2019, December 25th
When they got to the Arden residence, Aria and Troy spent a considerable amount of time hovering over Ethan, forgetting everything and everyone else. Maybe it was the terror, the danger and adrenaline, but neither of them wanted to leave him or each other. Despite their display of passion at the base, however, they were still very much fighting.He could block Aaron and Bart out while he was with Aria and Ethan, but Troy refused to stay the night at either the castle or the Arden mansion.“You're being petty,” she said, as she watched the road pass by through the car window. “We should have stayed—”“Where, Aria? With which of the men that you've recently spent the night with did you want to stay?”This shut her right up. Aria was angry too, but his thing clearly trumped hers. Troy hadn't acted out of character. She had. It didn't make her any less mad about what he'd done, but her guilt was letting him have more ro2019, December 25thWhen they got to the Arden residence, Aria and Troy spent a considerable amount of time hovering over Ethan, forgetting everything and everyone else. Maybe it was the terror, the danger and adrenaline, but neither of them wanted to leave him or each other. Despite their display of passion at the base, however, they were still very much fighting. He could block Aaron and Bart out while he was with Aria and Ethan, but Troy refused to stay the night at either the castle or the Arden mansion.“You're being petty,” she said, as she watched the road pass by through the car window. “We should have stayed—” “Where, Aria? With which of the men that you've recently spent the night with did you want to stay?” This shut her right up. Aria was angry too, but his thing clearly trumped hers. Troy hadn't acted out of character. She had. It didn't make her any less mad about what he'd done, but her guilt was letting him have more ro
Troy was making his way through the base, following the trail of dead bodies, when he finally came upon a live one. “Pierce,” James greeted as they backed up against each other. “Thanks for coming, Beaumont,” said Troy.“Been a while since I heard that name,” James grinned. “Oh, for fuck's sake! Really?! Your first order of business is coming to see him?!” Aaron yelled from behind a wall adjacent to them. “Because of course you two know each other!”They were taking heavy fire now from the floor above theirs. It appeared their attacker had taken out everyone else and was now moving onto them. “I'll bring you a tissue for your lady problems after you take out the supermodel shooting at us!” James yelled back. “Supermodel?” Troy asked. “Yup. Dark hair, dark eyes. Tall. Crazy. Still shooting at us,” James answered as he watched Troy lower his gun. Aaron saw it too. He knew enough about Troy's Dean f
Troy sighed, his anger abating somewhat as he watched her eyes soften, watched her form dreams around that ring. “Please, Aria. If there's shit you need to figure out with Aaron, do it now. Today. Because I'm leaving tomorrow, with or without you. This place isn't safe for Ethan.” “What if I don't make it back in time? What if it's not enough time? When will I see you, either of you, again?” she called after him. She had to ask. It was the tiniest spark, just a little bit of doubt, but she knew it was possible. Aria might just not be able to leave Aaron. Troy willed himself not to look back, not to tell her to take her time so long as she picked him, because the truth was he just couldn't handle it, couldn't keep his cool about other men circling her anymore. It wasn't just that, though. They had already stayed too long. Caines wasn't safe for the kid. “I won't keep him from you, Aria. You can see him whe
2019, December 24th & 25th It was the early morning hours when Troy went back into the nursery with a jug of cold water. He was completely over this now. Maybe it was the way CC had pushed his buttons or finding his girlfriend, the woman he meant to propose to for a second time, next to another man, but he had had enough. Troy watched as Bart's sleeping body came to life. “Maybe you're not so harmless after all, huh, Barry?” he said. Bart didn't say anything. He only glared at Troy. “If you still intend to marry CC, I suggest you get out and go home. And stop showing up here. You're messing with Caroline’s head and she deserves better, deserves more.” “This coming from the man who all but forced this night on her,” Bart growled. Troy laughed bitterly. “Is that what you think happened? Despite what you think of me, Lord Bartholomew, I'm not in the habit of making women do any
She could have told Aria the rest, about how he’d had a meltdown in the courtyard, but Keira didn’t see how that would help matters. Aria couldn’t stand Keira, but since Ethan’s death Keira had become rather protective of Aria. She wasn’t just here because she wanted blood, like she’d told Troy. She wanted to protect everything the man she loved had left behind. A marriage to Troy was the best way to do that. What the hell did that mean?! He was just running after her 10 minutes ago, looking for her, seeking her out. Did he change his mind again? Was it so easy for him to walk away from her a second time? Was there really nothing between them anymore? Had there ever been? Did she let herself get played after all? It certainly looked that way. He only ever wanted one thing from her. That was just who he was. “Get out,” said Aria, her voice cold as ice. When Keira had retreated out of her room, Aria picked up her hairbrush, the way she had a million times
Aria watched Troy’s eyes go to the chessboard. She smiled, like she always did when he managed to slip a personal question past her. Troy was sweetness itself. The perfect prince nickname was deserved through and through. They never quite got personal exactly, or rather he didn’t, but Troy listened to Aria. He was the voice of reason in her head when she felt like losing her shit. He got into her head somehow, had been working on her for months before she finally broke and told him. About the grief, about the way she wanted to feel Dean’s warm blood on her hands, but mostly about how much she missed her mom’s warmth, Ethan’s stupid grin and her father’s easygoing but strict demeanor. If it really did come down to it, she could do worse than Troy for a king, a partner. “Regretfully, I do not. I always meant to learn, but I never could quite make myself.” The truth she was burying, even from herself, was that Aria and Aaron had talked about playing together many, m