo was so sincere. She could feel the worry coming off him in waves.

"Of course, I'm glad to do it." She smiled at all of them. "Thanks for being such good brothers to him." She felt tears stinging her eyes.

Wrecker reached out and enveloped her in his big arms. She put her arms around his waist as far as she could reach and rested her head on his chest. "You're doing great, Wren. No matter how he acts or what he says, just know he's going to appreciate you being here. Once his mind is cleared, he'll remember this."

"Does he get like this often? I had no idea..." she trailed off.

Echo spoke up again, "Not often. Once in a great while. And it's usually when his meds need adjusting. He's got an appointment with his psychiatrist on Monday, so they'll discuss that. Hopefully they can tweak them a little bit to get him back on track. He never seems really angry, just gets sad and quiet."

"I guess Omega has seen this?"

"A little bit. She doesn't understand the full weight of it. And he does try to hide it from her as much as he possibly can. But it's one reason we asked Hera's parents if she could stay over tonight and tomorrow night."

Wren nodded and said, "Okay. Thanks, guys." She started to turn towards the kitchen.

Wrecker said, "I'll be right back with your bag, and I'll leave it in the laundry room."

"Thanks, Wrecker." He went out the door as she went to the kitchen.

Crosshair had the soda in a cup with some ice. He held it out to Wren. He also held out a water bottle, and she took it as well.

"Thanks, Crosshair. And thanks again for calling."

He just nodded, and she turned and went back to Hunter's door. She knocked, but then slipped on in quietly.

"Are you okay with me turning the light on again, so you can see to drink?"

He grunted and she assumed it was a yes. The light was very dim, so she didn't think it would be too much for him. She held out the cup to him, and his hands came out from under the blanket to grab it. They were shaking. He lifted his head enough that he could get a good angle to drink. He drank most of the soda before setting the cup down on the stand.

"Here's some water if you want some later also." She set that next to his cup.

"Thanks."

"And here's your phone. Did you want it, or just set it here?"

"You can just set it there for now." She set it on the corner of his stand.

"Okay, so can I come in now?"

He gave her the faintest smile, and it did her heart good to see. She walked to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers. She scooted behind him, putting her arms around his waist. He grabbed onto her hands as if he never wanted to let go. She felt the tears in her eyes again. She pressed her forehead to his back, kissing his shoulder through his shirt.

"I'll stay as long as you want. It's up to you though."

"Can you stay all night?" He sounded so small. Like a hurt little boy.

"Absolutely, if that's what you want. I will stay all weekend if you want."

He squeezed her hands. Then it was quiet. And she wasn't going to make him talk. He knew she was there if he wanted to. He knew she was a good listener if he wanted to talk. But he didn't, not yet.

It wasn't more than five minutes when she heard his even breathing. His sleep breathing. She quietly sighed, grateful he'd been able to fall asleep. It was obvious he hadn't slept much lately.

She might have drifted in and out of sleep, but she definitely didn't sleep soundly. She looked at the clock once, and it had been two hours. He stirred, and rolled over a bit to look at her. It was mostly dark, but she could see his eyes.

"Thanks for staying."

"It's my pleasure."

He rolled over so he was facing her. She rolled to where she was facing him and brought her hand to his cheek. She leaned forward so her forehead was pressed against his. And they stayed like that until they fell back to sleep.

At some point in the night, Wren turned over so her back was to him, and they were able to spoon. She heard him sigh peacefully before falling asleep again. And he slept better than he had in a week.

In the morning, she woke to an empty bed. She got up, wandering out to the laundry room. She picked up her bag that Wrecker had left for her, and placed it inside Hunter's room on a chair. Then she went into the hallway. Hunter was in the kitchen, drinking some coffee at the table.

"Hey, you should have woken me up."

He looked less exhausted than he did last night, so she was glad about that.

"I haven't been up long. I needed some coffee to try to help my headache. Do you want something?"

"No, not right now. Is anyone else up?" She looked at the clock, and it was only 7:30 am.

"Echo has been up, he's the one who made the coffee, I'm sure. But I haven't seen him. It's been quiet."

She sat down next to him, and took his hand in hers. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good. You helped." He squeezed her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "So, who called you to come over?"

"Crosshair. I'm really glad he did though. I had no idea what was going on. I'm sorry for not being there for you earlier."

"No, don't worry about that. I wasn't thinking clearly when I asked you to come over. I knew you had plans, and I didn't want you to cancel on Amanda. I just wasn't thinking. And I shouldn't have said what I said in the texts after. I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine, Hunter. I understand. I mean, I can't understand what you're feeling, but I understand that you didn't mean anything by it. If I'd realized how bad you were feeling, I would have asked Amanda if I could leave after we ate and not do anything after. She would have been fine with that. So in the future, just let me know what's really going on. I'm new at this, but I want to try to help you as much as I can."

"I know." He gave her a small smile, and leaned over, giving her a quick kiss. "You're the greatest."

"Oh, far from it. But I'm willing to do whatever I can. I just need a little guidance."

He nodded at her, standing. He pulled her up with him, and hugged her, resting his head on hers.

"I'm still tired, would you want to go back to bed for a while?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." She leaned into him again, putting her head on his shoulder, arms around his waist.

He kissed her head, and said, "Okay, come on. Let's go back."

They walked into his room, closing the door. She climbed into bed, him following, and they got back into their favorite position. Spooning. He kissed her neck, causing her to giggle.

"That tickles."

"Oh, really?" So then he peppered little kisses all over her neck, trying to tickle her as much as possible. She tried to stifle her giggles, but it was hard. She got her pillow and put her face in it.

"Hey, you're going to make me wake everybody up."

He just chuckled and settled in. She put her pillow back and laid her head down. They spent a couple of more hours in bed, sleeping and waking and cuddling. They heard everyone else up, and finally decided they should join them.

He kissed her cheek, saying, "Thanks again for coming over. You have made a huge difference."

"I'm so glad. I wish I could do more."

He shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. This just happens sometimes. I think I need to have my meds adjusted. Sometimes, they lose some effectiveness. I've had to switch meds before, or sometimes it's just a dosage adjustment. I try really hard to keep it in check with Omega here now. I don't want to scare her. But sometimes I can't fight it enough."

Wren brought her hand to his face, moving some hair out of his eyes, caressing his cheek. "No one expects you to fight it, Hunter. Not even Omega. She's old enough to understand some things. She's mature, she's already been through a lot in her life."

"Yeah, so I don't want to put her through with my shit. Not if I can help it." He reached up and held her hand as it rested on his cheek.

She could tell she wasn't going to change his way of thinking on that right now, so she dropped it.

"Most of the time I just feel numb. Like I don't really have emotions. But when this starts happening, I can feel those emotions bubbling up, and it's not pleasant. The sadness and guilt. The pain and heartache. The pain of losing Fives. And also of losing the only future I'd ever really planned for myself. The numbness sucks too. I hate that I can't feel as much for you as I'd like. But the numbness is better than the pain."

What did he mean about not feeling as much for me as he'd like? Can I ask?

"So what's that about your feelings for me? What do you mean?" She tried not to sound anxious or worried.

"Well, I know that I care about you. A lot. I know, because I never get tired of you. Never. And that's never happened with a woman before. I know, because when you're not around, I can't stop thinking about you. I know, because when I tell someone about you, I can't keep the pride out of my voice. Pride in what a good and kind person you are. And that you want to be with me. I KNOW all those things. But I can't usually FEEL them. And sometimes, that pisses me off. Because you deserve someone who can really feel how much they care about you. You deserve someone who isn't dead inside."

She felt tears start burning her eyes. She didn't realize these things about him. She didn't realize the depth of his depression and pain. This is all new to her, and it's overwhelming. But she wanted to keep in control for his sake. And not show how upsetting some of this was. Not upset at him. But upset FOR him. She hated that he had to feel like this.

"Hey, Hunter. What I deserve is to be happy. Just like everyone else. And you make me happy. Period. You. You are the one I want to be with. You are the one I want to open myself up to. You and only you. And if your depression is part of that, then so be it. I'll take that on and do my best with it. It's not like I'm a walk in the park over here. I can be very difficult. I think you've come to see that. And I don't expect that to get any better. So maybe we were meant to be together. Our issues aren't the same issues, but I think we are more empathetic towards each other, because we know how shitty we feel sometimes. And we would do anything in our power to try to stop each other from feeling shitty."

She could see tears in his eyes, so she just leaned forward and kissed him. So softly, it was barely a kiss. But it conveyed everything she wanted it to. She was here for him, just as he was here for her. And it wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it. She truly believed that.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "You're the best."

Every time he said that her face got warm and she knew she was blushing. Because she could tell it wasn't just an empty platitude. He meant it. He was convinced she was the best person he'd ever met, and no one would change his mind. Of course, 99 and Omega were in a different category, so they didn't count in that comparison.

"Pfft."

"Pffft, nothing. You are." He kissed the side of her mouth, then the other side. Then on the lips. But he pulled back saying, "So are you going to be heading home?"

She thought he sounded hopeful, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"Well, I wasn't sure. I thought I might stay a while today, if you didn't mind. It was a long week not getting to see you." She looked at him shyly, picking at the blanket that covered their legs.

"If you want, that would be great. I just wasn't sure if you needed to get home."

"Nah, not really. I didn't have any plans. So I can stay as long as you would like. And when you get tired of me, just boot me out the door." She smiled at him.

"Never. I don't think I could ever get tired of you." He leaned forward, putting his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight hug. She had a little trouble catching her breath while he was hugging her that time, because he had such a tight grip. Like he didn't want her slipping away.

She tried to joke. "Well, we'll see about that. I can be pretty annoying. You ain't seen nothin' yet." Then she laughed, and he actually laughed a bit with her.

"Well, I really need to take a shower then. I don't want you having to be around me when I stink."

"I didn't notice. You just smell like you. Maybe a little more than normal."

He chuckled, "That's a nice way of saying it."

He stood up and went to his dresser, pulling out some clothes.

"Did you need to go to the bathroom before I head in? I mean, we have another upstairs, but if you need to go, I can wait."

"No, I'm fine. Go ahead."

He gave her a smile, albeit small and subdued, as he walked out of the room. She grabbed her bag, shut the door, and changed her clothes. She didn't feel like she needed a shower yet. She'd rather not deal with that if she didn't have to. Showering in someone else's bathroom, especially an unfamiliar one, wasn't high on the list of things she wanted to do today. Although if she ended staying all day and night again, she might.

She wandered out to the kitchen, and all the guys were there either drinking coffee or eating. The shower was running already, so they knew Hunter wouldn't be able to hear.

"Hey, Wren. Thanks so much for helping." He stood up and gave her another big bear hug. She soaked it up.

"I'm glad I could help a little. He seems to be a little better than when I got here last night."

"Oh, he's worlds better," Echo added. I can tell in his eyes, there's less despair. You've grounded him." He then walked over and hugged Wren.

Oh, she was getting hugs from everyone. How nice! Well, half of everyone. She knew Tech wasn't a hugger, and she was pretty sure Crosshair wouldn't want to hug her. But they did both smile at her, acknowledging how grateful they were too.

Hunter was their oldest brother, well, other than Echo, but even he looked up to Hunter. He was the head of the household for all intents and purposes. And he tried his hardest to help all of them. When he was in these low spots, they wanted to be able to help him, but it wasn't always possible. But having Wren added to the mix was definitely reassuring.

Echo dished up some eggs and bacon, setting it in front of her. "Thanks, Echo. This looks so good. And smells delicious." He just smiled and nodded at her.

"So are you staying today?" Crosshair asked.

"I am for a while. He seemed like he wanted me to."

They all mumbled their agreement, that it would be a good thing to have her around. Wrecker was talking about things that went on at work the day before. Without Hunter there, Wrecker was in charge. Before too long, Hunter came down the hall. He was wearing sweats and a T-shirt, and his hair was wet.

Wren tried not to stare at the way his gray sweats fit or how adorable he was with his wet curls around his face.

Stop thinking about that. He didn't feel well. It's not nice to think about shallow stuff like how good he looked.

But he did. Look really good. He caught her looking at him and gave her a mischievous smile. She just looked down at her plate and shoved more food into her mouth. He took his dirty clothes and put them in the hamper in the laundry room. After he came back, he stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing gently. She looked up at him and smiled, and he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"Want some food, Hunter?" Echo asked.

"Yeah, I do, thanks." He moved to sit next to her as Echo brought a full plate over. "Looks really good, Echo." And then he dug in. It was obvious he was hungry. Who knows how much he'd eaten the past few days. He'd cleaned his plate in no time, and got up to get some more.

Echo was washing dishes, and Wrecker got up to move on into the living room. He patted both Wren and Hunter on the back as he walked past. "It will be good having you both around today." Wren felt her face get warm, but she couldn't stop the huge smile from forming.

The rest of the morning was quiet. Echo sent everyone out of the kitchen while he cleaned up. Crosshair went up to his room for a while. The rest of them went into the living room to hang out and watch TV.

There was nothing they were watching that Wren really cared to focus on, so she focused on Hunter. She rested her head on his chest as she pulled her legs up, bending them to curl up under her as she leaned into his side. She rested her hand on his stomach, slowly and gently moving her fingers up and down, left to right. His arm was around her shoulders, and he was lightly rubbing her upper arm.

After a quiet ten minutes, she looked up at him. "Is this annoying you?" She looked down at her hand.

"No," he said quietly. "Why would it?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd like me to stop hanging on you, give you some space." She looked up at him.

"No, I like you hanging on me." He smiled at her. "I will tell you if I need space."

"Okay, please do."

Most of the day was like that. They all ate lunch together. Echo, Wrecker, and Tech came and went. Tech took Wrecker shopping at one point. They needed some groceries. Hunter would have normally gone with them, but they didn't ask him. They knew he wasn't up to it.

Crosshair came down for supper and then left for work not longer after.

At one point, Wren said, "Is there anything I can do around here to help you guys? Laundry? Cleaning?"

Echo and Hunter both said, "No! You're not going to do our chores. We'll get to them." Some of it was what Omega helped with to warrant the allowance they gave her, so she would help on Sunday when she was back.

So Wren just relaxed and let them do their stuff around her. But Hunter stayed with her most of the time. At one point he asked if she wanted to lie down.

"Here? Or in bed?" she asked.

"I was thinking here for now. We can do the bed part later, if you're still here."

"Hunter, I'll stay all night if you're fine with it. But I'll also leave if you'd rather I do that."

His face lit up, "You'll stay all night?"

"Yeah, sure! It would be my pleasure." She kissed him quickly.

She didn't ask how he was feeling, thinking maybe that wasn't the best way to handle things. She didn't want to pressure him to talk. But she would be glad to listen if he ever wanted to. And she thought he knew that.

So they laid on the couch together, him behind her. Their favorite spooning position, just a little more cramped. Around 9:00 Wren was falling asleep. He said, "Hey, Wren, you ready for bed?"

She barely woke up but said, "Yeah, I'm ready."

He helped her up and they started walking out of the room. She said good night to Wrecker, who was the only one left there with them.

When they got to his room, she was still half-asleep, so she just started undressing, changing into her bed clothes. She didn't notice Hunter's eyes going wide, as he saw more of her skin than he had up to that point. She put her sleep shorts and shirt on, taking her bra off last. Then she crawled into bed.

He took off his shirt and pants and climbed in next to her. He laid on his back, and she curled into his side, her head on his chest.

She was so tired, she barely woke up. And he was pretty exhausted too, after the rough week he'd had. They were asleep in no time.

But a couple of hours later, Wren woke up to strange sounds. She tried to clear her head to remember where she was, and she felt something hard under her cheek. Oh, Hunter's chest. And then she realized the strange sounds she heard were coming from him.

He was talking, but she couldn't really understand what he was saying. He kept going and after a minute, he'd increased his volume to where he sounded angry, like he was yelling at someone. It still sounded like gibberish, except she could make out a few fuck you-s. She was getting ready to say something to him, because it sounded like he was getting more and more upset. Almost as if he was crying. But before she could say his name, his arms and legs started jerking. He was kicking and the arm around her squeezed her much tighter. She started feeling nervous.

"Hunter?" No change. "Hunter!" He was still crying and flailing more. Then she yelled, "HUNTER!" and he startled awake.

"WHAT?! Wha- wha-..." He looked around frantically, his eyes landing on her face. Even in the near dark he seemed to recognize her, and he loosened his grip. "Wren?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?" Her voice was shaking a little bit.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why, what did I do?" He sounded confused.

"You were yelling and started crying, then you were kicking and holding me tighter. Almost flailing."

"Shit, sorry. I should have warned you when I'm in these depressive periods, I often have bad dreams that sometimes turn violent. I'm really sorry. Did I hurt you?"

He sat up, turning on the light next to the bed. He looked at her face closely, touching her, feeling her arms, as if he was feeling for broken bones or something.

"No, you didn't hurt me. I'm okay. I was just surprised, that's all. I woke up and heard you, then you started jerking around. I wasn't sure if I should wake you up or not. But when you started squeezing me, I thought I should."

"Yeah, definitely. Thank you." He turned off the light again, and laid back down. He kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Wren. I'm so so sorry."

She thought it sounded like he might cry. "It's okay, Hunter. It's fine. I'm fine." She stroked his hair and his face, trying to calm him. His breathing had returned to normal. But he felt really hot. "You feel really hot. Do you want your fan on higher?"

"No, that's okay. If it's too high, then I'll get cold because I'm sweating. It will be fine in a minute."

"Okay, well, I'm still going to stop laying on your chest. Give you some space. I'll be over here, and if you want to come over, feel free. But I want to give you the chance to stay over there if you'd prefer."

She did as she said she would, and turned on her side away from him, on her side of the bed.

After he spent a few minutes deep breathing, he moved over behind her. He gently slid his arm around her waist, putting his nose in her hair. He snuggled up to her back, and they were both asleep again before too long.

The next morning, Wren wanted to be gone before Omega came home. It's not that she didn't want to see her, but she still wasn't comfortable with her seeing Wren spend the night with Hunter. So she got up before anyone else was up. She whispered for Hunter to stay in bed and sleep more. She kissed his cheek, and was getting ready to stand up and walk away, but he moved faster.

He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her down on the bed. "No, you can't leave!" He was smiling though, as he pulled her down close to him. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Then he kissed her tenderly. "Thanks for coming to hang out with me. You really are the best." With his face softened by sleep, he looked even more adorable to Wren.

She bent down and kissed him...once...twice. She could feel his smile against her lips. She pulled back and said, "I hope you have a good day. Omega will be back, so that will be nice."

"Yeah. You have a good day too. Thanks again for coming to hang out with me. I hope I didn't scare you away."

"Never, Hunter. Never." She grabbed her bag, gave him a small wave, and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

After she got to her car and could take a minute to breathe, she thought about the past 48 hours. She was proud of herself for being able to be there for him.. She wasn't sure how it would go the next time it happened, but she would deal with that when it happened.

She cared about him way too much to run away because of this. He was so good at helping her with her anxiety, the least she could do was try to help him when he needed it. That's what you do when you love someone.

Summary in case you don't want to read details about depression: Wren finds out Hunter cycles into lower depressive episodes now and then. There's a misunderstanding because she doesn't realize what the problem is. Crosshair calls her and asks her to come over to be with Hunter. She ends up spending most of the weekend with him, and they have some really good talks about his mental health. You won't miss anything in the main storyline if you don't read this chapter.

Tag list: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)

@transactivecybermemory, @griffedeloup, @eclec-tech

@lightwise, @votedprettybythecommittee, @totallyunidentified, @indigofyrebird

@frostycatblr-fandom-files, @delicioustacocollector, @ladysaturnsdust, @antisocial-mariposa

@youreababboon, @merkitty49, @noblelightfighter, @chaicilatte

Echo introduced him to Wren, who stood and walked the few steps to shake his hand. He was a very polite young man, and she instantly liked him.

A few minutes after they settled down again, the doorbell rang.

Wrecker's voice boomed, "It's Wolffe and Fox!"

Hunter felt Wren tense a little, and he squeezed her hand. "I really think you'll like these guys. They are different from Jesse and Kix. They're our oldest cousins and more serious and quiet."

She straightened up, not wanting her first meeting of more of his family to be with her "hanging all over" Hunter (or that's how she was afraid it would be viewed.)

She could see Wrecker open the door, and then step out of the way. "Hey, guys!" he said loudly. "Come on in! Second half is just getting started."

Wren heard a deep voice, very similar to Hunter's, say, "Thanks, Wreck." Then she saw a hand as it patted Wrecker on the arm.

Hunter still had Wren's hand, and he gave it a couple of more gentle squeezes. She glanced up at him and gave him a strained smile, trying to let him know she was okay, even if her anxiety was spiking.

The first guy fully appeared, and Wren was struck by how handsome he was. He had a strong family resemblance to the rest of the guys, and she didn't find him as handsome as Hunter, of course, but he was definitely attractive.

She felt her hands start to sweat. She was getting even more nervous.

"Hey, everyone," he said as he looked into the room.

Before anyone could respond, they heard Omega yell, "Fox?!" and then footsteps running from the hall, where she must have just come out of the bathroom. The man, obviously Fox, turned to look and must have seen Omega coming his way, because he got down on one knee and held out his arms to her.

"Omega! Look how big you're getting. Oh my goodness!" He took her in his muscular arms (Wren could tell that through his lightweight coat) and gave her a squeeze. She laid her head on his shoulder.

She said, as she lifted her head, "I was so glad when Hunter said you'd be here." Then she saw his brother standing behind Wrecker and said, "Wolffe!"

The second guy, Wolffe obviously, stepped out from behind Wrecker, and Wren was immediately struck by the angry looking scar on the right side of his face. It stretched all the way from his hairline down through his cheek, and it looked like he probably had a prosthetic eye. It certainly didn't affect how handsome he was though. He had a strict military-style haircut, whereas Fox had longer hair. Not as long as Hunter's, but longer than the rest of the guys', and just as curly as Hunter's. And he had gray at his temples.

Wolffe went down on one knee as well and held out his arms to Omega. "Hi, Omega. Good to see you, little one." Then as he stood up, he very easily picked her up with him and held her on his hip, with her arms around his neck and her head resting on his shoulder.

Wren heard Hunter's voice say, "Hey, fellas. How've you been?" He gently let go of Wren's hand with a squeeze and stood up. He extended his hand first to Wolffe, then Fox, and they both shook enthusiastically.

Then they looked at Tech, Echo, Crosshair, and Tulip and nodded and said hello. Everyone was friendly. It felt totally different than when Kix and Jesse were there.

Hunter had been partially blocking Wren from their view, so he moved to the side and motioned to her. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Wren. Wren, these are our cousins, Wolffe and Fox."

Omega whispered, but loudly, "We love her!" Everyone heard, and Wren felt her face burning. But everyone else laughed.

Wren knew she should stand up to be polite, so she mustered every bit of courage and did so. She held out her hand, first to Fox, then to Wolffe. Both of them had good firm handshakes, but not so much that they crushed her hand like some guys like to do when showing off how strong they are.

"Hi, nice to meet you both," she quietly said as she then looked down to the floor. She subconsciously moved closer to Hunter and stood partially behind him. He looked at her with a smile, moving slightly so he could get a better angle, and put his arm around her waist. He gently squeezed her side.

"So Hunter, you finally found someone who likes that hippie hair?" Fox said with a smile.

"You don't have much room to talk there, Fox. Looks like yours is getting longer too." They both laughed and Fox slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly.

Echo spoke up and said, "Guys, I'd like you to meet my friend, Trace." They looked at Trace, and both held out their hands to shake.

"Did you guys want something to eat? The food is still out. We can warm anything up that needs it." Hunter said while motioning to the kitchen. "We have chili cheese dogs and loaded baked potatoes."

"I'm okay for now," Wolffe spoke up.

"I could use a little something," Fox replied, so he turned towards the kitchen. Omega grabbed his hand as she started walking with him. He didn't hesitate and smiled down at her. Wren could tell he was talking to Omega as they walked away.

"Have a seat anywhere, Wolffe." Then he turned to Wren, "Did you want anything from the kitchen?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." She smiled as he kissed her temple.

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit." Then he lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "You'll be okay if I go to the kitchen for a few minutes?" He didn't want to make it obvious, in case that would embarrass her. But he also wanted to make sure she was okay, since it looked like Wolffe was going to be sitting in the chair closest to her.

She nodded at him and said, "Yeah, go ahead. I'm good."

He nodded, and trailed his hand across the small of her back as he pulled away. "Anyone else want anything from the kitchen while I'm out there?"

There was a mumbled "No" and "I'm fine." Tech looked up and said, "I'll take a water, if you don't mind, Hunter."

"You got it." Then he walked out.

Wren sat back down. She kept her eyes focused on the TV, and she could tell out of her periphery that Wolffe was watching as well.

Crosshair looked around Tulip and said, "Wolffe, do you remember Tulip?"

"Yeah, I do. How are ya?" He was quieter than Fox, but no less handsome.

"I'm good, Wolffe. How have you been? I guess the last time I saw you was when we all went out for Fox's birthday a couple of months ago." Wren was convinced that Tulip could easily talk with anyone.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I think you're right."

Then Crosshair and Tulip both turned back around, and everyone was quiet again. Wren could definitely tell Wolffe wasn't much of a talker. Even to his cousins or people he already knew. Omega was who he had talked to the most.

Before long, Omega came back with another soda and some chips on a plate. Instead of sitting back where she had been on the couch, she went to sit on the floor at Wolffe's feet. They didn't talk, but he did reach down and lightly patted her hair, as if to say I see you.

After a minute or so, Omega turned and said, "Wolffe, Wren is a librarian!"

Wren could feel herself blushing again. Omega said that as if it was something impressive or exciting, and she was sure that Wolffe would not find that impressive or exciting at all.

But it seemed to get more of a reaction out of him than anything else had. He turned towards her with a small smile and said, "Really? At the public library here in town?"

"Yeah. Do you use the library?"

"Yeah, sometimes. I haven't had as much time lately, because I started a new job, but I still try to get in there at least once a week. It's a nice library. What hours do you usually work?"

"I'm usually there Monday through Friday, 9-5."

"Ah, yeah, I don't get in there much during those hours." She smiled at him. It seemed like he wanted to ask something else, but just at that time Hunter came back. He handed Tech a water, and then returned to Wren's side on the couch.

"What did I miss? Anything?"

Crosshair filled him in on some things that had happened in the game. Wren hadn't really paid attention as she was too busy trying to not embarrass herself when talking to Wolffe. After Crosshair was done, Wren looked at Hunter and said, "Wolffe and I were talking about the library a little bit. He said he comes in there now and then."

"Wolffe always was a better student than most of us, except for Tech, of course. Always seemed to be reading whenever we went over to their house as kids."

"That's great. I was a big reader growing up. In the summer, I would read a book a day. Teenage romances, but still a whole book." She chuckled. "But then college kind of ruined me on reading, and I can't get that interested anymore."

"You work in a library and don't read?" Wolffe seemed surprised, but not in a rude way.

"I still love books. I love to look at 'em, and touch 'em, and work with 'em. I just don't read 'em much. Silly, I know."

"No, not silly," Wolffe said. And Wren could tell he was sincere.

"Hey, Hunter! Come here for a second, will ya?" It was Fox's voice from the kitchen. "You too, Omega, I want to show you something."

Hunter gave a bit of a scowl, and said, "I'm sorry, I won't be gone long."

"That's okay, don't rush. Might be something exciting out there." Wren smiled at him.

After Hunter and Omega left, Wren could have sworn she felt Wolffe shift just a little bit towards her. She didn't look at him though.

"Wren?"

She turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Umm...do...uh...well, I was wondering about one of your coworkers. She sometimes works in the evenings. She has short black hair, wears glasses..."

"Oh, Amanda! You must mean Amanda. I don't think anyone else there has short black hair. Yeah, she's great. What about her?"

Wren could have sworn she saw the tops of his ears get a little red, and he seemed to be fumbling around with his words.

"I was just wondering. She's been the one working the desk quite a few times when I've gone in. She's nice, that's all."

But Wren could tell that wasn't all. That wasn't all...at all. But she also didn't want to push him. It almost seemed like he had started stammering a little bit when he was talking about her. He seemed really bashful, and Wren could definitely sympathize. So she just kept talking.

"She's very nice, yeah. She's my favorite coworker. She's been really supportive and helpful, at work and outside work. She's a really kind person. And fun. A lot more fun than I am." At that Wren laughed, and Wolffe looked at her with a smile. "But not like wild and crazy fun either." She didn't want to give him the wrong idea. "Do you like pool? Like shooting pool?"

He looked at her and said, "Yeah, I do."

"Well, just as an FYI, Amanda likes to go to Scooby's every Friday for Ladies' Night. I went with her one week when the friend she usually goes with was out of town. It was fun." Then before she realized what she was saying, she said, "Maybe we could go as a group sometime. You, me, whoever else wants to go from the family. And who knows, maybe I could introduce you to her."

He got even redder then. The scar on his face didn't get red like the rest of his face, so it stood out even more.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I was just wondering, you know, what she was like."

"Well, she's wonderful. And single. So, I'll just leave that information out there, and you can do with it what you will." She gave him a big smile. "But I am serious about going to shoot pool as a group some Friday. I'll bring it up with Hunter at some point. If that's okay?"

He shrugged, and just at that time Hunter and Omega returned.

"What did we miss?" Omega asked.

"Nothing," Wolffe and Wren said at the same time. But Wolffe looked at Wren with a small smile, and she nodded at him. She could feel Hunter looking at her, so she mouthed, "I'll tell you later" while motioning towards Omega. He smiled, putting his arm back over her shoulders and pulling her closer. She laid her head on his chest, but not before looking Wolffe's direction one more time and smiling. He smiled back.

Then Omega asked him if she could sit in his lap, and he said, "Of course. Come on up here." He lifted her up and she curled into him as they watched the game.

Before long, Fox came in with a plate of food and sat in one of the spots Jesse and Kix had vacated.

"So, what do you do, Wren?" Fox asked, giving her a small smile.

She looked down as if embarrassed, sending a quick glance towards Wolffe and Omega. "Well, I was just telling Wolffe that I'm a librarian."

Fox gave a quick look at Wolffe with eyebrows raised. "Oh, really? Did you ask her about-"

"Yes! Fox. We already talked about her job in the library." Wolffe seemed embarrassed and gave him a look like move on.

"Okay, okay." He smiled at his brother. If Wren had to guess, she would assume Fox was a little older than Wolffe. He had older brother energy. "So how long have you worked there, Wren?" Fox turned back to her.

"Only about a year. I'd been working in another library close to where I'm from, but it was time for a change." She wasn't going into that whole reason. She hadn't even really told Hunter a lot about how things ended with her long-time friend.

"Well, it's nice to have you here with us. I've heard good things." Then he gave Hunter a smirk and a wink.

Wren heard Hunter sigh, and she looked up at him, giving him a smile. She thought he looked a little red, although it's hard to tell with him because of his dark complexion. Then she snuggled back into his side with her head on his chest. She wanted him to know she appreciated the nice things he said about her when she wasn't around.

"Thank you," she said to Fox. "I really enjoy this family. There's a lot more noise than my family get-togethers, but it's fun."

Wolffe grunted and said, "Yeah, this definitely isn't a quiet family." Then he started tickling Omega and said, "And that includes this one!"

Omega squealed with laughter. It was difficult to make out what she said, but it sounded like, "Wolffe, stop!"

He did stop very quickly, but he chuckled deeply as he gave her a quick hug and said quietly to her, "Sorry, Meg. I couldn't resist."

She was still quieting down, but she said, "It's okay." Then she reached up and kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder again.

Wren was watching them, thinking how sweet they were together. Then she worked up the courage to speak. "So what do you guys do?"

Fox spoke first. "I'm a probation officer. I started that after I got out of the Army a few years ago."

She nodded at him. Then turned to Wolffe and he said, "I just started as a mechanic at a garage here in town. I was a mechanic in the Army before my accident. It's taken me a while to get accustomed to only having one eye, but once I did, I went to mechanics school so I could work on civilian vehicles. I knew most of the basics, but there is a lot more computerization on cars we all drive than on the Army vehicles."

Wren gave him a smile and a small nod. "I'm glad you were able to transfer your skills from the Army into a civilian job. That's not always possible, depending on what a person's MOS was."

Wolffe and Fox both raised their eyebrows at her, and Fox said, "Oh, listen to you with the Army-speak."

She blushed and looked down saying, "I listen when these guys talk."

Fox and Wolffe both made sounds as if they were impressed while Hunter squeezed her shoulders. He kissed her head saying, "Wren is a good listener."

She smiled, trying not to seem too pleased at the praise. It's not like he was praising her for anything important. She just listens. But any little thing Hunter said about her, especially if he said it with pride, made her heart swell.

Crosshair spoke up and said, "Watch out, guys, Hunter has crossed over into sappy boyfriend mode, and it's nauseating." Tulip pinched him in the side, and he loudly said, "Ow!"

Everyone laughed. Wren took Hunter's hand that was laying on his thigh and squeezed it. She whispered, "I like sappy boyfriend mode." He just smiled at her and squeezed her hand back.

Then there were a couple of minutes of only the sounds of the game and some comments now and then about, "That wasn't a penalty!" and "What were they thinking with that play call!"

Hunter said quietly, "Hey, Meg, maybe you should come over here and let Wolffe sit by himself for a while." He patted the empty spot on the couch next to him.

Omega whined and gave him a sad look.

Wolffe spoke up and responded, "It's okay, Hunter. She's so tiny, I hardly even notice she's here."

Then Fox said, "Wolffe, are you going to be an Omega-hog all night?" He sounded stern, but Wren saw the sparkle in his eyes and the smirk at the corner of his mouth.

Wolffe said, "Hey, I can't help that she wants to sit with me."

Omega looked at both of them with a smile and said, "I want to sit with both of you. I can go sit with Fox for a little bit." She looked at Wolffe with a slight eyebrow lift.

Fox stuck his tongue out at his brother, and Wolffe exaggeratedly said, "You don't want to sit with me anymore! I'm so hurt!"

She laughed and said, "No, it's not that! I just want to sit with both of you!"

He gave her a fake pout, but he couldn't keep it up long. He burst out laughing and hugged her. He said, "I'm just messin' with you, Meg. Go ahead. Give my brother some hugs before his whining gets any worse."

She reached up and kissed his cheek again, giving him one more hug, and hurried over to the couch with Fox, landing beside him. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. Then he started talking quietly to her.

Hunter told Wolffe, "She was so excited when she found out you guys were going to be here. She loves hanging out with you."

"Well, the feeling is mutual." He had a soft smile on his face as he looked at her. "I'm going to get some food. Excuse me." He stood and headed to the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a chili cheese dog and a loaded baked potato. "This is good, you guys. This is your chili, right, Hunter?"

Hunter nodded and said, "Yep, Ninety-nine's recipe."

Wolffe smiled and said, "I thought it tasted very familiar. Delicious."

Wren saw the look of pride on Hunter's face. She was struck by how adorable it was, that he was so pleased by his older cousin's compliment. It was obvious he looked up to these two guys.

There would be moments where everyone was quiet, watching the game. There would be times when there would be excited talking. There would be comments about the commercials. Wren had to admit she was really enjoying herself with everyone.

Then Tulip was falling asleep with her head on Crosshair's shoulder. Omega was falling asleep with her head on Fox's chest. Wren could feel herself getting sleepy too, but she didn't want to fall asleep. She was enjoying sitting with Hunter too much to miss any of it.

She looked at him and said, "Hey, don't let me fall asleep. If you see me closing my eyes, give me a shake or something, will ya'?"

He just gave her a look and said, "Really?"

She smiled and said quietly, "Yeah. I don't want to miss any of this. I'm enjoying it too much."

"Wren, we'll have other family get-togethers. You don't have to stay awake, if you're tired." He said that very quietly in her ear.

"I know." She laid her head back against him.

And before she knew it, he was shaking her gently saying, "Wren. Wren, wake up. Game's over."

She startled, then what he said sank in. "Oh no, you let me sleep?"

"Yes, I let you sleep. I don't want you being tired when you drive home, so I let you get a little nap in."

She felt disappointment at having missed time with the group, but she knew he was right. Tulip was standing up, and Wren could tell she'd just woken up too.

Fox said quietly to Hunter over Omega's head, "Should we wake her or just carry her up?"

"Well, I would say just carry her up. That's what we usually do. But I know how upset she'd be if she woke up tomorrow knowing she didn't get to say good-bye to you guys tonight. So we'll wake her up."

He stood up and went over to them. "Hey, Meg," he said very quietly. "Meg." He laid his hand on her thigh and shook her just a little.

She opened her eyes. "Huh? What?"

"Hey, game's over. Time to say goodnight to everyone."

"Nooo, I don't want to go." She had the sleepy whines.

Fox quietly said, "We have to go, Omega, and I think everyone else will be going to bed soon also. You might as well go now before you wake up anymore. Huh?" He bumped her shoulder with his.

"Okaaay," she begrudgingly agreed. She stood up and Hunter steadied her.

Wolffe stood up, holding out his arms. "G'night, Omega. I'm glad we got to hang out."

"Me too. G'night, Wolffe." They gave each other a big hug.

Omega then turned to Wren who stood up. "Good night, Omega. I'll see you soon." She hugged her, kissing her on the head like Hunter does.

Then she went around the room, hugging everyone, except Wrecker, because she knew he'd be the one to carry her upstairs. She turned to face him, and he held out his arms, lifting her carefully and laying her head against his shoulder.

There was a chorus of "G'night, Omega," and she waved as they left the room.

Fox said, "Well, thanks for the invite, guys. Always a pleasure hanging out." He shook Hunter's hand, pulling him in for a quick hug.

Hunter gave Wolffe a hug as well, and then there were hugs and handshakes all around. Wolffe held out his hand to Wren, and she took it saying, "I'll talk to Hunter about the...ya know."

She swore he got a little red again, but he had a big smile on his face. "Okay, sounds good." He placed his other hand on top of Wren's for the two-handed shake.

After he let go, she stepped towards Fox and held out her hand. But he said, "Oh no, it seems you're part of the family now, we hug." He held out his arms, but then said, "But only if that's okay with you."

She smiled and said, "Yeah, that's fine with me." She walked into his arms, and could feel how strong he was. But he didn't squeeze too tight, just the right amount to make it feel warm and inviting.

He whispered into her ear, "Thanks for making Hunter happy. He deserves it, and I can tell how important you are to him." He looked down at her and smiled.

She felt herself get hot and blush at what he said. It felt like her heart was in her throat, and she had to swallow and blink back tears. She whispered, "Thank you."

She stepped back and bumped into Hunter. She looked at his face, and he had a ridiculously soft look. He gave her a quick kiss, and a hug.

Everyone else was saying their good-byes, and they got to the door just as Wrecker was coming back downstairs. He said, "G'night, guys! Thanks for coming." He gave them both big bear hugs. They grunted, even though they were not small guys themselves. Their "little" cousin had a few inches and quite a few pounds on both of them.

They waved as they walked out the door.

Wren was still standing in Hunter's arms, and she said, "I'm going to clean up some in the kitchen."

"You don't have to do that. You're our guest. We can take care of that."

"I know, but I'd like to help. That way you guys won't be up so late doing it. And you won't leave it overnight either." She smiled at him.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you, but only because I don't want you to leave yet." He chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders, and moved her towards the kitchen.

When they arrived, she immediately started collecting dirty dishes and pans and running water in the sink. Hunter started putting the leftover food in containers and into the fridge.

They worked quietly at first. In a couple of minutes, Echo and Trace came in and Trace said, "I'm headed out, you guys. Nice to meet you, Wren."

She gave him a smile and said, "You too, Trace."

Echo held the door for him, saying to Hunter, "I'll be back after I go out to his car with him."

Hunter just nodded and said good-bye to Trace.

"Wolffe and Fox are very nice," Wren started.

"Yeah, they're good guys." Hunter seemed a little more subdued when he said that, and Wren picked up on the slight change in his mood.

"Hey, Hunter. What do you think about us going to shoot pool with Wolffe at some point?"

Hunter looked a little surprised. "With Wolffe? What brought that on?" Again, there was something off in his tone.

"Well, we were talking-"

"I noticed," he interrupted her.

She paused what she was doing.

"It looked like you and Wolffe were getting along well." Hunter tried to keep his voice even.

"Yeah, I enjoyed our conversations. He's really easy to talk to." She smiled at Hunter, not realizing where his thoughts were heading.

He nodded, but was quiet.

Wren was very perceptive when it came to other people's emotions. Coupled with her overactive sense of guilt, if she felt like someone's mood was "off", then she assumed it was her fault. Someway, somehow, she must have done something to cause their bad mood. Maybe not even a bad mood. Just a different mood.

And she was feeling that now with Hunter.

"Hey. Hunter." She spoke quietly, trying to get his attention.

He turned his head towards her. "Hmm?" is all he said.

"You okay?" She couldn't keep the anxiety out of her voice.

He gave her a small smile and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine."

"Hunter. I can tell something happened. Was it something I said? Something about Wolffe?" Her voice was shaking a little.

He sighed. "Okay, it's stupid, but I'll tell you, because I know otherwise you'll worry all night."

That stung. She knew her worry was out of control much of the time. She knew it was irrational most of the time. But she couldn't help it. And she felt like he was irritated with her about it.

"Okay, here it is." He put down the towel he was using to dry and walked closer to her. Her hands were in the water, so he just stood behind her, putting his arms around her waist and setting his chin on her shoulder. "Nothing is wrong. I promise. It's just when you said you enjoyed talking to Wolffe, that he's easy to talk to, it made me wonder why he's easy to talk to when you'd only met him tonight, but you had trouble talking to me for so long. Is it because of me? Because of something I do?" He sounded...sad.

Her mouth fell open, and an overwhelming sense of regret washed over her. "Oh no, Hunter! I'm so sorry if that's what it seemed like. Oh no..." She shook her head.

She reached over for the towel he'd been using and dried her hands. Then she held his hands in hers as they rested on her waist. "I was able to talk to him, because there was less pressure. I put pressure on myself when I talked to you early on. Pressure to not sound like an idiot or show how weird I was. I wanted to impress you. And I didn't feel like I needed to impress Wolffe. He's your family, and he's a nice guy. I was in a familiar place with mostly familiar people."

She turned in his arms, putting her arms around his neck. She looked into his eyes. "You were here with me, making me feel comfortable. That's all it was. I'm so sorry if it seemed like something else. And it's not that I don't care what Wolffe thinks of me, because I care what everyone thinks of me. It's a sickness. But I felt no pressure at all to seem cool or to impress him. Does that make sense?"

His face softened with a relieved smile. "Yeah, it does. Thanks for explaining it to me." He kissed her quickly.

"Well, thank you for telling me what was bothering you. Please, always feel like you can tell me whenever I do something that bothers you. I want you to be honest with me."

He gave her a real hug at that point, burying his face in her neck.

Then she said, "So, the main reason I asked him about shooting pool was because of Amanda."

He pulled his head back and said, "Amanda?"

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you. When he found out I worked at the library, he asked if I knew the woman with short dark hair and glasses, and I knew he meant Amanda. And when I said yeah and told him her name, he got really red and embarrassed. I could tell he has a crush on her or something. So I told him she was very nice, and single. And that she likes to shoot pool on Fridays. I asked if he liked pool, and he said yeah, he did. So I said maybe we could all go out on a Friday to Scooby's, since Amanda would be there. That's what we were talking about so much."

"Aww, that's really sweet. I've never seen Wolffe with a woman before. You're such a good person, trying to help him out." Hunter kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, hey, I think Amanda would love him, so I'd like to help them both out!"

They stayed hugging until Echo came back inside, and they separated with a smile.

"Wren, you don't have to stay and finish this. I can help Hunter with the little bit that's left. You've done enough."

She looked at the clock, and figured she probably should get on home. It was going to be a short night at this rate.

"Okay, thanks, Echo."

"I'll walk you out. I'll be right back, Echo."

He smiled at Hunter and said, "Take your time, brother."

"G'night," Wren said, and Echo waved before putting on his rubber gloves to protect his prosthetic hand.

As they got to the hall closet, Hunter opened it for her coat. "Are you sure you aren't too tired to drive? You could stay. All night." He said the last part very quietly.

She gave him a small smile and looked down, but said, "I'm okay to drive. And I need to be at work in the morning. I think I should probably go home. But thank you for the offer. Another time?"

He said, "Oh, for sure." He helped her into her coat, but then seemed to remember something, "Oh, hey, I made you a container of food to take with you. You can have another chili cheese dog for lunch tomorrow. Hang on."

She said, "Well, I can't say no to that." She followed him, but stood in the hall.

He got a container out of the fridge, and brought it to her.

"Will Tulip be staying?" she asked.

"Oh, probably. Since it's so late. She lives a little further away than you." He paused, "You're sure you don't want to stay?"

She chuckled and said, "It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of should. I want to stay, but I really should go. You need to get a good night's sleep to start your week off right."

"You think I don't sleep well with you here? I sleep better with you here." She could tell he was genuine when he said that.

She sighed. "You're not making this easy."

"I'm not trying to." There was that Hunter smirk.

"Another night. Really. In fact, I look forward to it."

He gave in, "Okay, I'll hold you to it."

He walked her to the front door. She said good-bye to Tech and Wrecker. Tulip and Crosshair had already gone upstairs. He followed her out to the porch, turning her to look at him once more. "Thanks for coming to hang out with us. I'm glad you got to meet some more of my family. The good, the bad, and the ugly."

"Oh, none of them were bad. And they certainly weren't ugly. Your family has good genes." She kissed him quickly and said, "Okay, I gotta go before I change my mind. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, text me when you get home?"

"I will. Bye!"

He waved and watched her get in her car. It wasn't until she was out of sight that he went in, turning off the porch light and locking the door.

Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)

@transactivecybermemory, @griffedeloup, @eclec-tech

@lightwise, @votedprettybythecommittee, @totallyunidentified, @indigofyrebird

@frostycatblr-fandom-files, @delicioustacocollector, @ladysaturnsdust, @antisocial-mariposa

@youreababboon, @merkitty49, @noblelightfighter, @chaicilatte

Wren saw the larger of the two step around his brother and give Tulip a smile. Then he saw Wren and said, "Hey, Wren, right? Very good to see you again."

Wren directed a reserved smile at both of them and said, "Hi, guys," quietly.

There were other hellos between the guys, and then the two newcomers were overtaken by Omega running in from the kitchen.

“Uncle Jesse! Uncle Kix!” So they directed their attention to her, giving enthusiastic greetings. She gave each of them a hug and said, "Come see my history project!"

They all moved towards the kitchen, including Hunter. He looked at Wren and held up a finger as if to say, I'll just be a minute.

After just a few beats, Crosshair shifted Tulip off his lap enough that he could stand up. "I'm going to the bathroom." He gave Tech and Wrecker a meaningful look before he left.

Wren started feeling a little apprehensive. She felt the mood in the house had shifted.

Tulip asked Wrecker, "So, is there a problem between Kix and Jesse and the rest of you?"

He just said, "Nah, it was a long time ago. It's no big deal."

Wren gave Tulip a concerned look. A couple of minutes later, Crosshair came back with Hunter and Tech. Hunter sat next to Wren again and said, "I'm not sure how it's going. I could definitely feel a tension when Kix and Jesse showed up. Even with Althea. Come to find out, she knew them."

Wren's shock was evident on her face. "What? She already knew Kix and Jesse?"

"Yeah, at least she knew Kix. And I got the feeling she wasn't thrilled to see him here. I gave Echo a look before I left, making sure he was okay, and he gave me a sign that it was okay for me to leave. I hope that was the right thing for me to do."

Wren was touched by the concern he was showing Echo. He really is a good brother. He cares deeply about all his siblings. She took his hand and held it in both of hers, laying her head on his shoulder again. He took his free arm and put it around her shoulder, pulling her closer.

"So, Omega called them uncles. How's that work?" Wren asked quietly.

Hunter said, "It's just what she calls them. They're our cousins, but I guess since they're so much older than her, she prefers to call them Uncle."

"Ah, okay." She played with his hand, and he smiled even though she couldn't see it.

Wrecker spoke up. "Kickoff is close. I'll go tell everyone else." He stood and walked out of the room.

Wren placed a hand on Hunter's chest. She hid her face in his shirt, trying to hide from the tension she knew would be coming. He kissed her head, trying to reassure her.

"Oh, aren't you two adorable!" Jesse said loudly as he came into the room with Kix and Wrecker.

Wren looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Hunter quietly said, "Knock it off, Jesse."

"Oh, I'm just messin' with ya', Hunter. Take it easy, man."

Hunter squeezed Wren's hand gently. She swore she could feel his heart beat harder under her cheek. She put her hand on his thigh, to bring his attention back to her. He looked at her with a smile and nodded.

The guys all grabbed seats, and Hunter yelled to the kitchen, "Omega!" After she came to the doorway, he said, "Hey, Meg, would you go ahead and take your project back upstairs? We need the space on the table for the food."

"Sure!" the girl said cheerfully.

"Thank you," Hunter said as he smiled at her.

Wren could tell his heart had calmed down. Just seeing Omega helped ground him.

After she came back downstairs, she went to the kitchen. Wren could hear her talking to Echo and Althea, and in less than a minute, all three of them came into the living room. Omega sat between Hunter and Tech, Wrecker being on the other side of Tech. Crosshair and Tulip were still in the one chair, and Jesse and Kix were on the smaller couch that had been brought in from the garage. That left one spot on that couch, and Echo's recliner. Wren watched to see what they'd do.

She saw Althea briefly look at the couch, and Jesse and Kix separated, leaving the empty spot in between them. Oh no, Wren thought. But Echo didn't like that idea either, obviously, because he motioned to his chair and said, “Please. There’s a cup holder on the arm.” He took the can out of her hand and placed it in the holder. “It has a remote to recline, and it has heat,” he explained as she sat down.

Wren noticed the way Althea was looking up at him, and she was pleased to see it. Wren could tell she thought a lot of him. And with good reason, of course. He was such a good guy. She squeezed Hunter's thigh, and when he looked down at her, she motioned her head towards them. He followed her line of sight, and saw what was going on. He whispered to Wren, "That's nice to see." And Wren nodded without lifting her head off his chest.

After they settled, Jesse elbowed Echo. He motioned to Althea with his head. “So you calling dibs?”

Echo scowled back at him. Jesse held his fist low for a bump. “It’s all good, man. Make your move though,” he looked over at Kix who was facing the TV, but had his eyes turned to Althea.

Wren couldn't take her eyes off the group, her anxiety building.

But after a few minutes where the only sound was the game, they were saved by the bell, as the kitchen timer went off. Echo started to stand up, but Althea said, "I’ll go check the potatoes."

As she walked out, Wren saw three sets of eyes watch her go. She pulled her head back far enough to look at Hunter, and he shook his head a little bit. Then she looked Tulip's way, who was already looking her way. It was obvious they both had the same idea, so they stood.

“Wren, let’s go help Althea.” She nodded her head toward the kitchen. Wren nodded back.

Tulip quietly said something to Crosshair, and Wren said, "I'll be back," to Hunter. He nodded at her and patted her backside as she walked past. Not an obvious smack, but just a touch. She felt her face get warm, but she was pleased as Jesse and Kix raised their eyebrows at the couple. She wanted it made clear just how much she liked Hunter. And how much Hunter liked her.

When they reached the kitchen, they saw Althea looking at the potatoes in the oven, then looking around for something.

Wren said, "Let us help you."

She smiled and said, “Thanks, do you know where the oven mitts are?”

Wren was already getting a pair out of a drawer. She pulled the cookie sheet of potatoes out onto the stove, and Tulip looked through the cabinets for a platter. “These guys never put anything away in the same place twice," she sighed. Wren put the potatoes onto the platter and covered them with a clean tea towel.

Then Tulip pulled up some music on her phone, laying it on the table. She turned the volume up enough to mask their voices. Then she turned to Althea and asked, “Okay, so who all invited you here?”

Tech walked into the kitchen, heading for the chips and salsa he saw Wrecker eating. Then he noticed the three women staring at him. The look on Tulip's face made him hurry what he was doing and say, “I will just...good-bye.” He turned and left with his snacks.

Once he was out of earshot, Althea began. “Well, I met Omega and Tech at the store on Monday, and they asked me then. Then Echo asked a couple of days after that. And then Kix on Friday. I had no idea they were all related, or it was all for the same party.”

Wren and Tulip exchanged a look, before Wren said, “But Tech figured out you must be who Echo knew from work, so he didn’t really ask for himself. Hunter explained this all to me. Tech had asked him about the situation and if he should tell Echo that you were coming. But Hunter said to keep it quiet, in case it was a different Althea.”

“Wow, that’s really wild,” Tulip laughed quietly.

“And a little bit awkward,” Althea added, looking toward the living room.

They all laughed, but then Wren remembered the hot dogs hadn't been started. She pulled them out of the fridge. “Should I go get Hunter to grill these, or should we fix them in here?”

“I’ll grill them myself. It's a gas grill on the patio, right?” Tulip asked. “Follow me.”

They all three went outside.

"I don't think it's supposed to rain until a little later," Wren said as she removed the cover off the grill. Tulip fired it up with her lighter and closed the lid to let it heat up. She turned around to face Althea.

“So. Would you have said yes to the others if you hadn’t run into Tech and Omega?”

“Yes, well...maybe. I’m a little raw from my last relationship. But Echo was so sweet about it.”

“How long ago?” asked Wren.

“It’s been a year.”

“Girl, it’s time. You gotta get yourself out there,” Tulip said, and waved the tongs with her black and silver manicure at Althea. “You are too cute to keep to yourself.”

“Yeah but it...it was bad. I haven't felt I can trust anyone again.”

“You can trust these guys,” Wren said softly.

“Yeah, the whole family is solid,” Tulip agreed. She opened the grill and scrubbed the rack with the grill brush.

Wren continued, "I mean, I don't know Kix and Jesse, but I do know the rest. And Echo is such a sweetheart." Then she opened the package of hot dogs, and started laying them on the grill.

“Echo really likes you, Crosshair told me,” Tulip said.

Althea’s eyes widened. “Oh really?”

“Yeah, Hunter mentioned that Echo liked someone from the hospital. Like, really liked. But he was unsure of himself,” Wren said.

“Cross is not really crazy about Jesse and Kix.” Tulip glanced towards the house. “They are family and all adults now, but I guess they had their differences when they were younger.”

“Yeah I kind of noticed there’s like a tension between the guys in there,” Althea observed.

Wren added, “Hunter is okay with them, they’re not bad guys...they are just different." She shrugged to indicate she didn't really know herself.

“Hard to handle?” Althea asked.

“Yeah, that's a good way of putting it, especially Jesse. He’s pretty hot-headed."

“Mm-hmm, I know the type,” Althea said.

“Whatcha doin'?” Omega asked from the back door.

“Just girl time, with some hot dogs,” Tulip said in her best Jennifer Coolidge impression. Everyone laughed. Tulip moved the done hot dogs onto a plate.

Omega peeked over her shoulder and closed the door. “So, Allie, who are you picking?”

Althea choked on her drink.

“Omega…” Wren said in a very Hunter-like tone.

“We were just talking about that,” Tulip smirked.

“Well I think you’re going to have to pick soon, because the guys are starting to argue.”

“What? What did they say?” Althea asked Omega, her eyes wide.

“Well, I didn’t hear everything over the TV from where I was sitting, but when you went back to the kitchen, Jesse said something to Echo and Kix, and Echo didn't look happy. And now Jesse and Wrecker are arguing about who should ask her out, and Crosshair is joining in.”

Tulip rolled her eyes.

“Oh no,” Althea worried, looking at Wren, “I do not have the social battery for this situation.”

Wren laughed nervously before she could stop herself. “Me either, and I’m not even involved,” she said.

“What are you going to do?” asked Omega.

“What was Echo doing?” Althea wondered.

“He got up between Wrecker and Jesse.”

“They’re up? Like on their feet?” asked Tulip.

“Yeah.”

Wren could tell Althea was starting to get upset.

Tulip narrowed her eyes at the back door. “We gotta nip this in the bud."

Althea sighed, “You’re right. It's because of me, I’ve got to fix this.” Taking the tongs from Tulip, she gathered the hotdogs onto the plate and turned off the grill.

Wren's anxiety was starting to spike. She was feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

She didn't see Althea notice her face, then get Omega's attention and motion towards her. They began heading inside. Tulip held the door, Althea carried the plate with the hot dogs, and Omega put her hand on Wren's back as they went in.

She could hear loud voices coming from the living room, and it wasn't the TV. But she couldn't tell what they were saying.

But she did hear “SETTLE DOWN!” as Hunter’s voice rang out over all of them. Then there were some loud thumps and bumps.

Althea set the hot dogs down by the chili and told Wren, “Maybe stay in here with Omega." Wren was glad to hear they didn't mind if she stayed behind. She sat down at the table, her head in her hands.

Tulip and Althea left to go to the living room. Omega stayed with Wren, rubbing her back. Wren felt silly and childish. She should be the one trying to make Omega feel better, not the other way around.

They heard voices again, and she could pick Hunter's out of the mix, although she couldn't quite make out the words. Just the tone. An angry tone. He's not mad at you, remember that. Not at you. Just hearing someone she was close to sounding angry brought up some bad experiences from her past that she obviously hadn't worked through yet.

When Althea came back to the kitchen, Wren looked at her sympathetically. Althea asked, "Are you okay?"

“I’ll be alright, I just need to sit a minute,” Wren said, taking a deep breath. “But how are you doing? What’s going on out there?”

Althea glanced at Omega, “They were definitely having a disagreement, but it looked like Hunter and Echo were trying to stop the others. I’m… so sorry about this, I’ll try to fix it before I go.”

“Are you doing alright?” Tulip asked as she appeared and hovered over Wren, lightly rubbing her back.

Wren felt bad, because Althea was really the one who they needed to be focused on, but her anxiety was getting the better of her, so they were all worried about her. “Yeah I’ll be fine,” Wren smiled. “Thanks for handling things in there.”

Then she saw Althea pick up a plate as she asked, “Omega, I have an idea, but I need your help. What does Echo like?” Omega realized what she was doing, and smiled as she helped her get food Echo would enjoy.

Althea noticed Tulip's confused look and said, “This might be old fashioned, but I think it’s the best way to handle things at this point.”

Omega asked, “Are you only making a plate for Echo?”

“Yep,” Althea said, emphasizing the ‘p’. “Now, can you please go tell the guys food’s ready?”

Even though Wren was still feeling uncomfortable, she had to admire the way Althea was handing this. It was a good plan. She heard Omega holler, “Guys! Food’s ready!” Then she skipped back in, giving Allie double thumbs up.

It wasn't long before Wrecker, Jesse, and Kix walked in. They all looked sheepish and were patting each other's backs. Tech, Hunter, and Crosshair followed.

Hunter came straight to Wren as the others went for the food. He stood behind her, with his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. He rubbed very gently, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Are you okay?"

She reached up with one hand, laying it over his and said, "Yeah, fine." She gave him a smile, trying to convince him of that. Because for the most part she was. It would take a little time for her nerves to calm down all the way, she had been on high alert for too long to just chill immediately. But she was okay.

He kissed her on top of her head and said, "Good. I think most of these guys feel bad, and hopefully they will apologize shortly."

As if on cue, Echo sternly said, “Boys.” He folded his arms over his chest and looked at all of them. They all stopped and turned to face Althea, Tulip, Omega, and Wren.

Wrecker was the first to speak. “I- we are sorry, for being idiots,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Wren had already seen that gesture by almost all the brothers at one point in time. It was a family trait when they were embarrassed or nervous.

“-and upsetting you,” said Kix, looking at Althea and then at his feet.

“Yeah, sorry, ladies.” Jesse said.

They all looked at Crosshair. He glowered until he caught Tulip’s eye and mumbled a sorry, looking up at Althea briefly. Tulip went over to him, and he wrapped his arms around her and murmured something in her ear. She smiled and whispered something back to him.

“Thank you, everyone,” Althea said.

Then Wrecker tried to lighten the mood by saying, “Let’s dig in! Looks like Althea got started already!”

Althea caught up with Echo near the back of the room, saying, “I made you a plate, Echo. Omega helped me with what you like.”

Wren noticed how she looked at Echo, and the look of surprise on his face. Everyone turned and gawked at them, exchanging glances before going back to filling their plates.

Echo said quietly, "You didn't have to do this."

"Yeah, I did." She rested her hand on his briefly. Then she placed a fork on his plate, and turned around to cut the brownies and set them out on the table.

Wren quietly said, "Awww..." not realizing she said it out loud until Hunter snickered above her. She startled, looked up at him, and mouthed, "Did I say that out loud?"

He gave her a big smile and said, "Yeah, but it was really quiet. I think I was the only one to hear it." Then he leaned down and kissed her lips gently. "You're such a softie."

Althea noticed them, and could see Wren's cheeks get red. They're so darned cute.

Wren noticed Jesse and Kix shrug before continuing to fill their plates. They patted Echo on the shoulder as they headed to the living room with Wrecker, who turned and winked at Echo with a thumbs up.

Wren felt much of her tension release, as it seemed the guys were going to make an effort to get along now.

“See, I knew Allie would pick-“

“Drop it, Tech,” Hunter warned. Tech gave him a weak salute and joined the others headed to the living room.

Tulip was at the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas. She and Crosshair sat at the table and she pressed the bag to his blooming black eye.

Althea faced the table, “I’m really sorry you guys, I don't want to cause problems with your family.”

“You didn’t cause this, these guys have beef going way back. This crew can be hot-headed," Echo was quick to assure her.

“Yeah, it’s not your fault,” Hunter added. “I’m sorry your first impression of us is this,” he added, glaring at Crosshair.

“They had it coming,” Crosshair grumbled. Hunter sighed and shook his head.

Wren noticed Althea got quiet. Then Tulip and Crosshair went back into the living room.

It started to rain hard. A gust of wind slammed the screen door outside, snapping Althea out of her thoughts. “Oh, I’ll go cover the grill,” she said.

Wren watched as she went outside. Echo got up quickly and went to the hall closet to get an umbrella. He didn't say anything, just went out as well. Wren looked up at Hunter with her eyebrows raised and a smile.

After a few minutes, Jesse and Kix came back to the kitchen, throwing away their paper plates. "We're gonna head out. Where did Echo and Althea go?" Kix asked.

Hunter said, "They went out to cover the grill. I'll get them."

Wren reached for his hand, thinking maybe he shouldn't do that. But he was already at the door. He opened it a crack saying, “Echo? Jesse and Kix are leaving. Oh.” Wren saw him stop short.

“Bye, Echo!” Jesse said. He and Kix moved behind Hunter.

“Hey, Althea, if it doesn’t work out with Echo you know how to find us..." Kix said, his voice trailing off at the end.

She could see the door gently close in their faces, and all three turned around with raised eyebrows.

Hunter said, "And that's our signal to fuck off." He chuckled. Jesse and Kix grabbed their leftover beer and headed for the front door. They needed to leave to get Kix to work on time.

Hunter held his arm out to Wren and said, "Would you like to go back to the living room?"

"Yeah, that would be good." She moved next to him, leaning into his warmth as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Hunter went to the far end of the couch, and Wren sat next to him, snuggling into his side. Jesse and Kix were putting on their coats preparing to leave. Omega was up hugging them, telling them good-bye. Wren thought to herself how she was such a loving kid, it's good that she easily forgave the mess that went down just a little bit before. Everyone seemed over it now.

They said their good-byes to everyone. Wren waved at them, while Hunter told them good night. Crosshair just gave them a dirty look, and Jesse gave him one back. "Love you too, Crosshair," he called. Everyone laughed as they went out the door.

Then she could hear Echo and Althea come back into the kitchen. Echo came to the living room doorway and said, “Wrecker throw me that blanket.” He pointed at the throw blanket draped over the back of the chair. Wrecker pulled it out from behind him and threw it to Echo.

After he went back to the kitchen, she could hear some quiet mumbles, and she got a big smile on her face thinking of Allie and Echo enjoying their alone time.

Hunter asked her if she wanted anything from the kitchen, saying he was going to get a soda. But she just shook her head. "No, I'm fine." He removed his arm from around her shoulders and slowly got up, giving her knee a little squeeze as he went. She felt herself get warm, pleased with his little displays of affection. It wasn't so much that it was all that noticeable to everyone else. But she felt really good that he wanted to remind her how he felt.

She could hear the sounds of Hunter and Echo talking, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She was proud of what a good brother Hunter was. He really cared about all of his siblings.

It wasn't long before he was back, with Echo following.

“You’re welcome,” Crosshair deadpanned.

“For what?” Echo asked, annoyed.

“I told those two idiots to leave.”

“Oh I was wondering why they left," Echo responded.

Tech spoke up. “Kix had a shift coming up, and Jesse had to drop him off before they had anything more to drink."

“Well, I did tell them to leave, anyway,” Crosshair grumped. Tulip smiled, put her arm around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

Wren had to smile at his behavior, now that it was all said and done, and the worst of the tension was over. Then she asked, "Where’s Althea?”

“In the bathroom,” Hunter said as he sat next to her, taking her hand. Wren rested her head on his shoulder. “Do you need to lay down?” he asked.

“I thought about doing that earlier, but I’m okay now,” she said with a squeeze of his hand.

Echo kept glancing toward the kitchen and bathroom and started fidgeting. Wren noticed him and could tell he was concerned. As the minutes ticked by and a few commercials played, Wren found herself more distracted.

She got up and walked towards the bathroom. Tulip followed.

Wren stood at the door for a few moments, trying not to invade Althea's privacy, but also trying to make sure she was okay. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but are you alright?” she asked.

Althea opened the door. “Yeah I’m better now, sorry to hog the bathroom. Sorry for all the drama.”

“Oh it’s alright. We just wanted to check on you, not use the bathroom. There’s another one upstairs anyway,” Wren assured her.

“Totally not your fault, those guys really did have that coming.” Tulip reached out and gave Althea’s hand a squeeze.

Wren could tell she'd been crying, but it looked like maybe she was perking up a little bit. Probably now that Jesse and Kix were gone.

“You’ll be okay,” Wren said. "All the guys here totally support you and Echo. And we know he will be good to you. Come out and sit with us. Did you get any food?”

“I really didn’t intend to stay this long and need to get home,” Althea worried.

“At least watch halftime with us, I’m sure it will be as awful as every other Super Bowl,” said Tulip with a chuckle.

Althea laughed, “Okay, just halftime should be okay.” They walked towards the kitchen where Wrecker, Omega, and Tech were hovering over the brownies.

“You brought the brownies?” Wrecker said to Althea, “Aww, they’re so good, thanks!” He had a big smile on his face and a few crumbs around his mouth. Wren couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. She truly loved Wrecker and always felt better when he was around.

“Yes, they are rather good,” Tech agreed.

“Fankooo,” Omega said through a mouthful. They each grabbed another.

“You are welcome,” Althea said with a genuine smile. “And thank you for having me over.”

"Are you leaving?” asked Wrecker.

“Not yet,” she said, hanging her bag on the back of a chair. "I’ll stay through halftime, but I have so much homework to finish.”

“Oh, I’m glad I don’t have homework anymore, don't miss that at all!” Wrecker commiserated.

“Would you like something to eat?” Wren asked.

“Thank you, but I'll just finish my drink, I think. I’m too all over the place to think about eating.”

“I totally get that,” Wren said.

They walked back into the living room. Wren took her seat next to Hunter at the far end of the couch. Omega sat next to her. Echo was seated at the opposite end, and when he saw Althea walk in, he started to get up, intent on giving her his seat. But she motioned him to stay.

“Thank you, Echo. I’ll sit right here, so I’m next to you and Omega, I think.” She gave him a sweet smile as Omega beamed at her. Wren saw her put her hand in Echo's, and she couldn't help but smile. She kept her "awww" to herself this time.

She saw Crosshair turn his head to look, and he said, “Well, well, well, look at that. The matchmaker in all her glory between her handiwork.”

Hunter reached behind Wren to ruffle Omega’s hair, but gently so she wouldn't be annoyed with him.

Althea turned Wren's direction. “Oh?”

Wren blushed, “Well, she really worked hard on us,” she said, squeezing Hunter’s hand.

Tech cleared his throat where he was stretched out on the garage couch, “Ahem.”

“Oh sorry, Tech,” said Omega, “I guess you did help this week,” she teased.

Tech scoffed in mock offense.

Althea patted Omega's hand, then looked at Echo. “Thank you, Tech,” she said without looking away.

“Get a room,” Crosshair scoffed. Tulip elbowed him in the ribs, and he grinned devilishly, tickling her, making her squeal.

Wren felt such a warm comfortable feeling with this group. She felt like she belonged to the family now, and it pleased her more than she could say.

"How are you doin'?" Hunter asked as he patted her knee, leaving his hand there after a gentle squeeze.

"I'm okay," she quietly said with a small smile. She looked into his eyes and could see concern. "Really, I'm fine." She laid her hand on top of his and gave it a little squeeze. "By the way, those chili cheese dogs were amazing. Your chili is so good!"

"Well, you know, fine gourmet cuisine around our house." He winked at her as she quietly laughed.

But then she heard Althea sneeze. Once. Twice. Three times. She said, "Wow, I don't know what's come over me," as she took a Kleenex from a box Tech offered her. “But my throat is feeling scratchy too. I think I’d better get going.”

“Awww,” Omega protested, “Can’t you stay for the whole game?”

“I’m sorry sweetie, I promise I’ll be back another time. I don't want to be sneezing around all of you just in case I've come down with something."

Wren patted Omega on the leg to let her know they shouldn't make Althea feel bad for needing to leave.

Echo stood and put his hand on the small of her back. “Are you okay to drive? One of us can take you home if you need, and another can drive your car.”

“I’m fine to drive right now, but want to get home before I feel any worse,” she replied.

“Please eat something at least,” he said. His caring and concern for her was evident, and Wren could tell how enamored he was with her.

“I’ll take some with me, I think,” she said as he steered her to the kitchen.

After watching them walk out, Wren turned to Hunter. "I have a really good feeling about them."

He chuckled, saying, "Oh listen to you being the matchmaker now."

"No, that's not what it is." But she quietly laughed. "I wasn't the one who matched, but I can admit the match seems like a good one." She bumped her shoulder into his side playfully.

He kissed her temple and said, "Well, I happen to agree. But we'll see what happens."

She nodded. "Yes, we will." Then she laid her head on his shoulder, turning back to the TV.

Before too long, Echo and Althea came back from the kitchen. He got her coat and umbrella for her, helping her into the coat. Omega was up in a flash, hurrying to hug Althea.

“Thank you for coming over, I’m so glad you picked Echo," Omega said happily.

“Omega...“ Hunter began.

Althea held up her hand. “It’s okay, Hunter,” she said with a small laugh and knelt down to give Omega a proper hug. “I am so happy that I get to see you more, along with Echo. I feel very lucky.” Althea stood back up, “Good bye, everyone, see you soon hopefully. Thank you, ladies,” she added, looking at Wren and Tulip.

Wren gave her a genuinely happy smile and waved. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Althea walked out with Echo close behind.

Tulip turned to look at Wren and gave her a thumbs up. Wren returned the gesture. Crosshair saw and scoffed. "You two..."

"What?!" Tulip responded. "We're just excited for Echo. You should be too." She poked him in the side.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." But he had trouble hiding his grin.

Wren took a deep breath and let it out quietly.

Hunter gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure you're okay? That was a lot."

"Yeah, that was definitely a lot. But yeah, I'm fine. I just feel bad for Allie. That was messy."

Hunter noticed her worried look.

"She'll be okay. Echo walked her out. I'm sure he'll smooth things over." He got a mischievous grin on his face and bumped her shoulder.

She looked up at him with a chuckle and whispered, "You're bad." She bumped his shoulder back. He chuckled also, then put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer. She laid her head on his chest again. It was a nice pillow.

As Hunter looked up he realized where Omega was standing...

"Omega!" He used his stern dad voice, and Wren startled. So did Omega as she whipped her head around from where she'd been looking out the window. He had been focused on Wren, so didn't see when Omega got up and walked over to the window to watch Echo and Althea outside. "Get away from there." His tone had softened, but she knew there was no room for argument.

"Well, I just wanted to see what happened." Omega looked sufficiently chastised and came to sit back on the couch. She had a small pout on her face.

Wren looked at her with a sympathetic smile as she reached over and patted her leg.

Hunter quietly said, "I know you don't mean any harm. But that was a private moment between them. We should let them have that."

"How can it be private when they're on our front porch," she grumbled.

Oh, well, she did have a point, Wren thought. But still, she knew Hunter was right.

"Well, for one, they're out there in the dark, so it's not like they expect for the neighbors or people driving by to even notice them. And secondly, he's our brother, so we should give him the respect we would want in that situation. Okay? I'm not mad, I just didn't want you staying up there watching them. That's all." He patted her leg, and asked, "Okay?"

"Yeah, I know you're right. I just got excited." She still seemed a little quiet.

Then they heard voices out front, and Omega perked up and said, "Is that Trace?"

Wren said, "Who's Trace?" Another new person she was going to meet?!

"Trace is Echo's friend from the hospital. He's in a wheelchair, so he comes in the back where we've put in a ramp," Omega explained.

"Ah, I noticed the ramp out there but hadn't had a chance to ask about it yet."

"Yeah, we did that not long ago. Trace is a good guy, you'll like him." Hunter smiled at Wren, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Then he gave her a quick kiss, reassuring her. "You're doing great," he whispered.

She sighed, but gave him a small smile. "Thanks, I'm really trying." He kissed her again, and she leaned against him.

They heard the back door open, and Omega jumped up and hurried away. "Hi, Trace!" they could hear her say.

"Hey, Omega!"

"Well, she's over that little lecture already, Dad." Wren gave Hunter a smile, and he looked at her suddenly, as if he wasn't sure what she'd said.

"What did you say?" he asked quietly.

"I said, she seems to be over that lecture already, Dad." Wren lightly patted his leg and squeezed.

He got a big smile on his face. "Dad, huh?"

"Yeah, that was a Dad lecture if I've ever heard one." But then she paused. "Does that bother you? I didn't mean to insinuate anything-"

"No!" he interrupted her. "No, that's okay. I kinda like that."

Wren could have sworn she saw a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"You do a really good job with her, Hunter. It's not easy to tell them stuff like that, but you're doing what's right for her. I've seen you become more of a parent in just the short time I've been hanging around your family. It's very sweet."

He had taken her hand in his and was running his thumb along the back of hers. "Thanks." He bent his head down and kissed her cheek.

"Mm-mmm," she happily sighed, snuggling even closer to him.

She heard Omega trying to fill Trace in on everything that happened that day in one breath. She had to laugh at the girl's excitement.

"I don't know if she's going to be able to get to sleep tonight."

"I hear that. And Fox and Wolffe still haven't come by yet. That will add even more excitement. We'll never get her to calm down." He laughed quietly and squeezed Wren's shoulders.

Taglist: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)

@transactivecybermemory, @griffedeloup, @eclec-tech

@lightwise, @votedprettybythecommittee, @totallyunidentified, @indigofyrebird

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@youreababboon, @merkitty49, @noblelightfighter, @chaicilatte

But he did. It was quick. He said they were playing Uno...the whole family...even Crosshair, because he had the night off. But it was between hands, and they were getting snacks. So she told him she was fine, just relaxing, doing some laundry. He told her to sleep well, and that was pretty much the extent of it.

Except for the heart. He'd used smiley face emojis now and then in previous texts, but that was all. But when he told her good night, he ended with a heart. She didn't want to read too much into that, but she couldn't help the warm and comforting feeling that came over her. She wasn't sure she should send one back, because it might look like she did it just because he did. But she didn't want to not send one and make it seem like she didn't "heart" him.

In the end, she sent one as well, and hoped he was okay with that.

Of course, what she couldn't see, was the huge smile on Hunter's face when he saw it. But everyone at the table saw.

"Watcha' smilin' at, Hunter?" Wrecker asked.

"Are you sending love notes over there? I think I'm going to be sick," was Crosshair's brotherly contribution.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "They aren't love notes. I just asked how she was doing and said good night. That's all. Deal the cards, Cross."

The other guys snickered and chuckled. Omega patted Hunter's arm and whispered, "I think that's a very nice thing to do, Hunter. She might be too shy to do it on her own."

He patted the hand she'd laid on his arm and said, "Thanks, Meg." He winked at her before going back to his cards.

Everyone let it go for the rest of the evening.

The next day, Sunday, Wren decided she would initiate contact. She could do it. He texted her the night before. She could do it this time.

It was in the afternoon, and she just asked how he was doing.

It was about five minutes before he responded, and she started getting worried that she WAS bothering him. (She really needed to work on that.) But he said he had taken a late shower so was in the bathroom. So again they just exchanged a few sentences. She wanted to end it with a heart again, but she also didn't want him to feel like he always had to do that now, just because he did once. So instead she ended with a smiley face with three little hearts around it. And he responded with a winky face, and she was glad he couldn't hear her silly giggle.

On Monday after school, Omega and some friends were at the library studying. Before she left, she stopped and talked to Wren for a little bit. She told her about a history project she needed to do, and how it included building a model or diorama of some sort. The kind of thing Wren hated in school, because she always felt like she would mess it up. She didn't have one creative bone in her body.

But then Omega changed topics to the weekend. "So, you'll be at our house for the party Sunday, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

Omega gave her a big smile and clapped quietly but excitedly. "Good!"

She left and Wren tried to feel as excited as the girl. Yes, there would be some new people there, but it would still be in a familiar place with quite a few familiar people. And Hunter would be there with her. She'd be okay, she kept telling herself.

That night, Hunter texted.

H: Hey, would you want to grab lunch some time this week?

W: Sure! What day?

H: Whatever works best for you. I can do any day.

W: Okay, how about Wednesday? We have an extra person here that day.

H: Sounds good. Did you want to go to that sandwich shop again?

W: Yeah, that sounds good!

H: Okay, cool. I'll stop by around 11:45 and we can walk over together.

W: Perfect. Thanks, Hunter!

Hunter had to chuckle at her thanking him, like he was doing her a favor. This is for him as much as for her. It had already been two days since he'd seen her. He didn't want to have to wait all the way until Sunday.

H: My pleasure. ❤

When Wednesday at 11:45 came, Wren heard the front door open. He's certainly punctual. She liked that.

She waved at him and got her purse out of her drawer. He waited off to the side for her. He saw Amanda in the back, so he waved at her too. She gave him a big smile and wave and called, "Have a good lunch, you two!"

Wren waved and walked towards the door. He held it for her, and they started their short walk.

"Hi," he said, looking at her.

"Hi!" she responded as she looked at him. "Good to see you." She looked away, and they continued across the street.

"Very good to see you." He leaned down a bit so he could look into her eyes. She looked at him and smiled. Then she reached up and wrapped her hand around his elbow and leaned closer to him. He bent his arm and brought his other hand over to lay on hers. They walked the remainder of the short distance in a pleasant and peaceful silence.

After they'd gotten their food and were sitting, beginning to eat, she asked how his family was.

"Pretty good. Not much different than the last time you saw them. Oh, except Omega has been working on a history project."

"Oh yeah, she told me about that when she was in the library on Monday."

"Yeah, our table has been weighed down with her craft supplies a little too much for Echo's taste." They laughed quietly. "Oh, and speaking of Echo..."

He paused for effect.

She looked at him expectantly and said, "What? What about Echo?"

"Well, it seems a girl has caught his eye."

"Ooooh, really? Where? Does he work with her?" Wren was all-in on the story immediately. She really did adore Echo, and she'd love for him to be with someone who would make him happy.

"Sort of. The way I understand it, she works for a delivery service that delivers stuff to hospitals and clinics. And he's seen her around the VA hospital the past couple of weeks. We'd noticed he'd recently been there more, but just assumed he was picking up more hours. Crosshair is the only one who even thought about a girl. And he was right."

"Oh, this is fun!"

"Yeah, but he's struggling a little bit."

"Oh no, why?" Wren's concern was evident on her face. Hunter loved how empathetic she was.

"Well, his self-confidence is a little lacking when it comes to women. He has confidence about everything else, he knows he's strong and smart and kind. But he doesn't think a woman would be interested in him, because of, you know, his missing limbs and prosthetics."

"Oh no! I'm sure there are a lot of women who wouldn't let that dissuade them at all! He's so handsome. And that voice!"

Hunter's eyebrows shot up, and he smiled a wicked smile. She knew she was in for it.

"Oh, so you think Echo is handsome? And you find his voice...what...sexy?"

She could tell he was teasing, but she still felt the need to explain.

"Well, first of all, Hunter. He looks a lot like you, so of course I think he's handsome." She blushed and looked away after saying that. "And his voice is very nice, yes. It doesn't quite do what your voice does for me, but it's nice. I'm sure many other people would find it very attractive."

He chuckled deeply and put his hand on hers. "I'm just teasing you. But you're right, he has a lot going for him. He just needs to believe it. But that's not the end of the story. It gets a little crazy."

Her eyes got wide, and she leaned in as if listening even closer.

"Crazy? How?"

"Okay, so Omega and Tech went to get her some craft supplies Monday evening. When they got back, she was excited about a new girl she met at the store, Allie. I just assumed it was someone her age. She said Tech had invited her to the party, so she could see Omega's finished project. But then after Omega left the room, Tech told me that Allie is actually Althea, and she's an adult. And Althea just happens to be the name of the woman Echo was crushing on. So when Tech got home, he went online and searched the company name from Allie's jacket. And sure enough, it's a medical courier company. It would be pretty surprising if there were two Altheas working for medical courier companies in this area. So we assume it is 'Echo's Althea.'"

"And so she's going to be at the party Sunday? And you guys told Echo, I assume? What was his reaction?!" She was getting more excited, even if it was another new person to meet. This one would be worth it if it meant Echo could have someone there with him.

"Noooo, not yet. We decided it would be best to hold off saying anything to him. Just in case it's not her. Or just in case she doesn't end up coming. Or, and this was my thought, just in case she's coming to see Tech, since he is the one who asked her. We wouldn't want him getting his hopes up."

"Oh yeah, I can see your point. Oh wow, this is going to be fun! I hope. It surely won't go badly!" It didn't take her long to start worrying about it instead of being excited. She was a champion worrier.

"It won't go badly, I'm sure of that. No matter what happens, it will be fine." He reached over and patted her hand again.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." She smiled at him. "I really hope things can work out for Echo and her. That would be so nice."

"It would. He really deserves some extra good stuff. He's such a good guy. And he's been through too much shit."

She tilted her head a bit as she looked at him. He was studying their hands very intently. She said, "You're a good brother," giving him a small smile.

He looked up at her and returned the smile. "Well, he's a good brother too. He's been very supportive of me and you. I'd like to be able to return the favor."

They looked at each other for a few more moments. Wren realized she was starting to feel a little more comfortable with that. Then she said, "Well, I'd better get back."

"Oh shit, yeah, me too. Time flies."

When they got back to the library, they said their good-byes outside. He said, "Hug?"

She nodded, and opened her arms as he did the same. It was a quick hug, but it was enough to last her until she saw him again. Which would be Sunday. She felt his warmth through his flannel shirt and soaked up as much as she could in a few seconds.

"Bye, Hunter. Thanks for lunch."

"My pleasure." He took her hand before turning away, and gave it a squeeze.

She opened the door, smiled, waved, and was gone.

She didn't want Hunter to feel like he had to text or call her every day. As much as she would like to talk to him daily, she didn't want to be a pest. But she didn't know how to tell him that. If she told him he doesn't have to every day, would he be upset, like she didn't want him to. Or what if he wasn't planning on it, but then hearing her say that made him think she thought he should. Then would he feel bad that he didn't want to.

This is why she had never been in a relationship. Well, one of the reasons. The reason she would run if anyone showed the least bit of interest, because she didn't now how to behave!

She would just wait. If he didn't, then she would know he didn't want to every day. He surely wouldn't feel disappointed that she didn't, because he knew how she was. He might assume she didn't want to bother him. Okay, yeah, she would just wait.

So she didn't hear from him Wednesday night, but she'd just seen him at lunch.

Then Thursday night came, and she wasn't going to reach out. And she thought maybe he wouldn't. It was 8:30, surely he wouldn't at that point.

But then she heard her phone. And she looked.

H: Hey, how are you?

W: I'm good. You?

H: Yeah, me too. Just a little tired. I've been helping Omega with her history project. She's doing most of it, I'm just supervising a little. And Tech is helping with some parts too.

Oh, so maybe that's why it's later. He was busy with Omega. Of course.

W: A family project. You guys are good brothers.

H: Well, we try.

She didn't know what to say back. After another minute:

H: I know it's getting late, so I don't want to keep you. I just wanted to check in. I hope that's okay.

W: Yeah, you can check in whenever you want. Just know, if I don't reach out, it's just because I don't want to bother you. In case you need a break.

H: Wren, I thought we sorted this out...you don't bother me. Ever. You can text me, or call, anytime, and if I'm available, I'll respond or pick up. I'm not going to get tired of you, I promise.

W: I know that in my brain. It's just hard.

H: I know. Hopefully it will get easier the more I tell you. It's okay if you want to text me every day. It's okay if you don't. Whatever you want. Okay?

W: Okay. Thanks.

H: Good. I guess I'd better go, I'm pretty beat. But hey, can I call you real quick. I'd just like to hear your voice.

She felt her face get warm.

W: Sure, go ahead.

About thirty seconds later her phone rang. She answered, "Hello?"

"Hi."

He sounded so good. She had to admit, she liked hearing his voice on the phone. Texting was easier, but getting to hear him was nice too.

"Hi," she replied. "So, you wanted to hear my voice?"

"Yeah, I did. It calms me, will help me sleep."

"Really? Are you in bed?" She didn't imagine he would be in bed at that time.

"Yeah, I was really tired after I got done helping Meg. I just came on to bed. I thought maybe I could just go to sleep, but then I thought about you, so texted. And then I thought that would be enough. But it wasn't."

"That's very sweet. I'm glad I can help you sleep."

"Yeah," he said as he yawned.

"Was that a yawn?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it was. Sorry." He sounded apologetic.

"No! Don't apologize. You're tired, you need to sleep."

"Yeah, I think I can now. Since I talked to you. Thanks, Wren." He was sounding sleepier.

"You're welcome, Hunter. You'd better hang up before you fall asleep. Sleep tight."

"Okay...thanks...g'night." He was mumbling more.

She whispered, "Good night." The call ended. She sat there, holding her phone to her chest, thinking how happy she was.

He wanted to hear her voice, because it calms him. She wasn't sure if she would be able to sleep now, knowing that. But even if she couldn't sleep, she would have something wonderful to think about.

On Sunday, Wren got to Hunter's house early in the afternoon. Tulip was already there with Crosshair. Other than her, it was just the family who lived there. Omega was excited to see her and wanted to take her upstairs immediately to show her the history project. Wren saw Hunter in the kitchen and just waved on her way up the stairs. He smiled and waved back.

Omega had done a really good job on the project, so Wren was sure to let her know how neat she thought it was. When they got back downstairs, they went into the kitchen.

Hunter was at the stove, stirring something in a big pot. She went over to him and peeked inside. It smelled delicious.

"Oh, chili? It smells amazing!" She put her arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too."

He looked around to see who else was in the kitchen with them. Only Omega, who grabbed a drink out of the fridge and said, "I'm going into the living room. Be sure to come in, Wren!" But then she left them alone.

Wren was leaning against the counter. "Can I do something to help?"

"Nah, we've got it taken care of for now. I just needed to check this." He looked around again. "Also, we still haven't told Echo that Althea is coming. When she gets here, I'm going to try to make sure he is elsewhere. He'll probably be here in the kitchen. I don't want him to realize she's here in front of everyone else. It might make him uncomfortable. Then hopefully we can work it so they have some time alone to talk before the other guys get here. Kix and Jesse will be here not long after probably."

Wren made a small groan.

Hunter chuckled, "They'll be okay. I think. I hope. I've asked Crosshair and Wrecker to behave. They're the ones with the biggest beef. It's been long enough they all need to get over it."

"Get over what?"

"It was just a girl from a long time ago. And Wrecker and Jesse got into a fight about her. Water under the bridge, I hope."

"Oh my..." Wren sounded concerned.

He set his big spoon down and said, "Come here."

He held his arms out to her, and she gladly walked into them. She put her arms around his waist, and her head on his shoulder. He started rubbing his hands up and down her back soothingly. She felt like she could stand there all day.

"It'll be okay. And if it's not, you can go in my room, or up to Omega's. Somewhere you can get away from them for a little while. And if it's too bad, I'll tell 'em to get the fuck out." He chuckled.

"You can do that?" She smiled at his tough guy talk.

"Hell yeah, I can do that. I'm the MFIC around here."

She pulled back a little and looked at him, confused.

He gave her a dazzling smile and said, "The motherfucker in charge."

She laughed quietly. "Oh, wow! I see!"

"I outrank most of 'em. Jesse was a lieutenant by the time he got out, but this is my house, not his." Then he kissed her on the temple, and pressed his forehead against hers. "It will be okay, I promise. I will make it okay. You can trust me."

"I know I can. Thank you." She looked towards the doorway quickly, then back to him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh, that's not all I get, is it?" He gave her a mischievous grin.

"What more do you want, Sergeant?" She bit her lip, and he had to stifle the groan he felt bubbling up in his throat.

"Oh, you're treading in dangerous waters, missy." He leaned closer and gave her a proper kiss. He could feel her smile against his lips.

He broke the kiss as quickly as he could, because he heard footsteps coming from the living room. She backed away and went to the fridge to get herself a soda.

"I'll head on in."

"Okay, I was sitting down at the far end of the couch, if you want to meet me there."

She smiled at him and said, "Of course."

He winked at her, and she felt her breath catch as she turned and walked away. Someday maybe she'd be able to see him do something like that without feeling faint, but today wasn't that day. She met Tulip and Crosshair in the hall.

"Hey, girl," Tulip said and gave Wren a hug.

"Hi, Tulip. Good to see you again." She looked at Crosshair with a smile and a nod. He just nodded back.

They went on to the kitchen, and she could hear them talking to Hunter. She went on in the living room. She could tell where Hunter had been sitting at the far end, so she took his spot, setting her soda on the end table.

When he came in, he sat next to her, patting her knee and giving her a smile. Everyone else came in to watch the remainder of the pre-game show, which was finally winding down. This stuff went on all day it seemed.

It just so happened Echo was in the bathroom when Omega said, "She's here!" from the window she'd been looking out.

At some point, Hunter had started holding Wren's hand, gently rubbing circles on the back with his thumb. He gave it a squeeze and kissed the side of her head. “You okay if I go run some interference?” he said into her hair.

She knew he was pretty sure it was going to be the same Althea, so he wanted to be able to keep Echo in the other room, so he wasn't surprised in front of everyone, and they could have their first meeting with less eyes on them.

Wren took a deep breath, “Yeah I’m dying to see how this plays out. I’m okay, go,” she whispered.

As Hunter got up, she noticed him look at Tech who nodded back. Wrecker was paying attention to the show, but Wren could tell Crosshair noticed what happened between Hunter and Tech, and he looked suspicious.

She could hear Hunter say to Echo in the hallway, “Echo, can you help me in the kitchen? I just want your opinion on the chili.” She heard Echo's response of, "Sure."

Omega threw the door open after the first knock. "You came!" she said excitedly.

Wren couldn't see Althea yet, but she heard her say, “Of course, sweetie." She sounded really pleasant and glad to be there. Not awkward like Wren would have been walking into a house full of mostly strangers.

Omega continued, “Come in and meet everyone!”

Wren got her first glimpse of "Echo's Althea", and was struck by how lovely she was. She thought, Oh good for you, Echo.

Then Tech held out his hands to her. “Thank you for coming, can I take your things?”

“Thank you, Tech,” she replied, handing him her jacket and umbrella.

Then Omega took over again, saying, “This is Allie, everyone. This is my brother Wrecker, that’s my brother Crosshair and his girlfriend, Tulip, and this is Wren.”

Wren saw her look around at all of them, and she tried to give her a reassuring smile, because she knew how she would feel in her place. Although she looked more at ease than Wren still felt there sometimes. She wasn't sure if her smile came across as reassuring or just uncomfortable. She hoped the former.

“Its nice to meet you all.” Her voice sounded strong and confident, and Wren was envious of someone being able to act like that around a group of strangers. She was impressed.

But then she saw Wrecker and Crosshair look at each other. “We thought you’d be a kid like Omega,” Wrecker laughed.

“Oh?” she looked at Tech.

“What did you say your name was?” asked Crosshair.

“I’m Althea, but Omega calls me Allie,” she smiled at Omega.

Wren studied everyone's faces, trying to gauge how they were all feeling. She absorbed everyone's emotions, and would feel uncomfortable if she thought others around her were. But Althea, or Allie, still seemed calm. Tech seemed a bit uneasy, and Crosshair was suspicious as always. But Wrecker had a big smile on his face about the whole thing. Wren tried to catch Tulip's eye, and when she did she raised an eyebrow at her. Tulip returned the gesture.

Wrecker and Crosshair looked at each other, and Wrecker started to say something, but then he saw Tech give him the "zip your lip" signal over Althea's head, so he stopped.

“Ohhhh...are those brownies??” Omega asked

“Yep, just made them this morning.”

“And they have the team colors, look Tech. Let’s take them back to the kitchen, you can meet my other brothers, and get a snack. We’re having a baked potato bar and hot dogs.” Omega tugged gently on Althea’s arm.

“Oh? There's more brothers?” Althea asked, giving the other women a surprised look as she turned and followed Omega towards the back of the house.

That made Wren and Tulip both smile and chuckle. I like her, Wren thought, and she nodded at Tulip, who nodded back at her.

Crosshair gave them both a look and said, "What's going on with you two?"

Wren said quietly, "Nothing." She stood, putting her finger to her lips as if telling him to be quiet. He raised his eyebrows at her and looked at Tulip offended.

"Did you see that? She shushed me!"

Tulip giggled. "Well she is a librarian."

Wrecker laughed at that too. He was half watching the TV and half watching what was going on with the others.

Wren smiled at Tulip as she tried to get closer to the doorway without being noticed. She was trying to overhear what was being said in the kitchen.

She easily heard Omega's voice. “These are my brothers, Hunter and Echo.”

Echo was quieter, but she could still hear him say, “Althea?”

Then Althea also sounded surprised. “Echo, what?- are you?-“

Well, Wren felt this was definitely confirmation that this Althea/Allie is definitely "Echo's Althea" from the hospital. She could feel herself getting excited, and she looked at Crosshair, Tulip, and Wrecker with a big smile.

They looked at her with puzzled looks, but she held up a finger to say, hang on just a second.

And then she listened more. She'd inched even closer to the doorway, trying to catch what everyone was saying.

She heard, “Do you know each other?” from Omega.

Then Hunter's voice, "Nice to meet you finally, Althea." Wren wasn't embarrassed to admit she got a chill at hearing Hunter's voice like that.

And then Althea's voice saying, “Thank you, Hunter, nice to meet you, too.”

By this time, Tulip had stood up closer to Wren and whispered, "What's going on?"

Wren took a few steps back and said, "Tech suspected that the Althea him and Omega met shopping the other night was the same Althea Echo had mentioned seeing at the hospital. That's why he invited her to the party."

Crosshair said, "That sneaky bastard! No one told me!"

"Me either!" Wrecker said incredulously.

"Well, Tech and Hunter didn't want to say much, just in case it was a different person. Or in case she was coming to see Tech instead."

Tulip said, "Oooh, this is fun!" Her and Wren quietly laughed together while Crosshair rolled his eyes at Wrecker. Wrecker had a big smile on his face.

Then Wren noticed it was quiet and she heard footsteps coming their way. She hurried over to the couch and Tulip plopped back on Crosshair's lap, bringing an "Oomph" out of him.

Hunter was herding Tech and Omega into the room. Tech took his seat again, but Omega said, "But I want to show her my project!"

"Just give it a few minutes, Meg, then you can. Echo and Althea know each other, so let's give them a few minutes to talk."

Omega said, "Okay, I suppose." But she had a slight pout. He gave her a hug before sitting next to Wren again on the couch.

Wren quietly said, "So, I guess it is the same Althea?"

He looked at her with a smile and said, "Seems like it. You should have seen Echo's face. He was so shocked. But then I could tell he was happy she was there. And she seemed very happy to see him too."

"I do believe my plan has worked," Tech said smugly.

"What plan?" Wrecker asked loudly. But everyone shushed him. His eyes got big.

"We will tell you, Wrecker. But let's keep it down. I don't want Echo to know yet."

Wrecker nodded. And Tech began telling him what he'd deduced after meeting Althea with Omega the other night. He said they didn't want to say anything until they knew for sure.

Omega said, "So Echo and Althea knew each other before today?"

Hunter patted her leg and said, "Yeah, they'd met at the hospital."

"Oh, that's cool!" Wren didn't think Omega was understanding the full weight of the story, not realizing how Echo felt about Althea, but it wasn't necessary to go into that now. Then Omega said, "I'm going to get my project and bring it down to show Althea and Uncle Jesse and Uncle Kix when they get here. Is that okay, Hunter?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah, go ahead."

She jumped up and bounded to the stairs. Everyone looked at him, and he said, "They've had enough alone time. We weren't going to keep her away for much longer. She's too excited."

Everyone agreed. They could hear her noisily coming down the stairs with the project bumping into the wall now and then. Hunter shook his head and said, "She'll be lucky if that thing survives until she gets it to school, the way she's going."

Wren giggled and put her head on his shoulder. "She's very excited."

They could hear Omega talking about her project with Althea, and then they heard the doorbell ring again.

Hunter said quietly, "That would be Kix and Jesse, I'm sure." Then to the rest of the room he said, "Okay, everyone, we're going to behave, right? This is a nice fun family night. No fighting or arguing or dredging up the past, yeah?" He mainly looked at Wrecker and Crosshair.

They both looked innocently at their older brother, "Of course," Wrecker said. "No problems from me," Crosshair added.

Wren could see the skepticism on Hunter's face, but he went to the door anyway. "Hey, guys, come on in."

Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)

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But Wren had an effect on him that no one ever had before. He knew. He knew she was the one.

He certainly wouldn't tell anyone that right now. Not his brothers or Omega, and definitely not Wren. He didn't want to scare her more than she already was. But yeah, he really felt like she was it. There was no reason to consider other women, or wonder if there was someone better out there. Because he knew there couldn't be.

He couldn't explain what it was about her that made him think that. But for one, she was good. She was a really good person. And he admired that more than anything. She was kind. And caring. She had a huge heart. She was empathetic, almost to a fault. She would sometimes make herself sick feeling bad for someone else. And she would never hurt someone on purpose. She couldn't.

What more could a person ask for in a partner?

Was she as pretty as some other women? No. But she was cute. And he could look at her all day and not get tired of her face. It was interesting. The little bump on the bridge of her nose. Her lopsided smile. How her face was kind of wide and squarish with prominent cheekbones. And her green eyes.

He looked forward to the day when she would be able to focus those eyes onto his for longer than a few seconds, because he really enjoyed getting a peek. A peek at the person inside of her wanting to come out. The person who wasn't scared of him or what was happening between them. She was in there. It was just going to take a little more time. He would catch glimpses of her now and then, before she'd run back inside to hide.

It had been a couple of hours since they'd left, so he assumed they'd be back any minute. He was trying not to pace or look out the window. He didn't want to hear the shit his brothers would give him about it.

He wasn't worried. He was just a little concerned about her. She'd looked pretty scared when she said she would go with Tulip and Omega. He was really proud of her for doing it though. He wanted to tell her that without making too big of a deal about it. But he knew how hard stuff like that was for her. He knew all too well.

He heard a car pull into the driveway, and when he looked out the window, he saw it was Tulip's. He watched as Omega was the first out. Wren was slower, but she looked okay. No worse for the wear. She had a small smile on her face, and seemed to be listening to something Omega was saying.

He walked out onto the porch to wait for them. Tulip said, before she'd even reached him, "I've returned her, Hunter. You can stop worrying." But he saw her smile and knew she was just teasing.

"I wasn't worried, Tulip. I just happened to be walking past the window when you pulled up." He held out his arms to Wren who walked into them for a hug. He said quietly, "How are you? You're smiling, so you had a good time?"

"She had a great time, Hunter. And I got my homework done!" Omega said as she walked into the house after Tulip.

Hunter smiled at Omega before looking more closely at Wren. She said, "Were you worried about me?"

He didn't want to come across as too overprotective, so he just said, "I wasn't worried. Just a little concerned, because I wasn't sure how you would like being with Tulip for that long, since you don't know her very well." Then he kissed her forehead trying to convey how much he cared, but yet also that he trusted her and knew she could take care of herself.

She smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. "Well, I did have a good time. Tulip is very nice. I'm surprised she wants to be with Crosshair," she said with a smirk.

He smiled at that. "Yeah, we all kinda feel that way." He looked around briefly and said, "Would you be embarrassed if I kissed you right out here on the front porch?" He knew he might be pushing her limits a bit much with that request, but he couldn't help himself. He really wanted to kiss her there, because once they went inside his family would be everywhere.

She looked around as well, and seeming satisfied that no one was there, she said, "Not at all."

Her cheeks were getting pink, but she was still smiling, so he leaned down to kiss her quickly. He had a sudden wave of emotion wash over him, and he said, "This has been the best day I've had in a really long time." He really meant that.

And he was so pleased when she said, "Me too. I'm so glad you invited me over." Then she hugged him before continuing. "And now that I know Tulip, I feel more comfortable with the party next weekend. Now it's just your cousins I won't know."

He knew she would still be a little nervous about that, but he tried to reassure her. "Yeah, and Wolffe and Fox are great guys, they won't be a problem at all. It should be a nice time."

He put his arm around her shoulders and turned them towards the door to walk inside.

When they entered the kitchen, Echo asked Wren if she was going to stay for supper. Hunter really hoped she would, so when she turned to him, he lifted his eyebrows, trying to show how much he wanted her to stay. After looking around at the others, and seeing Omega look so excited, she said that she would. Giddy. He was giddy again, but tried to keep it in check.

He put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug, kissing her on the temple. As Crosshair and Tulip walked past, he bumped into Hunter's arm and said, "Is this going to be a regular thing now? Gross."

Hunter laughed and said, "Maybe so, Cross. You'd better get used to it." He was so pleased that he could tease with his brother about it, and know that it was only teasing. He didn't have to worry about him being the way he was at the beginning when he wasn't sure about Wren and her intentions. They'd finally gotten through to him, that this was a real thing, so he was letting them be. With a little teasing, which he would expect.

He saw Tulip turn and wink at Wren as they were walking away, and that pleased him. The girls must have gotten along pretty well, and he was so glad.

Wren asked Echo if he needed any help with supper, but he said not at the moment. And Hunter realized everyone else was busy. Wrecker and Omega were watching TV, Tech, Crosshair and Tulip were upstairs, Echo was cooking...that just left Hunter and Wren alone, for the most part. He got an idea.

He caught her eye and motioned with his head towards his bedroom. He could tell she didn't know what he was trying to do. She had a look of confusion on her face. So he motioned again while taking her hand and gently pulling her in his direction. He saw her look around and when she saw Echo wasn't paying attention, she followed him to his room. Once inside, she said nervously, "Hunter...what are you doing? Everyone is out there."

"I know. But they're all distracted right now. I just wanted five minutes alone with you. Is that okay?" He had taken hold of both of her hands and was looking into her eyes.

After looking at the door again, she quietly said, "Okay." She gave his hands a squeeze.

"Good." Dropping her hands, he wrapped her in a hug instead. He could smell her shampoo, so he put his nose closer to her head and inhaled.

She asked, "Did you just sniff my hair?" but she was smiling, so he knew she wasn't offended.

He responded, "Yeah! I love the smell of your shampoo!" And he pushed his nose further into her hair, sniffing again, making her giggle. The sound sent warmth throughout his body.

Then she said, "I have to admit, I like the smell of yours too." And she lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes as she lightly massaged his scalp at the base of his skull. It felt so good, he couldn't stop the sound that came from deep within him. No one had done that before, and it caught him off guard. It was a cross between a purr and a growl.

She very innocently said, "You like that, don't you?"

He opened his eyes, nodded at her, and said, "I really do." He was starting to get aroused, and he held her tighter. He tried not to let on just how much he liked it, because he didn't want to scare her.

After she laid her head on his shoulder, he said, "Hey, let's sit down?" When she looked up again, he motioned towards the bed.

He loosened his hold and started backing up. When his legs hit the bed, he sat down, starting to pull her with him.

But she quickly said, "Hunter, I'm too heavy for you."

Did she actually think that? He responded, "What?! You are not. Come on, come down here with me."

After a very gentle pull that she easily could have resisted, she sighed and sat down sideways on his lap. And he quickly realized she'd never sat on his lap. They'd spooned while lying down, she'd sat next to him on the couch, leaning on him, his arm around her, her hand here and there. But her ass had never been right...there. And it was already very alert from her hands in his hair.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He shifted just a little bit so she wasn't sitting right on his crotch, and instead was a little further down his thighs. That definitely helped. Not that he didn't like the other way, but he was still trying to reign his body's reactions in around her. Her ass was too soft to have sitting right on his dick. For now, anyway, he thought to himself with a smile.

He noticed her looking at him, and he thought he saw her lean the slightest little bit towards him. And that was his cue. She didn't have to ask him twice. He bridged the small gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. But he didn't back away immediately like he'd done the times before. And he could tell she wasn't backing away. In fact, he thought he could feel her lean into the kiss more, her hands moving to his shoulders.

He still didn't try to open his mouth or add any tongue whatsoever, but it lasted a really long time compared to previous kisses. As the seconds wore on, he could tell she was moving her lips more than she had before. She was getting really good at this. Not that she was bad before, she just didn't do much. But there was definite movement now.

He heard her make the smallest sound. Was it a whimper? A little moan? It was so quick and quiet, he wasn't sure. But it definitely sent a shock straight to his cock. And he growled. Not loudly, but it was a growl.

She moved her hands from his shoulders around to the back of his neck, and then up into his hair again. Her fingernails were lightly scraping along his scalp, and he started picturing doing more than kissing. Much more. He moved his hands up and down her back and sides, scrunching her shirt up a little, but not touching her skin beneath. He was really trying to keep himself in check.

And then after what felt like an hour but was probably only a minute, they heard, ""Hunter? Wren?! Where are you guys?"

Omega.

He felt Wren jump back and make a startled sound. She was off his lap in an instant, messing with her shirt and hair. He sighed.

When she looked back at him, he pouted a little, but she acted like she didn't even see. She reached towards him and messed with his hair whispering, "Fix your hair." Then she reached for the door and walked out. He heard her say, "Here, Omega. We're here."

He stood up and walked after Wren, seeing Omega at the laundry room door. She asked, "What were you guys doing?"

Before he could respond, Wren said, "Nothing! I mean, he was showing me his guitar! I was surprised when he told me he played, so he pulled it out to show me."

He winced a little at that last line, wondering if she thought how that sounded. He could have sworn he heard Echo laughing in the kitchen. But he didn't think Omega caught what was funny, so he just stepped forward and put his hand on Wren's lower back trying to reassure her that Omega didn't realize what they were doing, and it was fine.

"Yeah, I told her I'd play for her at some point. Maybe."

"Oh, okay! Come on in the living room and watch TV with us. It's Jeopardy time!" She grabbed Wren's hand and started walking. Wren quickly looked back at Hunter with a half smile and he ran his hand down his face.

He walked into the kitchen and Echo looked at him, laughing quietly.

"Shut up, Echo." But he couldn't even add any venom to his voice. He was feeling too happy. And he knew his brother was just teasing him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. She got past me before I even realized where she was going. Hopefully she didn't see anything she shouldn't have?"

Hunter acted offended when he said, "No, we weren't doing anything like that."

"Yeah, I know. You were just pulling it out to show her." Then Echo laughed again.

Hunter gave him a very light punch in the shoulder as he went to the fridge to grab chocolate milk for him and Wren.

When he got to the living room he saw Omega snuggled into Wren's side. He smiled at her while handing her the milk. "Thanks," she said.

He winked at her before taking his spot at the opposite end of the couch.

They had a nice family meal together, Wren sitting next to Hunter. Their thighs were touching most of the meal. Their arms would bump into each other since he was left-handed and she was right-handed. And unlike that first day when they met and kept pulling their arms away, this time they left them there, touching for a few moments.

Tulip had left before they ate, saying she had things she needed to get done at home. Hunter saw Wren give Tulip a big smile before she left, thanking her again for inviting her to go with them.

After supper, Wren and Omega did the dishes. Hunter and Echo both tried to tell her she was their guest, and she didn't need to do that. But she wasn't hearing it. So everyone else went into the living room to watch TV. But Hunter kept going back to the kitchen to check on them. Just to make sure he couldn't take over. And every time she shooed him away.

The last time he tried that, he didn't realize Wren could hear him as soon as he stood up from the couch and started walking. She quickly whispered to Omega, "Hey, let me have your towel." Omega looked confused but handed her the wet dish towel.

Wren hurried over and stood next to the doorway, out of Hunter's line of sight. As he approached, he saw Omega standing at the sink looking at him, but he didn't see Wren. He took one step into the kitchen and just as he was turning his head her direction, she snapped him on the thigh with the towel.

He was sure the look of surprise on his face was comical, but he quickly shifted to a mischievous look and said, "Oh, really?!"

He saw the huge smile on Wren's face as she hurried back over towards the sink, but he lunged after her and caught the towel. It didn't take much effort to pull it away from her, and as he acted like he was going to snap her back, she squealed and laughed, "No, Hunter! I'm sorry! Please, don't!"

But they were all three laughing. Omega stepped in front of Wren, holding her arms out in an exaggerated pose and said, "No, Hunter, I won't let you!"

"But she snapped me!" he laughed. He saw Wren crouch down behind Omega so her head was behind the girl's, and she peeked around. He felt such an overwhelming sense of joy and peace looking at her happy face. There was no way he would snap her. He was just teasing.

Right then, Wrecker came in, after hearing the noise, and said, "Hey, what's all the ruckus?!"

Wren saw her opportunity, so she ran behind Wrecker before Hunter even had time to react. "Protect me, Wrecker!" she laughed.

Hunter's eyes got really big and he said, "Ooooh, what?! Using my own brother against me?"

Wrecker was laughing trying to look behind him at Wren. "What is going on?"

Hunter said, "Okay, okay, I give up." He handed the towel to Omega and held up his empty hands. "I'm done, I promise. You can come out."

He saw Wren peek around Wrecker who moved to the side and said, "Are you okay now? Do you need more protection?"

She shook her head, giggled, and said, "No, Wrecker. I'm sorry I dragged you into that. It was just too tempting to hide behind you."

"That's okay! I just came out to see if I was missing any fun, and I see I was." He laughed again.

She patted his arm and said, "Thanks for the help," while looking up at him.

He got red around his ears and neck and said, "Awww, anytime." He patted her on the shoulder as he turned and walked back towards the living room.

Hunter walked a step towards her and held out his arms. She smiled at him and walked into his hug. "Sorry for snapping you."

He chuckled and said, "It's fine. It didn't really hurt. You need some practice snapping if you want to actually do some damage."

She pulled back and looked at his face and said, "Oh, really? Well maybe I was taking it easy on you."

He laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was."

She smacked him on the chest as she pulled away, going back to the sink to finish up.

"You go on back in there. We're almost done. I promise." She turned to wash the last remaining pan.

He looked at Omega and winked at her. She giggled and turned back towards Wren. He walked back out towards the living room.

Omega had a big smile on her face when Wren looked down at her. "What?" Wren asked.

"Nothing," the girl replied with a smirk.

Wren just laughed and bumped her with her hip. They finished in silence.

Afterwards, they went into the living room with everyone else. Everyone except Crosshair, who was getting ready to leave for work. She sat where she usually did when Omega was with her, on the end of the couch opposite Hunter.

They had a nice time watching TV and talking and enjoying each other's company. Hunter noticed that Wren talked to all the guys and Omega at one time or another. Even Tech, who was usually the one she talked to the least. Hunter had always assumed that was for no other reason than he was usually either in his room gaming, or reading something even when he was with the rest of them.

Omega was talking about something she'd learned at school, and Tech had plenty to say about the subject. Hunter noticed Wren seemed to enjoy listening to him "info dump" as they called it. She asked him questions and he seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to share some of his knowledge. Hunter knew sometimes they probably made Tech feel like they were just humoring him as he talked, but it's just that they didn't always have time for all he wanted to share.

While he was watching her talk to Tech, she happened to turn to look his way. She caught him staring at her, but it didn't bother him. She knew how he felt at this point. So he just gave her a smile and a wink before turning back to the TV.

Tech was the first one to head up to his room. At around 10:00, Hunter decided it was time for Omega to go to bed. She'd already been asleep with her head on Wren's lap for the last hour.

He stood up and said, "Omega, time for bed." When she just grumbled, he put his hands under her and lifted.

"No, I don't want to go," she said with a whine.

"Sorry, kiddo, it's time. You've been asleep for the last hour," he told her.

Wren moved some of Omega's hair out of her face and said, "I'll see you again real soon, Omega."

She mumbled something in Wren's general direction as he began walking her out of the room. He carried her to her room, laying her in bed and kissing her forehead before shutting the door behind him.

He met Echo on the stairs, and they said their good nights. As he got back to the living room, he heard Wrecker and Wren talking quietly.

Wrecker said, "I'm gonna head up to bed also. You two enjoy yourselves." He smiled and winked at Hunter as he walked past him. Hunter tried not to react so Wren wouldn't notice anything.

Wren said, "Good night, Wrecker."

Hunter sat down next to her on the couch, patting her thigh. He relished being able to touch her like that without her pulling away. They were only baby steps, but they were steps nonetheless.

She gave him a suspicious look saying, "What? You look like something's going on."

He started feeling nervous, afraid what he wanted to ask her would offend her, or freak her out in some way. But he didn't want to pass up this opportunity.

"I do? Nah, nothing going on. I was just going to ask you something. But I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

He saw her eyes widen a bit, and he could tell her anxiety was starting to pull her under. She did not handle his questions well at all.

"What?" she said, quieter, voice thick with worry.

He knew he needed to quickly do something to ease her mind, before it was too late and she was spiraling. He bumped her shoulder with his playfully and said, "Nothing bad." He wasn't sure that was enough, so he also leaned towards her and placed a very soft kiss to her cheek.

"Mmmm-hmmm," she said, still apprehensive.

He continued quickly. "I was just wondering...do you want to stay the night. With me. In there." He motioned with his head to his room.

And then he held his breath, watching her face for any sort of fear. He wouldn't let her do it if she looked scared. Even if she said it was fine. He was trying to read her body language and facial expressions. In the few months they'd known each other, he'd gotten pretty good at telling how she was feeling, no matter what she said.

She was definitely caught off guard. "I- uh- wha- uh--"

"I have no ulterior motives. I just thought we could sleep. That's all. Sleep together. And not on the couch, but in my comfy bed. I don't plan on trying anything at all. Or nothing we haven't already done." He winked at her, trying to sound playful to hopefully ease her worry. "I promise." He had to lower his head a bit so he could look into her eyes. He needed to know for sure what was happening in there. "But if that makes you uncomfortable, then please let's just act like I didn't even as-"

"Okay."

He was caught off guard by her interruption. He drew back a bit, eyes wide. His mouth was probably hanging open, his unfinished sentence left there. After a few seconds, he internally shook himself, pulling him out of his surprised stupor. "Really? You'll stay...in bed?"

There was no hesitation from her. "Yeah, I trust you. I would like to get up and be gone before Omega is up. Do you think that's possible?"

He was in shock. Not only did she say yes, but she seemed at ease with the decision. He didn't see that worry or anxiety he would often see in her eyes. Her voice sounded steady and sure. She actually wanted to do this, he was sure of it. And his heart soared. Be cool, be cool, Hunter. Don't make it weird.

Now what did she ask? Oh, Omega, right.

"Oh yeah. She would probably sleep until at least 8:00 in the morning, so if we were awake by 7:30, that should give you plenty of time to leave. Does that sound like something you want to do?"

He wanted to ask one more time. Just to give her another chance to say no. There would be no hard feelings at all. But he was hoping she would still say yes. He was hoping with all his heart.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do!" She gave him a happy smile.

Was she actually excited and happy about this? Was he worrying for nothing? Was she ready for this next step with him? He was still shocked, but tried to hide it.

"Well, okay then." He turned off the TV and said, "Shall we?" He held out his arm to her, bent at the elbow. She put her hand around his forearm with an adorable smile.

He heard her whisper under her breath, "Okay."

He felt an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. Long enough that he couldn't even remember. His heart was racing, and he was afraid his hands were shaking. Be cool, be cool, Hunter. Don't make it weird.

He turned out the lights as he went, and when he got to his door, he gently dropped his arm, so he was holding her hand, making it easier for them to fit through the door, him just a little ahead of her. After she was fully in, he reached behind her to shut the door quietly.

Then he stepped closer to her, putting his arms around her and pulling her gently against him. He leaned the short distance and kissed her, very softly. He pulled back a bit, but he saw her move forward, as if she wasn't ready to be done. She kissed him once more as he chuckled.

Then he stepped back. He thought surely she wouldn't want to sleep in her jeans, so he said, "Okay, would you like a pair of my shorts or lounge pants? They'll be more comfortable than your jeans."

"Sure, I'll take a pair of shorts."

He tried to keep his reaction steady, because he didn't want her to see how excited he was that she chose shorts. He was going to get to see her in shorts. He'd never seen her legs! And he was going to get to feel her legs, all night. He tried to be cool.

He pulled out a pair of his shorts, and then thought about where she would change. "If you don't want to bother with going to the bathroom to change, I'll just turn around so you can do it here."

"Okay, yeah, let's do that."

He was a little surprised she took him up on that. She was full of surprises today. But he wouldn't betray her trust by trying to sneak a peek, so he turned towards the wall. He went ahead and started taking off his jeans to change into shorts as well. He wasn't concerned if she saw him in his underwear. He was curious if she would look, but he wasn't going to turn around.

He got out another pair of shorts and put them on. He could tell out of the corner of his eye that she was done changing, so he asked, "Do you want a shirt?"

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all." He opened another drawer and said, "Do you have a preference?" He motioned to the folded T-shirts.

"No, whatever you want me to wear."

He just grabbed one from the top and handed it to her. "Here ya go."

"Thanks."

He turned to the wall again, "Go ahead. I'm not watching."

He could hear the rustling of her clothes as she changed, and he felt his face heat up. God, what are you, 13 years old? She's just changing her shirt.

When he heard her say, "Okay, I'm done," he turned around.

He wasn't ready for the effect seeing her in his clothes would have on him. He smiled at her, trying to mask his nerves, his butterflies, his...desire? Yeah, desire. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

That's what he thought, but what he said was, "You look great." Because she did. She really did. Her hair was a little messy from changing shirts, and it was falling into her face.

And he took the opportunity to actually look at her legs, and he thought they were beautiful. They were long, but she was relatively tall, so that made sense. They weren't very tanned, she obviously didn't get a lot of sun. Well, and it's winter, so of course she wouldn't right now. But they looked fit, like she had maybe played sports. They were really nice...

He realized he might be staring, but luckily it had only been a few seconds. Though he did see a blush spreading across her cheeks as she said, "Pfft. Thanks." She turned and crawled into bed after pulling the covers down. And he got a great look at her back side. He bit his lip and closed his eyes briefly. Get it together, Hunter. Don't make it weird.

He took a deep but quiet breath. He had another thing to ask her, and he wasn't sure how she would respond.

"I usually sleep without a shirt, will that bother you? Please, be honest." He looked at her expectantly. And that was absolutely true. He did usually sleep without a shirt. And he would usually not have shorts on either. His sleeping clothes were usually just his boxer briefs. But he thought that would be asking too much. But he hoped she wouldn't mind him being shirtless.

Did he have an ulterior motive? Did he want her to see him shirtless? Did he want to see what an effect it would have on her? A little bit, yeah. He really wasn't a conceited guy, and didn't have an inflated view of himself. But he did think he was probably above average in the looks department. He'd had attention from girls and women through the years, and he knew he was still in pretty good shape from his time in the Army. He was curious if he would see any reaction from Wren. He was only human, and wanted her to think he looked good.

If he only knew just how attractive she found him, he wouldn't need to be worried at all.

She fumbled out, "N-no." Then she seemed to collect herself and said more firmly, "No, that's fine."

He went ahead and removed his shirt. He noticed she was staring as he tossed the shirt into the hamper in the corner of his room. He couldn't help but smile a little bit as she quickly looked away. She stared up at the ceiling.

He could tell he was having at least a small effect on her, so he had to tease her a bit. "You're sure this is okay?" He watched her, but she didn't take her eyes off the ceiling.

"Yup! Totally okay!" She sounded so enthusiastic, he had to wonder if she really was okay. He was feeling pretty good about things at that point. He was convinced she found him attractive after seeing her reaction.

"Okay, good," he said as he lay down on his side so he could look at her.

She was still looking at the ceiling, and he patiently waited. She finally turned her head towards him.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she replied with an adorable smile.

"What time would you like me to set the alarm for? 7:30?"

"Yeah, that should be good." She nodded at him.

He reached back for his phone and set the alarm, showing her. She nodded, and he placed the phone back on the stand.

"Okay, so how do you want to do this?" he asked.

Her eyes widened and she said, "Uh...what?"

"Our positions here? Do you want to be like we were this morning? Me being the big spoon? Or some other way?" He really hoped she said she wanted him to be the big spoon again. He really loved being able to hold her against his chest as he slept.

"Oh! Oh, right." She paused. "Yeah, let's start out like that, if it's okay with you."

Yes! he thought.

But he remained calm and said, "Absolutely."

He watched as she turned to her side, facing away from him, setting her glasses on the night stand. He saw her scoot back a bit, so he scooted up to meet her. He put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her back. He could feel her smooth legs against his, and it had enough of an effect that he needed to close his eyes and take a few breaths, calming himself.

He heard her sigh, as if she was content, and he moved his head forward ending up with his nose in her hair. He loved to smell her hair.

She said, "Good night, Hunter."

He replied, "G'night, Wren." He moved slightly so he could kiss behind her ear, and he felt her shiver. It made him smile and laugh quietly.

Then he was surprised when she turned her head far enough back that she was looking at him. After a pause, she said, "Kiss?"

Kiss?! She was asking him for a kiss!! Well, this couldn't get much better.

"Of course!" He leaned further towards her and kissed her, rather quickly. But then he did it again. And again. During the last one, he felt her smile against his lips.

As he pulled back, he saw her looking into his eyes. That didn't happen a lot, so he was relishing it. She said, "Thanks. Good night for real this time."

He responded, "G'night for real."

He listened as she settled, and her breathing evened out. He could tell she was asleep in less than a minute. She must have been so exhausted with everything that went on that day.

He didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake and feel her body against his all night. But he knew that wasn't possible. He was tired as well. And within fifteen minutes, he was asleep too.

Hunter didn't know how long he'd been asleep when he woke up. He didn't open his eyes right away. He thought he'd felt Wren shift, but he was still in a sleepy state.

When he did finally open his eyes, he saw her lying on her side facing him. She was looking down towards his belly or waist area. He didn't say anything at first, waiting to see what she might do. But after a few more seconds, he said, "You okay?"

She startled and quickly looked up at his face. He saw her eyes get big and heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Oh! Hi!" she whispered.

He couldn't see much of her face, as she was in the shadows. But he would be willing to wager that her cheeks were red. He didn't want to tease her a lot, but he couldn't let the situation pass by with nothing.

"Are you okay? You seemed like maybe something was wrong." He tried not to smile or laugh.

And what she said next was said in what could only be referred to as a whine, "Hunter..." She turned her face so it was half-hidden in her pillow.

"Yeah, Wren? Something wrong?" He couldn't resist reaching up to move some hair out of her face.

Then he heard her giggle, and it was the sweetest sound. "Oh, you know..."

He wasn't going to torture her much longer, but he did say, "Know what?" He was trying so hard to hide the smile that he felt forming. He heard her sigh loudly.

"Are you going to make me say it?"

He was pretty sure she could see the start of his smile at this point. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Say what? I don't know what you're talking about."

She whispered, "You can be an asshole, Hunter Fett."

But he saw the happiness on her face. He knew she wasn't really mad.

"Awww, I'm sorry. I'll stop. I won't make you say it." He rubbed his hand up and down her side. Then he tenderly kissed her on the forehead. He hoped that would make up for the teasing.

He was surprised when she went ahead and said more. She sighed and whispered, "I was staring at you. At your..." Then she made a motion with her hand towards him. "At that." She covered her face with her hand and said, "Aaaahh! There, are you happy?!" But she quietly laughed, so he was pretty sure she wasn't really mad at him.

And he was trying to not overreact to what she'd just said. She admitted she'd been staring at his shirtless self, and she liked what she saw, it seemed. He took her hand and gently pulled it away from her face, holding it in between them.

"I can't express how happy I am. But not because I shamed you into saying that. I'm sorry, that wasn't nice of me. I just couldn't help myself." She was looking at him, and he continued, "I'm happy, because you were comfortable enough to look, and then even if you were embarrassed, you told me when I asked. You've come a long way, Wren. I'm very proud of you." He hoped he was conveying his sincerity in his voice.

He moved his hand and cupped her cheek, rubbing gently with his thumb.

"Well, if you didn't look so flippin' good, I wouldn't have been ogling you." She was looking down at the bed when she said that, picking at the sheet.

He had to laugh quietly at her word choice. "Flippin' good?"

And then he wanted to laugh even more when she said, "I was trying to be less vulgar. Would you prefer I say, you look fuckin' good? Because ya do."

She looked up at his chest again, and he saw her hand twitch the tiniest bit towards him. She wanted to touch him. He could tell.

"Wanna touch?" he asked. She looked into his eyes quickly and licked her lips.

"I don't want to be a tease," she said quietly as she looked away again.

A tease? Is that what she said? He didn't understand what she meant. So he placed his fingers under her chin and gently lifted. "A tease? Wren? What do you mean?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "If I touch you, then I'll feel like I'm being a tease. Because I'm not ready to do much else. And I'm afraid you'll be upset if I do that and then we have to stop again."

He was surprised when he heard her. He would never think that. "Hey, hey...Wren. Look at me." He waited while she opened her eyes. "I do not think you're a tease. I won't think you're a tease. No matter what. I could never think you were a tease. And I won't get upset. I promise."

She was so sweet when she said, "You won't?"

He was quick to reassure her. "Absolutely not. Go ahead. Touch me. I promise, I won't think it's anything more than a touch."

She looked at him, and he tried to convince her he meant it with his eyes. She reached out with her hand, moving it towards his chest. Right before she made contact, she looked up at him questioningly.

He nodded. Then she lightly touched him. She gently rubbed her fingers across the planes of his chest. He could feel the smile spreading across his face as she seemed transfixed watching her fingers move through his chest hair.

She watched her fingers move lower, following the faint line of hair running down his abs. Her touch was so light that it tickled. His skin quivered involuntarily.

She pulled her hand away. "I'm sorry," she quickly whispered.

He tried to reassure her. "Nope, nothing to be sorry about. It was just such a light touch that it tickled a little, that's all. Come on." He picked up her hand and brought it back to his abs.

He was holding his breath as she lightly scratched her pretty black nails across his belly.

She said, "That's a pretty nice treasure trail, you have there, mister." She giggled as she looked up at his face.

What did she just say? A what trail?

He looked at her confused and said, "What did you say?"

"I said, that's a pretty nice treasure trail," she responded.

He decided he would just ask. "Treasure trail?"

"Yeah, that..." and she pointed to the path his hair took towards his waistband.

He asked, "This? You call that a treasure trail?" He knew his smile was getting even bigger.

"Well, yeah. What do you call it?" She seemed surprised that he'd never heard that.

"I don't know. I don't call it anything. It's just...hair." He laughed.

She continued, "Well, yeah...it's hair. But it leads down...to the... It leads down to the treasure." She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "So it's the treasure trail."

And he burst out laughing. He didn't laugh loudly, but he could tell she was caught off guard.

"Shhhh! Hunter! Quiet, I don't want everyone else to know I'm here."

"They won't hear me." He laughed some more, but quieter. "That is hilarious. I've never heard that."

"Oh yeah, I guess maybe girls talk about that stuff more than guys," she laughed quietly.

"I enjoy you so much, Wren. Come here." He reached and pulled her closer.

He ran his hand up and down her back. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Well, I'm still sleepy. Wanna sleep some more?"

She looked up at him and nodded, "Yeah, sounds good." Then she quickly kissed his neck.

When she looked up at him again, she looked at his lips and made the slightest movement with her head. He took her cue and leaned towards her, kissing her, very innocently still. They both laid their heads on the pillow, closed their eyes, and it wasn't long before they were asleep again.

Hunter woke up with the sun starting to shine through the blinds. But he didn't move. Wren had her back to him again, and he was loosely holding her. She seemed to be asleep, so he just lay there quietly. Enjoying her warmth, her softness, her breathing. I could definitely get used to waking up to this every morning.

Then he felt her shift just a little, and it seemed like maybe she looked at the clock. He could see that it was 7:00, they still had a half an hour before his alarm would go off. He hoped she wouldn't get up earlier than she'd planned. He wanted this to last as long as possible.

She slowly turned over to face him, and he smiled as he saw her sleepy face. She's so adorable. She's always adorable, but when her hair is messy, and she's squinting, trying to get accustomed to being awake, she was even more so.

She looked a little surprised when she saw his face, and she asked, "How long have you been awake?"

He said, "I just did wake up."

She stretched and yawned, looking even more adorable. Then she looked at him, saying quietly, "Well, you should go back to sleep. You still have a half an hour to sleep. And well, really, you have longer. You don't have to get up when I do."

He smiled and said, "Oh, but I will, at least to see you off." Without even thinking, he reached for her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a soft kiss. She seemed embarrassed, and hid part of her face in the pillow. "You're cute," he said. He moved some hair out of her eyes, and then caressed her cheek.

She shook her head. It was a very small movement, maybe she thought he wouldn't see, but he did.

"Does that bother you? Would you rather I not say stuff like that?" He was sincere. If she wanted him to stop, he would. Even though he really meant the compliments he paid her, and he liked telling her how he felt about her. He didn't want to make her unnecessarily uncomfortable.

She moved her face out of the pillow enough that she could look at him. "Well, I mean, it would seem ridiculous if I said I didn't like compliments. I just still have trouble accepting..."

He broke in with, "Accepting compliments in general? Or accepting that I feel the things I say?"

He held her hands, looking at her recently painted nails. They were lovely. He liked the black.

"Both, but especially the second one." Then she bit her lip, which made her even more adorable. "I'm sorry. I will get better. I promise. I'm just not used to this." She sounded apologetic.

He didn't want her to feel bad about it. She felt bad about way too many things already. He assured her, "It's okay. Don't beat yourself up about it. I'll just keep saying the stuff until you just have to believe me." He quietly laughed so she would know he was kidding around. Although he did mean that he wouldn't stop complimenting her, not unless she explicitly asked him to stop.

She smiled, but he could also see her cheeks get red.

"And I love to see you blush. So I don't necessarily want that to stop. It's really adorable." He could feel the heat from her cheek as he ran his fingers over her face.

She closed her eyes, turning into the pillow gain. "You're killin' me, Hunter. Killin' me." She gave him a big smile though, and he felt his heart pounding harder. Then he noticed her look at his lips.

He took the opportunity to lean forward a bit. "Do I have morning breath?" he asked.

"Not that I can tell. Do I?" she replied.

He didn't smell her breath. "Not that I can tell. And even if you do, I don't care. I wanna kiss ya anyway." He moved the last bit needed to kiss her. And this kiss was longer than any other they'd had so far. His pulse raced faster, and he felt hot. His breath was quickening, but he tried not to make it obvious.

He knew he needed to break the kiss. When he did, he saw her bite her lip and look down.

He said, "You good?"

And she said, "Yeah, very good." Then to his surprise, she kissed him again. After another minute or so, she broke the kiss. "That was really nice. Thank you."

They both seemed out of breath.

"Thank you," he whispered. I could really get used to this.

He had felt himself stirring as they kissed, and he hoped if she noticed, it wouldn't upset her. He was already half-hard when he woke up due to morning wood. And the kissing and touching and being that close to her did nothing but stir him up more.

She flipped to her other side again, scooting back towards him a bit. He figured she wanted to spoon more, so he obliged, scooting closer to her, putting his arm around her waist. He knew she had to feel his erection against her lower back/upper ass, but she didn't react in a way that he could tell.

They settled, but then very soon after she bolted upright. She said, "Oh no, is that Omega?!" She had a panicked look in her eyes.

He hadn't even heard anything, but he listened. "I don't think so. Hang on, it'll be okay," he assured her.

He turned and got out of bed, walking to the door. He cracked it open and saw Echo walking towards the kitchen. He must have seen the door move, because he turned his head towards Hunter. He motioned him over. As Echo slowly moved towards him, Hunter asked, "Is Omega up?"

"No, not that I know of. Whyyy?" Hunter could see him trying to look over his shoulder.

He replied, "No reason," and tried to move so Echo couldn't see Wren. He didn't want her to be embarrassed. But he did motion with his head back towards his bed.

He saw Echo's eyes get really big, and he knew he was going to say something. "Hunter!"

Hunter whispered, "Nothing happened, Echo. We just slept. But she didn't really want Omega to see her this morning. I thought we would have until 8:00."

"Yeah, I think you probably will." Then he got a big smile on his face and said, "Hunter, you dog."

Hunter rolled his eyes at him. "Echo. I am not!" He knew Echo was teasing, but he didn't want Wren to hear him.

Echo laughed quietly. Then Hunter heard movement behind him. When he turned his head, he saw Wren walking towards them. He could see her face was red, and he felt terrible that she was embarrassed. She said, "Hi, Echo." She looked at Hunter and said, "Hunter, I think I'm going to go. It's close enough to time when I was going to get up. And I just don't want Omega to see me. Even if we didn't do anything, I don't want even the appearance of it. Not yet."

He wasn't going to push her. He could tell she'd made up her mind. She was already embarrassed that Echo saw her. He couldn't imagine how she'd feel if Omega did as well. She'd probably never want to stay again, and he certainly didn't want that to happen.

"Okay, if you're sure." He gave her a soft smile.

Echo addressed her. "Wren, I'm sure she won't be down for a little bit yet. I just came down to start the coffee."

Her mind was made up. "It's okay. I'm awake anyway, so I'll just go."

Hunter looked at Echo, shrugging. Echo nodded, turned, and walked towards the kitchen.

Hunter looked at her again and said, "Are you sure, Wren? I don't want you to feel like you have to run off. We can just explain to Omega that you slept here last night, and that's all."

She shook her head. "I don't really feel up to that conversation yet. I'm sorry to seem silly." He could see her shrinking in on herself, as if she was afraid he would be upset.

He wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't upset with her. He pulled her into a hug. "You don't seem silly. You go ahead and change, and I'm going to the bathroom and will be back." He couldn't resist kissing her forehead. He really wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't disappointed or upset with her.

He went to the bathroom, passing by Echo making coffee in the kitchen. When he returned, Wren was back in her clothes. She still looked great, but he was a little sad that she was no longer wearing his clothes. That was a picture he wouldn't get out of his mind for quite a while.

"Did you need to use the bathroom?" he asked.

She was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. He could tell she was still nervous. "Nah, I can wait until I'm home. I'm just getting really nervous. I'm sorry."

He tried to look as sincere as possible, because he really did mean what he said. "Wren, really, you don't need to apologize. I understand. It's still early on. We can talk about these things with Omega later on. There's no hurry," he said quietly, followed by a smile that he hoped would convince her of what he was saying.

He saw a smile cross her face, and he felt relief. Even though he thought he saw tears appear in her eyes as well.

"Thank you. You're honestly the sweetest." He was pleased when she took hold of his hand and squeezed.

He laughed as he said, "Well, now who has who fooled." He was trying to lighten her mood.

They slowly walked from his room towards the front door.

"Stop, you know you're a sweetheart. Or you are with me anyway. And Omega." He thought his cheeks were probably red as warm as he felt. He wasn't used to feeling like this when someone complimented him. It didn't usually affect him all that much. But when she did it, he felt like he was floating.

Then she put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. He felt a peace surround him. He rested his cheek on top of her head. They stood there, neither of them wanting to move.

When she finally started to pull back, she said, "Okay, I'm going. Thanks again for everything. Now, go back in and sleep some more. I might when I get home."

He assured her, "Okay, I'll lay back down, I swear." He placed his hand on her back, guiding her forward.

As they got close to the door, she surprised him by turning quickly and kissing him. She shyly looked away and laughed. A very adorable laugh.

He asked, "What's so funny?"

She looked back up at him and said, "Oh, nothing. I'm just surprised at myself. Once I started kissing, it's like I can't stop." She laughed again and he gave her a big smile.

"Well, I'm not going to complain, that's for sure." He couldn't resist one more kiss before opening the door.

"Bye, Hunter. Get some sleep. And I'll talk to you later. And have a good weekend."

"Okay, you too. Thanks for coming over and...you know...for staying." He felt a little shy all of a sudden.

She gave him a small wave and said, "Believe me, it was my pleasure."

He smiled at her again. After she turned and started walking away, he closed the door. But he stood there, watching her through the window.

He saw her turn back towards the house when she got to her car. He waved, and she waved back. After she backed out of the driveway and drove away, he locked the door and went to the kitchen.

Echo was still standing by the coffee maker, leaning against the counter. Hunter said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention what you saw to anyone. Especially Omega. Nothing happened that we should be ashamed of, but she just doesn't want to make it seem like we're moving faster than we are."

Echo nodded and said, "I won't say a word. I'm just really happy for you. She's so much better than those other two women--"

Hunter gave him a dirty look and interrupted him. "Nope...don't wanna talk about them."

Echo patted his shoulder and said, "Right, I'm just saying. You've picked well this time. And now I'm going back to bed for a bit."

Hunter nodded and said, "Yeah, me too. Omega will be up soon enough. I want to get a little more sleep if I can." His yawn punctuated his point.

He went back to his room. As he lay down, he pulled the pillow Wren had been using closer to him. He could still smell her, so he held it as he drifted back to sleep with a smile on his face.

Author's Note: I didn't want to put this at the top and spoil anything, but I did want to add this. My husband has told me after-the-fact that he knew I was "the one" after our first date. Or the first time we were alone together when my friends bailed. So it's not unheard of that someone would feel that way that quickly. So that's why I added that in. :)

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