Love is a Battlefield.

Summary – Kate reflects on her relationship wit Seth.

She wasn't sure how she managed to fall in love with Seth Gecko. He was gorgeous, but he was also closed of, could be as mean as hell and knew all the right buttons to press. When they fought he would say things that she knew he didn't mean, but he fought like he lived, out for blood.

They were living on top of each, in such close quarters that they couldn't help but get to know each other's likes, dislikes, pet peeves and triggers.

She knew that just by bringing up Richie, when she would say he'd abandoned Seth because he wanted to get out from under his shadow, this would throw Seth into a rage, followed by a dark depression, spiralling into the need for a hit.

He in turn knew that bringing up Scott, how she'd abandoned him and left him to die within the temple would cause her such guilt to well up inside her, like a volcano erupting from her stomach and out her mouth.

It really had started out as the most toxic relationship, they fought each other bloody and carelessly, out to cause the most hurt and pain. Hopeful that the other would end feeling as much of the heart squeezing, soul crushing pain as the other one was.

She's not sure what had changed, when they had stopped trying to draw the most blood and had started to actually try and repair the damage. They had started to fight less and less, they were both still grieving, but were learning to take comfort in each other's presence.

Seth had always been protective of her, but only from others, not so much from himself, now it seemed he included himself in the things he protected Kate from. Kate had stopped reacting to the barbs, which were becoming fewer and was trying to keep things upbeat, delaying the downward spirals.

When they weren't fighting they were actually very much in sync. When they talked about stuff, nothing too deep, they would end up finishing each other's sentences. When they talked plans, they could easily picture the others plan without diagrams and lengthy explanations.

Seth could gauge her feelings without her voicing it. He would put something funny on because he knew she was down or pull her into a hug, no talking just his solid warmth and smell surrounding her. Kate tended to sleep like the dead, nothing but full out invasion of giant robots or at least 3 alarm clocks would wake her, but when Seth was having a nightmare she would wake instantly. Roll over and sooth him telling him it was just a dream stroking his hair, his back until he fell asleep again.

She honestly couldn't pinpoint a time when she realised that she loved him, couldn't say that it was this event, or that moment when it was clear to her. Looking at him lying next to her gently snoring, face relaxed, head leaning against her side and arm flung across her pelvis. She just knew it in her bones, that she would do anything to protect him, she would fight to her last breath to make sure he was ok. He was hers and nothing or no-one was taking him away from her.

"You're thinking too loud, sweetheart." Said a gruff sleepy voice beside her. He hadn't yet opened his eyes, but could obviously feel her pensive mood.

"Happy thoughts?"

Sliding her way down the bed, so she could press her forehead to his, she wrapped her arms round his neck and whispered "thinking about you, so yeah happy thoughts."

Seth pulled away slightly, opening his eyes so he could focus on her, "do tell? Where you thinking about me naked?"

Kate could feel the blush rising from her chest and spreading like a wildfire up her neck and across her face. She may not have been thinking about him naked before, but hell that's the picture that was in her head now. They hadn't taken that final step and become lovers. Seth was still in uber protective mode which meant protection from his wants and needs. This had Kate working on building up the stamina, to scale those protective barriers he'd been putting in place. She wasn't ready for a full on assault, but she had settled in for a siege. There was hugging, kissing, lip sucking and biting. Kate would wander around in her bikini, forget to take a set of clothes into the shower to change into and it was so hot she just had to sleep in only panties and a skimpy t-shirt. One day very soon his barriers were going to start to crack and Kate would be ready with open arms.

"Thanks for that image, I'm going to savour to think about it now." She snarked back at him for making her blush.

"Do you really want to know what I was thinking about?"

Seth, who was busy pressing light kisses across her jaw and heading towards her neck mumbled out a "yeah" between nibbles.

"I was thinking that in this fucked up universe of violence, death, blood and blood suckers. That you are the only person that I can't live without." Kate felt Seth hesitate on her neck, even though she had said it quietly, she knew he'd heard ever word. She was a little concerned, when he just stopped and lay against her neck for what felt like minutes, but was only seconds. They'd never really vocalised feelings, Seth didn't do touchy feely discussions, he was more demonstrative. He would hold her, kiss her and generally always be touching her in some way. So Kate knew in her heart of hearts what his feelings were, even though he never told her.

"I love you too princess." He said quietly into her ear, "but we're still not having sex..."Pulling back from her neck before finishing his sentence, Seth swooped in for a passionate kiss, all tongues lips and teeth. "Yet." He finished with a smirk.

Rolling her over, he pulled her tightly against his chest and wrapped his arms round her. "Now go to sleep, you're tired and I need my beauty sleep."

"I love you too" said Kate with a huge happy smile on her face, as she snuggled into his arms, rubbing her ass against his groin and giggling at his groan of frustration. She could almost hear those cracks starting to form.