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Triumvirate Book 2 By Paradox Wolf Springs, Wyoming, Buckman Rental Property She gasped as the combination of a warm, wet tongue laving her tight, puckered nipple and the thrust of a hot, steel-hard member driving deep within her soft, hungry sex sent her mind reeling amidst a wash of delicious pleasure that threatened to blank her mind. Her nails clawed desperately at the strong back of the body that lay positioned atop her while she dug the narrow heels of her stilettos into his hips, urging more out of him just as clearly as the sharp cries that flew from her mouth. "More! More! Oh fuck more!" "Kitty!" The sudden shout combined with the odd sensation of being shoved back and forth from the side instead of the expected head to toe snapped her consciousness back into place and Kitty sat bolt upright in bed gasping for air. For a moment all she saw was the nameless, faceless Adonis that had been ravishing her body oh so wonderfully. That image quickly melted away to be replaced by Angela's concerned expression. "Are you okay?" Shoving back hair that was damp with sweat, Kitty took a moment to catch her breath before nodding. "Yeah," she told her friend unsteadily. "I think so. How long were you trying this time?" "Just a few seconds," the blond assured her. "You came out of it a lot faster this time." Shaking her head, the stunning brunette started to use her rumpled blanket wipe away some of the sweat that bathed her face, neck, and shoulder, but stopped when she discovered it was already quite damp with something other than perspiration. "Oh dammit," she grumbled. "It's all right, I brought a towel." Taking the proffered item from her friend, Kitty gave Angela a wan smile and went about trying to clean herself up a little. It would take a shower to fully do the job but at least she wasn't gleaming from sweat and feminine fluids any longer. "I hate that I can't control this thing when I sleep," she moaned. "Well it's been several days since the last time," Angela tried to reassure her. "Which is better than when it first started. At least it's not happening every night anymore." Nodding, Kitty rose from the bed, letting the blanket fall completely to display her outrageously sexy curves in all of their naked glory. "I'd better go have a shower," she said dejectedly. "What time is it?" "Just after seven. You're still sleeping naked huh?" Angela observed without even a hint of judgement. It had more than surprised her the first time Kitty had strolled into the kitchen of the RV without a stitch on, but at this point Angela had gotten pretty used to the sight of her sexy friend in the buff. "Yeah," Kitty replied, her cheeks flushing slightly with only a cursory amount of embarrassment. "I keep trying to wear something to bed like a nightie or even just a T-shirt but it just feels so uncomfortable I can't get to sleep unless I take it off." "Part of the programming," Angela reasoned as she worked to strip the bed completely so it could be washed right away before any stains set in. "They wanted to make you the ultimate sex slave according to some pervert's medieval fantasy wet dream. Until we can figure out a way to completely purge it from your brain I can live with it." Kitty nodded and started towards her bathroom when she paused and glanced over her shoulder with a curious look. "Angela, you've seen me naked and heard me cumming in my sleep who knows how many times, and you know I'd be more than willing, so why haven't you tried to make a move yet?" This time it was Angela who blushed furiously until she turned her head away so she was no longer looking at the girl with the body that put Victoria's Secret models to shame. "You're my friend Kitty, and you didn't choose for this to happen. I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you even thinking about something like that." "So then," Kitty reasoned. "You still like girls?" "Yes Kitty," the blond sighed in exasperation. "I still like girls." "Okay, just checking," she purred before slipping into the bathroom with one final, enticing wiggle of her hips and ass before closing the door. Once closed, the young girl leaned back against its interior and took several long, slow breaths to try and calm her system back down. Between her erotic dream and the inadvertent sexual teasing of her friend she'd gotten herself so worked up she knew a masturbation session in the shower was inevitable. She promised herself that right afterwards she would make more of a concerted effort to stymy the overcharged sexual impulses that had become such an intricate part of her personality as of late. She owed at least that much to Angela after effectively torturing her with what amounted to forbidden fruit for the last week or so. She also decided that she would need to download some of those novels that her programming had been based upon, that 'Gor' series by John Norman. If she was going to live, cope with, and eventually overcome the mental conditioning designed to make her the ultimate sex slave, it was probably best if she acquainted herself with the source material it had been based upon. Besides, a little steamy erotica never hurt anyone, and it might make for some interesting dreams. Wolf Springs, Wyoming, Connors Residence "Whatcha doing?" Aiden turned from where she had been looking over the empty portion of the lot and smiled a bit at the sight of her father walking up. "Just figuring out the layout I want for my forge." Nodding as he added his own, experienced eyes to the project, he looked over the grassy area. Knowing his daughter well he had no trouble imagining how and where she would want each piece of equipment she would need. "You know you're more than welcome to use the shop once it's built," he told her unnecessarily. "Dad," she told him in a deliberate parody of a pained voice. "We've been through this." "I know, I know," he said with a smile and gently ruffled her hair, causing the girl to duck her head and cast him a mildly reproving look. "You like having your own space. I just wanted to make the offer." "Thanks," she said, taking a couple of sticks and sticking them into the ground in various places to mark perspective item locations. "Hey Dad, can you tell me something?" "If I can." Turning, she placed her hands on her hips, a gesture Terry noted was decidedly feminine. "What's up with Ashley?" Almost immediately his face closed down to a neutral expression even as his muscles tensed ever so slightly. "What do you mean?" Pretending she didn't notice the change in her father's demeanor, Aiden continued to move about the space and place marking sticks. "I know you and Mom know more about her than you told me last night. Someone doesn't take off at a dead sprint like hell itself is at her heels just because of some 'trauma'. Why-" Before she could get any further, Aiden found herself spun around. Well, spun around is a bit dramatic, it was more like she was turned by her father's hand on her shoulder until she found herself looking up into his stern and slightly haunted expression. "Aiden, first of all, it's not mine or your mother's place to talk about someone else. You know better than to think we take part in that gossiping crap. If Ashley wants to talk about her past, that's her decision and no one else's." Aiden gulped slightly and nodded, realizing her flippant attitude had gone a touch too far. "Secondly, I don't want you to ever cheapen someone by trivializing anything traumatic that they've gone through. Have you ever done that when it came to my experiences in the military?" Her eyes widened in shock that he would even suggest something like that and shook her head vehemently. "Never," she breathed. "I know you haven't talked about everything you went through, but I know you were in combat a lot and it was pretty hard on you after." "That's right," he confirmed. "And if it hadn't been for your mother and later you, I would very likely have been a prime candidate for PTSD. That doesn't mean I still don't think about it and remember just how terrifying they were sometimes, I've just learned to accept them as past experiences and use them to make sure our lives are better for it." At the mention of the mental disorder suffered by so many veterans, a sudden realization came to Aiden and she gasped softly. "Does Ashley have PTSD?" Terry shrugged a bit but the young girl could tell by his expression that he suspected that was indeed the case. "Again, it's neither my place nor anyone else's to speculate on it unless Ashley herself chooses to talk about it. Regardless, I'm sure you could tell she went through a very painful ordeal back in California and she's still trying to cope with it. If you're thinking about helping her, the best thing right now is to simply be her friend. From what her mother told us while you went after her she doesn't really have any. Oh sure," he said when Aiden went to protest that sentiment. "She's a wonderfully sweet, generous girl who would do anything for anyone and everyone loves her, but she doesn't get close to anyone except for her Mom." "She's definitely got balls," Aiden muttered, thinking back to the way she literally threw herself in front of that RV to protect that little boy. "That she does," Terry agreed. "but having courage and being able to trust someone are two very different things." At that moment, both father and daughter realized they were no longer alone. For Terry, it was years of military service that had honed his instincts to razor fine points. For Aiden, however, it was the scent that drifted on the mostly still air that warned her someone else had just stepped onto the property. Only the fact that she recognized it prevented her from spinning towards the interloper and growling a warning. As the pair turned, they saw the girl that had been their topic of conversation slowly and hesitantly walking towards them holding a covered plate. Once again, Aiden was struck by the ethereal beauty this girl possessed. Between her brilliantly red hair that no one could achieve outside of a bottle, eyes that were so brightly green they practically glowed, and a body possessed of the most feminine of curves lovingly wrapped in a long, filmy white skirt and a peach lace spaghetti-strap top, she was the epitome of a fairy princess minus the stereotypical ball gown. A shy smile was on her lips as she drew closer, her soft brown boots hardly making a sound in the grass. "Hi," she greeted quietly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "Not at all," Terry assured her with a welcoming smile. "Why brings you by Ashley?" "I...I kind of wanted to talk with Aiden," she admitted, lowering her gaze in a charmingly bashful manner. "Oh," the man said, casting a brief look to his daughter before smiling. "Well I'll get out of your way then, I have to make sure the workshop site is ready for the builders," he explained before the young redhead could protest her own interference. "They should be here pretty soon Aiden, so you're going to want to have your markers set up so they can get the equipment offloaded and placed right away." Aiden nodded, and planted her final stick in the ground. "You got it Dad, I'll stick some signs on these so they know what's what." With a nod of approval, Terry cast one more warm smile in Ashley's direction before he headed for the opposite side of the house where the workshop would be assembled. Once they were alone, the two girls simply stood and stared at one another for several minutes, neither of them sure if they wanted to be the first to speak or not. "So what brings you here?" "I wanted to bring you something." The girls giggled when they both started speaking simultaneously and Aiden waved in Ashley's direction. "You first." "Well, I wanted to bring you something. A thank you for what you did for me yesterday." She held up the covered plate a little higher. Sniffing the air, the dark-haired girl's eyes lifted slightly in pleased surprise. "Did you bake me fresh chocolate chip cookies?" Almost immediately the redhead looked self-conscious and she quickly ducked her head in shame. "Yeah. It was stupid, I know. You probably think I'm just some silly girl. I'll just go and leave you be." "You take one step back with those little pieces of deliciousness and I'll have you on the ground before you can blink." Instantly Ashley's head came up and her eyes widened with a combination of shock and fear and Aiden knew she had chosen her words poorly. "Sorry," she said contritely. "That was a really bad joke. Just...you don't have to go. I really like chocolate chip cookies and they smell delicious." Ashley blinked again, though this time it was in confusion. "You can smell them all the way over there?" Damn, Aiden thought, Nothing like letting the wolf out of the bag. "Ummm, yeah," she admitted, kicking a small rock with the toe of her sneaker. "Wow," she said with clear admiration. "That's pretty cool. So..." When she stalled Aiden moved over to where she had two folding beach chairs set up and waved an invitation for the other to join her. As Ashley hurried over, Aiden saw that the girl's movements had an uncanny, dancer-like grace to them. She hadn't noticed it yesterday, but then the poor girl had been in the throes of what she now strongly suspected was an acute PTSD attack so missing it could be forgiven. That grace was all the more exemplified when Ashley took a seat in the empty chair as she seemed to practically float down into it instead of flopping like she had. Without a word, the redhead drew off the dish towel covering the plate and offered Aiden one of the still warm and delicious smelling treats. Needing no further invitation, she snatched one off the plate and eagerly bit into it. Her moan of delight at the chocolaty bliss was instant and gratifying. "Oh my god they're still warm," she gasped in awe before devouring the entire cookie. "I just finished baking them," Ashley explained. "I wanted to bring them over right away. I guess I should have called first to make sure it was okay," she admitted with a disapproving frown at her own lack of forethought. "Nah," Aiden said around a mouthful as she snatched up a second cookie and eagerly started in on it. "It's fine. These aren't store bought are they," she noted, tasting and smelling every distinct ingredient in the yummy treats. "No," Ashley admitted. "I made them from scratch. I hate how the store bought kind taste so...artificial." Aiden raised a clearly impressed eyebrow as she helped herself to another cookie. "A skilled chef and baker, I'm impressed." "Oh," the other replied with a self-conscious shrug. "I'm not that good." "Hmmmm," The dark-haired girl hummed. "Well it suits you, but you don't need to be modest. That chicken you made last night was great even after it was warmed up when we got back." The reference to yesterday's events caused the lovely girl to frown, which interestingly enough didn't detract from her beauty one iota and even enhanced it in a different kind of way. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized. "It would have been better if it had been fresh." It was clear that Ashley was in the beginning phase of mentally brow- beating herself for her actions the previous evening, so Aiden reached over and placed one of her hand's atop the girl's. "Stop," she commanded gently, causing the other girl to lift her eyes in slightly fearful expectation. "Ashley, listen, everyone has shit they have to deal with. Some of it's harder than others, but it still doesn't make them any less of a person. It also doesn't mean that you shouldn't take pride in the things you do well," I said, nodding at the shining example of culinary excellence on the plate. "A little self-doubt isn't bad sometimes, but doubting yourself all the time won't do you any good." Ashley considered her words for a moment before nodding and giving her a warm smile. "You're right. I don't like bragging about things, but I guess doubting everything I do is pretty counter-productive." "Got that right," Aiden agreed. "If I did that I'd never get a knife made." She winced a little at the realization that she'd just mentioned what might possibly have been a trigger for Ashely's possible PTSD. Instead of shying away, a look of interest entered those brilliant green eyes. "You said something about that last night," she said. "You're a knife maker? That's the right term isn't it?" "I prefer bladesmith," Aiden corrected mildly. "Since I plan on going beyond just knives, but knife maker is a fair description." "How long have you been doing that?" "Pretty much as soon as I was strong enough to swing a hammer," Aiden said proudly with a smile. "I've spent the last few years working with Dad in his shop. He's one of the best bladesmiths in the country you know." "It must be really hard work," the girl guessed, clearly impressed by both the task itself and the pedigree of Aiden's family. "Oh it is," Aiden confirmed. "But I don't think there's anything more rewarding than taking a lump of steel and turning it into a functional tool or even a work of art with your own bare hands." That caused a slight frown of confusion from the lovely girl. "I thought your Dad was bringing in a lot of equipment for his workshop." "Yeah," Aiden allowed. "And sometimes I will use a press or a power hammer if I'm on a time constraint, but I much prefer hammering out the steel with a smith's hammer. It's more personal and I feel more connected to the process when I'm working and shaping the steel." "I can understand that," Ashley acknowledged. "You put a part of yourself into every knife you make, so it would feel like your cheapening it by doing it all by machine instead of your own hand." Ashley's dead-on insight into Aiden's own reasons for primarily working by hand surprised her. From the first moment she'd met the redhead last evening Aiden had taken her for a girly-girl who didn't like getting her hands dirty. Of course, that had been proven wrong when she'd followed her to the log that the girl had hollowed out herself, but she hadn't expected her to understand Aiden's own personal philosophy when it came to forging so clearly. "Yeah, that's exactly it." Ashley's knowing smile was a touch smug, but it was clear it wasn't meant in offense. "I feel the same way about medicine. I want to be able to help people and animals using my own hands to treat their wounds, so I know that I had a part in making someone's life better." It was an admirable goal, one that Aiden knew Ashley's mother was undoubtedly proud of. However, when she watched the pretty redhead's expression turn sad she cocked her head. "What is it?" At first, Ashley only shrugged. Aiden didn't push because it seemed fairly clear the girl was gathering her thoughts and was rewarded when she expounded upon the gesture shortly after. "Well, how I can even think about practicing medicine when I'm so terrified of meeting strange people, especially doctors themselves?" When her eyes lifted to Aiden's, the raven-haired beauty saw the same, acute vulnerability in those captivating green eyes that she'd seen yesterday. It pulled at her heart in a way she couldn't recall experiencing before and realized it was the wolf within her that was responding to the girl's distress. While obviously Aiden hadn't given birth to her, she was still feeling a keen sense of motherly protectiveness towards the damaged girl much as a wolf would feel towards her cub. The urge to embrace her and tell her everything would be all right, that she would protect her, was almost overwhelming for a moment but she managed to push the impulse down and instead respond as another human would. "Let me tell you something," she said, scooting her chair a little closer so they were side-by-side. "It wasn't that long ago that I didn't trust anyone. Now I'm not talking about the same way you do, I won't insult you like that. I just didn't like people in general. Yeah, I had a friend, but just the one, and I didn't want to have anything to do with anyone else outside of my own family. I don't know if it was T.V, newspapers, or my own experiences, but I just didn't think people were any good or worth putting yourself out for." Ashley nodded slowly, all of her attention on what Aiden was saying. "Yeah, it's not exactly the same, but I think I understand what you mean. Are you saying that's not how you feel anymore?" "Not exactly," Aiden allowed. "I still have some serious reservations about people in general, but pretty recently I was able to start opening up a little more. I even had a boyfriend for a little while." "Really?" Ashley said with a smile. "What was he like?" "Believe it or not, we started off as bitter enemies, and I don't mean in a romance novel kind of way where we just butted heads over opinions and stuff. He bullied me mercilessly for years. I'm pretty sure it was one of the reasons why I came to dislike people so much." "Let me guess," Ashley piped in sympathetically. "Captain of the football team, Mr. Popularity, could get any girl he wanted and wasn't at all shy about throwing his weight around." "Pretty close," the other girl admitted. "You forgot that his family was the wealthiest in town so he wasn't shy about exploiting that power. I'm guessing you knew similar guys in school?" "Knew, yeah, but they never picked on me. I was lucky enough that they at least didn't notice me." The way in which she'd phrased that immediately had Aiden's ears pricking to attention, figuratively speaking. There was definitely something else hiding underneath those words and unless she missed her guess, it had a lot to do with the horrors that had shaped her life. She knew it might have been pushing a little too hard, but her instincts were telling her this was something the beautiful girl needed to deal with or it would likely destroy her. "Want to talk about it?" At the look of sudden fear that appeared on her face, Aiden figured Ashley just realized she'd revealed more of herself than she intended and would shut down very quickly if she didn't act fast. It was going to be painful, real painful, but something inside of her, the wolf that prowled within her, very nearly demanded she do something to help and protect this lost soul. "Remember when I told you my grandfather tried to kidnap me?" This question was answered by a short, jerky nod. "Well, I didn't tell you why it happened. You see," she said, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I'm a mutant." Whatever reaction she had been anticipating from her companion, it wasn't just a simple nod with no discernable expression. She expected intrigue, excitement, fear, even loathing. What she hadn't counted on was an almost absence of anything. It was almost as though she could have replaced the word 'mutant' with 'Irish'. Interesting. "Apparently," she went on. "My mutation kind of runs in our family, though not everyone manifests." Now that got a reaction, albeit a small one of one eyebrow lifting in curiosity. "You're saying your family carries the same mutant gene but doesn't necessarily cause a manifestation?" "As best as I understand it, yeah. Everyone in our bloodline essentially has a very specific shifter mutation. When it actually manifests, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason who or when it actually does, it does it in a very specific way every single time." By this point Ashley had set the plate of cookies, what was left of them since the pair had been munching on them steadily this whole time, on the grass between them and was leaning forward in rapt attention. "What way is that?" she breathed, her eyes practically sparkling with interest. "Promise not to freak out?" Aiden hedged, not quite so sure anymore if this was a good idea or not. After all, how many people would respond well to what she was about to tell her? "No," Ashley said honestly. "But I'll listen and try to keep an open mind." "Fair enough," Aiden allowed before taking a slow breath. "I'm a werewolf." A heavy silence fell upon the pair, at least to Aiden it felt heavy. She watched the other girl very carefully while also tasting the air to try and gauge just how badly her fear was about to spike at the notion that Aiden was one of those ancient, deadly legends. "Cool." That was the last kind of reaction Aiden expected to come from her. Yes, she looked even more interested now, but there was absolutely no fear in those eyes. Instead, coupled with the already present interest, a kind of envy seemed to enter into them. "Yeah," she said, trying to act as though this lack of feared response was expected. "It's not magical or anything, I got tested for that later. Apparently it's a strictly mutagenic shifter mutation that lets me change into a wolf." "Like a normal wolf or some kind of huge, legendary dire wolf?" "Just a slightly bigger than normal wolf," Aiden chuckled. "Though I discovered I do have a second form, but I'm kind of afraid of it." At the mention of being afraid of her own mutation, Aiden saw something new appear on Ashley's face, a very keen sense of understanding on a personal level. Yes, there was definitely more to this girl than met the eye. "Why are you afraid of it?" she asked quietly. "It's what me and my parents dubbed my 'rage' form. You see, my grandpa tried to kidnap me because apparently my mother also possessed the same gene present in our bloodline. I guess one of her ancestors mated with one of mine or something. So when Mom and Dad had me, the combined genetics created some kind of perfect werewolf that guaranteed I'd manifest. It's what also..." "Also what?" Ashley urged excitedly when her voice trailed off. "Come on, you can't just half drop a bomb like that and not finish it. It's not embarrassing is it?" she asked, suddenly concerned she was overstepping her bounds. "It was at first," Aiden admitted. "But I got over it pretty quickly. See, the mutation changed me into a girl. I was born a boy." The way Ashley's jaw dropped, Aiden was pretty sure she was about to witness her either run away screaming or hear a round of hysterical, mocking laughter come from the girl. What she didn't expect was her strangled-sounding. "Really?" "Yeah," she said carefully. "Apparently it was the first sign that something was different about my mutation since all of the rest in my family's history didn't change sex." "Well," Ashley said, her expression becoming thoughtful. "It would stand to reason that if you received what amounts to a double dose of the mutant genome, or whatever it is that causes mutation, especially if it was the exact same kind of mutation from your own bloodline, that would create a very potent cocktail that pretty much assured your specific manifestation." Since it was obvious that Aiden's worst fears about revealing her mutagenic history were unfounded at this point, she instead refocused her attention on the sudden change in Ashley from shy and withdrawn to strangely insightful and scientific. "And the sex change?" Snatching a cookie from the plate, the redhead leaned back and lightly tapped it against her lips in thought as she crossed her legs. "Well, if you look at the Darwinian Principle, that being the strongest species survives, it would stand to reason that on a primordial level your mutation would take steps to ensure that your 'species', or bloodline if you want to use a more romantic term, would continue to survive and even thrive. The most effective way to do this would be to make you female." "I could have just as easily had kids as a guy," Aiden pointed out with a touch of snark. "True," Ashley allowed, taking a bite from the cookie. "But you also have to account for that wolf instinct you have, and yes I've noticed it," she admitted. "I just hadn't realized it was wolf-behavior until you just told me about your power. Sure, you could father children as a guy, but you might not necessarily have the same nurturing and protective instincts that a mother would have. I'm not saying you wouldn't have been a great father," she said quickly when Aiden's expression darkened. "I'm saying from a biological perspective, it's traditionally the mother that will care for her children in a far stronger manner because of the bond they share from giving birth." "All right," Aiden conceded. "I can accept that, even if I'm still not overly thrilled about it. It took a while to get used to swinging a hammer with my tits getting in the way." "I know the feeling," Ashley giggled, and instantly went silent as her eyes went as wide as saucers when she realized what she'd just said. Having decided she had played stupid long enough, especially since Ashley had pretty much just let the cat out of the bag, Aiden sat back and folded her arms while maintaining complete and direct eye contact with the other girl. "When were you planning to finally tell me?" Ducking her head, but not before Aiden saw the shame in her eyes, Ashley whispered. "I actually hadn't planned to." "Why not?" The notion that the budding friendship that she had with this girl could potentially be jeopardized by this lack of trust had her ire raising and set her teeth on edge. "You were going to let me just spill my guts like this and not even tell me you were a mutant?" "No!" Ashley cried, her head coming up to reveal the very thought of doing something like that was abhorrent to her. "No I swear I was going to tell you I'm a mutant too. I just... wasn't going to mention the part where I used to be a boy," she finished in a tiny, pathetic voice. While that was a little better than complete omission, it was still irksome that their openness wasn't going to be a two-way street. "And why not?" Aiden growled. "Well, because until you said something about it, I thought you had been born a girl," Ashley explained, keeping her eyes lowered and looking like she was preparing herself to get her ass beaten. "I didn't know if you'd be okay with me having changed sexes since there are so many people in this world that won't accept it or think of it as a sin. Most of the things I've looked at online pertaining to mutants always have tons of hate speech when it comes to their mutation causing that, even among mutants themselves." She wanted to be angry, but Ashley's explanation took the wind out of Aiden's sails with its infallible logic. She had taken the leap with Ashley and revealed her own sex change because she instinctively knew the girl was a kind, and good person. This was backed up by her own parents' opinions, which were even more generous regarding the redhead. Alternatively, Ashley knew nothing about Aiden herself, so it did make a lot of sense that she would be hesitant to disclose that her mutation had resulted in a change from being a boy to a girl. There was so much racism and sexism in the world, it was hard to know who to trust with that kind of information. Besides, from what Aiden had seen of her this last day and a half, there wasn't any question that Ashley herself was most certainly all girl. In fact, she couldn't recall ever meeting another that represented the epitome of femininity the way Ashley did, not even her mother. Clearly she had learned, and even embraced, her newfound girlhood so it made sense she wouldn't draw attention to the fact that she'd once been on the other side of the gender street. "You're right," Aiden said with a sigh. "It's hard to know how people will react to something like that these days. Sorry I snapped at you." "It's okay," Ashley said with a bit of a sniffle as she caught a tear on her finger and flicked it away. "You're probably right to be a little pissed about it. After everything you opened up about I should have been ready to be more honest myself." Deciding a change to a lighter topic was in order, Aiden leaned over and rested her arms on her knees. "So," she prodded with a grin. "I've told you what I can do. It's your turn." Smiling shyly, Ashley nodded. "I can heal." When nothing more was said, Aiden sat back with a confused frown. "You mean like me?" "You can heal people too?" she gasped. That caused the dark-haired girl to blink in confusion. "No, yourself. That's part of my mutation, I can heal really fast like Wolverine." "Oh, no," Ashley corrected. "I can't heal myself. I can heal other people if I touch them." "Really?" Aiden asked curiously. "How much?" The girl gave a graceful shrug. "I'm not entirely sure since any kind of significant healing causes me to pass out, like when you tackled me and Jeffrey out of the way of the RV." "You were using your power then?" "Uh huh," she nodded. "I was hoping that any injury Jeffrey got would immediately heal and he'd still be okay even after I either passed out or...got killed," she finished with slightly choked voice before clearing her throat. "But what I've been able to do so far has been pretty impressive. When I got tested by the MCO I healed a cow that had so many diseases put into it that it was supposed to have been classified as a walking biohazard capable of starting a mass pandemic." "Fuck!" Aiden hissed. "How in the fuck could they allow that thing anywhere inside a populated city?" "Apparently it had been a mix-up in shipping by the supplier," she explained. "They had just planned on causing injuries to it for me to heal to test my ability. It turned out that not only was I able to heal the cut they'd made in it, but completely cleanse it of some of the worst diseases known to man in...I think it was under a minute." "Wow," Aiden breathed. "That's incredible." "It also nearly killed me," Ashley clarified grimly. "That's why I have to be careful about who knows about my power. It already knocks me out if I use it to heal anything more severe than a minor cut or abrasion or perhaps a very small bone break, and even then I feel really weak afterwards. If I push too hard and try to heal someone too severely hurt or sick it could kill me, and there are some people who don't care about that," she finished in a haunted whisper. "The MCO thing?" Aiden asked softly. Ashley nodded, this time not bothering to try and stop or brush away the tears that began to slip down her cheeks. "I trusted them, the MCO agent in charge and the doctor who looked after me after I was brought to the hospital." The hospital? Aiden wondered. So there was still even more to this story that she hadn't heard yet. It made her curious, but at the same time she didn't want to push Ashley any harder than she already had for fear of making her shut down completely. There was a budding trust between the two of them that she didn't dare threaten. "They, well the doctor anyway," Ashley went on. "Acted like they only had my best interests in mind when in reality all they want to do was use me. They tried to kidnap me, like your grandfather did with you," she said and lifted eyes filled with tears and pain from the memory. "Only in my case they succeeded, and they killed a good man while doing it." "I'm sorry," Aiden offered, though even to her own ears it sounded like a lame platitude for something so horrible that had happened. Unfortunately, Aiden didn't realize just how bad it really had been. "The doctor took me to this...makeshift lab," Ashley continued as though she hadn't heard the other girl. Honestly, Aiden couldn't even tell if Ashley knew she was even there anymore. She seemed like she was off in her own world, reliving the horror of that night. "He told me about all of the things he was going to do to me, the experiments he wanted to do to learn how my healing power worked. He...he..." Her voice dissolved into deep, wrenching sobs that wracked her entire body as she curled up on herself in the chair and hugged her legs to her chest. Aiden could do nothing but sit there and watch as the beautiful redhead relived that nightmarish time in her life all over again. She wanted to do something, to rise from her seat, gather her into her arms, and just make all of the pain go away. No one as young as she should be forced to endure something like that. But as much as she wanted to give her that closeness, she was afraid that, given the wild state of her emotions at the moment, it might have driven them further apart instead of drawn them closer. And then she heard Ashley wail. "He touched me," and all of her control shattered. Within microseconds she had Ashley out of her chair and wrapped within her arms as she hugged the sobbing girl as tightly as she dared, making gentle, soothing sounds deep in her throat that no human vocal chords could ever hope to achieve. Even as her arms acted like warm, protective bands around her friend's far more fragile frame, Aiden gently nuzzled and sniffed the girl's hair in a distinctly lupine gesture of trying to elicit a calming effect. After a while, Ashley's complete emotional breakdown slowly eased back until she was limited to whimpering softly while trembling violently within Aiden's protective grasp. At one point Aiden had caught sight of her parents running from around the side of their house but a shake of her head and a gesture with her hand to back away had the pair grudgingly returning to the construction site on the far side of the property. Eventually, after an indeterminable amount of time, Ashley's whimpers finally ceased while her trembling generally subsided to faint shivers now and then. With a sudden, gasping intake of breath she sniffled back the last of her tears and let out a weak, watery laugh. "Oh god I must look horrible right now," she moaned. Gently drawing her out to arm's length, Aiden looked her over from head to toe before replying honestly. "You know, I don't think I've ever met a girl who could cry her eyes out and still look beautiful doing it." "Stop it," Ashley said with a touch of embarrassment. "All right," Aiden replied with a shrug. "But it doesn't make it any less true." It seemed a sudden thought occurred to the redhead because she weakly lifted an eyebrow. "You aren't..." "No," came the quick reply. "My change flipped my preferences too apparently." "Oh, sorry," she apologized with a quick look of embarrassment. "S'okay. These days you never know with mutations." Bunching her skirt within her tightly clenched fist and with her eyes still on the toes of her boots, Ashley whispered. "Mom's the only one I've ever told about what happened to me." "I won't say a word," Aiden promised immediately before gently lifting the girl's chin. "I swear." Ashley nodded, firmly believing that not only because of the determined look in the other girl's eyes, but because she knew from the time they'd spent together thus far that this was someone she could finally trust other than her Mom...and her rescuers. "Thank you," she said in a choked whisper. Since the moment was threatening to bring Aiden to tears herself, she quickly clapped her hands, causing Ashley to jump a little at the sudden sound. "You know what we need? A good run." "What? Run?" The slowly recovering Ashley blinked in surprised confusion. "What are you talking about?" "A little bit of physical exercise is just the thing to get your endorphins pumping and lighten your mood. Either that or go smoke some weed." "I don't do drugs." Ignoring the rapid response to the clearly misunderstood joke, Aiden leaned over and glanced towards the drive leading to her property. "You drove here I'm guessing?" "Yeah, Mom let me borrow the car." It was clear by her voice that Ashley was getting more confused by the second. First there was talk about going for a run and now she was being questioned about her car? How did the two go together? "Great. Give me a few minutes to get changed then we can go to your house and you can put on your workout gear and then we'll go for a nice long run." She had just started jogging back towards her house when she had a thought and stopped to look over her shoulder. "You do have workout clothes, right?" When she received a dumbfounded nod in response Aiden smiled and resumed her quick run towards the house, leaving Ashley standing there blinking and wondering just what she'd gotten herself into now. Wolf Springs, Downtown area Kitty sung along with the stereo that was currently streaming the playlist she'd created on her smartphone that morning. Because it was such a lovely, summer day, the tunes that belted out of the speakers of the brand new Dodge Charger with all of the latest amenities, gadgets, gizmos, and doo dads, including a stereo system that connected to her cell via Bluetooth that allowed her to both listen to music and make phone calls through the car's stereo system. Angela had told her about all of the various other features included in the car, such as it being all-wheel drive and sporting some kind of gas-saving technology, but none of that mattered to the vivacious brunette when she had been screaming down the highway in control of the sleek metal beast. It handled like a dream and had a premium sound system in it and that's all that mattered to her. It still seemed like a minor miracle that Angela had somehow convinced the dealership to hand over the keys to a (supposed) sixteen-year-old girl without any visible signs of parents being around. When he'd hedged at making the deal at first, Kitty had been fully prepared to bring all of her sexpot tools into play as a means of distracting him away from the whole 'selling to teenagers' situation. However, Angela had taken the man aside, they'd spoken for about twenty minutes, and when they came back they had been shaking hands and he had been handing over the keys. The blond hacker had promised to explain what had happened, but not until they had gotten back home. It was a curious little mystery, but given how exhilarating it was to drive this car, one that Kitty had no problem waiting to figure out. By the time she reached the start of Wolf Springs itself, she thankfully had the presence of mind to reduce her speed to a much more sedate level as the incident from yesterday was still very much fresh in her mind. Despite the fact that she hadn't been the one behind the wheel at the time, the notion of another similar incident occurring, this time without such a happy ending, was more than enough to not only have her driving much more carefully, but to be constantly on the lookout for small children suddenly darting into the road. Thankfully, she made it to her destination without any heart-stopping events like yesterday and pulled into an available parking space in front of the town's only grocery store. Since she got to be the first one to drive the new car, she agreed to pick up the groceries for the house this first time. Considering the alternative, driving that beast of a home-away-from-home back to the rental house, Kitty had no doubt she got the better end of the deal. After parking and locking the car, she strode leisurely through the parking lot towards the front door of the quaint little grocery store. It didn't escape her notice that more than a few eyes tracked her every movement. In fact, it actually caused her to put a little more of a wiggle into her walk so as better to showcase her ripe, sexy body packed into a rather sedate printed mini-dress whose skirt barely skimmed her at mid-thigh. Well, sedate by her current standards anyway. If the dress hugged her every curve like a lover, well so be it. A girl had the right to dress however she wanted didn't she? She was just starting to approach the front doors to the store when movement in the distance caught her eye. Slowing her stride, she watched as a pair of familiar shapes rapidly approached her position on the sidewalk. Before too long, the two girls she'd encountered yesterday during the nearly fatal almost-crash came racing up the sidewalk until they stopped at the front doors of the grocery store. As they gasped for breath, one breathing much harder than the other, Kitty noticed a distinct difference in their attire. While both were dressed for a workout, their styles were dynamically different. The girl with the long, black hair wore a simple pair of black running shorts that showed a generous amount of lean and muscled leg, a black sports bra, and a pair of simple black sneakers, all quite serviceable but very plain in nature. The redhead, on the other hand, was dressed much more...fashionably didn't quite seem like the correct term, but certainly nicer. She shared in her companion's choice of sportswear for the top, only her sports bra was a watercolor print in several colors. Below the waist was dynamically different as well, as the girl had elected to don black leggings instead of shorts that highlighted her lean and shapely hips and legs to their best advantage. The pink running shoes was the icing on the cake and left little doubt to which of the pair was the more feminine. "Remind me again," the redhead gasped. "How I managed to let you talk me into doing this?" "Oh come on," the black-haired girl, who was hardly out of breath, said with a smile. "I thought you told me you run on a regular basis." "Run...yes," she said, gulping down air. "Do a five-mile marathon through the woods...no." As she leaned down to rest her hands on her knees while her stomach heaved with the effort of taking in oxygen, Kitty grew a little concerned that the poor girl might actually pass out. Her companion took her by the shoulders and gently straightened her back up before guiding her arms up until her hands were clasped behind her head. "Arms up, it opens your ribcage and allows your lungs to expand easier. Just keep walking around so you don't cramp up." The redhead nodded and started walking around in little circles as her breathing started to slowly normalize. "What was it you called that stuff we were doing? Free running?" The other girl shook her head as she slowly stretched out her clearly well-worked muscles. "Free running is where you navigate obstacles and throw in a bunch of useless acrobatic crap that ends up slowing you down. We were...wolf running," she explained, and it seemed to Kitty as if she'd just now made up that name. "Interesting term," Kitty mumbled to herself and was surprised to see the black-haired girl suddenly look over at her. Considering they were separated by a good twenty feet she didn't think she'd spoken loudly enough for her to hear. Still, now that she'd been spotted, not that she'd been exactly hiding before, she gave the pair a brilliant and friendly smile as the redhead's gaze joined her friend's after having noticed what she was looking at. "Hi," she said as she walked a bit closer. "Hello," the two girls replied, though while the redhead was clearly very guarded the other girl had sounded a bit standoffish while she had moved subtly to stand before her friend in what seemed to be a protective gesture. Determined to be friendly to someone she suspected was a fellow mutant, she held out her hand as she walked closer. "I'm Kitty Blake, I don't think we ever got a chance to really meet yesterday." "Aiden Connors," Black hair said with obvious caution while the redhead mumbled. "Ashley Logan." "It's nice to meet you," Kitty continued, deliberately maintaining a light and friendly tone despite the lack of a warm reception she was receiving. "My friend and I never really got a chance to apologize for what happened yesterday. She was too shaken up at the time to say anything, but when that little boy suddenly ran out into the street she nearly shoved her whole leg through the floorboards trying to stop our RV. How's he doing?" By this time the redhead, Ashley, had fully regained her breath and was standing in a more relaxed position, though it was clear she was still nervous. "He's doing fine," she said. "He was pretty scared at the time but children his age get over that pretty quickly. Thankfully he wasn't hurt." "Thankfully none of you were hurt," Kitty corrected with wide eyes. "I was so scared that we wouldn't be able to stop in time that both of you would have been hurt or killed. Thank god your friend reacted as fast as she did." "Just followed my instincts," Aiden said shortly, her eyes narrowed slightly as her nostrils flared, almost as though she was scenting the air like a dog. Perhaps that was exactly what she was doing. Maybe it was part of the mutation Kitty suspected she possessed. Her interest now thoroughly piqued, especially since she suspected Ashley to be a mutant too...with that hair and those eyes there was no way she couldn't be...Kitty decided to she wanted to know more about them. Since becoming a mutant herself so recently, she had discovered this strange longing to meet and try to connect with others like her. Angela was a great friend and good company, but she was still just a baseline even if she had been a guy just over a week ago. She didn't understand what it was like to be in possession of strange and exhilarating powers like Kitty did and she was just aching to be able to talk about it and play around with them with someone other than Angela. Of course, just flat out saying something like: 'so, you are guys are mutants too huh?' was definitely out of the question. For one, they might not want to be outed in public like that. Other than Aiden's sudden burst of speed to save Ashley and the little boy, which could easily be written off as adrenaline, neither of them had done anything to display their powers whatsoever, whatever they were. No, she would need to be more subtle about it until they felt comfortable enough to be open with her. "Listen, you guys look like you could use something cold to drink," Kitty suggested. "Can I buy you guys a bottle of water? I know it's a pretty piss-poor way to say how sorry I am about yesterday, but it's a start, right?" The two girls looked at one another and it was pretty clear Ashley was seeking Aiden's advice about this. When the raven-haired beauty nodded slightly they both looked back at Kitty. Interestingly enough, it was Ashley who offered a much friendlier smile than before that seemed to practically light up her entire face, though to Kitty it still looked a touch strained. "That would be wonderful, thank you," she said in a grateful voice that was faintly tight. It was quite clear that the pair didn't exactly trust Kitty yet, and that was fine. She couldn't fault them for their caution, especially with what had happened and how it seemed like they had a fairly close bond. Who knows, maybe they even had a thing going. I couldn't be too sure about Aiden, but I'd noticed Ashley's gaze do a quick once-over when she'd first spotted me when I'd walked up. Unless I missed my guess, there had been a quick flash of interest in those remarkable eyes of hers. Opening the door, I held it for them as the two walked passed me into the grocery store before I followed them inside. There was no mistaking the thankful sigh that came from Ashley as the cool air hit her sweat- soaked body, making her shiver either from chilliness, delight, or both. While they headed straight for the cooler containing bottles of water, I procured myself a shopping cart before moving to join them. "Would it be alright if I did a bit of shopping first?" I asked. "I promised my friend I'd pick us up some groceries." Again, the two shared a look with Aiden clearly being in the more dominant role of the pair as she gave a barely perceptible nod. "I suppose," she said this time instead of Ashley doing the talking." "Great," Kitty said with a smile and began walking down the first of the isles. Since she didn't possess any kind of a grocery list, she just started grabbing whatever tickled her fancy, such as cookies or chips, off the shelf and putting it in her cart. By the time she was reaching for her third item, a rather scrumptious- looking box of pastries, she noticed Aiden frowning at her while rolling the bottle of water she'd chosen between her hands. "Something wrong?" her voice as sweet as the sugared frosting on the dessert she placed in the cart. "You're buying a lot of crap," the girl told her candidly while Ashley blushed slightly with embarrassment for her friend. "You won't fit into those tight dresses very long if that's the only stuff you plan on getting." "Don't worry," Kitty sang airily. "I work out a lot and I have a really good metabolism." It was clear by Aiden's expression that she didn't simply believe her out of hand, yet she shrugged none the less as though to say, it's your ass that'll get huge. Still, so as not to be a total bitch about it, Kitty also made certain to collect a very healthy quantity of good quality fruits, vegetables, and chicken along with the traditional staples of bread, eggs, and milk. "You might want to get some of that balsamic vinegar and olive oil," Ashley suggested as they passed through the spices isle before quickly closing her mouth and looking nervous about having spoken up. A little curious why she would suggest those two particular things, along with wanting the other girl to feel a little more comfortable, she turned slightly and lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? How come?" "Well," she replied hesitantly, her eyes flickering back and forth between Kitty and Aiden as the fully expecting some kind of reproof. "With those, the chicken breasts you got, and a few more ingredients you could make a very nice grilled chicken marinade that's pretty easy to put together." "Really?" Kitty asked, now genuinely interested in Ashley's thoughts on the matter. "Do you cook?" "She's quite the chef," Aiden complimented and when Kitty glanced over at her she saw the dark-haired girl smile ever so slightly and knowingly at her. So Aiden had figured out her plan to get Ashley to relax and open up a little and was looking to help out. Well that was fine, as long as she didn't yank out that over-protective friend shtick because of it. "Well, I'm only just starting to learn my way around the kitchen so something easy sounds right up my alley. What else do I need?" That invitation was all it took for Ashley to take control and start snatching various herbs and spices off the peg boards to add to Kitty's growing pile of groceries. As she did, she explained the purpose for each item she selected and why it was used in this particular dish. It was quite an education in culinary arts and despite herself Kitty found she was becoming more and more interested in not only cooking this particular dish, but learning others. "I'm curious," she said after Ashley had selected and explained why the Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper had been added. "Where did you learn about cooking? I mean," she went on when Ashley gave her an odd look. "This is a pretty small town and I'm guessing there aren't too many five star chefs giving out cooking lessons on a regular basis." "Oh, I just kind of picked it up," she explained as she selected a packet of freshly chopped parsley and a tiny tin of dried oregano. "When I moved in with Mom two months ago I promised her I'd do my share of the work around the house and that included cooking the meals. I just, kinda, found myself enjoying it and started looking for more and more recipes to try," she finished with an embarrassed shrug. "Is this the same marinade that you made last night when we came over for dinner?" Aiden asked as she looked over the collection of ingredients. "Uh huh." "Well," the girl said with an air of authority. "If you work this up like Ashley tells you to, you're gonna love it. It was delicious." "I can't wait," Kitty told her with an enthusiasm that wasn't at all faked. "So I basically just mix all of this together in the quantities you told me, pour it into a Ziploc bag...oh yeah," Reaching over, she snatched a box of them from the shelf as they walked passed. "Almost forgot those. And after that I just drop in four chicken breasts and let them soak-" "Marinate," Ashley corrected with a gentle smile. "Right, marinate, for an hour and then just put them on the grill for about five minutes each side?" "Don't forget to turn the bag over occasionally during that hour-long marinade," Ashley warned. "Otherwise only one side of the chicken will absorb it. Are you sure you don't want me to write this down? The measurements are a little complicated and I'm sure Marlene wouldn't mind lending me a piece of paper and a pen." Walking towards the cash register with a confident swing to her step, she grinned and tapped one finger to her temple. "I know I may look and sound like a total airhead, but I've got a pretty good memory. Don't worry, I'll remember it." "Okay," the redhead said hesitantly, clearly not believing her about her memory. Kitty didn't blame her for her skepticism. It could almost be a sick joke if one thought about it, the girl who had no knowledge or memory of her life beyond two weeks ago had actually shown she possessed near eidetic memory ever since she and Angela had started their little road trip. It had surprised them both at first, but then Angela had wisely pointed out that the experiment that had made Kitty who she was had transposed the mental capacities of a highly intelligent scientist into the body of a fifteen-year-old girl. It certainly stood to reason that the high intelligence that had made the old her...him...so good at his job would transfer into the body she currently owned. It was a bit sad and ironic that she couldn't remember her own parents and yet when seeking to recall Einstein's Theory of Relativity it popped into her mind with no trouble whatsoever because she had read through it during the road trip to Wolf Springs. Now that didn't mean she understood it, but she remembered it. As she started unloading her cart onto the counter and the older woman began checking everything in with a welcoming smile, Kitty turned to look at the two girls and cocked her head slightly. "Hey, do you guys go running every day?" Aiden shrugged a little while Ashley nodded. "This is the first time we've run together though," the redhead specified. "Usually I just jog from my house to downtown and back since that's a good four miles round trip. I don't know about Aiden," she said hesitantly, looking over at her friend. "I don't really set a distance limit for myself," Aiden clarified, almost defiantly. "And I don't run a path. I just run the wilds until I feel like coming back, but usually it's at least five miles one way." Interesting choice of words, 'run the wilds', Kitty mused while outwardly she smiled. "Is there a trail that you follow or something?" "Nope." "Hmmmm," the brunette hummed thoughtfully. "So you kind of do parkour?" Aiden snorted with derision while Ashley giggled softly in a knowing kind of way. "Parkour is a joke," she sneered. "Just a bunch of showy flips and jumps to perform for a camera." "But it's designed to allow someone to run and maneuver around obstacles isn't it?" Kitty argued mildly. "That's why they teach it in European military forces." "I don't know about what they teach to the military overseas," Aiden scoffed. "But the nonsense they do here wouldn't do a bit of good in a combat zone. All that flipping and jumping around brings all of your forward momentum to a dead stop instead of letting it flow." "I have to agree," Ashley piped in. "I've seen parkour and free running on the internet and it looks really showy, not at all what we did today." "Interesting," Kitty murmured. "I've never thought of it that way before. Could I maybe tag along the next time you guys go...what do you call it if it's not parkour or free running?" she wondered. "Wolf running," Aiden clarified. Though she'd heard the girl classify it outside, she blinked in surprise as though hearing it for the first time. She didn't want them to think she'd been eavesdropping on them before. "That's an odd name for it." "It's appropriate," Aiden defended. "And you already knew what I called it," she accused mildly as she narrowed her eyes. Now that her suspicions from earlier outside were confirmed, Kitty blushed a bit in shame and looked down at her purse as she dug out her credit card. "I didn't want you to think I was deliberately listening in," she told them. "But yeah, I overheard." "Next time don't try to hide it. If we didn't want anyone to hear what we were talking about we wouldn't have had the discussion out in the open." It actually made a lot of sense and Kitty was surprised she hadn't reasoned things out that way in the first place. Why had she been secretive about having observed and heard them? Considering how much she was seeking out a kind of friendship or companionship with fellow mutants, she sure was doing a pretty bang up job of behaving in ways that would push people away instead of draw them closer. "You're right," she said contritely. "It was pretty stupid if me. I'm not really great when it comes to...ummm...social interaction." Aiden looked like she might have been getting ready to reply but Ashley's hand on her arm kept her silent while the redhead spoke instead. "We understand how that is," she offered sympathetically. "But I can tell you that keeping things hidden from people is a sure fire way to get them to walk the opposite direction." Those were an interesting choice of words coming from a pair of girls who had yet to disclose the fact that they were mutants. Then again, neither had Kitty, and the subject in general hadn't even come up. Pot, meet kettle. "I understand," she told them honestly as she slotted her credit card into the reader and punched in her pin. "And I didn't intend to make either of you feel that way." "I know," Ashley assured her, taking a couple of the bags of groceries while Kitty and Aiden collected the rest. "Sometimes we just have to be willing to open up to others, even if it hurts." The knowing look that the pair shared this time make Kitty almost certain that something was going on between the two of them beyond mere friendship. She didn't think it was sexual since Aiden had yet to show any kind of romantic interest in either her or Ashley. It was more like Aiden functioned as a kind of big sister and protector despite the fact that they were close to the same age if not the same already. While Kitty was curious how that came about, she could certainly understand it very well. Just watching how Ashley clutched the bags to her chest, almost hugging them, as she walked gracefully towards the Charger, she was struck by her own desire for the girl. While there was certainly a sexual component to it, the girl was beautiful after all, she was also experiencing her own protective instincts tugging her towards the redheaded princess. Had something occurred at that very moment, Kitty had no doubt she would immediately leap to defend her. Not Aiden, just Ashley. Now why was that? Perhaps it was the sense of kindness and vulnerability that the girl practically radiated from her very being that caused such a stir of emotions within her. While Kitty might be called as such by name, it was Ashley that seemed to be the one to personify the sweet kitten aspect. Once the girls loaded the groceries into the trunk of the car and she'd closed it, she beamed a grateful smile to both of them. "Thanks so much for the help, and the recipe," she directed towards Ashley. "I'd still like to join you on your run tomorrow if that's okay?" This time, instead of the pair looking at one another in a kind of joint communication, Aiden glanced at Ashley as though seeking her approval. Perhaps approval wasn't quite the correct wording, more like she was checking to see how the girl's comfort level was. In response, Ashley only smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, we'd like that." "Great," Kitty said as she opened the door and slid into the butter-soft leather seat. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Where should we meet up at?" "Right here, nine o'clock," Aiden said before casting her a slightly wicked grin. "And you can tell us why two teenagers are here alon