My Heart's Always With You

Amber smiled to herself a week later as she sat in the living room with Matt next to her. The sound echoed nicely throughout the house as Lisa slammed her bedroom door shut with much force. For the past few days the younger of the Davis sisters had been in a pissy mood around Aaron and this was the cause for Amber’s smile. She was very pleased with her sister’s sudden progress. “I said no! No you good for nothing asshole!” Lisa’s voice shrieked through the house.

Unlike Amber Anthony wasn’t pleased with the changes taking place with Lisa. As her words reached him where he sat at the dinning room table that Saturday morning he sighed. He knew that Lisa was seeing things Amber’s way and that meant Aaron might soon lose his change with both of the Davis girls.

“So who is your second-in-command?” Amber asked Matt. After all they were supposed to be talking about that night’s search party.

“Zack.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” Amber laughed and Willow joined them. The cat laid down between them, her head resting against Matt’s leg.

“She really likes you. So here is what I was thinking, you guys take the front door and we’ll take the back. Whoever gets the chance to take him if he is there then we take it.”

“We were thinking the same thing!”

“I kinda figured we were.”

“Aaron I said no!” Lisa yelled running into the living room looking insanely pissed off.

“Fine.” Then he saw Matt. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Well let me think, Amber is leading tonight too so I needed to talk to her?” Matt had to really work to control the anger that was flowing through him at the sight of Aaron.

“Oh you mean she’s leading what I should be leading?”

“Aaron I outrank you and I have since I was born.” Amber practically snarled.

“Will you let it go?! My sister is way more entitled to do this than you are and she’ll do a better job!” Amber stared at Lisa in shock.

‘But baby I want this. She is only doing it so I can’t.” Aaron placed his hand on Lisa’s shoulder. And she glared at him.

“Don’t touch me, and don’t call me baby! And don’t follow me!” She knocked his arm away and left the room.

“You are screwed now.” Amber smirked at Aaron.

***

Guns N Roses was playing that night as Amber stood in her room with Alyce and Kellan. They were supposed to leave in a few minutes so Amber was making sure she had everything and doing a checklist in her head of what was in the car already. Finally she turned off her stereo and the three of them went downstairs.

Of course Aaron wasn’t there, causing Amber’s first reason to be openly pissed at him. “If he is not here in four minutes then the three of us are leaving.” She turned to Anthony.

“He’ll be here.” He assured her.

“Oh I’d rather him not, and it wasn’t up for negotiation.” But then the door opened and her walked in. “Shit. Alright lets go.”

“I just got here.” Aaron complained.

“Either come now or don’t go. It doesn’t matter either way to me.”

“Fine, I’m coming.”

“Oh and no talking in the car or I’ll injure you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t test her Aaron.” Alyce warned already becoming just as annoyed as Amber was. The two of them were really wishing that the dirt bag would be at his house so they didn’t have to spend too much time around Aaron.

“I agree, no talking.” Kellan almost growled throwing a glare at Aaron. Amber had claimed driving and Alyce had called shotgun. The lights were on at the house when they pulled up and Amber could already see another black car on the same side of the street, opposite the house.

“You three stay here. I’m going to talk to Matt first.” Amber said getting out of the car. She and Matt met halfway between where the two cars were parked on the side walk, directly across from the house. “You ready to get this over with?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“Well I have to spend a Saturday night around Aaron while doing something for the business. So yeah.”

“So we just stick to plan and get in and get out?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Oh and Amber?”

“Yeah Matt?”

“Be careful in there.”

“I will be. You too.” Alyce jumped out when Amber walked back up to the car, but not before opening the trunk. The back doors opened and Kellan and Aaron climbed out. “Okay here is the plan. Matt and his team are taking the front door and we are taking the back door. We stick together in there got it? And which ever team gets the opportunity to take the dirt bag down are taking it. So if we get the chance we aren’t going to waste time second guessing. Aaron you will listen to me and take my command and lead. Are we clear?” Amber ordered as she grabbed the four small backpacks out of the trunk.

“Got it boss.” Alyce grinned taking the backpack from Amber.

“I’m cool with those terms.” Kellan grabbed his.

“I think you should have ordered them to stand down and let us take him.” Aaron spat.

“I said that whoever gets the chance takes it, no hesitation. You will stick with us and you will realize that you are the lowest ranking man on this team. I first, Alyce seconds, and Kellan thirds. You listen to my orders and you carry them out the way I say. Do you understand you good for nothing jackass?” Amber snarled at Aaron with a look of pure hatred on her face.

“You are crystal clear.” Aaron snarled at her and took the backpack from her. Amber let a deep angry breath out and slid her arms through the straps of the fourth backpack.

“Now inside each of these are the basics; duck tape, rope, and pepper spray. If we get the chance to take him one of us, preferably Kellan, will grab him and hold him. Alyce and I will tie him up and if he fights whoever gets the chance uses the pepper spray. The final step is to duck tape his mouth shut. No funny business Aaron and do not try and be the super star or I will personally make you pay.”

“Fine.” Amber closed the trunk as Aaron answered her.
“Now lets go get this over with.” It wasn’t hard to sneak to the back of the house and Amber already knew that Matt and the guys had the front covered. The door was open which saved her some time and she was secretly pleased about that.

Inside her and Alyce took the front following the light. They met up with Matt and Zacky in the living room and the four of them continued on towards the room where the light was coming from with everyone else following behind them. They found him in the den of the house and that was the end of the smooth sailing.

They were just about to grab him when it happened. Aaron burst into the room with a looked of planning on his face. “He is mine, step aside!” He ordered.

“Brian will you take him out of here before he blows everything?” Amber called across the room. Brian nodded once and headed for Aaron. But before Brian could grab him and drag him from the room he ran. Amber thought that he’d just stay away. They turned their attention back to the dirt bag.

“Take this and run!” Aaron burst in through the other door of the room and threw a can of pepper spray at the dirt bag.

“You son of a-” Amber’s exclamation was cut off.

“We can get him. We get the glory, don’t you see?”

“This isn’t about the damn glory!” The dirt bag had taken off towards the door, but Matt was already there waiting for him.

“Brian get that thing!” Matt ordered as he pinned the other thing against the wall. “Zacky rope!” Zacky tossed the rope towards Matt who caught it without letting the target escape.

“Let me go!” The guy yelled at Matt.

“Amber you wanna help?” Matt asked with a slight smile. She ran over and took the rope from Matt and looked at Alyce. Alyce caught the signal and pulled the rope from her own backpack to go help. “Zacky over here.”

Zacky grabbed the duck tape from the backpack he had and joined up with the other four. Amber noted that Kellan was helping Brian with holding Aaron in and Jimmy just looked bored. She turned her attention back to tying the dirt bags arms to his torso as Alyce tied his legs together. “You shouldn’t have hurt that girl you asshole.” Zacky told him before placing the duck tape over his mouth.

“Okay now that you are taken care of we have other matters.” Matt looked at Jimmy who knew what this meant. When Jimmy reached them Matt left him in charge of the target as he turned his attention to Aaron.
“I told you exactly what to do Aaron! But no you couldn’t let someone who did the same thing as you take a fall could you?” Amber snarled the second she reached him. The rest of the guys eyes grew at the new information about the second prisoner.

“You could have let him get away or let him kill one of us.” Matt told him as Brian and Kellan released him.

“You have no business working with our side and we needed to take him down ourselves. Besides I don’t like you working with my future wife.” Aaron told him.

“That is never going to happen!” Amber slapped Aaron across the face. Matt’s fist connected with Aaron’s cheek and that is when the fight broke out. No one was exactly sure which one of them actually landed a hit to Aaron but he’d definitely gotten his ass kicked and you could tell.

***

“What happened?” Anthony exclaimed when he saw Aaron’s face.

“All the idiots over reacted when I went out of plan.” Aaron responded.

“You’re lucky we didn’t kill you.” Amber snarled plopping down in a chair.

“Amber what happened? Aaron go find Lisa, she’ll get you some ice and get those gashes taken care of.” Anthony’s voice sounded so sure, until they were joined by two others in the living room.

“Amber!” Esme ran over and grasped Amber in a tight hug.

“Hi mom.”

“What do I look like? Aaron’s personal nurse? He knows where everything is, he can do it himself.” Lisa sat down on the couch and crossed her arms. Anthony mumbled something too low for anyone to hear before looking at Aaron.

“Go get those taken care of. I’ll talk to Amber.” Once Aaron left Anthony turned back to Amber. “What happened?”

“He didn’t go in with us and snuck up behind everyone. He almost let the target get away and we reacted without much sympathy. If he would have listened nothing would have happened. He could have gotten us all killed!”

“You don’t allow a member of your team to be injured Amber! Especially not from your own hand!”

“Yeah Amber! You should have just let me lead, like a good girl!” Aaron walked back into the room holding an ice bag over his right eye and a triumphant grin on his face.

“you no good dog!” Amber jumped to her feet with her fists clenching.

“Amber don’t.” Anthony interrupted.

“no dad let her give him what he deserves.” Lisa jumped in. Amber and Aaron were now standing face to face only inches away from each other.

“You should consider yourself luck. Lucky that I want you. Because trust me, not one else will.” As Aaron spoke a few things happened to Amber. First her fists clenched so hard that she could feel her nails threaten to break the skin, second she realized that her dad would never see the truth, and third she laughed.

“You stupid S.O.B. You don’t know anything.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I can do better than you.”

“Then why don’t you have a boyfriend huh?”

“Because I choose not to.”

“Face it you little bitch, you’ve belonged to me since birth.”

“I don’t belong to you.”

“Trust me, someday you’ll be married to me.” Either of them heard Esme yelling at Aaron to never talk to her daughter like that again and to leave. They were to angry and too close to the fight that was sure to come.

“Give it up trash.”

“I’m not trash. But I’ll tell you who is. Matt Sanders. He is the trash you speak of.”

“He is not trash!”

“Think about it Amber, both of our names start with A. Aaron and Amber Marshall sounds good together. Don’t you think?”

“He is not trash.”

“We’ll need to get married quickly though. After all you should wear white and you won’t be able to keep your han-” Amber punched Aaron’s cheek hard, opening it back up and causing more blood to rush out. “Damn it!” He screeched.

“He is not trash! You are!”

“How would you know?”

“Because I just do!”

“And what exactly makes me trash?”

“Everything.” Lisa answered before Amber could.

“Lizzy what?” Aaron asked.

“I said everything.”

“Baby why would you agree with her?”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“Lisa what are you saying?”

“Don’t play stupid! I’m telling you to just leave me alone for good!”

“See what you do!” Aaron turned back on Amber.

“I’m tired of being used!” Lisa’s fist made contact with Aaron’s other cheek causing it to bleed too. After that the fight basically became a blur of yelling. Anthony finally left the room after Amber and Lisa both told him to stay out of it. When Lisa left Esme went to go make sure that she was okay. And then the door bell rang.

“Who is it?” Aaron asked looking at Amber.

“I don’t know!”

“Then go answer the door! That is your place!

“Do not ever speak to me that way again!”

“Then do what I say when I say!”

“You can go-” Aaron lifted his hand and hit his palm hard against Amber’s cheek.

“Go. Answer. The. Door.” He made each word into it’s own sentence.
“You. Go. Screw. Yourself!” Amber did the same to her words. Without thinking Amber’s hands moved to his throat.

Anthony walked in and went to answer the door not saying anything to the fighting duo in the living room. “Ah Dr. Carrier you are here. Thank you for coming tonight. As you can see they are having some problems.”

“Not a problem. What sort of problems? I can’t see anything wrong yet.” She pleasantly responded.

“Hit me again! I dare you!” Amber yelled as her hands remained on Aaron’s throat.

“You have to control your temper dear.”

“Temper? How about I go get a baseball bat and break you kne-”

“Let me go honey.” Amber’s grip tightened at his words slowly.

“Mr. Davis maybe this is a job for the cops.” Dr. Carrier suggested as she saw the two. Aaron’s hands were now at Amber’s throat as well.

“That won’t do them any good.”

“Well this puts a new meaning to at each other’s throats,” She commented “Amber? Aaron?” The pair didn’t hear the therapists gentle voice.

“Amber! Let him go now!” Anthony’s voice boomed. Unable to speak, due to losing her breath and the anger she had, Amber removed her hands. “You too Aaron.” With one last squeeze Aaron dropped his hands.

“I hate you.” Amber snarled at Aaron.

“Good evening.” Dr. Carrier’s voice caught their attention this time.

“That wasn’t what it looked like-” Aaron began before being cut off.

“Yeah it was. Smack me again like that Aaron and you’ll understand what pain is.” Amber cut it quickly.

“Sit down!” Anthony ordered. Aaron reached for Amber’s hand and she pushed him back causing him to stumble slightly.

“Don’t touch me.” She warned before sitting down on the sofa and looking at Dr. Carrier, who was seated on an ottoman. “Hi.”

“Hello Amber.” The woman kindly responded. Aaron sat down but didn’t speak.

“So what happened?” Amber explained in between arguing with Aaron. The therapist sat in silence for a moment before turning to Anthony. “How can you want this for you daughter?”

“Aaron will love and take care of her, as long as she acts right.”

“Sir she is a person, not a pet.”

“It doesn’t Matt! I hate Aaron and I have since I was little! He is lucky he can still move!” And with that Amber left the room. Esme was easy for her to find since she was listening to Lisa rant.

“Amber what was going o-” Esme looked up at her oldest daughter and stopped mid-sentence. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine.” Amber the explained what had happened to her mom with Lisa listening carefully. “Which is why I’m up here. I’ve gotta get away for a few days. Will you take care of Willow please?”

“Of course I will.”

“Where are you going?” Lisa asked looking at her older sister sadly.

“I don’t know yet. Maybe Alyce’s for the night then I’m getting out of town for a few days before I snap.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Not listening to you about him.”

“don’t worry about it. Just take care of yourself while I’m out of town okay? Watch your back around him.”

“Okay. Be careful Amber.” Lisa stood up and hugged her sister tightly.

“You too.”

“I’m going to talk to Amber okay sweetie?” Esme asked Lisa.

“Okay mom.” Esme followed Amber into her bedroom.

“Mom I’m going to take a quick shower. If you don’t feel like just sitting there I understand.” Amber told Esme once the door was closed.

“I’ll be here when you get out.”

“Okay.” Amber took a change of clothes with her into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself. She had no intentions of looking in the mirror before her shower but at the small glimce she caught she had to.

Her cheek and throat were still read from Aaron’s hands and the sight made her angry all over again. If Matt saw this then it would create problems and she knew that. Looking away from her reflection she hoped that by the time she left the evidence of the fight would be gone.

Esme was still waiting when Amber walked out of the bathroom, with questions. “So where are you going? And who are you going with?” She watched as her daughter grabbed a small suitcase and a backpack. She know that the suitcase was for the out of town trip and guessed the backpack was for the stuff she’d need in the morning.

“I’m not sure where. I kinda wanna go with Matt. I mean we already agreed to get out of town after tonight anyway.”

“Are you going to tell him what happened?”

“I’ll probably have to, he’ll figure it out. I just hope I can stop him from overreacting and killing Aaron. I don’t really want him to go to jail.” Amber smiled a little as Esme laughed for a second. Another thought was flying around in her head as she began packing her bags. “Okay well that is all that I will need. I’m going to call Matt and see if he wants to go with me tomorrow.”

“Okay sweetie. I love you. Be careful. Call me tomorrow.” Esme hugged Amber tightly and Amber inhaled her mother’s scent happily.

“I love you too mom. I will. I promise. Thanks for watching Willow.” Esme smiled but didn’t bother saying anything else. Amber grabbed her stuff and left the house. Once in her car she called Matt.

“Hey Amber!” His voice came over the speaker of her cell phone making her smile.

“Hey Matt! Uh do you wanna get out of town in the morning. I just had a bad fight with Aaron so I’m leaving my house tonight. I’m going to go stay with Alyce but I really wanna leave town in the morning.

“I’ve got a better idea. You come stay here and we’ll leave first thing in the morning. Where do you want to go?"