Chapter Text
He had died for her twice. Once when he watched his best friend get butchered by a saw-blade; and once more when he chose to shoot himself instead of her, believing that it would end his life. Chris had died twice, and both times they were for Ashley.
He held her as they walked down the long, crumbling corridor that connected the old hotel to the Washington’s lodge, each step a trembling and awkward mess as she struggled to keep moving. She was hurting, both on the inside and the out. Covered in blood and sporting a black eye and bleeding nose, the girl looked horrible, yet through her tears and laboured breathing Chris could feel that she was still fighting. Still holding on to whatever it was that kept her going, and he hoped more than anything that it was his presence.
“Come on Ash, almost back at the lodge. Almost there, I- I promise.”
“I don’t think I can do this Chris,” she said, her voice breaking as she said his name, causing what looked to be a wave of nausea to flash across her face as she closed her eyes and cupped her mouth.
“No! No no no Ash we’re almost there. We can rest once we’re safe. Please… Don’t stop moving, okay?”
“But… We won’t ever be safe Chris.”
“We will be, I promise. I’ll get us to the lodge, I’ll clean you up, okay?” Her response was a solum nod as she bit her lip. She stopped crying, holding back whatever tears were fighting to escape as she wrapped an arm around Chris’s middle. His right arm was already around her shoulder, and as she leaned into him completely, he realized just how shaken up she was.
“Just focus on me,” he said. “Focus on me. We’re almost there.”
And they were almost there. Within a few more seconds of walking they were at the door that opened into the basement of the lodge. Chris nudged it open slowly, pushing Ashley behind him gently as he checked the hallway beyond. It was clear, and he was one step closer to his goal; making Ashley feel safe.
They walked slower as they made their way through the basement. Chris holding her close as he looked around corners and continuously scanned his surroundings in case anything tried to jump out and hurt Ashley. He was now close to the stairs that lead to the main floor, when a loud thump sounded far off behind him. Ashley jumped as she looked behind herself, her view blocked by Chris’s arm as he too turned slightly. There was no one there, but still, he couldn’t be too careful. He had to keep Ashley safe. He had to protect her. He had to.
“Okay,” he whispered, gathering up as much courage as he could. “We’re going to move. Fast. Once I open this door, we aren’t going to stop moving till we get upstairs and find the bathroom.”
“Why the bathroom?” asked Ashley, and for a moment Chris was lost in the sight of her. Ghostly pale with a look of trauma about her; it made him feel sick.
“Your black eye,” he murmured, unable to keep the anger he felt when looking at the ugly mark from coming out in his voice. “I want to take a look at it, and, uh, your cheek, you’ve got a bad cut Ash.”
After a moments hesitation, she bit her lower lip and nodded her head, her red hair swaying slightly as it rested back against her face as she stopped nodding. Forcing himself to focus on what Ashley needed and not what he wanted to do right then and there, he let out a slow and uneasy breathe as he looked to the door. Squeezing Ashley’s shoulder as he reached for the handle, she nuzzled her way closer into his side as she looked up at him from the corner of her eye. He knew what she was thinking. She was beyond scared and must have wanted to stop and rest, but he was scared too, and there was no way he was taking any chances with her. They needed a safe room.
“Don’t worry Ash. Nothing will happen. I- I’ll… Keep you safe,” he said before gripping the handle, and Ashley shook her head.
“Okay… Lets go,” she said, looking back to the door as a small tone of confidence crept back into her exhausted voice.
Chris eyed her for a moment before swallowing hard. He had almost let it slip, but after all that had happened, it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to occur. For a brief moment, Chris was sure that he was going to tell Ashley how he felt about her. How something about her made his heart want to jump out of his chest every time she was around, or how the sound of her voice made him want to melt into the ground in a dramatic and poetic kind of way. He knew it now more than ever, and for some reason that scared him. He loved her.
Pushing the thought away as he pulled Ashley closer, he turned the doorknob, and they began to move through the doorway. She kept up with him as he moved silently and efficiently, hopefully unaware of the anxiety he was feeling. He loved her and he knew it. It wasn’t a crush. He loved her, and whoever had given her the black eye was going to get his face murdered off.