Fearful Renegade

Twenty-Two

April 6th 2011

AJ grunted as he carefully set down the box onto the bare floor.  When he stood up he looked around.  This place was much bigger than the cottage.  The giant living room was cut off from the rest of the open house.  The large fireplace in front of him, the huge bay window that open the house to the view of his very large front yard to his left, and the breakfast window into the kitchen on his right. 

“Hey Alex!?” He heard Kevin shout and he walked out of the room.

“Where do these go?” He asked as he stood there carrying a couple of chairs.

“Kitchen” AJ said as he nodded in the direction.  He looked up at the tall long staircase that followed the side of the house up to the second floor.  He smiled when he saw Siannah lightly skipping down the stairs.

“Hey who said you could stop?” She asked as she walked up to him.

“You did.” AJ said with a light smile.

“I did?” She replied a little confused and then he pulled her against him as he kissed her.  “Oh so I did.” She replied as he pulled away.

“Awesome we’re busting our balls moving their shit and those two are making out.” Nick yelled as he walked past them with a box.

“Heaven forbid if the great Nick Carter has to lift something.” Siannah sighed.  Nick looked at her like a deer caught in head lights and then looked at AJ annoyed.

“You’re learning” AJ said with a proud smile as Nick huffed into the kitchen with the box he was carrying.  “Any word from your family?”

“Nope” Siannah replied with a light sigh.  “I emailed them the new address so…” She said with a light shrug.

“I’m sorry” AJ said as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be” Siannah said as she titled her head to look him in the eyes.  “They’ll come around.”

AJ gave her a light smile.  He sure hoped they did.  He didn’t like the fact Siannah wasn’t talking to her Dad or her Brothers, or they weren’t talking to her, he knew how close they all were.

He watched her walk out the open door to the big moving truck outside.  AJ took a deep breath as he looked around again.  It had been about two months since Siannah got out of the hospital and after about a month of her staying at AJ’s they decided to get a place of their own.  It was outside of town along the tall cliffs of the island but still a ways away from the shore line below.   He walked into the room that was going to be their entertainment room.  Stopping at the patio doors he looked out onto the deck that wrapped around the entire house.  The wood looked like it floated above the large BC trees.  Only the tree tops jutted above the deck and he could see the ocean and the horizon.  When they came to see this place Siannah fell in love with the deck and the view.

He heard someone come in the front door and turned around, he saw Siannah carrying a box.  “Hey” He said as he quickly walked over to her.  “You’re not supposed to be carrying anything.”

“It’s light, it’s just bathroom stuff.” Siannah sighed as he took the box from her.

“You’re not supposed to be carrying anything.” He repeated and then headed upstairs with the box.

“What the hell am I suppose to do.” He heard her mumble as she walked to the kitchen.

“Go bug Nick” AJ shouted as he headed into their bedroom.

“I heard that!” AJ heard Nick shout from downstairs.

AJ set the box down in their bathroom off of their bedroom.  When he walked back out he sat down on the mattress that was put on the floor to outline where the bed would be.  With a deep sigh he let his mind wonder.  Things sure had changed in two months.  The stalker was gone and he still had trouble grasping the fact that it was Emily.  Gone to jail for ten years, out of his life for ten years but it could be sooner with good behavior or for her parole in five.

He realized Siannah was right, now was not the time to worry about hours or days, it was about them.  He didn’t care if his Mother or even the fellas thought it was too soon for them to be living together, he didn’t.  They weren’t the ones who felt what he felt when he saw her, when he woke up next to her or when he would go to bed with her.  They weren’t the ones who saw her get shot, they weren’t the ones who watched Peter give her CPR, and they weren’t the ones who almost lost the most amazing, beautiful, loving person he had ever met. 

It was true what he said to her New Years Eve.  He was headed down a path he didn’t even know he wanted.  He sighed as he thought about that night and a light smile broke across his face. 

“Hey” Siannah said from the door and he looked up.  “You okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine” He said standing up.  “Just taking a moment.”

“A moment?” She asked as he wrapped his arms behind her.

“I was thinking about how I had to get lost in order to fine myself.” He said and she lightly smiled.  “Just seems kind of funny.”

“And are you happy with what you found?” She asked as her hand rested on his arm.

He lightly nodded as he leaned in towards her. “Very” AJ whispered just before his lips took hers.  At first it was slow and soft but then as the world around them was pushed away…

“For the…come on guys seriously!” Nick whined as the two quickly pulled away. AJ and Siannah started giggling as they saw Nick standing at the top of the stairs with a box marked bedroom on it.  “Here” He said handing AJ the box and turned walking back down the stairs.  “I’m so done, every where I turn they’re sucking face.”

“Is he always this whiny?” Siannah asked as AJ’s chuckle turned into a laugh.

“Yes” Kevin said from beside them as he walked up the stairs.  “But only when he’s doing something.”  AJ nodded still chuckling.

“Fuck you Richardson!” Nick shouted from the kitchen.

“Nick please stop with the swearing!” Brian shouted from the door.

“See doesn’t it feel good to have us back man?” Kevin said with a sarcastic smile.

AJ turned into his room still holding the semi heavy box and scoffed.  “Yeah it’s just so over whelming I don’t know what to do with myself.” Kevin walked away laughing as AJ walked back over to Siannah.

“So since this is the last load, I’m going to go to Becca’s and get Dew.” Siannah said.

“No” AJ replied and she looked at him confused.  “Nothing strenuous, if Dew sees something and takes off.” He said.  “I’ll go get him.”

“Alex really” Siannah sighed with a slight roll of her eyes.

“Sia please”

She stared at him a moment and then lightly smiled.  “Okay, I’ll go start unpacking the kitchen, so we can eat soon.”

“No reaching” AJ said as he started jogging down the stairs and he lightly smiled when he hear her softly grunt in frustration.

“Hey where are you going?” Brian asked as him and Kevin lifted up the table top to his new dinning room table.

“Getting Dew” AJ shouted back as he walked up to the truck.

He made his way back into town and even drove by the old place stopping to double check they didn’t leave anything.  Then he made his way to Becca’s place.  He parked the truck in large drive way and walked up to the front door.  When he heard Dew bark he lightly smiled.

That was something they noticed he started doing, when someone knocked on the door he would bark, when he thought there was something around the outside of the house he would bark, and sometimes nothing at all would startle him and he would bark.  Siannah said it was because of what happened it’s a new defense mechanism he’s decided to use.  He wondered if it was a good thing but Siannah told him just have patients and teach him one or two barks are ok but nothing more.

“Are you guys done?” Becca asked as she opened the door.

“Just about” AJ said as Dew wiggled his way and almost knocked Becca over. “Hey buddy” He said as he knelt down and rubbed the dogs face.  She handed him Dew’s leash and he clipped it on.  “Well thanks for watching him.”

“No problem, tell Sia I’ll be by tomorrow and fill her in on stuff she missed at the clinic.” She told him.

“Okay” He agreed then they two said goodbye and AJ and Dew headed to the truck.

AJ watched as the dog walked ahead of him knowing exactly where they were going.  He still couldn’t run at full pace but his walking was back to normal.  Dew jumped into the backseat and AJ smiled.  Siannah said that was a good sign, that his shoulder could handle jumping around and rough housing, which Dew and him did before the dog left for Becca’s last night.

When he got home he didn’t bother with the leash and let the dog run towards the house.  He shouted incoming and everyone with boxes stopped moving as Dew flew into the house.

“Someone’s happy to be home” Kevin laughed as AJ walked up to him.

“Yeah” AJ replied with a light sigh.  “Dew seems happy too.”  Kevin smiled at him as he walked into the house and joined Siannah in the kitchen.

 He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the packaged meat he bought earlier that day.  “Is the Barbeque on?” He asked.

“Yeah but I thought we were having hamburgers?” Siannah asked as he walked away.

“We are, this is for Dew” AJ replied as he opened the door.  He heard Siannah lightly chuckle as he walked outside.