Amnesia - The Matlock Pack: Book One

Sunday 20 December

~*Nat’s POV*~

“I mean, it’s alright…”

Bells stared at me in what I could only describe as pity. “How can you say that, Nat? There are spaceships, and droids, and–”

I cut him off before he could go any further. “Yeah, yeah, you told me that last night. I just mean that it’s an okay story, but I don’t get why the big furry dude didn’t get a medal with the others. He did the same amount of work as them, but no medal?” I frowned. “It just doesn’t seem fair, is all. And don’t get me started on the whole ‘maclunkey’ thing. Why wasn’t that subtitled when everything else was? What does ‘maclunkey’ even mean?”

He laughed, relieved. “Oh, okay. Those are all valid points. I thought you hated the film.”

“I don’t hate the film. It just left me with some questions that they should have answered. Especially seeing as it’s a stand-alone movie, you know?” I took a sip from the still steaming, yet almost empty cup I held in my hands. The herbs Auden had given me were a little bitter, but I was getting used to them. She had told me to keep mixing a teaspoon in a cup of boiling water every night until I’d used them all, and I was about a third of the way through.

I looked at Bells, noticing that he’d gone suspiciously quiet. He was looking somewhat guilty, but I didn’t know why. “What?”

“Um…” He shifted his eyes as far away from mine as he could. “Actually, there are eight more in the series…”

My jaw dropped. “Eight?!”

He swallowed guiltily. “Not including the spin-off movies and TV shows…”

My eyes widened. “… what…” I lowered the cup to my lap.

“In my defence, the Marvel Universe has way more…”

“Let me guess. You’re going to get me to watch the rest of these before you start me on whatever the Marvel Universe is, aren’t you?”

The guilt on his face was undeniable as he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. “… no…?”

“God, you’re such a liar.” I laughed, putting the cup on the coffee table in front of us. I leaned against him, placing my hand on his chest as he hugged me.

“Hey, if watching movies gets you to snuggle into me like this, there’s no way I’m going to choose stand-alone films.”

“Fair enough.” I raised my head to kiss him. The heat intensified between us in line with the pulsing. I shuffled myself up and over Bells to straddle him on the couch. My hands embraced his head, holding him steady so I could kiss him passionately. His hands were holding onto my butt, pulling me ever closer to him, rhythmically grinding my core against his growing cock. We felt so warm, I was surprised that steam wasn’t radiating from our skin.

We both broke our kiss and turned our heads towards the front door when we heard it open. I stayed exactly where I was, enjoying Bells kneading my butt far too much for me to move, and judging from the slight groan of annoyance from Bells when we pulled apart, he didn’t want to move either.

“Naaaaat!” Cody called as she stumbled into the apartment, leaving the door wide open. “You’re here!” She had her high heels in one hand and a bottle of… something… in the other. Her eyes drunkenly surveyed the room, completely unfocused. “Is that Bells?” She squinted towards us both. “Hic…” She ran into the kitchen bench. “Hey, watch where you’re going! I’m walking here, I’m walking here!”

I brought my attention back to Bells to see him watching Cody, trying very hard to stifle his laughter. “I should probably make sure she gets to bed.”

He turned back to me with a massive grin on his face. “Probably a good call.”

We turned back to face Cody when we heard a loud crash. She had somehow collided with a bar stool and both had ended up tangled on the tiled floor in front of the kitchen bench.

“Hic.” Cody lay next to the bar stool, not bothering to move. She dropped her shoes and opened the bottle of whatever it was and lifted it to her lips, forgetting that she was flat on her back. The liquid poured out over her head, but all she did was open her mouth and swallow whatever went in, not bothered about the growing puddle her hair was now absorbing.

I sighed and climbed off Bells. This was going to be a long night.

Bells joined me to haul Cody up from the ground after I shut the door. She stumbled to regain her balance, then slipped in the liquid I could now identify as champagne that was all over the floor. Landing on her arse, she laughed.

“Oh hi, Bells! I didn’t see you there. Did you decide to join us at The Gap?”

I glanced at Bells. We both had hold of one of Cody’s arms to try to lift her up. For a little person, she sure weighed a lot when she wasn’t putting any effort into helping us.

“Uh… No, Code’s,” Bells said, a slight look of concern crossing his features. “Not this time.”

“Aw, that’s a shame.” Cody hiccupped again. “Nat and I have been having such a good time there.”

I frowned. What on earth was she on about? “Cody, I’ve been here at the apartment all night.”

She turned her unfocused eyes on me. “Naaaaat!” A sloppy grin spread across her face. “I knew you’d come with me!” She leaned into me. “You’re such a good friend.”

“Thanks Cody, you are too.” I looked at Bells and rolled my eyes. I doubted she would remember any of this tomorrow at all. All I could do was play along and get her into bed. “Come on, Code’s. You think you can stand? We need to get you into bed.”

Cody turned her focus to the floor. “What are you talking about, Nat? We’re still at The Gap. They don’t have beds.” She slowly got to her feet, then stumbled a little before Bells and I got control of her. She looked at me with wide eyes. “Do they? Ooh! Do they have beds under the stairs? Like in Harry Potter?” She giggled. “That’d be so cool.” Her giggles dropped away, and she became very sad. “Don’t tell me they employ house-elves. That would be brutal.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. God, how much had she had to drink tonight? And why had no-one come to drop her off at home? Where the hell was Murph?? “No, Cody. They don’t have house-elves. Let’s get you back home, yeah? When I click my fingers, we’re going to be transported back to our apartment, okay?” I snapped my fingers. “See? We’re home now.” I motioned around the lounge area.

Cody looked around. “How’d you do that, Nat?” She put her hands to her face, as her mouth made an ‘O’ in shock. “Oh, my Goddess! Are you a house-elf?! Have your memories come back and you remember all your house-elf secrets?” She gripped my arms and leaned forward to whisper to me. “Will you share your secrets with me? I promise I won’t tell a soul!”

I was torn between laughing hysterically at her drunken antics and feeling incredibly sorry for the hangover that she was no doubt going to be sporting tomorrow. “Maybe tomorrow, yeah? Let’s get you to bed first, okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbled. Now that I had given her an aim, Bells and I had some help to get her moving towards her bedroom. The three of us stumbled slowly through her bedroom before we turned her around to sit on the bed. She tugged on her top, lifting it partway over her head and getting stuck, leaving one of her naked breasts on display. “Nat? Why is it suddenly dark?” She struggled. “And why can’t I move my arms?!”

I slapped my hand to my forehead, shaking my head. I noticed Bells had taken two steps back from Cody and was looking at everything in the room but her. “Bells? Give me a minute?”

“Nat??” Cody asked, still battling her top, her hands floundering helplessly above her. Her breast swayed as she fought to get free.

“Sure, Nat. Anything you say,” he said as he fled from Cody’s bedroom. I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. It was plain to see that he was extremely uncomfortable about the entire situation.

“Nat?!” Her voice started to get panicked. “Nat?!?”

“It’s okay, Cody. I’m here.” I used a soothing tone to settle her as I tugged her top from where it was caught on her other breast and lifted it over her head, freeing her from her confines.

“I can seeeeee!” Cody said, a burst of giggles erupting from her swaying form. She lay back on her bed, stretching her hands out in front of her. “Look, Nat! Look at all the beautiful shapes!”

“Yes, Cody, your hands are beautiful.” I tossed her top to her chair, then hunted through the chest of drawers for an oversized t-shirt I could put her in.

“My hands? These aren’t my hands! They’re butterflies!” She waved her hands around in front of her. “Beautiful butterflies.”

Finally finding what I was looking for, I pulled her up to a sitting position and wrangled the t-shirt over her, letting it swamp her lithe torso. I gently swivelled her so she could place her head on her pillow, letting her bring her hands up again and wiggle her fingers.

“Such pretty colours…!”

“Yup, the colours are awesome,” I grunted, tugging her jeans down her legs. Thank fuck, she still had her undies on. I could deal with bare breasts, but I really didn’t want to see her vagina in any way, shape, or form.

“Bye bye, pretty butterflies.” Cody watched as her fingers wiggled their way to outside her field of vision, then let her hands drop to her stomach. “I’m tired.”

“It’s a good thing you’re in your bed then, isn’t it?” I pulled her blankets over her.

“I’m in bed?” Cody moved her hands around to tug at the blankets. “Hey Nat! I’m in bed!”

“Yes, Cody. You are.” I sat on the edge of her bed. “You think you can go to sleep now?”

“Sleep?” She tilted her head on the pillow and tried to focus on me. “Mm… Sleep…” She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. “You’re so good to me, Nat…” she murmured, the huskiness of her voice already hinting that she was drifting off. “Better than…” Her words became unintelligible as she smacked her lips, then let out a snore.

I sighed, watching her to make sure that sleep had fully taken her. When I was sure that she was fully under, I sneaked out of her room, closing the door just enough to prevent the lounge room light from hitting the bed.

Bells was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. He’d shut the TV off and was flicking through one of the fashion magazines Cody had left on the coffee table a few days ago.

I stopped a couple of steps from the couch, my hands fidgeting in front of me. “It’s probably best that we call it a night.”

He smiled ruefully at me. “How is she?”

“Asleep. For now. But she’s going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.”

Bells placed the magazine back on the coffee table and got up. He took the two steps to me and rubbed my arms. “You took good care of her. She’ll thank you for it tomorrow.”

I snickered. “Only if she remembers.” I walked him to the door and noticed that the champagne that Cody had spilled earlier was now gone. “Did you clean up?”

“It seemed the thing to do.”

“Oh, Bells.” A wave of gratitude filled me. “Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in tight for a hug.

He brought his arms up and embraced me before nuzzling my neck. “You’re very welcome, Nat.” He trailed a line of kisses along my jawline, making me moan.

As our kiss deepened, he rotated us, so my back was against the door. He pressed into me, desire flaring between us. Something in my brain said that I should feel trapped in this position, but my body over-ruled it entirely, letting the heat rise between us.

Bells pulled back with a growl. “Will you be alright with Cody on your own?” His eyes were glowing faintly, letting me know Wyatt was present. “I could stay to help if you’d like…”

I shuffled him backwards, still locked in our embrace. “If you want to stay,” I said, laying kisses on his cheek. “I wouldn’t say no…”

He groaned as we continued our slow dance to my bedroom. We had just made it through the door when I started tugging at his t-shirt. He reluctantly pulled away from me and lifted his arms so I could remove it. I pushed him to my bed, forcing him to sit down, then straddled him. He held onto me as I drew his head to me, locking my lips with his.

He started tugging at my t-shirt, lifting it up just past my breasts without breaking our kiss.

“Nat? Nat!! The butterflies are attacking me!!”

I pulled away from Bells with a curse, his hands reluctantly releasing my shirt, letting it fall back over my breasts. “Duty calls.” I climbed off him and headed for the door. “I’ll be back.”

He muttered some curses of his own and flopped back onto the mattress, letting his legs hang over the side. “I’ll be here.” He rubbed his hands over his cheeks, sighing to himself.

A small grin graced my face as I walked over to Cody’s room. Bells was being an absolute saint tonight. The patience he was showing, letting me help Cody without a word of complaint, was not going unnoticed at all.

Cody was flailing in her bed, her blankets tangled around her. Her hands were slapping her face, leaving scratches on her cheeks and blood streaking her pillow.

“Shit.” I rushed over to her, grabbing her hands to stop her from attacking herself. “Cody? Wake up for me, hon.” She continued her thrashing, but gradually regained enough consciousness to realise I had hold of her hands.

“Nat?”

“Hi Cody.”

“What happened?” She looked so lost, sweat pouring off her skin, her eyes wide in terror.

“You said the butterflies were attacking you.”

“Oh.” As she slowly relaxed, I let her hands go.

She covered her eyes with one of her arms. “They were being so mean.” She raised her other hand to her face, only to feel the blood that had emerged from the scratches that she’d gouged into her cheeks. She raised her hand to study her now bloodied fingers. “Wow. They were really mean.”

“Stay there, Cody. I’ll get you a washcloth.” I ducked into her ensuite and searched her drawers until I found what I needed. God, her bathroom was a mess. I ran it under the tap to get it damp, then handed it to her upon my exit.

She dabbed it on her face. “Thanks, Nat.”

“No problems.” I carefully untangled her blankets from around her. “How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty.” Her voice was quiet, her shoulders sagging as she positioned herself with her back to the bedhead.

“I’ll get you a glass of water. Give me a sec.” I went to grab a glass from the kitchen, filled it, then set it on her bedside table when I came back to her room, as she was still carefully cleaning her face.

She gripped it with both hands and shakily brought it to her lips. The glass was half empty in seconds.

I sat down on the edge of her bed again. “Better?”

She nodded.

“Do you need me to get you anything else? Or do you think you’ll be okay to get back to sleep now?”

Cody sagged against her bedhead. “I should be good.” She looked around the room. “What’s the time?”

“Um… Last time I checked the clock it was close to two AM, so it’s definitely later than that, but I don’t know the exact time.”

She groaned. “I’m sorry, Nat.”

“It’s all good. Just as long as you’re feeling a little better.”

She nodded slowly. “I think sleep is probably the best cure right now.”

“Okay.” I went to pull the blankets back over her, but she stopped me.

“No, I need to use the bathroom. You go back to bed.”

“You sure?”

“Yup. I’m good.”

I nodded, then stood. I stepped back to let her out of bed and watched her stumble on unsteady feet to the ensuite. She turned around to shut the ensuite door and noticed that I was still standing there watching her uncertainly.

“It’s all good, Nat. I promise I’m fine. Just need to splash some water on my face and then I’ll be back in bed.”

“I’m just across the lounge, Cody. If you need anything, just knock on the door or yell for me, okay?”

“Will do. Go back to bed, Nat. Get some sleep.”

“Okay. You too. Sleep well.”

She slowly nodded one last time and closed the door, shutting me out of her hangover misery.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at the shut door. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I thought. This was the second weekend in a row where Cody had got so desperately drunk. Was this becoming a habit? I sighed, then turned and headed back to my room.

I slowed my progress when I entered my room and stopped entirely when my brain made sense of what I was seeing.

Bells had shifted from his earlier position on the edge of the bed. He now lay on top of the covers on one side of the mattress, his head on the pillow facing the bedroom door. It was beyond obvious that he had fallen asleep waiting for me to come back.

A smile spread over my face as a warm feeling spread through my body. I quietly shut the door, grabbed the throw rug from the bottom of the bed, and carefully placed it over his slumped form.

I searched through my chest of drawers for a large t-shirt that I could sleep in. Sneaking a peek at Bells to make sure that he was completely out, I swapped my t-shirt over, then took my bra off. Knowing that I’d be too hot with them on, I took my pants off and quickly slipped under the covers.

Facing Bells, I reached out to him and drifted my fingertips down his cheek as light as a feather. He shifted in his sleep, his head lifting ever so slightly into my touch. The lightest sigh left his breath, a smile slowly emerging on his face before he settled once more.

Curling my hands up under my cheek, I watched him until sleep claimed me.