The Fallout

Deanna sat with her head resting on her forearms. Her elbows were propped up on her knees, and she stayed in her corner between the couch and the wall. Three months had passed since she had been ripped away from Mike, and Deanna had barely left her house.

Her best friend was the only reason Deanna even had food in the house; Austin brought her something that he or one of the guys had cooked up everyday, two or three times a day, and would bring coffee or tea in the morning. But most of the time, Deanna didn't touch the food, only the drinks, so Austin had taken to bringing her protein shakes and the likes.

Deanna watched the sunlight fade from her living room, not bothering to stand up and turn on any lights. The street lights of the city would come on at anytime, and the empty house would be light enough for Deanna. She knew that Austin would be there soon, but he would just let himself in with the key she'd given him in case of emergency.

Just as Deanna thought of him, she heard the front door's dead bolt click, and the door open, followed by some lights turning on. "Deanna?" Austin's voice called, sounding concerned. "You here? I brought food." Like that would coax Deanna out of her corner.

He poked his head into the living room, and saw the top of Deanna's head peeking out from the other side of the couch, where she was sitting on the floor. Austin sighed, going to stand in front of the girl. "Come on, Deanna. You've got to eat something," he said, holding his hands out to her.

Deanna reluctantly took Austin's hands, letting him pull her to her feet, then drag her into the kitchen. She followed Austin's order to sit down at the island in the center of the room, then he sat down beside her, handing Deanna a bottle of water and pushing the plate in front of her. The plate of food consisted of a baked potato smothered in butter and cheddar cheese, topped with bacon bits, a piece of chicken and a small pile of peas. Still reluctant, Deanna picked up the fork and began to eat, starting with the potato.

"Dammit, Deanna," grumbled Austin, running a hand through his dark hair. "You need to forget about him. He's one of them. He was probably planning to kill you, as soon as he'd gotten all of our secrets out of you."

Deanna stopped chewing the bite of potato she'd just taken, turning cool green eyes on Austin. She swallowed, then narrowed her eyes. "Do you want to know something?" Deanna asked, and Austin frowned, nodding. "He almost killed me the first day we met. Almost. He had a knife to my throat and everything. And then, you know what he did? He kissed me instead of slitting my goddamn throat."

Austin stared at Deanna in shock. She'd never told him that. As a matter of fact, she'd never told him almost anything about this mysterious guy. "Seriously?" Austin asked her, and Deanna nodded before continuing.

"Yeah. Then, you want to know what he said to me?" Deanna questioned, a far away look on her face. Austin took the bait and asked what he had said. "He said, you're too beautiful to die. Then, he kissed me again."

Austin was still surprised that Deanna was telling him all of this. In the past three months, she'd barely spoken, instead staying in her house and not leaving. Austin had been visiting her several times of day, especially when he realized she wasn't eating.

Deanna sighed, and pushed the plate away. "I'm not hungry anymore. Goodnight, Austin." And with that, she stood from the bar stool, leaving the kitchen and Austin, who still sat there flabbergasted at what she had just told him.



Mike sat at the dinner table with his brother and two best friends, staring down at the food in front of him and pushing it around with . Normally, it was something he would've immediately torn into, and been done eating first, but not today, or for the last three months.

Jaime noticed that Mike wasn't eating, and slammed his hand down on the wooden table, creating a loud crashing noise. "Goddamn it, Mike, fucking eat," Jaime snapped, and Mike barely moved, not even glancing up at Jaime, which only infuriated him more.

Tony sighed. "Hime-" he started, but was cut off by a now very angry Jaime.

"He hasn't eaten in days, and he's not speaking to any of us. And all over some little bitch-"

Mike had had enough at this point and stood up, his chair screeching back on the tile. "Fuck off, Jaime. You don't know anything about her," was all he said, stalking out of the room and down the hall, heading for his bedroom and slamming the door behind him.

Once in the confines of his bedroom, Mike threw himself down on the double bed, and covered his face with his hands. He was so sick of hearing his friends and brother complaining about what had happened with him and Deanna, or about the fact that Mike missed her so bad that it made him want to crawl into his bed and never come out. They all thought that she shouldn't have been anything to him, all since she came from the other side of the field.

But, Mike was beginning to realize something. He needed Deanna, more than he needed anything else. It wasn't just wanting her body, it was everything. The feel of her skin on his, her laugh, even her attitude. Mike missed everything about her, and he was just dying to see her again.

Mike snapped out of his thoughts, and bolted off the bed, going for the window. Opening it quickly, he slipped out, making sure to leave it just cracked. Darting quickly away from his house, Mike used the back streets and alleyways to get to the field, running across it and to his and Deanna's spot, the one where they went when they wanted to get out of the open field.

The two had been wandering through the forest that flanked the field one time, and come across a meadow. It was perfect: small and enclosed, but also peaceful and private. There was an outcropping of rocks towards the middle, that stood around a single olive tree.

Mike ran through the forest, darting along the familiar, hidden path. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but couldn't stay in his house, not with the tension between him, his brother and his friends. However, what Mike wasn't expecting, was to find someone already in the meadow, sitting in the grass and leaning back against one of the more flat rocks. He skidded to a stop right at the edge of the forest, barely managing to stay concealed in the trees. Mike wasn't sure who was in the meadow.

From where Mike stood at the edge of the meadow, he could see the shoulder length brown hair against a blur of a long-sleeved, cream colored shirt. Mike knew who it had to be, unless Deanna had told anyone about the spot. And, sure enough, as Mike looked at the rock beside her, he could just make out the familiar, army green messenger bag.

"Deanna?" he called her name out softly, and he watched as the person bolted upright, starting to grab for the bag, looking like she was going to run. "No!" he cried out, voice still soft, and watched as the girl froze, turning to look as Mike stepped quickly out of the forest, revealing himself.

Mike heard a soft gasp, and then the sound of his name being uttered softly. "Yeah, it's me," he whispered, and the figure dropped her bag, running towards him at full speed. Mike strode forward, opening his arms wide and catching Deanna as she launched herself at him.

Deanna wrapped her legs around Mike's waist, and her arms around his neck, at the same time his strong arms caught her waist, bringing her close to him. "Mikey," Deanna whispered his name as she felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks, burying her face in his long, dark hair and inhaling his scent. It had been far too long since she'd hugged him, Deanna decided squeezing him tightly.

Mike started to walk, heading for the rocks. Once he got there, he sat down on top of one of the flat rocks, with Deanna still clinging tightly to him. Mike could hear her crying, and felt her wet tears on his neck. "Hey, it's okay, baby," Mike said, attempting to soothe her, stroking Deanna's silky hair gently. He turned his head, pressing his lips to her damp cheek.

"Oh, God, I thought I'd never see you again," Deanna managed to say through her tears, pulling back and kissing Mike's face. She kissed both his cheeks, then his temples, then moved back down, kissing Mike hard on the lips, her fingers knotting into his hair.

Mike kissed Deanna back with equal force and passion, loving the feeling of having her back in his arms. As soon as Deanna's lips left his, Mike reattached his lips to her neck, kissing all the way down to the top of her chest, where her top kept him from kissing her bare skin. Finally, Mike lifted his head, and met Deanna's green eyes.

He pecked her gently on the lips. "I love you," Mike told her, smiling gently at the brunette.

Deanna kissed Mike again, harder this time. "I love you, too," she whispered against his lips, leaning into his chest and pushing him gently back until Mike lay down on the rock, cradling Deanna to his chest. She cuddled into his chest, pressing gentle kisses to his throat.

They lay like that for a solid hour, cuddling and kissing and whispering sweet things to each other. Both Deanna and Mike knew they had to get back to their sides before they were noticed missing, but neither wanted to leave the other, for fear they wouldn't see each other again.

"Mikey, I have a plan," Deanna finally stated, leaning in and kissing him softly. "And, you're going to like it, since it involves breaking rules."

With that said, Mike sat up abruptly, and Deanna settled into his lap before explaining her plan to him. Mike grinned, kissing her hard. "You, love, are brilliant," he told Deanna, kissing her again before they both stood up.

The couple kissed again multiple times before finally parting ways, both turning to run in opposite directions. However, neither looked back to the field or to see the other's retreating back.