Random Ideas V.2

Ann dropped her gaze to the ground. She could only hope that he was right. Because if she knew her father, he would be freaking out once he did find her. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. Maria sent him a small smile and whispered, "Aspen, don't worry about me."

Ann cursed when Dimitri sent her another message. She was trying to catch up with her father, but he held up a hand. "Annalise, you are staying here," Drake muttered. Ann glared at him then. "Why can't I go!" she insisted, but Drake didn't answer her. She cursed once more before she sent to Dimitri, "A bit too late for that."

Lindi nodded as she listened to his answer. She jotted it down before she murmured, "Good answer." She then thought of her next question and tapped her pencil against the pad of paper - another nervous habit. "Do you have a favorite part of the entire book?" she inquired, arching a brow at him as she waited for an answer.

Aspen looked down at his mother, and he shook his head. "It's my job to worry about you. Sort of like it is your job to worry over me. We are a family. It's what we do," he said, and he kissed her head before looking back at Ann.

Dimitri bit his lip nervously when he saw the message. 'Ann, stop him right now! If troops are sent, they will kill me!' he said urgently, and he managed to hit the send button, but then someone saw him with his phone, and they quickly grabbed it. "Try to get a hold of your baby sister, I see," the man said with a smirk, and he grabbed his face tightly. "Want to say goodbye to her?" he asked bitterly.

Dimitri thought of the question, and he shook his head. "Not really. I think I just like the book in its entirety," he said, and he glanced down at his watch to see what time it was. The girl still had a few minutes left to ask a question or two. Maybe they would be good questions.

Maria sent him a small smile and shook her head. "I am the parent. You shouldn't be worrying about me," she murmured in response. Ann cracked a half smile as she listened to them before she lied down. "I wish my family were that close," she whispered, sighing. "Every time I am upset, my dad buys me another charm for my bracelet. That's as close as we actually get."

Ann bit her lip as she got the message. She didn't know how to stop him, especially when her father was possibly out of the castle gates by that point. She stuffed her phone into her pocket. She would just have to leave whether her father wanted her to or not. She, thankfully, did not have heels on, so running was a bit easier. She made a mad dash for the door.

Lindi nodded and jotted that down as well. She probably did not have much longer, so she needed to make it a good question. "Who do you connect to the most in the book and why?" she asked finally as she glanced up at him once more. She had her pencil ready to start scribbling down the words.

Aspen smiled, and he shook his head. "Whatever," he said playfully, and he kissed hi smother's head. He looked over at Ann when she spoke, and he took her hand. "I am sure you are close with your twin," he said, and almost as if on cue, her phone started to ring, and of course, Dimitri was calling.

The man smirked, and he inspected the phone. "I wonder which would be better sometimes. Just destroying this or calling someone who cares about you," he said with a smirk before he started dialing Ann's number. Dimitri quickly tried to get away.

Dimitri thought about her question, and he mulled it over inside his head. "I would have to say Ethan. He is the awkward, hopeless romantic in the story, and honestly, I am just like him. I had this one crush in high school, and honestly, I'm still not over it," he said with a small sigh.

Ann managed a weak smile up at him, and when her phone began to ring, she sighed. She should have expected that. "I will be right back," she whispered as she stood and gave Aspen a quick kiss before she went to the bathroom. She then answered her phone and sat down on the toilet seat. "Hello?"

Ann managed to hop in a car before it drove off when her phone started to go off. She frowned when she noticed it was Dimitri. What was going on? He was in trouble, wasn't he? She bit her lip before she answered it. "Hello? Dimitri? Is everything okay?" she asked.

Lindi nodded as she listened to his response and jotted that down as well. Afterwards, she glanced over her notes before she returned her attention to him. "One last question," she began, taking in a deep breath. "If you could cast anyone in the movie, who would you want to star in it?" she asked. She hoped the notes would be enough to satisfy her boss.

Dimitri sagged in relief when she answered. "Hey, Ann. I heard about what happened, and I'm really sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you are safe. Can you at least tell me that? You don't have to tell me where you are, although that would be nice," he said, and he ran a hand through his hair nervously. He was terrified that Ann was hurt.

The man smirked evilly when she answered. "Oh, your brother is just fine. Well, for now at least. Just a little bruised. I can change that though," he said, and he punched Dimitri, making him cry out. "Want to say a few words to your sister?" he asked him. When he put the phone up to his face, he was taking deep breaths, trying to speak. "Stay...out of this," he managed to say.

Dimitri thought about the question, and he shrugged. "I think the cast now is perfect. They understand the characters more than I thought they would," he replied, and he gave her a small smile. "You know, you are way too nice to be a reporter. I like that."

Ann chewed on her bottom lip and said, "Yeah...I am fine. I just needed to get away for a little bit." She paused, considering telling Dimitri where she was. Yet, she didn't think that he would approve, so she decided against it. "I will be home in a day or two. Just tell mom and dad I am staying at Lindi's."

Ann clenched her fists as she listened to the man. Oh, she was going to make sure he payed for that one. Just because she was the younger twin that didn't mean that she wasn't protective over her brother. "Dimitri, you can't literally expect me to not do something," she muttered. She was going to go help him if her life depended on it.

Lindi scrawled that down on the notepad as well before she glanced at Dimitri as he spoke once more. She cracked a small smile and shrugged. "It's not really something I had intended on doing...I always wanted something more simple. I had wanted to be a teacher."

Dimitri bit his lip as he listened to her, and he nodded. "Okay. Call me if you need anything. I'll try my best to cover for you," he said. He started to pace a bit, getting a little bit worried. He just hoped that maybe Ann would be home soon. "Stay safe okay, Annie. I love you," he said before he hung up. He needed to tell his dad she was at Lindi's.

The man narrowed his eyes. "How can you help him when he's dead," he said with a smirk, and he grabbed Dimitri's throat. Dimitri gasped for breath, trying to breathe, but nothing seemed to be working. He was struggling to get away, but he couldn't seem to get away from the man. The man smirked, and he laughed. "Try helping him now."

Dimitri listened as she spoke about what she wanted to be. He smiled a bit, and he nodded. "I think you would be a good teacher. I wanted to be president, but my father told me it wasn't practice. I even took all the economic classes and everything in high school." He sighed with a small sigh before continuing,"Then I told him I wanted to be an author. He shot that down too, so when I graduated, I moved away. I came back a year and half later when the book was published."

Ann sighed and brushed her hair back out of her face. "I will be fine. I promise," she assured him as she reached for the bathroom door. "Bye, love you too, D," she said before she hung up and stuffed her phone into her pocket. She stepped out of the bathroom and made her way back to Aspen.

Ann gritted her teeth as the man spoke. "You are going to regret doing anything to hurt my brother. I may be a Princess but I can be a real Royal Pain when I have to be," she snapped into the phone before she hung up. The car came to a stop at the base, and she threw her door open and rushed out. She was going to save her brother one way or another. She could already hear the troops pouring out of the cars as well.

Lindi nodded slowly as she listened to Dimitri. She pocketed her notepad and murmured, "I guess you could say the same happened to me. My mother pushed me to take the internship, and now, here I am. A reporter." She shrugged and leaned back in her seat. "It pays the bills, I guess. It was never really something I wanted, but I can't really lose this job now. I had to give up college for it, and I had to work so hard to get where I am now."

Aspen looked down at Ann when she came back, and he walked over to her, kissing her head. "Are you okay? That wasn't Drake, was it?" he asked nervously. He wasn't on to him, was he? He was terrified that he would find out.

The man smirked when she ended the call, and he ran to the general, leaving Dimitri half dead. He ran in to the tent, and he smirked. "The king as sent troops. They might be here," he said, and he looked back at Dimitri. "Should I finish him?" he asked.

Dimitri listened to her, and he gave her a small smile. "Maybe you will grow to love it. And if not, then be a teacher. Don't be like me and settle with your second option. Be what you want to be," he said, and he waved to her before going to the table with his sister. "You know, I was actually able to have a pleasant conversation with a reporter."

Ann shook her head as she wrapped her arms around Aspen. "Just Dimitri. He is going to cover for me," she whispered, sighing. There were perks to having a twin she could trust. "Everything will be fine," she assured him.

The general lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "No. We wouldn't want the King to miss the show," he muttered as he poked his head out of the tent. "And why kill one when we can kill them both. If there is not an heir, then there will be a problem," he continued with a sly smirk.

Ann had been eating a danish and occasionally glancing over at the two. She had been flipping through instagram when Dimitri came over. "Really?" she asked as she lifted her head and pocketed her phone. "That never seems to happen," she commented as she took a sip of her coffee.

Aspen sighed in relief, and he smiled a bit, hugging her. "Thank goodness it wasn't your dad. I'm pretty sure he would track you call," he said, and he kissed her head. He took he hand, and he sat down on the couch. "How long are you going to stay?" he asked.

The man smirked, and he nodded, grabbing a gun. "Alright, let's get this show started," he said with a smirk, and he went to Dimitri, kneeling down beside him. "Look at you. Not so tough now, are you? You don't have your guards now," he said, and he smirked evilly.

Dimitri nodded, and he smiled a bit. He didn't even notice it, but he was falling already. "Yeah! She's so different, and she's so pretty," he said, and he smiles to himself. He hadn't falling this quickly for someone ever since high school, and it didn't end well then. The girl broke his heart without hesitation.

Ann nodded in agreement. She wouldn't doubt that her father would have been on his way over if he had been the one to call her. At Aspen's question, she sighed. "Maybe a day or so," she said, dropping her gaze to the ground. "I don't want my dad to get suspicious."

The general grinned and stated, "Good." He stepped out of the tent as well. Ann glared at the man who was knelt beside Dimitri. She grabbed the first thing she could find, which was a fallen tree branch, and whacked the man on the back of his head with it. "Leave my brother alone you dimwit!"

Ann rolled her eyes and followed his gaze to where the reporter was packing up her things. "D, you just met her buddy," she muttered as she took another sip of her drink. "And I thought you hated reporters," she added on. She couldn't help but roll her eyes once more. Her brother...well, he was definitely an odd one.

Aspen nodded, and he hugged her tightly. "I am just happy that we can be with each other right now," he said, and he kisses her a bit. He smiled to himself, and he took her hand. "You are so beautiful," he whispered.

The man was about to say something else, but then he was hit in the head. He cried out in pain, and he narrowed his eyes. "You are going to pay for that, princess," he said, and he reaches out for her arm. "Don't touch her!" he yelled at him, and he narrowed his eyes. He would kill the man if he thought he could hurt his sister.

Dimitri looked down at Ann, and he snapped out of his trance when she spoke. "I know. I was just complementing her writing. I mean, it's not like I called her perfect or anything," he said, but he thought it in his mind. He knew that he liked her way too much. "But she is so amazing."

Ann cracked a small smile and hugged him back, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "That's true," she agreed as she looked up at him. She wished things were so complicated, but there wasn't much she could do to change it. At the compliment, she whispered, "That's not true."

Ann glared right back at the man and snapped, "You are going to have to go through me if you think that for a second you could hurt my brother." She reared her arm back to punch him, but someone grabbed her from behind and pushed her back. "Annalise, I told you to stay at the castle!" Drake screamed before he grabbed a gun and pointed it at the man. "Let my son go now, before I put a bullet through your head."

Ann shook her head and sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. "Her writing," she repeated as she arched a brow. "And tell me, Dimitri, do you even know her name?" she inquired as she placed the coffee back down on the table. He already seemed to be head over heels.

Aspen smirked when she denied his complement, and he shook his head. "Oh, but you are. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. And your voice if beautiful too. You know what else if beautiful? The way you carry yourself. Everything about you is beautiful," he said to her, and he placed his hand on her cheek.

The man smirked, and he pointed his own gun at Drake. "I'm sorry, but that's not my job. You are gong to have to talk to the general," he said, and he looked down at Dimitri who looked too weak to really do anything. "I'd check on your son if I were you," he said before he went to the general's tent and told him that Drake was there. Aspen, who had been on of the troops requested to come, saw Ann, and he grabbed her arm. "What are you doing here? You could get yourself killed!"

Dimitri thought for a moment, and he blushed a bit. "No, but maybe I can find it out. I guess we just relate so much. She didn't want to be a reporter, you know. She wanted to be a teacher! She would be so cute as a teacher," he said, his mind starting to drift off again. He only came back when a waiter placed another cup of coffee in front of Ann. "Here you go, Annie," the waiter said, winking and smirking.

Ann shook her head and smiled lightly over at him. "Showering me with compliments will get you nowhere, Asp," she murmured as she ruffled his hair. She leaned up and kissed him lightly. "But thank you," she murmured as she pulled away and sent a smile in his direction.

Drake glared after the man, and he was tempted to pull the trigger on him. He turned to Dimitri and began to try to figure out how to get him down. "Are you okay?" he asked as he gently shook Dimitri. He needed to get him down and quickly. "What happened? Where is Lindi? Why are you here?" he rambled as he struggled to untie him. Ann rubbed her arm. What was it with everyone grabbing her? She wasn't even the one in danger! "I would rather die trying to save my brother than live and hear that he is dead!"

Ann shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I truly worry about you," she murmured before she leaned back in the booth. She could see that Dimitri was already spaced out. When the waiter came by, she sighed and muttered, "How many times do I have to tell you before you get it right? It is Ann. A-n-n. Three letters. Where did Annie even come from?" She took her coffee and shook her head.

Aspen looked down at Ann, and he rolled his eyes. "Is it a crime now to say that you are beautiful?" he asked, and he took her hand. "I think you look marvelous today," he said with a smirk, not stopping with the compliments.

Dimitri was on the verge of passing out at this point. He looked at his father, but he closed his eyes. He didn't want his father learning about his stupid mistake. Maybe his father was right. Maybe he just wasn't ready to be king. Aspen shook his head, and he took her hand. "Ann, you are in an area full of people who hate you. You are in more danger than I am ," he said. He was looking around the camp, and he managed to see someone pointing a gun right at Drake. "No!" he yelled before pushing him out of the way.

Dimitri sighed, and he ran hand through his hair. "Trust me, I do too," he said. The waiter laughed, and he rolled his eyes. "Can I not give my favorite customer a nickname?" he asked jokingly, and he smiled. "Enjoy the coffee, Annie," he added the last part with a smirk.

Sighing, Ann murmured, "Maybe it is, and that might mean I might have to arrest you, Mr. Ledger." She sent him a smirk and shook her head as he continued to give her compliments. "Because your t shirt brings out my brown eyes, huh?"

Drake was doing his best to untie Dimitri, but it wasn't as easy as it looked. He let out a long sigh when he finally managed to untie him. He was about to help him back to the car when he was pushed out of the way. "What the...," he muttered, attempting to shove Aspen away, and then he heard the gunfire. He was breathing heavily then. "Get them back to the car...now!" he muttered, still breathless.

Ann shook her head and muttered to him, "I don't like nicknames." When he still called her Annie, she just glared after him before she took a sip of her coffee. "Pfft, Annie," she muttered under her breath. "Aren't you going to get anything?" she asked Dimitri.

Aspen smirked, and he nodded. "In fact it does. Good job detective," he said jokingly, and he kissed her head, pulling her close. "How do you think Clyde is going to be without me and you around?" he asked her. He really did hope whoever took his job cared for the horses as much as he did.

Aspen was breathing heavily, and he looked down at his arm. Just a scrape. He quickly helped Dimitri up, and he looked at Ann. "Make sure your dad gets in the car. Once everyone is safe away, I'll assemble a search party for lady Lindi," he said. They needed to find her before something bad happened to her.

Dimitri seemed to jump when she spoke. "Yeah, I will. Just give me a moment. Anyway, I was going to talk to you about the premiere. I mean, of course I want you to come, but I just don't know if I should invite dad. He's been sort of aloof with me ever since I have come back. He acts like he wants nothing to do with the movie."

Ann rolled her eyes and muttered, "I think that is a police, babe." She smirked up at him and let out a small yawn. At his question, she sighed and dropped her gaze to the ground. "I hope he will be okay," she whispered, shaking her head. "Maybe he will be," she added on hopefully.

Ann managed to help her father up, but he must have sprained his ankle because he was limping. She wrapped an arm around him to help him to the car. "We will have to check on your ankle when we get back home," she said as she inspected it. She was sure he had at least sprained it in the fall.

Considering this for a moment, Ann ran her finger along the rim of the glass as she thought it over. "What do you want to do, Dimitri? We wouldn't want him to come and ruin your big day. This isn't about dad, really. So, it doesn't matter if he is happy. You just need to be happy, and if he will ruin that...then I say don't invite him."

Aspen nodded, an he looked down at Ann. "I'm sure he will be okay. It will only be for a little bit," he said with a small smile, and he kissed her head, trying to reassure her, even though he was worried about it himself. He could only hope that Clyde was okay.

Aspen helped Dimitri into the car, but by that point, he was unconscious. He managed to get Dimitri into the car, but a bullet hit his leg. He held back a cry, and he limped his way over to Ann, trying to help her get Drake into a car. He would have to worry about himself later. Besides, in his mind, it was simply a little scratch.

Dimitri listened to her advice, and he nodded. "Thanks, Ann. It really helps. Now, I hope you know you are going to have to help me get dressed because I have no sense of fashion at all," he said, and the waiter came to him with his favorite cup of coffee. "You look like you need it," he said, and Dimitri thanked him before taking a sip.

"Yeah, I am sure you are right," Ann agreed as she leaned against him slightly. He would be fine for a day or two. Her father wouldn't let him get sick or anything, right? She held Aspen's hand in hers and sighed softly. "Maybe we should get some sleep," she whispered finally.

Ann helped her father get inside before she slipped in as well. She could feel her heart racing a mile a minute. She just needed her family to be safe. "Are you all right?" she asked Aspen as she reached out to help him inside as well. They would need to get a move on and fast. She didn't want to stay there longer than they had to.

Laughing, Ann murmured, "Of course I will help you. I bet we could even go shopping for a suit and tie. I am sure you need one, because a sweater just won't do." She shook her head as she took a sip of her coffee. "And maybe we could even go to get you a hair cut."

Aspen nodded in agreement with her idea, and he kissed her head. "The couch is all your," he said with a smirk, and he started to tuck her in, even though he knew she didn't want the couch. She was going to get it one way or another.

Aspen was holding his leg, and he nodded when she spoke. "I am fine. Don't worry about me," he said. He quickly got in the car, and the driver sped off as quickly as he could. "I'll get off here at another stop. I have to find lady Lindi," he said. He knew that he was hurt, but duty came before anything else. No matter what it was.

Dimitri gave her an odd look when she spoke. "Shopping? Ann, you know I don't shop. All I buy are sweaters," he said, and he bit his lip nervously. How would he look in a suit? How awkward would he look? He started to grow a little nervous about everything. He was terrified he would humiliate himself.

{should we timeskip?

Ann frowned at him. Even though he told her not to worry, she was worrying anyway. "No, you can't go off searching for Lindi. You will end up bleeding out," she refused with a shake of her head. "You need to get yourself fixed up. I believe you did your part," Ann insisted, sighing as she dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Oh, come on, Dimitri. It would be fun," Ann stated with a grin over at him. "Besides, I will be helping you out, so there would be nothing to worry about," she added with a grin. "I know fashion believe it or not," she continued before she reached out to pat his arm. "Just calm down, all right?"