[color=1a7b30]>COOKEVILLE, TN >CANDLEWOOD SUITES, ROOM 68 >1243 >08.NOV.2019[/color] Ava looked away from the crackling pan of squat, frying dumplings and over at the clock on the microwave of the hotel room’s kitchenette. Her heart thumped seeing that it was nearly one in that afternoon. Her mind started to race with what was keeping Dave before she tried to stamp down on her rising anxiety. Their last check in had been at noon and Dave assured her he was making it as quickly to her as possible. That was only 40 minutes ago, he would either be there soon or he would call her in 20 minutes for another hourly check in. He was fine, he would be there soon and she could breathe a little easier. Despite the logical part of her brain knowing this, the more primal side of her was more inclined to panic and worry. She had been the first one to make it to their designated hotel meet up, checking in under the name Rosana Davis and telling the hotel front counter she was expecting a man named James Smith and to send him up to her room when he came in. They’d had this plan ready weeks in advance so even on their phone calls they didn’t have to speak where they were staying or how they would find each other, just to be on the safe side. Dave had mentioned in one of his check-ins that he had to make sure his son and his mother were alright after he got a call from them. Which meant he would be running late but Ava understood and hoped that Dave’s son and ex were safe and unharmed. Still that left her to quietly agonize in the hotel room until Dave arrived and so she did the best she could to keep occupied. So she did the only things she could do without leaving the relative safety of the hotel room; she did some yoga, some basic exercises and a little cooking. They had chosen this hotel specifically because of its rooms with their little kitchenettes, complete with pots, pans, dishware and a full size fridge. Ava reasoned that this would enable them to avoid having to go out for food or risk having food delivered to the hotel. So when she first made it to town she had stopped by a little market and stocked up on basic groceries that would last them at least a week. It also helped that the hotel boasted grocery delivery service so if they really had to hunker down, they could. It had the added bonus of letting Ava work out her anxiety and keep her hands occupied by hand kneading dough which she used to make dumplings. A lot of dumplings, but she reasoned that Dave would be hungry when he finally got there. Ava blinked and shook her head at the clock as another minute ticked by, rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead and returned her attention to the pan of simmering dumplings. She removed the current batch when both sides were golden brown and crispy and transferred them to a waiting paper towel lined plate, which would then be moved to a small dish that was half filled with her other creations. Thor was off on the couch, sleeping away even as the television played whatever was on the hotel’s cable. Some generic sitcom that was good background noise but Ava wasn’t paying enough attention to care what it was. It was rare that Thor didn’t hover around her when she was cooking, but she couldn’t blame the cat as he had quite the exciting time. First the break in, then the driving all night to a random rental car place, renting a car under a fake name and then driving all morning to reach the hotel. She hadn’t slept yet, she was too worried about missing a check in with Dave and too paranoid being in a hotel room alone with people possibly after her. Her Glock was riding openinly on her side as she cooked, just in case anyone she wasn’t expecting came knocking. She was tired, but Dave would be showing up any minute and then she could sleep. Ava took a long drink of her coffee, not sure what number of cups she was on and not caring, then set it down and loaded the last batch of dumplings to the pan to steam and fry. She had just flipped them onto the other side to cook when the knock on the door came. She stiffened and looked over to the door, remaining still as silence followed after the singular knock. After a moment had passed, three more knocks followed and Ava’s heart leapt for joy. She padded quickly over to the door and looked through the hotel room peephole to the hallway beyond. Sure enough, standing there and looking a little shaggy, a lot tired and wearing the hat she had gotten him, was Dave. Her Dave. She stepped back and quickly unlocked the multiple locks on the solid metal door, throwing it open and smiling up brightly at Dave. “Hey Mountain Man.” She whispered, tears of relief misting over her eyes to see him alive and well in front of her. He stepped quickly into the room, shutting the door and locking it. Then he threw his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "Hey there sugar," he said softly, his face in her hair. He breathed in her scent; fear had dogged him the entire way, from the moment he dropped Rufus at his grandfather's house until now. He felt some of it melt away as he held Ava, though a knot of it still sat in his belly. "They threatened my boy," he said softly. "Him and his mom. Left knives on their pillows and the same note they left you." He kissed the top of her head. Despite the relief that he felt there was a hardness in his voice. "We're gonna end this. We're almost done." Ava hugged Dave tightly back, her elation and relief seeing him turning to an icy chill as he told her what happened. “Oh Dave, I’m so sorry.” She pulled back from him enough to look up into his face. “Are they alright? Did you move them?” “I got ‘em moved,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “They’re with my grandpa, lives a couple hours from me. Deeper in the mountains. Rufus is there, and Grandpa Dan is a hard old sumbitch. He’ll take care of ‘em.” “Good.” Ava breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward to hug him again. “I’m so glad you’re safe Dave.” “You too, sugar,” he said. His grip was tight, worry falling away as he held her. “Hey. You cookin’ somethin’?” Ava straightened. “Oh right!” She hesitantly let go of Dave and trotted back over to the stove, turning off the heat and checking the bottom of the dumplings she had in the pan. “Little crispier than the others, but they’re alright.” She chuckled sheepishly, moving the dumplings over to the paper towel lined plate. There came the sound of running little feet across the floor before Thor ran into the kitchen, to the door and slammed himself up against Dave’s shins. He purred loudly, rubbing up against Dave’s legs and circling around him. Dave bent and picked up the cat, cradling him against him with one arm and scratching under his chin. “Lookin’ forward to ‘em,” he said as he walked to the bed and sat down, holding the purring Norwegian. “Haven’t eaten in hours, last thing I had was a drive-thru burger.” “I thought you might be hungry.” Ava smiled over at him, opening one of the cupboards and pulling out a pair of the hotel’s plates. She piled dumplings onto Dave’s plate and then a few onto her own. “I was also…really anxious waiting so making them kind of helped keep me occupied.” She went to the fridge and pulled out a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for Dave and a cherry Dr. Pepper for herself. Balancing everything in her arms, she carried it over to the bed. “So the dumplings are filled with beef, pork and some veggies.” “I like beef, pork, an’ veggies,” Dave said. He shifted Thor, earning an annoyed grumble, then leaned over and rested his head against Ava’s. “I love you.” Ava passed him his plate and beer, smiling up at him. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and nuzzled against him. “I love you too. I’m so glad you’re here.” “And I ain’t goin’ anywhere ‘til this is over,” he said. “This is the last time. We’re finishin’ this.” Ava frowned and looked away, leaning against his chest as a weight settled back over her. “But…What Donnelley told me…Do you think we have a chance to finish this and get out?” Dave’s gaze hardened as he looked across the room towards the door. His eyes were fixed where he knew his truck to be. “We’ll get out,” he said. “I promise you that, sugar.” She looked up at him, studying the set of his jaw and the hardness in his eyes. She hadn’t seen that expression on his face before but she understood what it meant. Threatening his family had been the last straw. Ava kissed him on the jaw. “Come on. Eat, then take a shower and we’ll both get some much needed sleep. Okay?” He jerked a bit, surprised by the kiss, but grinned. The hardness fell away from his eyes and he made a point of sticking an entire dumpling into his mouth. “Alright,” he said. “That sounds good to me.” She smiled, relieved to see the softness return to his features. She saw movement from the corner of her eye and looked down in time to see Thor grab a dumpling from Dave’s plate and run off with it to the bathroom to devour his ill-gotten gains. “Thor!” She shouted at the cat with a mixture of exasperation and amusement as she shook her head. “Can’t let your eyes off him for one second.” Dave snorted as the cat ran off with the dumpling. “Yeah, we’ll, I’ll teach him. See if he likes it when he sees me eatin’ his food.” He cupped a hand around his mouth. “Y’hear that, Thor? I ate cat food once for twenty bucks, I can do it again outta spite!” For the first time in two days, Ava let out a bark of genuine laughter. She leaned against Dave as she giggled and looked up at him. “I love you.” She said with a bright smile as she leaned against his shoulder. He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “I love you too,” he whispered. “Now eat up, or Thor’s gonna get more dumplings.” He popped one of hers into his mouth to illustrate the point. She laughed again and picked up a dumpling to begin eating; happy to be doing so with Dave next to her. [color=1a7b30]>.../// >COOKEVILLE, TN >CANDLEWOOD SUITES, ROOM 68 >1958 >08.NOV.2019[/color] Dave jerked as his phone began to beep. He sat up, his hand automatically going for the pistol on the nightstand, while Ava’s phone began beeping as well. A quick scan of the room showed it to be unoccupied, and after a few moments he set the pistol down on the bed beside him and picked up the phone. It was an unknown number, with a one-word text message. [i]Idaho[/i] He looked over at Ava. “Got orders.” Ava startled awake when their phones started going off and Dave sat up abruptly in bed. Thor, who had been sleeping at the foot of the bed, jumped off and ran to the bathroom to hide. She blinked sleepily over at Dave once she saw him relax and looked over at her own phone. She flopped back down onto the bed with a groan. “Goddamnit.” She muttered, pulling the sheets over her head. Dave set his phone and pistol aside, sliding down under the covers and gathering Ava to him. “We got some time,” he said, his voice soft. “We’ll take a couple days. Decompress.” “Okay,” She sighed, shifting and turning so she could tuck herself up against his chest. “...This is almost over right?” She asked him quietly. “Almost, sugar,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. “We’re almost done. An’ everything is gonna be okay.” Ava let out a heavy breath through her nose and she kissed the underside of his jaw. “I love you, Dave.” “I love you too, sugar,” he said. “I love you too.”