CLOSED: "Kimmie welcomes Wes and Polly to the neighborhood"

[Alice2015]

"Kimmie welcomes Wes and Polly to the neighborhood"

CLOSED​

OOC: This 1x1 thread begins at noon, 10 August 2048, and because the writers started writing it when the main thread was still at noon of 9 August 2048, we didn't link it to the main thread until later. We are hoping that we may have many replies below to entertain ya'll once we link it to the main thread.

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10 August, 1130 hours:

The blood work and skin swabs for Kimmie Simms had come back negative for anything dangerous to either herself or to the Underneath community. She hadn't expected they would show much, of course, as all she'd done was give her sister a couple of big hugs when Polly showed up outside the bunker's entrance the night before.

Kimmie had actually been released from quarantine the night before, while both her sister, Polly, and the man who'd saved Polly's life and gotten her to Underneath were asleep in the neighboring fish bowl, awaiting their own lab results. But she hadn't wanted to leave her sister alone in the glass cage in nothing more than a hospital style gown and a blanket wrapped around her, so she'd fetched a cot and slept in the middle of the Infirmary, very much to the annoyance of Peter, who had spent a good deal of the evening and early morning processing the tests.

This morning, after all three of them ate meals brought to them by Cookie, Kimmie excused herself, coming back only after Alice, who'd finished and approved the results, told the pair of caged intruders they were clean, clear, and free to be indoctrinated into their new life.

"I'm going to give Kimmie the honors," the bunker's leader said. She knew it was important for the newcomers to know their new home, but she had things to do herself and simply didn't have the time for a complete tour. Alice told the pair they were to come to the Infirmary every morning and every night for a follow up, and that they were to make their way to the Saloon, which also served as the dining hall, and get some good food in them. "We all have ration cards designed to both ensure we eat healthy and to ensure we ration appropriate to the current availability of food. However, the two of you are except from the rationing until Peter or I determine that you are back to appropriate weight. Peter tells me you're both fucking skinnier than shit for your heights."

Kimmie was so excited to once again embrace her long lost sister. Okay, so it had only been a year, not even that, but it had been too long. Due to circumstances she chose to ignore right now, the two of them hadn't seen one another in years.

Then, obviously surprising him, Kimmie threw her arms around Wes as well. She gave him a tight bear hug as her face pressed against the taller man's chest, then stood tall on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Wes. Thank you for delivering my little sister to me."

They headed out of the Infirmary onto the first level of Underneath. Kimmie pointed to the closed door of Monitoring, then to the hall that lead to another door, this one to Alice's quarters. "She's our mayor, our doctor, our inspiration. That's her room down there and she's always willing to talk to people about things on their minds, but rule number one around here is that you go to Monitoring first and ask the Duty Watch there if Alice is available. One thing you'll learn about this place is that you never know when someone's awake or asleep 'cause there are things to do all hours of the day, so, there is no such thing as day or night in the bunker."

Kimmie could have also pointed out that you never knew when someone might be engaged in sexual activity with another resident, whether it be day or night. Yesterday after Alice's announcement of the baby in the Saloon, for example, everyone who was paying attention knew that Alice and Mimi had slipped off to the former's quarters for a little midday delight.

Taking them down one level after another, Kimmie showed Wes and Polly each of the levels, what was on them, and what was special about each. They didn't go down into Levels 7 and 8, which were just storage. "We're not supposed to go in there without permission from Monitoring. Apparently some things went missing when we first got here, and, well..."

"I'm tired," Polly said after they'd been at this for almost an hour. "Where do I sleep?"

They'd seen the berthing areas with bunks, but Kimmie had a surprise for her sister. "Alice says we can have one of the Family Rooms on Level 4, since we're family. Come on."

They headed back upwards, and Kimmie showed Wes to his rack on Level 5. There was enough room that each person living here could have a 2 rack bunkbed to himself, as well as a shelving unit at one end and a pair of lockers in the adjacent locker and showers room. There was a pile of clothing on the bed, to which Kimmie said, "One of the guys scrounged up a bunch of stuff from the Clothing Locker. You are welcome to look through them for anything that'll fit you."

After leaving him behind, Kimmie showed Polly the room they would be sharing. It had a queen sized bed and all the furnishings one might expect in a college dorm or military berthing like setting. So, comfortable but not too much so. They sat around and visited for half an hour, but Polly's eyes were threatening to close. Her sister put her to bed, kissed her forehead, and told her to sleep all she wanted.

Then, interested in getting to know Wes more, Kimmie headed back down a level looking for the man to whom she owed so much...

...and was ready and willing to compensate for his good deed.

 

[Wyld52771]

When Kimmie and Polly left, Wes looked through the clothing left for him, and set aside a couple t-shirt, bluejeans, socks and underwear. Everything looked like it might be a bit baggy, but it would do until he got his weight back up to a healthy level again.

While going through the clothing, he found a prize...a straight razor, shaving creme, and aftershave. "I could definitely go for a shower and shave right now.." he thought to himself, and walked into the shower area.

There was a mirror on the wall above the sink, and looking at himself, he hardly recognized his own face...his eyes seemed the same but everything else had changed since the last time he got a good look at his face.

Rapid loss of weight due to malnutrition had taken a toll. His hair was longer than he'd ever had it, and the scraggly beard he'd grown made him look at least ten years older than he was. His skin almost seemed stretched across his facial features...he'd lost any remaining baby fat that remained after his long walk from Detroit was long gone.

Still, it could have been much worse...at least he'd had enough extra weight where he could afford to lose it and stay somewhat healthy. Polly had been much worse off, because she'd been small to begin with.

As he began to shave, his thoughts went to Polly, and her sister Kimmie. He really owed them a lot. They had reunited him with Willa, this small society they now resided in had kept her safe...it was more that he could have hoped for. He remembered his surprise when Kimmie had hugged him, and his blush when she kissed his cheek. It had been...nice.

Both Polly and Kimmie were both attractive women, and they both seemed to like him. Not that he expected that anything in a romantic way would happen...they were probably just grateful to him...but it was a pleasant fantasy to think that maybe it could happen.

He finished shaving, and then after turning the water to warm, he washed up, until he felt almost human again. "I LOOK more human now, too," he thought amusedly when looking in the mirror after the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked back to his bed, thinking dress and then take a short nap...but was surprised to find he wasn't alone. Kimmie stood in the doorway, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, and an amused half smile on her face....

 

[Alice2015]

Kimmie had knocked on the door to Men's berthing but, honestly, not very loudly. Deep down, she would realized later, she'd actually hoped to get another look at the new man in town as she had when they were in the fish bowls.

And while she caught him exiting the Hygiene Area with only a towel around his waist, it wasn't the nudie view she'd secretly been hoping for. Kimmie grinned at Wes with a bit of a devilish gleam in her eye.

"Sorry, didn't mean to walk in on ya like that," she lied. Kimmie pointed behind her toward the slowly closing door, told him she'd knocked, and told him she could come back later if he wanted. Honestly, though, she had no intention of leaving. She was enjoying the view, even if he did show signs of needing to put on 10 or 20 pounds to look beefy keen. She turned her back to Wes so he could dress, saying, "My sister's asleep, up a level in my room. I saw Willa just before I came in and she says she wants you to come up to the Saloon to have lunch with her when you, and I quote, Don't smell like the worst parts of the Great Plains and the Midwest combined. Seriously, dude, I didn't make that up."

As she waited to see whether Wes was going to change here behind her or back in the Hygiene Room, Kimmie realized that a full length mirror on a wall just past a set of bunks was positioned perfectly to give her a delicious view of the man. If only he would drop that fuckin' towel.

 

[Wyld52771]

Wes felt a bit self conscious, standing in front of Kimmie in only a towel, as she explained she had knocked before entering, and hadn't meant to catch him off guard. She offered to leave, and he replied, "No, it's fine...I just wasn't expecting anyone."

He couldn't help but laugh, when Kimmie told him what Willa had said. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I got cleaned up then," he said. "I best get dressed and head over there then."

Kimmie politely turned away so he could get dressed, and Wes, not noticing the mirror Kimmie was using to peek at him, dropped the towel to the floor, and began to dress.

He had been correct that the clothing he'd chosen would be a bit baggy, but it felt so good to be in regular clean clothing, that he didn't mind.

"You can turn around now," he said to Kimmie, "I'm all set."

Kimmie turned to face him and he chuckled a bit. "I may have to have you guide me back to the saloon, if that's OK...this place is pretty big. I would rather not end up lost."

 

[Alice2015]

Kimmie enjoyed watching Wes dress. Or, strip at least. In the fish bowl of quarantine, she'd gotten a brief glimpse of him as he'd changed out of the PPE into the hospital gown, but he'd been turned away from her. All she'd really gotten to see was his well formed ass.

This time, though, with him not being aware that she had a good though somewhat limited view of him, Wes didn't seem to find it necessary to turn his back to her and she got a seconds long ogle at his manhood. It made her smile. Oh, he wasn't going to be starring in any pornographic videos. Yes, she'd heard that even that industry was still up and running. But Kimmie had little doubt that if she was to have that cock shoved inside her, she would most definitely feel it.

When he was dressed and she joined him near his new sleeping location, the first thing she did was start grabbing at his shirt to urge him to remove it, playfully saying, "No, no, no, no, no. Who dresses you in the morning, your mother. Take that off. Take it off!"

If he didn't remove the shirt, Kimmie would essentially pull it from him as she said, "You can't wear this. It just doesn't work for you."

There was nothing wrong with the shirt, of course. Well, it was kind of old and ugly, but she had a suspicion Wes had chosen it for comfort as it was a nice, soft cotton. But she got it off of him anyway, then handed him a second cotton tee, telling him, "Put it on."

Kimmie was up close to him as he put the shirt on this time, and she took the few seconds he was stripping and dressing once more to look his body over closely. By the time he had the shirt in place and was smoothing it down over his manly-man body, Kimmie had already decided she wanted to strip him a second time.

Soon enough, she thought to herself as she snatched up one of the button up shirts also laying on his bed. As she urged him to put it on over his tee but leave it unbuttoned, she explained, "It gets cold in Underneath sometimes. Most of us wear two layers, and you can always shed one if it gets too warm for you. The generators in the lower level are the only real heat in the bunker, well, 'cept for the kitchen."

As she was finishing, Kimmie reached both hands out to Wes's chest and smoothed the tee, then played with the other shirt's collar and lapel, as if she was dressing a son for school or maybe a lover for a night out at a restaurant, it was hard to tell. She complimented the coordinating colors of this new tee with its outer layer.

"Now, you're ready to face the world," she said chuckling. "Your sister awaits."

She was in no hurry to leave here and lose her one to one interaction with Wes, but his sister was anxiously waiting to see him. And, of course, Kimmie had already flirted with the man enough for one morning.

She checked her watch: 12:10pm, perfect timing for lunch with Willa.

"Shall we?" Kimmie asked, turning aside to give Wes a path toward the exit while sweeping a hand in invitation. "Your fans await."

 

[Wyld52771]

Wes had been a bit surprised when Kimmie had him strip off his shirt again, but having never been all that fashionable, he left it to her expertise. Besides, he was enjoying the attention, not used to having attractive women doting on him like this. It almost seemed like she was flirting with him!

"Nah," he thought, disbelieving someone like Kimmie would be interested in him, "she is probably just being nice, and wanting me to set a good first impression with the folks here."

After finding an outfit that Kimmie seemed suitable, Kimmie, motioned the way.

"Shall we? Your fans await."

Wes chuckled, "I've never had a fan club before."

As he walked up next to her, he reached out, taking her hands in his.

"Thank you, Kimmie...for all you and Polly, and everyone else here. For helping me find Willa, and keeping her safe. It really means alot to me. Thank you for taking us in. I owe you all more than I can say."

He released her hands, and this time it was he that made the sweeping gesture.

"Lead on, M'lady..."

He smiled at the pretty lady before him, making room for her to pass so he could follow.

 

[Wyld52771]

(Sorry...lag caused a duplicate post.)

 

[Alice2015]

Kimmie laughed and headed off before Wes. She led the up to the Saloon where the midday atmosphere was far more subdued than it had been the day before for the presentation of little Regina Lender.

Willa was sitting with a couple of the other females roughly her age, but upon seeing her brother, she hopped up and crossed the room quickly to slam into him with a big hug. Her eyes were teared over and she was on the verge of sobbing in her joy.

"I'll let the two of you talk," Kimmie said, bowing out of the reunion to move over to the bar.

It was only barely past noon, and with nothing special taking place the bar portion of the saloon was closed down. Kimmie called out and found Cookie in the kitchen. The older woman came out, and the two of them chatted over coffee and crumb cake while Wes and Willa reacquainted themselves at a table on the far wall.

"How'd his health check come out?" Cookie asked.

Kimmie began, "No contamination, no viruses, no--"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Cookie interrupted. When the other woman gave her a confused look, the intuitive chef asked, "Did they check his blood for sexually transmitted diseases? 'Cause I know you're already thinking about taking him to one of the F'n'S rooms, girl."

Kimmie blushed, then laughed. She tried to deny the cook's insinuation, but she finally gave in. Looking back to Wes and catching his eye for a quick moment before turning back to Cookie, Kimmie whispered, "My God he looks great naked."

Cookie's eyes and mouth opened in shock, then she, too, laughed. "You saw him naked already?"

"Twice!" Kimmie confirmed. She giggled again, looked back to Wes, then to the chef. "Mother Nature was very good to him, if you know what I mean."

The two laughed and chatted for a while before Willa stood and came over to them, explaining, "I have to get back to the School for afternoon classes. Would you two mind keeping my brother--"

"I'm busy, cooking," Cookie said quickly. She inconspicuously winked to the other woman, though, after saying, "But Kimmie says she has nothing to do, so, I'd bet she'd be willing to keep your brother company."

Cookie turned away, unlocked a cooler, removed two beers, and set them before Kimmie. She disappeared into the kitchen as Willa was asking Kimmie, "You okay with this? You're not busy?"

"No, I think I could spare a few minutes," Kimmie asked, trying to hide her excitement. The younger girl hugged and thanked her, waved by to her brother, and told him she'd see him after school let out. Kimmie crossed to sit opposite the big, ruggedly handsome man with the beers. She studied him for a moment, then asked, "So, you married, Wes? Been married? Engaged, attached, committed, tied down? Got a girl friend out there now, or, are you free and clear and looking for a good woman?"

 

[Wyld52771]

"No...nothing like that. I'm single."

He took a sip of beer, and continued, " I've never been all that lucky with women. You wouldn't be able tell by the way I am now, but I used to be pretty overweight. Probably why Willa had such a hard time recognizing me at first. When she last saw me, I was damn near three-hundred fifty pounds. Women weren't exactly lining up to date the fat guy." He chuckled a bit.

"When I was in college and decided I wanted to be a firefighter, I knew I had to get into shape, so I could pass the physical exam. So I did alot of intensive exercise and lived on salads, and lost over one-hundred pounds and put on some muscle. It worked, and I passed."

"I went on a few dates after that, but my job kept me pretty busy, so nothing was ever serious."

He looked at Kimmie, and asked, jokingly, "How about you? Do you have a boyfriend or husband lurking around somewhere down here in the Underneath?"

 

[Alice2015]

"How about you?" Wes asked in return. "Do you have a boyfriend or husband lurking around somewhere down here in the Underneath?"

Kimmie couldn't suppress the laugh that burst from her mouth. She delayed her response by lifting her beer to her mouth and talking a long but slow draw on it. She couldn't very well tell him the truth, that she was the most promiscuous female in Underneath. She'd had sex at least once with 7 of the men and 2 of the women residing in the bunker. Even more than that, she occasionally engaged in a threesome with one of the long term couples and had been with the Bobble Heads twins that first month after leaving North Platte.

She didn't see anything wrong with having a little fun with another consenting adult. Or two. Hell, three would be nice but that hadn't happened yet, so. Her only demand was that their liaisons remained between them themselves. The Bobbleheads had made the mistake of bragging about their threesome with her, and today one of them had a crook in his repair nose and the other was missing a canine tooth. Oh, and to this day each of them claimed vehemently that they'd never been with Kimmie if anyone ever brought it up, whether seriously or in jest.

"No. No husband," she told Wes. "I'm not the settling down type'a girl really. Plus, I've never met a man I'd want to tie myself down with."

She smiled devilishly, chuckled, and added flirtatiously, "Handcuffed to naked, maybe. But tied down to in the holy bonds of matrimony? Naw."

She sipped at her beer again and asked him about what it was like out there in the world. "Things were happening rather quickly out there when we came to Underneath 6 months ago. Is it getting better or worse?"

 

[Wyld52771]

Wes took another swig of his beer, and replied, "It has been getting worse. I walked most of the way through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and part of Iowa to get here, and saw some pretty terrible things during that time."

"I saw people running in packs, killing people for whatever they had. Looting, burning, killing...and nothing or no one to stop it.. That's why I travelled in less populated areas...and I was lucky enough to find a few decent folks to help me along the way."

He paused to take another drink, and then added, "This place is a haven...you're lucky to have it. The only other place I have felt somewhat as safe, is my friend Shane's bar. He's kind of a gun collector...hes got dozens of them...so no one has raided or looted his place so far. Eventually I would like to get him to join us here, if we're able. I have been friends with him since grade school...he's a good person. And, he has plenty of good booze at his place,, if nothing else," he added jokingly.

 

[Alice2015]

Kimmie knew she already liked Shane as soon as Wes said the man had guns and booze. She'd grown up around firearms and had gotten even more into them after things really got shitty in North Platte. She wasn't going to tell Wes this and, honestly, only 2 other people here knew, but Kimmie had killed a man who'd been attacking her and then later a couple who had robbed her and left her dead back before she met Alice.

"Well, hell, we're gonna have to get him here soon," she said, lifting her bottle in toast. She eyed Wes with a bit of a hungry look and asked, "Big strapping man like yourself this Shane? We could use some men around who look like you, in and out of his clothes."

Her lips spread in a wide smile and she laughed loudly, not at all ashamed of her admission that she'd spied Wes undressed.

 

[Wyld52771]

Wes blushed at the realization that Kimmie had seen him without clothes, but also was flattered to find she'd liked what she'd seen.

"Umm...yeah. Well, I guess so."

He took another drink of his beer. He'd never been all that confident with women, but Kimmie actually seemed interested in him. It had taken him awhile to recognize it for what it was...his cluelessness had gotten the better of him, but he was beginning to believe it.

As for himself, he definitely found Kimmie attractive. He wished he was more confident... enough to make a move. That was one thing Shane had never had a problem with, and it was a quality his friend had that Wes had always envied. The best he could manage was to smile and keep eye contact as they continued talking.

"His dad owned Flanagan's Pub in North Platte...have you heard of it?"

 

[Alice2015]

Kimmie could literally feel her face go cold with the blood draining from it when Wes asked regarding Shane, "His dad owned Flanagan's Pub in North Platte...have you heard of it?"

Yeah, she'd heard of it. She'd heard of it, she'd visited it, she'd drank there and gotten drunk there, and she'd bent her body over the pool table after closing one evening and gotten the hell fucked out of her. What was that guys name, damn it? Please, don't remember that it had been Shane. Anyone but this guy's friend, fuck!

It was a long time ago, and she'd been just about as promiscuous as she'd been here in Underneath. Rarely had a week gone by that she didn't get laid at least four or five times. Just to be fair, though, most of the times she was parting her thighs to men with whom she was having a monogamous relationship. Most of the time.

She wasn't eager to find out one way or the other, honestly, as she was seriously thinking she wanted a go with Wes, and all she needed was for him to introduce his bar owning friend, only to have that friend say Yeah, we've met, and more. But Kimmie knew the needs of Underneath when it came to firearms, ammunition, and oh yeah, alcohol. So she suggested, "We should tell Alice about this guy, Shawn, right?"

Wes corrected Kimmie's feigned error and continued, "We hardly ever send anyone to the city. I think maybe twice in the six months we've been here. But Alice and Bryan, he's head of Security, they might be interested in taking a run at your friend."

One of the female residents poked her head into the Saloon, calling to Kimmie, "Hey, you're sister was pitching a fit down in your room. Nightmare, I guess. Someone stayed with her, but you should go check in on her."

Kimmie didn't hesitate to leap up out of her chair, but she stopped short and turned back to Wes. She smiled to him a moment, drained the rest of her beer, then leaned over quickly and gave him a quick but wet kiss on the lips. Pulling back a bit, she stared into his eyes with a wide smile and told him, "I'd like to see you tonight after your check in with Doc."

Then, with a second kiss she chuckled with pleasure and turned to hurry out of the room, hollering back over her shoulder, "I'll meet you here at nine!"

 

[Wyld52771]

Kimmie's first kiss caught him off guard...it was so unexpected, it was over before he'd had time to register what had happened.

When she pulled back, she smiled widely at his surprise, looking into his eyes.

"I'd like to see you tonight after your check in with Doc."

Wes nodded, feeling tongue-tied, and then Kimmie leaned in and kissed him again, this time the kiss lingered a few seconds longer, and Wes enjoyed the feel of Kimmie's lips upon his own.

Then, it was over, Kimmie turning to walk away, and calling out over her shoulder. "I'll meet you here at nine!"

"See you then!" he called out in reply, smiling himself.

After Kimmie left, Wes decided to track down Willa. He knew she'd been teaching the children in the Underneath, and after a bit of trial and error, and getting directions after getting lost, he found the classroom.

At first he just stood in the doorway, watching Willa work. She had always been kind of quiet and shy when they were growing up but here, in her element, among the children, Willa seemed like a totally different person. Relaxed and confident, smiling and happy...happier than he'd seen her in a long time...and the children hung on every word she said. They truly seemed to love Willa. He smiled, again happy that she'd found this place.

Willa noticed Wes standing in the back, and waved him in. "Children, we have a very special visitor today...this is my brother, Wes. Can you say hello?"

"Hello, Wes," the children said in unison, smiling...they didn't often see new people, and seemed excited for him to be there.

Wes smiled back and said, "Hi, kids...hope you're all listening to Willa here. She's a very special person, and has alot to teach you."

Willa announced that it was now free-play time, and the children cried out happily, and rushed to the toys, giving time for Wes and Willa to talk.

"They seem like great kids," he said, and Willa nodded, replying, "They are...although sometimes I am sad for them, having to live the way we have to. If we hadn't screwed up this world so badly...they could play outside and have room to run."

Wes nodded, looking around at the walls of the classroom. The children had decorated it somewhat with pictures they'd drawn, but the walls were still walls...they made you feel enclosed.

Studying them, Wes suddenly had an idea. "Maybe I could paint a mural or something down here on the walls...like an outdoor landscape all around the room. Remember, I DID go to art school. I'm sure I could pull that off if we had the supplies. We could let the kids help...make it a giant art project."

"You'd do that? Oh wow! That would be so awesome! The kids would love it!" Willa exclaimed, hugging Wes. "I'll run the idea by Alice!"

Wes smiled, happy to see Willa so excited. "Do that," he replied.

"So," Willa asked, "How was your first day out of quarantine?"

"Well, it went better than I expected, actually. I have a date this evening," he replied, "with Kimmie. I really like her...she's fun to be around."

"Awesome! Yeah, Kimmie is pretty great," Willa said, "I like her too. She went out of her way to make me feel welcome when I first got here."

"So...are you seeing anyone here in Underneath, sis? Got a boyfriend I don't know about?" He nudged her playfully.

 

[Alice2015]

When Wes told his sister that he had a date with Kimmie, she smiled happily and responded that she was happy for him. Inside, though, she had two other emotions running through her: jealousy and concern.

Willa had just gotten her brother back after so many years, and she wanted him all to herself. Last thing she wanted was for him to already be delving into a relationship with one of the Neather women, which would undoubtedly take up a significant if not majority of his free time.

But it wasn't just that. Kimmie? Willa did, in fact, love Kimmie to death. She was one of only a handful of people, mostly women, who she called friends in Underneath. But Kimmie was a slut. Oh yeah, the woman kept her relationships to herself, never chit chatting with the other girls over who was diddling whom and how often.

And sure, some of the guys who'd claimed to have bedded Kimmie or insinuated such had later recanted their claims. The Bobblehead Twins in particular were very insistent that they'd made everything up in regards to Kimmie, but that over-insistence had led Willa to believe that the very rough and touch woman had effected a change in story, with her fists! The two guys had been whispering that they'd had a threesome with Kimmie, the next day the both shown up at the Infirmary with injuries from a fist fight they claimed was between them and no one else, and then suddenly they're saying that they made the whole story about the three way up?

Of course, Willa knew nothing about the ways of sex and relationships, so who was she to criticize Kimmie or anyone's love life. She herself wanted to become a woman, too. She just didn't want to do so with any of the guys here in Underneath. Each and every one of them had something that just didn't work for Willa, be it their personality, their appearance, their already-in-place significant other.

"So...are you seeing anyone here in Underneath, sis?" Wes asked. Her eyes and mouth both opened in surprise at the question as her brother continued, "Got a boyfriend I don't know about?"

She let loose an embarrassed laugh and diverted her blushing face as he nudged her playfully. It took a moment to be able to respond, to which she only murmured, "No."

One of the younger kids ran up handed Wes a simple tablet that was sort of a cross between an iPad-like touch screen tablet upon which he'd drawn with a combination of pen and fingertip. He launched into a ramble about what it was, which Willa had to translate into English for Wes. She laughed at her brother as he tried to understand the words himself, then told him it was something you only picked up after getting to know the individual kids.

"You said you saw Shane," she suddenly said out of the blue. Willa had been putting off bringing up the handsome business owner for a while. "He was safe then? Healthy? Happy?"

Wes had already spoken about the man a bit, but she wanted to hear more about him. She listened to what he had to say, then agreed with what Wes had said about getting Shane here. "I think Alice would be very happy to have him join us."

Of course, Willa had no actually knowledge of what Alice would or wouldn't want in regards to this man she didn't know. But Willa was quietly excited about seeing Shane again, and she was going to do her part to promote the idea of someone going out and getting the only man that Willa had truly considered allowing to claim her virginity.

 

[Wyld52771]

Willa had laughed embarressedly, and shaken her head in negation, replying that she didn't have a boyfriend in Underneath.

Wes was actually somewhat surprised...when he'd left for college, she had been twelve years old, but she had grown into a lovely young woman. It was probably her shyness that prevented her from relationships with the opposite sex. "Guess we have that in common," he thought to himself.

They spent some time talking with the children, and having fun, when, out of the blue, Willa asked, "You said you saw Shane...he was safe then? Healthy? Happy?"

Wes wasn't as clueless about her sister's crush on Shane as she would believe. When they were younger, she was always hanging around whenever Shane came to the house, much to his annoyance at the time. Wes's parents were always teasing her about having her first "schoolgirl crush" on Shane. He'd always thought it was one-sided.

However, a few years after he'd left for college, Shane had called at one point, shortly after Willa had started working at the pub, acting depressed, and told him that he had asked Willa out on a date, but she'd turned him down.

Honestly, the idea of Shane being with Willa didn't really bother him all that much...it would be a little awkward, but Willa could do much worse than Shane. At least he knew Shane would treat her right. Willa asking so pointedly about Shane out of the blue, made him wonder if Willa still had that same crush on Shane.

"Well, when I last saw him, he seemed healthy, and you know Shane...as long as he has a gun, he'll find a way to keep himself safe. I couldn't say if he's happy though. He's trying to hold onto his Dad's bar...it doesn't make any sense. It isn't like he's going to be able to keep the place running. I can't imagine him being there alone is going to make him happy. We really need to convince his to come here."

Wes noted Willa's blush, as she replied, "I think Alice would be very happy to have him join us."

"Yup...and Alice wouldn't be the only one, Willa," he thought to himself amusedly, "Some crushes just don't die, apparently."

"I'm sure she would," he replied instead, so as not to embarrass his sister. "Anyway, I think I am going to head back to my bunk for a nap...I'm still kinda worn out. I'll see you later, sis," he said, giving her a hug, and then waving goodbye to the kids before leaving.

 

[Alice2015]

"I couldn't say if he's happy though," Wes said about Shane.

As her brother continued talking about his friend and her first crush, Willa was already making plans to speak to Alice about the bartender/gun collector. Willa didn't keep up much on the whole guns and Security thing in Underneath, but she knew that there had been talk about trying to expand something called the Secure Zone around the bunker.

There had been talk about wanting to begin farming and ranching topside, but there was a need she guessed to know that they were safe from trespassers and local militias. It was all out of Willa's zone of comfort as she couldn't imagine sending people to the Topside to grow vegetables and herd goats or whatever. But the one thing she remembered from months of chit chat and idle rumors was the necessity for them to have more firepower in case they ran into trouble.

"We really need to convince his to come here."

Willa couldn't agree more, and after Wes said he needed a nap, gave her a hug, and then left, she headed out to look for Alice.

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This ends this portion of this 1x1 thread. We now return you to the proper time line location of the main thread, here.