Unintended

Josh's point of view

"Am I going to sleep at all tonight?" I growl to myself. 1 am. It's been a week since we all met up at Steve's place. We're supposed to leave tomorrow for the flight to Ireland. I don't normally get nervous. But for some reason I am.

Maybe the sightings had me worked up. Some people had been thrown from the top of the hill where the ruins sits.

I don't know. I just have a weird feeling.

Ava's Point of View

I shuddered under the cover of the night sky. The wind bit at my bare shoulders and legs in my tank-top and night-shorts. I can't sleep so I'm sitting up here in next-to-nothing on the hill of my back yard. I didn't want to move. Maybe I'm enjoying myself up here in the middle of November. Cold pinpricks cover my body. I shudder again. I feel like eyes are watching me from the woods; which is of course impossible. I just get paranoid sometimes. I force myself to get up and begin my walk inside. It had to be 60 degrees out here. I don't want to get sick for tomorrow. Chances are that if I get sick Jason won't let me out to investigate. Fucking prick sometimes, I swear.

I walk inside and walk through the dark halls that I've known for three decades. I don't need lights as I slip into my bed and under the covers to warmup. I pull my head under them and curl up to think about tomorrow.

I frequently visit places that I've been to in the past-- But I haven't been to Red Bay since I was only in my technical forties--Of course I still looked twenty-two. Looking back, I know so much about medicine that would have helped me save so many people. Maybe even the...No. Nevermind, I mustn't dwell. It takes a while but I finaly drift off to sleep.

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I wake up to an intruding beeping noise and groan when I realize it's my 4 Am alarm. I sigh and force myself up to get dressed. I have a box of dye on the bathroom counter and remember placing it there yesterday for me to do this morning.

"Smokey Auburn Red." I muse to myself, turning the box over in my hands. I sigh and decide why-the-hell-not. My hair has been brown for the past 20 years. I put the dye in my hair and shower, careful not to wash it out until the 30-minute-mark. I let it dry naturally--as it's short and not hard to manage-- and I decide on a blue pair of boot-fit jeans and a white wife-beater with a tight-ish green hoodie from Victoria's Secret. Man, this thing was so soft. I could live in it.

I run some mousse through my hair, grab my suitcase of essentials and drive to the TAPS headquarters, an hour away.

I make good time, getting there second to last. We were just waiting on that Josh guy. I find myself apprehensive.I was greeted warmly, as always.

"Hey, Ave," Tango says from behind me,"Did you get shorter?"

I turn around and his chest is puffer up. I cock an eyebrow.

"Dave. I'm almost exactly your height.'

"Hmm...Nah you seem shorter."

"Ha-ha." I mutter.

"Dave, are you causing trouble to our kind friend, Ava?"

"What? No--" Dave looks up at Jason, cocky demeanour obviously disolved.

"It's fine Jason," I step in, laughing,"Let the boy have his fun. He won't be for much longer:not if he sits near me." I smirk. I see Jason smile through his eyes, seemingly proud. It makes me laugh.

Suddenly, the door opens to none other than Josh--of course.

"It's okay guys. I'm not dead." He smiles and looks up, holding out his hands in front of him. Dave rolls his eyes and Jason speaks up.

"Alright, everyone is here. Grant and I are going to head off to the airport in front. Everyone else follow. Squeeze as many as you can to a car."

I yawn and stretch, muscles still tired.

"Who's with me?" I murmur arms outstretched, warming up for another long drive. A chuckle ripples across the room.

"What?"

"Your car..." Grant starts and smirks a little.

"What's wrong with it?" I question, mock attitude. I cross my arms and balance my weight on one hip.

"Ave, you drive a Fiat."

"I'm damn close to six-foot tall. If I can fit in there, you guys can too."

"I'm sure you get great milage and all..." Josh chuckles.

"Besides, Ave," Jay sighs,"You got up extra early since you live so far. You best not drive."

I sigh and hang my head in defeat. Dave elbows me in the ribs. Oh God, I'm in for it.

"Alright, so it's settled. Me with grant, Tango with Ben," Jason nods to one of the strangers I met last week,"And Ava with Josh. And obviously, the camera crew rides together as well."

Dave knits his brows together, disapointed he wont be able to torment me for the 3 hour drive to the Philli airport. I sigh in relief. I get to drive with a cute guy, AND get a nap in.

Outside at the parking lot, Josh waves me over. I walk over. I want to hug him but decide against it. Don't need to make things awkward.

"well, this is it!" He flashes a proud smile and bangs the base of his palm against a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I cock an eyebrow.

"Jesus, it's huge."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot." He smirks, opening the door for me. I feel myself blush.

"Yikes. That was a clichee and a half."

"At least I'm not driving you in a window-less van." He nods over to the Taps vans. I smirk and nod my head in thanks, getting in, stillblushing slightly.

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Josh's Point of View

I mentally slap myself for that "Yeah I get that a lot" comment. I'm surprised she didn't do it for me. I'm normally witty. But I completely lost anything of any value to say around this girl. I look over at her occasioinally. Normally she stares out the window, but once or twice I caught her looking. Or did she catch me? I take another good look at her. Something is different.

"Did you change your hair?"

She smiles, seeming glad I noticed.

"I dyed it this morning."

"Oh. It looks nice." I say quietly. She whispers a 'thanks' and its quiet for a while.

"So, where are you from?"

"Who, me?"I ask, caught off-guard.

"Um, yes. Is there anyone else in the car?" She says, barely over a whisper.

"Yeah, there's a dead girl in the back. I figured I'd tell you later."

"I thought something was off about you, Joshua Gates." She smirks.

"What do you mean?" Me, apprehensive.

"Oh,nothing." She smiles silently to herself. "But really. Where are you from?"

"I grew up in Massachusetts. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I don't mean to third-degree." She laughs musically. I feel my face get a bit pink.

"Where are you from?"

"I was born in Estonia, but I've lived in New Jersey for about twenty years now."

"Have you met Snooki yet?"

"Fortunately, no." She seems genuinely glad not to have met Snooki. I chuckle.

"So how old are you then?" I mumble, trying to gauge her age against mine.

"Twenty-two." Thirteen years my junior.

"You seem a lot older." I sigh inwardly. She's too young for me, I think.

"I don't know if I should say thanks." She laughs musically.

"You look your age, you just seem so much more mature."

"Hey," She smiles,"They say girls mature sooner."

I'm not sure what to say. After a while, she starts up again.

"So, how old are you?" She trails off.

"Thirty five--I mean, twenty-two." I grin and look over.

"You could pass for late twenties." She smiles.

"Hey," I smirk,"Quit flirting with me."

"It's hard not to flirt with you, Joshua."

"You can call me Josh, you know."

"I know." She smiles. I smile too. I know I suggested against it, but I hope she keeps calling me Joshua. It sounds right when it passes her lips. The next time I look over, her head is leaned up on her elbow and she breathes quietly. I smile to myself and don't feel nervous anymore.

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Ava's Point of View

I feel the car park. I stir slightly but don't move. I can hear Josh undo his seatbelt and grab the door handle, but he suddenly stops. I hear him shift in his seat.

"Ava." He whispers. I churn my shoulder but don't open my eyes. I hear him chuckle and he touches my arm lightly.

"Ave." He shortens it. I groan a little. He pinches my cheek lightly.

"You have to get up. We're at the airport. You can sleep on the plane."

I sigh and sit up, still propped up on my elbow on the door.

"Will you sit next to me, Joshua?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because Dave." He chuckles.

"Yeah, sure. I don't know who's sitting on your other side.

"But you'll sit next to me?"

"Yeah." He chuckles again.

"Sounds good then." I sigh, squeezing my eyes shut and stretching my arms out in front of me.

Despite what I thought, getting through security wasn't that difficult. The beeper kept going off at my nipple and ear piercings, but other than that all went smoothly, and I got to keep my nipple rings in. The station was fairily empty as well as the plane. I grab a window seat to eliminate my exposed surface area.

Joshua sits next to me as promised. He brings coffee.

"Gonna watch the take off?"

"Pfft. No. I'll probably pass out."

"I asked about the take-off, not the roofies."

"Will the roofies kick in in-time so I don't have to get all nervous?"

"Probably not."

"If you're gonna drug me, then, at least get it right."

"Well, you better start drinking."

The plane starts moving. I feel my insides twist. I hide my face in the arms of my soft green sweatshirt.

"Come on, it isn't that bad. At least you're braver than Steve."

I groan. The plane picks up speed.

"Hey, look at me." Josh says. Reluctantly, I turn my head. His dark blue eyes are full of concern.

"Sorry. I only hate the takeoff. I wont be this way the whole time." I murmur, making up for myself. He holds my gaze. The plane shudders and so do I, but hardly from the take-off. More from Josh's intense look. It feels like forever when he finally looks away and smiles.

"See. That wasn't so bad."

I look out the window and he's right. We're in the air-- High in the air. I'm either very slow to look, or he held my gaze longer than nessecary. Not that I'm complaining.

"Sorry." I laugh nervously.

"Don't be." He holds out a coffee cup. "Coffee?"

We chit chat for a while but the coffee really has no effect and I just feel tired again. Josh is reading a book. I lean my head back and close my eyes but can't find comfort. Eventually, being drunk from sleep, my head comes to rest on his shoulder. After a minute or two, his cheek presses against my hair. I can feel him smile a bit as I drift back off to sleep.