Prompt: Red All Over

Kink: no touching

Sometimes things happen in your life that is unexplainable. They shouldn't be, they don't make a bit of sense, but somehow they work.

That's what his friendship with Lily was. It was unusual, and unexpected. Jackson certainly didn't like it, but that never seemed to change the connection they shared.

It wasn't a sexual connection. He new part of Jackson's fear was that he'd take advantage of her, but for god's sake she was 15 when he met her, an her mind was even younger.

He'd never thought of her that way. He thought instead of all the ways she trusted him. How she let him put is sunglasses on her, glasses her knew she still had. He remembered how she'd grabbed his hand in the fire, letting him touch her even though she was afraid. That trust, that absolute faith is something that he didn't share with any other women in his life. He'd loved Anita and Erin in his own way, but he'd never shared that kind of connection with them.

He hated Jonathan Lavery because of how he'd treated Lily. He didn't care what he'd done afterward, it didn't change the way he lied to her, hurt her. He was glad when she headed off the MIT. It was a great place for her, a chance to start over again.

Of course, there was another reason he was happy she was going. Lily wasn't 15 anymore. She was a young woman now, and a gorgeous one at that. Unfortunately, her mind would never reach the level of her age. She'd always be scared of red. She'd never like to be touched.

And he found more and more he wished he could touch her.

So, it was best for everyone that she stay at college. Maybe if she stayed far away, he could find a way to get her out of his head.

&&&&&&

Lily comes home for Spring Break, and to surprise everyone she didn't say she was coming.

Of course, it just so happened Jackson and Erica were away for the weekend and Lily was left alone. Jackson called and asked him to keep an eye on her until they got home.

He said yes, what else was he going to say, and called Lily to say he'd bring her dinner later that night.

Before that, he had some work to do and he had to try to get his mind back into platonic mode where it came to the beautiful Lily Montgomery.

He was nearly done with his work when his phone rang. The screen blinked at him as the phone vibrated, the word Lily flashing repeatedly.

He felt his stomach sink for a moment as he pressed send, "Lily, what's wrong?"

"Aidan," she said, her voice sounding small, so very small, "Aidan, there's red all over."

He shook his head, tried to stay calm at the obvious distress in her voice. Red. There was red all over, but that could only mean, "Lily, are you hurt? Where are you?"

"He touched me, Aidan, and now there's read all over."

"Lily," he said, speaking her name clearly and calmly, "it's going to be okay, sweetheart, just tell me where you are?"

She was silent for a moment, then finally, "Home…near home." She began to rattle off things she was seeing and he suddenly knew just where she was. He grabbed his keys and ran for the door.

"Its okay, Lily, I'm coming. I'm coming to get you."

&&&&&&

When he finds her the first thing he sees is the blood, the second thing he sees is that both her shirt and pants are ripped.

He manages, just barely, to contain the rage that wells up in him and concentrates on her.

"Lily," he says softly, as softly as possible, but it still makes her jump, "Its okay. You're okay."

"Red, Aidan, there's red all over." She points to her dress and moans a little. She's rocking back and forth and trying to get the blood of her hands and dress. It isn't working.

He grabs her purse and finds what he's looking for, "Here, Lily, this will make the red go away."

She blinks and eyes him nervously for a moment before letting him put the glasses on her just as had years before.

"Better right?"

She nods the rocking slowing down.

He looks at her ripped clothes, "What happened, Lily?"

"A man…he hit me and I fell and then…he pulled at my clothes. He touched me and I told him to stop, but he wouldn't."

Aidan felt the rage again, along with fear, "Where did he touch you Lily?"

She pointed to her face and to her legs where her skirt was ripped, but nowhere else. He breathed a deep sigh.

"What else happened with the man?" he asked.

"He had a knife, but he dropped it. I picked it up and pushed it into him, just like I saw in the movie. I made it red all over. That was bad, wasn't it Aidan."

He shook his head, "Not this time, love, this time you did just the right thing. Where did you stab the man, Lily?"

She pointed at her leg and her arm. Flesh wounds. He'd probably been drunk, got freaked out and ran. He'd sleep it off in some ditch. No reason to get the police involved in this, or put Lily through any of that. He reached for the knife, to dispose of later and the reached forward to help her stand. She jerked away, of course, so instead he held his hands in front of her, a barrier in case she stumbled. Then they walked side by side, but never touching to his car.

&&&&&&

He'd called Jackson the minute they'd gotten back to his place. Lily was adamant that she not go home, so he brought her here. Jackson was glad that she was fine, and that the police weren't involved. He asked Aidan to watch Lily and that he and Erica would be home the next day.

That's when Lily called him from the bathroom.

She was at the sink, the sunglasses off, staring at her hands, "It's red all over," she said.

"Its okay, Lily, you just need to wash it off." He turned on the sink and she jumped, "Here, like this." He reached out to grab her hand, but she flinched again.

"Okay," he said, "Watch me." Slowly he began washing his hands until the little bit blood on his own hands went down the drain.

Lily watched with wide eyes and then suddenly her hands were next to his in the sink. She put her hands under the water and let the blood run off. He leaned over, putting soap in her hands and watched her as she washed the red away.

Their hands bumped and this time she didn't pull away. She let him wrap his fingers around her tiny wrist and pull her closer, their bodies inches from touching as their hands intertwined under the sink.

She was the untouchable girl…that he finally got to touch.