Off the Rails and Into the Woods – Chapter 1 (Tier 2+)

Man, what a fun evening!

Will leaned back in the driver's seat, a satisfied smile visible now and again in the neon glow of the city lights passing by. He was headed home after a great evening out with coworkers – and yeah, his throat was a bit hoarse from yelling over the thumping music of the bar. But dang, those nachos had been fire! And the beers were pretty great too – not to mention all those saucy stories Naomi had been telling about her old boss…

Fingers tapping on the chilly wheel, he glanced down at the green glowing digits of the dash clock. Hmm, 10:57; he'd probably be home before 11:30, then. Good thing he quit when he did, huh? After all, – and knowing Steve and Aaron's penchant for itinerant barhopping – the rest of the group would likely be going hard until well after midnight.

What a good fiancé he was, he mused, punching the radio dial and releasing a burst of angsty grunge into the purring little car's darkened interior. So thoughtful. So conscientious about getting home to Hannah so she wouldn't worry too much…

A sigh escaped his lips as he flicked on his blinker and began accelerating onto the highway. A sigh of… well, what was it? Satisfaction at his own niceness? Fatigue after a long day? Happy expectation at the thought of getting back home? Or maybe just the lovely prospect of a weekend with Hannah: sleeping in, maybe getting busy in bed before getting up for a nice hot breakfast…

Layne Staley's anguished vocals faded out slowly, replaced by the smooth tones of the radio announcer and then the top-of-the-hour news. But Will wasn't really listening. Blah, blah, strange new epidemic, blah blah. World Health Organization, yeah, China, meh, whatever. He had better things to do than fret about the state of the world. He wasn't gonna be like Amy in accounting tonight: sitting there in the corner with her mai tai, fretting and wondering aloud whether they weren't all gonna die from this new flu-thingie…

Because who in their right mind needed to worry about something that was almost certainly just a bunch of baloney?

Whatever. He didn't really care at the moment. All he wanted right now was the late-night, empty highway, some good tunes on the radio, and his girl waiting for him… less than half an hour away.

***

"You absolute ass! Goddammit, how could you? Where were you, Will?! Do you have any idea how fucking worried I've been?!"

Jeez, Louise! What the hell was wrong with Hannah? All he'd done was eased into a vacant parking spot, and come up the quiet stairs, and opened the door… you know, like normal. But there she was: standing with hands on hips, hair a complete mess, half in tears as she looked him up and down with an almost hysterical expression on her face.

"Will, why didn't you answer your phone? What the fuck?" She stepped closer, and now Will could see the furious tears standing in her eyes. "You could have had the decency to text, you know! What, were you having too much fun with those coworkers of yours to even do that?"

"Babe- babe, please, calm down!" He was unzipping his coat now, reaching for his phone, pressing the button… and finding nothing but a black screen. Oh, shit – he'd forgotten the battery had been super low this afternoon. "Babe, listen! It's- I ran out of battery! I wasn't trying to avoid you, I swear-"

"Uh-huh! Totally convincing coming from a guy who was literally just out drinking with a bunch of female coworkers!" Hannah was fuming, clearly unfazed by the dark screen in his upraised hand. "Oh, I get it! Getting bored of me already, huh? Need to spice things up with a bit of flirting? I bet you'd love to get it on with that brunette bitch- what's her fucking name? Ashley? What, were you too busy schmoozing your way into her panties to check your fucking phone?!"

"Hannah, please!" Will was almost stuttering, twin knots of cold anxiety and heated irritation forming within. "Listen, you know better than that! You're- you're tired, and upset- and, look, the whole idea that I'd be, what… cheating on you? With Amy? God, that's- that's just so absurd…"

But her Yankees pajama top was already coming off in a mass of fabric and flailing arms and disheveled, dirty blonde hair. "What? Whaddya think, buddy? These not good enough for you anymore?" And now Hannah was thrusting her naked chest forward, her full, E-cup breasts bouncing and sagging gently before his astonished gaze. "Go on, tell me! Tell me how much hotter those others are – how much more fun they'd be in bed – how fucking hot those other skinny girls are compared to your fat, dumb, worthless-"

"Enough!" Will was trembling as he stepped forward and took her in his arms – but so was she. Shaking. Crying. Sobbing, even. And then she was in his arms, and he was pulling her close, and somehow everything was beginning to resolve itself without another word being spoken.

She loved him. Missed him. Worried about him… and about whether she was good enough.

And really, if that was all, then he could forgive and forget a bit of drama.

***

"I'm sorry," she murmured into the dark, and now, nestled so snugly into bed, Will couldn't find it in his heart to blame her. "I- I was really worried. And- and with all the scary news about this freaky epidemic-" "It's okay, babe," he consoled, and now she was pressing closer, an insistent, curvaceous little spoon to his tall and angular one. "It's all right. I really should have remembered about my stupid phone. It's just- you know, the battery's not the best anymore, especially in the cold…"

"I'll fix it," she asserted, and he could feel her wriggling enthusiastically against his bare chest. "Listen, I know just what to do! See, I have that extra battery pack, right? You're gonna take it with you to work tomorrow, okay? In your coat pocket, so you don't forget." Her tone was bright and so pleased that Will didn't have the heart to demur. "That way, you'll never have a dead phone again! Isn't that a good idea?"

"The best," he murmured, hands slipping down – perhaps in guilt, perhaps out of habit – to cup and massage her lovely full breasts. "You're such a good fiancée, babe. The very best." "Mmmm," she agreed, in a muffled voice full of sleep and satisfaction. "You better believe it… buddy…"

Yeah. They fought sometimes. But didn't all couples? Will sighed softly and settled deeper into the pillow, allowing the tension of the last hour to fade from his shoulders. Sure, maybe the drama had been a bit over the top. But it had all worked out in the end. Carrying a little battery pack and cable to work was going to be no big deal. And if it made Hannah happy… well, it was definitely worth it, right?