River stumbled on her own foot, watching as the men and women surrounding her laughed and cheered her on. She tried regaining her balance, but failed. As her body flopped off the table, Bodie quickly reached out and caught her.

She lay in his arms, flying her head back in laughter. She watched him whip his head to the right in confusion as another man shoved him backwards, taking River from his arms.

River heard a familiar voice shout, "Keep your hands off!" She looked up and found Slate shaking his head down at her, sliding his hands under her legs and shoulders, lifting her up into his arms.

"There you are." River giggled, sliding a hand through his straight, sweaty hair. He sighed in relief, and had a desperate look on his face that River loved. She could tell how worried he had been, but she didn't know why.

Slate looked down at her carefully, "God, Riv."

 

Hudson ran up to Magnolia, who hadn't stopped dancing on the table. "Maggie, get off the table." He shouted over the music and she stopped in mid-dance, peering at him over her shoulder. She seemed disappointed to see him as she jumped off, almost falling on her face.

"Is there a problem?" Magnolia asked, quickly scanning the room for Dakota.

"Um, yes, there is." Hudson said, scanning her in worry. She raised an eyebrow, waiting. "What?"

"You're drunk, Magnolia. Come here." He opened his arm up, wrapping it around her shoulders, tugging her close. "Let's get you back to the hotel."

"No." Magnolia backed away.

"Yes. You're not thinking straight. Come on." Hudson put a hand on her back, leading her out of the bar quickly.

 

"Brylee." Phoenix finally found her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, her hair hitting her in the side of the face. She smiled when she saw him, grabbing her bag of clothes and standing up.

"We're leaving." Phoenix said, looking around the bar, a pained look on his face like he was in the most uncomfortable position. Brylee rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I figured that."

They headed out, stepping into the cold night air. Brylee shivered as she began unsteadily walking forward. "Let me help you." Phoenix grabbed her shaking wrist.

"I can walk just fine on my own, thanks." She growled, forcefully yanking her hand back. She did it a little too forcefully, falling down and catching herself with her arms before hitting the ground. Phoenix shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "You sure about that? Suit yourself."

Slate and Hudson walked out with River and Magnolia, both looking like they were in misery.

"Let's get them home as soon as possible." Phoenix commented, helping Brylee off the ground. The others silently agreed, walking faster.

Slate carried River as she laid her head against his chest softly, sighing. Slate looked down at her, his eyes shimmering with love. Her long ponytail was flopping against his arm, tickling his wrist. She slowly ran her fingers across his necklace, carefully admiring it.

Lifting her eyes back up at his, she settled on the facts. "We would have some really hot kids."

Phoenix, who was watching them out of the corner of his eye, whipped his head in their direction. Slate smiled brightly, trying to stop himself from laughing, "If that's what you think."

"Don't acknowledge her. She doesn't know what she's saying." Phoenix scowled.

"I know perfectly well what I'm saying." River laughed. Slate bent low, his straight hair falling over the top of his eyes. "I agree." He whispered.

 

 

Hudson slammed the door shut, letting Magnolia walk on her own as he collapsed on the bed next to Dakota's, closing his eyes with a sigh. Dakota slowly rose awake, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Magnolia drew close to him, her eyes big.

"Maggs?" He sat up, resting his back against the headboard. Magnolia jumped onto the bed, and he immediately smelled it. The scent of his old house. The scent of his father.

"You went drinking. How fun." Dakota got out of bed, still in a bad mood.

"Are you always this moody? Or is it just me? Do I ruin everything? Am I a little girl that needs watching all the time? Because one moment it seems like you care for me, and the next moment you hate me. Choose, Dakota. Because I'm not here to play a game." Magnolia watched his expression change slowly as he stared at her in horror and admiration at the same time.

Deciding she was too drunk to have this conversation, Dakota spun on his heel and closed the door behind him as he entered the bathroom.

Magnolia got up when she heard the shower start, unzipping her dress and unwinding the bloody t-shirt wrapped around her wounds. She bit her lip as she did so, her skin stinging. Quickly, she tugged Dakota's shirt on over her body, the warmth and comfort overwhelming her. She fell onto the bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders.

 

Dakota got out of the shower, running a frustrated hand through his sopping wet hair, water splattering everywhere. He pulled his shorts on, stepping out into the room to find his shirt. Magnolia was sound asleep, her breath steady, her hair sprawled around everywhere.

Dakota forced himself to look away when he realized she was wearing his shirt. His heart softened as he slid into the bed next to her, pulling the covers on top of himself as well and wrapping an arm around her side. She stirred, sighing.

"I choose you." He murmured, and he could've sworn the corners of her mouth twitched upward. His lips slid across her neck carefully, I'm sorry.

 

 

Magnolia stepped into the shower, amazed. The lukewarm water soaked her long waves as she closed her eyes and embraced the feeling. When she got out, she began pulling on what Brylee had gotten her. She yanked on the black shorts, sliding on Dakota's warm shirt before tying a blue, green, and gray flannel around her waist. Stepping out of the room quietly, she closed the door behind her.

She strolled down the hallway, running her fingers along the walls slowly. She wondered what kind of person she would be if she was a normal girl living in a normal world. Would she even recognize herself?

"Where you headed?" Slate joined Magnolia in the hallway, causing her to jump.

Someone slammed a door on their hallway, causing both of them to jump that time, jerking both of their heads in that direction.

A familiar face stepped out into the hallway, his eyes widening with confusion and filling with tears at the sight of Slate and Magnolia.

"Chase?" Slate and Magnolia asked in unison.