"I don't know.." I ran a hand through my hair as I paced back and forth in the kitchen "All I know is that Tucker showed up to school after he's been gone. He said he met a Coinston at some bar who was super drunk, the guy kept going off about how they were after the next Ambrosia."

"Great.." Aster rubbed his face in his hands and I could tell he was panicked "We have to move you with dad immediately."

"What? No!" I exclaimed, I couldn't believe Aster was willing to send me off so easily. I had decided to tell Aster about my run-in with Tucker, after hours of trying to push it off to the side but not being able to. What if what he was saying wasn't just some bluff or lie? What if the Coinston's were truly after me? It did make sense, they have been before...the mall, school, and the race. I just thought it was Knox's pettiness for the reason of going after me but I was soon coming to the realization that it was a bigger picture than just Knox.

I looked back at Pierce whose face had fallen as he stared ahead at Aster. Pierce had come to pick me up for the club but came inside when I told him I had to tell Aster about Tucker. "You can't do that." Pierce shook his head "If you separate her, they will find her and it'll be easier to get to her if we aren't around her. Your dad will not protect her."

"She's an easier target if she's in New York. They've made it very apparent that they have ways of contacting her." Aster said sternly and I looked over to Evangeline with a pleading look. I hoped she would say something in order to help me stay, as she was usually the one to be able to change Aster's mind. "I'm sorry Aspen.." She trailed off "But I agree with Aster on this one. It'd be harder for them to find you if you were out of the state."

Sighing I looked back at Pierce who stood behind me, silent as ever. "Pierce.." My lips pursed as I stared at him, wanting him to back me up. I didn't want to leave New York, I had finally made friends and felt comfortable. I was sick and tired of starting over again, it's all I've ever done since my mom died and I just wanted to settle. New York felt like home, a home I've been longing for, for months.

"I'll take care of her." Pierce spoke up "I've been trying to protect her since she got here, and I'm not going to stop now. You can not just send her away Aster, she needs all of us. Aspen won't stand a chance if she's by herself. I promise I won't let her get hurt."

Pierce's words were sincere, I could tell by the look in his eyes. Pierce was forced to watch over me from the beginning but I knew he meant it now more than ever. He didn't just see it as some job to do that was assigned by Xander and Archer. Aster stared back at Pierce, a moment of silence filling the air. Aster let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them.

"Alright.." Aster gave in "But this is going to have to be a team thing. We all need to watch over Aspen for her safety's sake. I will alert Xander and Archer to tell them what's going on. I'm trusting you Gunner, and if anything happens to my little sister- you'll be the first one I come after."

With that said, I quickly bid for my house and headed out of the house. My rushing was followed by Pierce and I knew that if I didn't leave immediately that Aster would change his mind. I buckled up and Pierce took off down the road in order to meet everybody at the club.

"You know you're in danger right?" Pierce glanced over to me, making me cock an eyebrow in response. "Aspen if you're most wanted by one gang, you're wanted by all their allies too. You need to watch out, for everyone. You have no idea how bad this could get."

"I-I'm sure it'll be fine." Swallowing a lump in my throat, the nervousness was starting to hit me. I knew this could be bad, I had no idea what was to come. I prayed that Xander and Archer would come up with some plan. I felt safe whenever I was with Pierce, there was something about him that made me feel like nobody could even touch me. I reached for the radio as a new song came on, turning the volume knob up.

I hummed along with the music blasted through the speakers, mumbling the words under my breath as I looked out of the window. Pierce let out a chuckle between his lips, making my head whip over to his. "What?" I asked confused.

"Nothing, you're just cute."

"Cute?" I raised an eyebrow at him in shock. Did Pierce Gunner seriously just call me cute? Those are words I never thought I'd hear even in a million lifetimes. I couldn't help but feel the butterflies in my stomach at Pierce's words. A smile peeked at my lips as he nodded in response. The rest of the car ride was pretty quiet besides the music, but we soon came to the

The club was the same club that we had gone to the night after the race. The same club where Pierce and I kissed and the back after he had told me everything. We both approached the doors, the music took over as it blasted at its max. The lights were creating strobe lighting through the darkness of the club. I followed behind Pierce as we made our way over to the bar where most of the gang seemed to gather.

Pierce whispered something to Xander, making Xander look over to me before giving Pierce a stern nod. I began to ask what he said but was pulled away before I could, only to see June. She pulled me out to the dancefloor, taking my hand and spinning me under her arm before letting go of me. I danced next to her, she pressed her back against mine as we both swayed back and forth.

I let out a laugh before turning around to Juniper, her leaning to my ear "Have you talked to Pierce about everything? Like if he likes you?" I shook my head in response, glancing over to Pierce who watched me from a distance from the bar. I didn't want to ask, I already knew the answer would be no. Juniper followed my eyes, landing on Pierce before waving a hand over to him.

"June! What are you doing?!" My eyes widened in response to the realization of her waving Pierce over. She sent me a wink before Pierce soon approached us, and she grabbed Pierce's hand before placing his hand on my waist. "Dance with Aspen." She cheered before walking away into the crowd.

"I'm just as confused as you are." I rolled my eyes as June disappeared into all the people. Pierce looked over in Juniper's direction before turning back to me. "Fuck it," Pierce muttered before taking me out further into the dancefloor. He spun me under his arm before pressing my back up against his body. Pierce's hands met my torso, sliding down slowly to my waist. My breath hitched at Pierce's touch that sent electricity through my body. Pierce's lips moved to my ear, his peppermint breath faltering across my skin "I'm not going to do anything you're uncomfortable."

His words were whispered into my ear over the loud music, and I knew what Pierce meant. He didn't want to touch me or put me in any situation that would make me uncomfortable, especially after knowing about what I had gone through with Cayde. Plus I knew he remembered what had happened the last time I danced with Tucker in this exact club. I turned my neck to look into his grey eyes and nodded slightly to let him know I was in agreement.

The music became louder, the floor shook from the dancing of all the people crammed into the club. My back stayed up against Pierce's chest, my arm going back to make my hand grab the back of his neck while his hands stayed on my hips. My stomach tied in knots as Pierce's hand moved down to my thigh, his fingers tracing over jeans.

Pierce pushed my hair behind my neck, leaving the skin of my neck to be revealed. He leaned closer into my neck, before pressing his lips lightly to the revealed skin. My breath hitched and I forced myself to keep moving so he wouldn't notice my reaction. Pierce bit gently at my neck, making me throw my head back in response.

The butterflies erupted in my stomach and his touch made shivers go up to my spine. I pulled away from Pierce, turning around to face him. He pressed his forehead to mine, placing his index finger underneath my chin. He pushed my chin up, making me look up at him while his grey eyes bored into mine. My lips parted as he stared down at me and I placed my hand flat on his chest, feeling the rise and fall.

Pierce leaned in closer to me, his lips brushing against mine while placing a hand on my lower back in order to push me closer to him. My focus was on him and only him, at this moment it felt like we were the only two in the club while the music was just an echo to my ears. I waited for Pierce to press his lips to mine, the wait had felt like an eternity.

"Aspen." A voice spoke up, making Pierce and I jump away from each other. I knew the voice immediately and stared back at Tucker who stood in front of both of us. I blinked rapidly, looking from Tucker to Pierce then back at Tucker.

"What a shock." He rolled his eyes, holding up his phone "But I do have pictures and how would Archer react to these? After all gang dating has been banned because of you Pierce. I think it's time that you learn to back off what is not yours."

What's not his? Was Tucker seriously saying I was his?

"Back off what's yours?" Pierce scoffed a laugh before his face went cold "She's mine."

"Why are you even here Tucker?" I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at him for an answer. Tucker disappeared for how long then suddenly decides he wants to come back without any consequences? He seemed like the sweet good guy, the only one with a heart out of all the guys but turns out he was just the opposite.

"What? Didn't miss me, Ambrosia?" He sent me a wink followed by a cocky smirk that tugged up at his lips "I mean you were the one who confided in me and fell asleep in bed with me that one night."

"You took advantage of my vulnerability. It didn't mean anything." I scoffed "You guilted me for not liking you, remember? Plus you called me a slut."

"You know I was sorry..but the more I see you with him, that guilt just fades away. I was the one that helped Mr. Gunner find the information on you and Cayde. Wasn't hard after a night of deep diving on all your social media. Being naked in front of all those guys...that's a pretty slutty thing to do."

I couldn't even react before Pierce grabbed Tucker by the shirt and pushed him all the way back to the bar. I rushed after him but Pierce took no hesitation to throw Tucker back onto the bar counter. Tucker's body hit the hardwood, knocking glasses of different alcohol everywhere. The sound of glass shattered and gasp came from the crowd. I looked around to see everyone had stopped dancing but the music continued to blast through the speakers.

Tucker quickly bounced back, pushing himself off the counter. He lunged himself at Pierce, pushing them both back. Their bodies clashed with the floor and Tucker sent a flying punch into Pierce's fist, but Pierce turned his head; making it hit the side of him. Pierce pushed Tucker off and pushed him to the ground, gaining the top. Pierce's fist clutched as he sent numerous punches to Tucker.

"Pierce!" I screamed "Pierce Stop!"

I went to walk over but Alexandria pulled me back and shook her head "Don't get involved, you'll get caught in the middle." I knew she had been talking about physically, but I was already caught in the middle between both of them. I didn't understand why they were fighting over me, it didn't make any sense.

Tucker managed to throw Pierce off him and they both stood up from the floor before Tucker sent a punch straight to Pierce's face. The punch made me flinch myself, the contact was so bad you could hear it. I looked around for Xander and Archer and wondered why they weren't stepping into it. Tucker reached over the bar, grabbing what looked like an empty vodka bottle before smashing it over Pierce.

My breath hitched and a gasp escaped my lips as I watched them both fight in pure horror. They were best friends..and now this. Pierce grabbed Tucker by his shirt before slamming his head repeatedly into the bar counter corner. Cypress and Mars push their way through the crowd, prying Pierce off of Tucker. Tucker became unconscious as he fell to the ground and I stood in shock.

I looked over to Pierce who was beaten pretty badly, blood was all over his face and his lip was busted open. The crowd was still silenced and I looked over to see Xander and Archer, knowing this wasn't going to be good. I rushed over to Pierce, grabbing his face in my hands as I scanned over it. "Aspen, I'm fine." He grabbed my hands, pushing them down and away from his face.

I grabbed his hand that was just as bloody but also looked to be bruised or sprained. Pierce's knuckles were covered in blood from beating Tucker and cuts of glass, they were most definitely going to bruise by tomorrow. Juniper, Harley, and Sawyer all came running up to Pierce while Harley looked over Pierce before letting out a deep sigh.

I saw Xander approach Pierce while Phoenix and Alexandria ran over to an unconscious Tucker. I closed my eyes and prayed internally that this wasn't about to become a total shit show. Xander was furious, the anger radiated off his body. He looked like he was ready to kill Pierce himself for what had just happened. Xander's eyes went dark as he stared at Pierce, his chest rising and falling.

"Leave. Now. I'll deal with you tomorrow." Xander gritted, not tearing his eyes away from Pierce. Pierce didn't say anything but instead turned around and started to head out of the club. Not saying anything to anyone else, I pushed through the people and jogged till I hit outside.

The air hit my skin, sending goosebumps throughout my body. I saw Pierce walking towards his car, making me call after him as I jogged to catch up with him. "Hey." I said breathlessly as I grabbed his bicep "You can't drive like that." Pierce sighed before handing me his keys and getting into the passenger seat.

I opened the door to the driver's side of his challenger before getting in and starting the engine. I put the car into reverse before pulling out of the club parking lot and heading to the streets of New York. There weren't many cars on the road, but it wasn't completely empty. I focused on the street, only glancing over to Pierce a few times. Pierce pulled out a cigarette before lighting it and placing it between his lips. He took a deep inhale before breathing out, I could see the worry and stress on his face. Usually, I'd argue him smoking for his own health but I knew he had needed it at this point.

I was grateful for Pierce and what he did for me tonight. When I was with Cayde, he never stuck up for me and he was my own boyfriend. Pierce was different and for once I was appreciative of his possessiveness. I glanced over to Pierce for a moment, watching him stare out the window while he kept the cigarette between his fingers. The moments played over my head.

"She's mine." Were the words that seemed to not leave my thoughts. What did that mean? I started to believe what Juniper and Triston were saying was true. I didn't want to believe Pierce liked me, I didn't want to cause drama or ruin what we were starting to have- some sort of friendship. Could it actually be that Pierce liked me?

The car ride was silent till we reached my house and I had insisted that Pierce follow me in so he could get cleaned up. We walked into the front door and Aster greeted us before freezing when he saw Pierce. "What the hell happened?!" Aster exclaimed, looking over at Pierce's beaten face.

"Tucker said some things to me..and he and Pierce got into a fight," I explained as minimal as I could, not wanting to get into it right now. "You should go get in the shower." I nodded my head up the stairs to Pierce. With that he walked up the steps and made his way to the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Aspen, what really happened?" Aster asked, leaning up against the counter with his arms crossed. "Tucker showed up at the club, he said he helped Mr. Gunner get the information on me and Cayde...then he said quote 'You were naked in front of all those guys...pretty slutty thing to do'. Pierce flipped out and they beat each other, Tucker was unconscious when we left." I explained, not knowing how Aster would react.

"Is there something going on between you and Pierce?" Aster narrowed his eyes at me "It just seems like lately he's been super protective of you."

"There is nothing going on between Pierce and me, we're just...friends." I sighed in response. Was there something going on between Pierce and me? Was I just as oblivious and missing all the signs? Or was I just hoping there was something?

"Ok, if you say so." Aster put his hands up in defense "I will be talking to Xander tomorrow and will take care of Tucker. That's fucked up he did that to help Mr. Gunner find shit on you. He needs to be expelled from the gang immediately...but till then, just go check on Pierce. There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom."

Aster gave me a quick hug before I headed upstairs and knocked gently on the bathroom door. I heard the shower running, not receiving an answer-back. I walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and grabbing the first aid kit out. The shower stopped and Pierce grabbed the bath towel before pushing the curtain back, only to reveal Pierce's naked body that was covered with nothing but a bath towel. The bath towel wrapped around his waist, exposing his abs and v-line.

I averted my eyes quickly but felt my face heat up. "You're blushing," Pierce commented, making me blush even harder. "No, I'm not." I denied, looking into the mirror while Pierce stood behind me. I was blushing, my face was almost as red as a tomato.

"W-We should get the cuts cleaned up." I stuttered as I pryed the first aid kit open and unwrapped the alcohol-soaked clothes before gently pressing them to Pierce's face. His eyes didn't come off mine as I dabbed the cuts across his skin. Pierce slid his hand onto my hip resting it above my jeans, my body shuddering at his touch.

"L-let me see your h-hand." I cursed myself for stuttering, but Pierce made me nervous for some reason. I unwrapped the white gauze before beginning to wrap it in layers around his hands, making sure to cover his knuckles. "I have a question.." I forced myself to speak out, earning a look from Pierce "When you were talking to Tucker...why did you say 'she's mine'."

Pierce's eyes averted from mine and the smirk that was once on his lips seemed to disappear. Pierce was silent as he stared down at his hands as I continued to wrap them. "What can I say? I'm protective of you Ambrosia." Pierce's eyes flickered back up to mine.

"But why?" I asked confused "You always hated me and then everything just suddenly changed. I just don't understand why the change of heart, especially lately. I mean you did everything you could to make my life a living hell and now you're the first one to be there-"

Pierce huffed a laugh before biting his lip as he stared down at me "You're really that oblivious?"

"Oblivious about what?" I finished off his hand but was interrupted by Pierce's phone going off in the background. Pierce reached for his phone before placing it up to his ear and I could already hear that it had been Sawyer calling. A few moments went by as I heard Sawyer talking, but it wasn't loud enough for me to make out. Pierce rubbed his temples before agreeing with her and hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to make sure I was ok." Pierce shrugged slightly. "You have a little spot." I pointed out, moving my hand towards his busted lip where dry blood remained. I wiped it away the best I could, feeling how soft Pierce's lips had been even after everything that happened. I pulled my fingers away before being lifted up by Pierce and slid back onto the sink countertop.

"You know I'll always protect you right?" Pierce pressed his forehead to mine, making me look down at my hands as I fidgeted with my fingers. "I don't know, what would mystery girl think about all of this?" I teased but was in hopes I'd learn more about this girl.

"I think she'll understand."

"So tell me about her? What's she like?" I asked curiously, pulling back from Pierce so I could look at his face to face. Was she tall? Was she blonde? Did she put out? Did she not have anything to do with gangs? Did she have a regular past and not a ton of drama?

"Well, first off she's gorgeous." Pierce started "She's stubborn as hell but it can be kind of cute. She's so caring and has a heart of gold-ALWAYS putting others before herself. She's sexy and could have any guy she wants, but she knows how to carry herself. She's independent and not afraid to speak up for what she believes in. Not to mention she's the first girl in a long time to make me feel like myself.

Say something!

Maybe it had been me after all...after everything Juniper, Triston, and now Pierce has said. My heart raced at the thought that it could be me, it didn't feel real. How could Pierce like me? I was just some bump in the road to him, some girl to take up his time. My heart was beating so fast, I was scared he'd be able to hear it at some point. Where was this going to lead to? What was going to happen? The questions ran through my mind, no escaping them. I knew I had to say something to get my answers.

"Is that girl me?"

* * * * * *

A://N CLIFFHANGER!!! HAPPY THURSDAY!

I will post the next chapter tomorrow depending on how this chapter goes and the response I get from all of you.

So tell all your friends to read it lol

Dedicated to @cherryberryD

Now that Aster knows about the Coinstons targeting Aspen, do you think he's going to send her back with their dad?

Why do you think Tucker is back? Do you think he's suspicious? If so why?

What did you think about Pierce and Aspen in the club? Do you think anyone seeing them is going to cause problems for both of them?

What did you think about Tucker now that you found out he helped Mr. Gunner find the information about Aspen's ex?

Do you think Pierce took care of him? Or thought he should've done more?

What do you think will happen to Pierce with Xander and Archer seeing what he did to Tucker? Think he'll get major consequences?

Do you think that mystery girl is Aspen? How do you think Aspen will handle it if it is her?

And a final question...what do you think will happen next?

~Ash