Hazy, a sanctuary fanfic

Author's Note: I've wanted to write this pairing since the first season of Sanctuary. Damn them for writing Ashley out – a very unhappy shipper here Also I hope I'm writing these at least a bit IC, because my memory on Ashley is getting kinda shoddy.

Another victory and another day saved- yeah, a guy could get used to being a hero, but Henry Foss never quite did. He was a hidden pessimistic beneath his sunny façade. He always expected something to go wrong or something unexpected to turn up and he was usually right, but at the end of the day they still managed to overcome even the most difficult odds and survive.

Magnus had taught him to take nothing for granted, and eventually to look beyond skin deep. It was part of the reason he wasn't on the field very often. He was the support guy, the tech guy, the passive-aggressive guy, whose hidden animal even Magnus was still wary of. Magnus had Ashley for cleaner duty and what a brilliant job that bloody hurricane of a girl did! Ashley really had that killer instinct to just throw herself in the middle of a battle and emerge victorious.

If Henry let himself loose like that, he'd be uncontrollable: a loose wave of destruction. He couldn't quite help daydreaming though, about that special day when he'd have enough control to fight there by their side – his family. Even if they weren't related by blood, Magnus had raised him and given him everything and Ashley… well, to be honest Henry didn't always appreciate every aspect of this whole family deal.

He frowned as he looked at the monitors and Ashley's calm face appeared into one screen. He reached for the screen with his hand and trailed over her face with his thumb, lost in the sight of her. This was no brotherly affection he felt for her, and it wasn't some childish infatuation either. No, this had been going on for some time now and he didn't think it was going away. There was always this warm spot inside him when she was around, a sensation of safety and excitement.

Sure there were other women and she was his junior by a few years and totally uninterested in anything besides being Helen's loyal enforcer – and obviously Henry had tried to move on – but for some reason he always found himself wrapped in a blanket, with his mouth full of ice cream, watching some Japanese animation of kickass with Ashley sitting next to him after a date gone wrong. She took him for what he was – a guy who became a bloodthirsty fiend every full moon – and never made him feel bad about it. Well that and the fact that Ashley was beyond gorgeous: Blond, lively, tough and looked amazing in full-body leather.

Henry shook his head, removing his hand from the screen. Him having a crush on her was like some weird play on Star Wars, where Luke fully realized Leia was his sister and still couldn't keep his pants on! He guarded this secret with paranoid enthusiasm, unwilling to let anyone make any guesses. Still his heart lit up whenever she came up to him and flashed a vicious grin at him, asking him to go and do something daring with her.

The last thing he wanted was this wanton desire for Ashley to ruin a good thing he had going on here… and his desire was very wanton indeed: Just being near her sometimes made him incapable of focusing on anything besides her. It was a damn relief that he could just observe her from afar during their missions, when she when all-out on them dressed like she'd escaped from the Matrix. Normal women with their normal worries and lives just didn't compare when you had one special girl doing extraordinary things like this around.

"Hey nerd," her voice called to him through the com and nearly made him loose balance on his chair. "Looks like we drew a blank," she continued with a raspy voice full of irritation.

"Yeah, huh?" his voice was light, but his body was tense. He definitely sounded like she'd caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to and he already felt guilty about it. That guilt was radiating through-out his whole body and it even affected the way he carried himself. He could really use a good massage to get rid of this tension that holding himself back around her was putting him through.

"Did you put the damn sauna on like you promised?" she asked, clearly seeing that he'd forgotten about the whole thing. Yeah, he could imagine her standing in the snow and freezing her butt off when there were no bad guys to fight. Also she just loved to relax after a botched job by lying in the heat for an hour or two with a cold beer in hand.

"Ahhh, sorry Ash, I forgot," he sighed, mentally kicking his own ass. He'd been too entranced following her on the screens again that he'd simply forgotten all about the favor he'd promised her. This certainly wasn't scoring him any points with her – not that he was trying to score points – just that he didn't like to see her pout either. Her sad and disappointed face always made him feel sad too. And there was no wagging his tail when she was sad.

"Great. First this shit job and now you let me down too?" His earplug rang when she kicked a trash can violently to vent her frustration. Clearly there was more to her foul mood than one botched job or an unheated sauna.

Henry was about to ask about it too when Magnus' voice resounded the com, "Henry, are you there?"

"Yeah, boss, I'm listening," Henry replied quickly, leaning towards the screen as Magnus appeared into view. She didn't look that happy either. "We lost the creature we've been tracking and I fear he may have fallen prey to someone else," she explained with a worried brow. Henry could hear Ashley breathing deep into her microphone, while putting her guns back into their holsters.

"What do you want me to do?" Henry asked, more than ready for any distraction at this point: Anything that didn't involve him having to watch his step-sister parade around in very tight-fitting clothing and packing huge guns, because that was beyond hot to a simple nerd boy like him.

"We'll be heading back, and I would like to have a few words with you. I don't think we'll get anything done about this tonight though, so feel free to take the night off," Helen instructed.

Yeah, great, Henry found himself thinking. Guess he'd better get off his ass and heat the sauna for Ashley before she came back home to kick his ass and he had to retreat to his room because violence with her involved gave him a majestic hard-on.

By the time they got back, Magnus seemed to have forgotten all about wanting to talk to Henry. Ashley was more than willing to talk to him though and as much as Henry tried to avoid her, she'd had a knack for finding him ever since they'd been kids. Before he knew it, she was already at the doorway of the storage room he'd tried to hide himself in, peeking inside with childish wonder.

"Hey," she said perkily and stepped closer to him while he catalogued the contents of a newly arrived box full of relics. Her hair was flat from moist and there was a distinct smell of smoke on her, instantly making him breathe deeper to inhale her sporty perfume that was mixed with sweat. He liked her scent.

"Hey, I did what you asked, so you should have your heat box in thirty minutes," he winked lazily and turned his attention back to the box. His diversion just didn't quite work as he had hoped, seeing how she kept pulling closer to him, as if inspecting the box he was going through.

"Seriously, you're cataloguing relics at 9 pm on a Friday?" she asked, frowning in disbelief. "What happened to all of those hot dates you used to have?"

Auch, way to twist the knife on his chest, Henry thought and pressed his teeth together for a moment to regain control over his senses which were pretty much telling him to jump her. "Went through the whole city and now I'm officially dateless," he retorted, avoiding looking at her petite face and those sparkly eyes. Thank god, she'd stripped the leather outfit already.

"Henry," she sighed and tilted her head to her right, "Friday is no day for cataloging. Don't you have like Second Life conventions or something?"

"My secret life as a furry is pretty much my real life, so no Second Life for me thanks," he laughed, amused by her attempts to get him off a job she'd qualified as boring and un-eventful. Clearly she had no idea what she was doing for the night either.

Usually girls her age were off drinking their pretty little heads to oblivion and ensnaring willing males, but Ashley wasn't that into the whole nightlife thing. She had no friends of her own age and the few boyfriends he'd even heard of had been quick flings that usually ended when they found out she was a home-schooled, tomboyish master of karate and firearms.

She squatted next to him curiously and leaned even closer. "So you're staying in for the night? Don't want to do anything crazy with me and my new baby?"

Yes, he'd figured this was about the motorcycle she was eager to test, or the new guns she'd wanted to use tonight on the job. Sometimes she was just so predictable.

"No, thanks," he answered, forcing the denial back in place. Spending such close time with her alone would break him for good. These past few days had been especially tough. He'd almost even confessed the whole thing to Magnus yesterday after walking in on Ashley in her underwear. And by the way, red lace did her lean frame and full breasts every favor in the book.

Ashley looked disappointed, but accepted it quickly and straightened herself. "Well, thanks for the sauna anyway," she thanked him half-heartedly and he could tell she was giving him a cold shoulder. Maybe it was just for the better.

Henry felt like he could breathe again as her scent slowly faded from his nostrils. He was a canine, his sense of smell was very precise and very much a factor when it came to arousing him. Just having to smell her all around the house even when she was gone helped drive him overboard.

Ashley had almost exited the room when she turned on her heels and looked at him again. "Wanna come and sit with me in the sauna?" she asked innocently, her voice void from any form of suggestive tone or hidden meaning that spelled out 'jump me right now Henry' and still she succeeded in drying his throat and making him freeze still as shivers danced on his spine.

Ashley, him, naked in the heat, sharing stories – Oh god, he needed to relieve some pressure and quick…

"You go on ahead. Not in a sauna mood." Now that was an understatement. Henry had to pinch his own hand to keep his eyes at her face as he collected himself and replied to her with an expression that vaguely reminded a strained smile.

"Whatever. I'm getting a beer and closing myself in for a few hours, if anyone asks," she breathed in annoyance and finally let him be. She left him alone, but her scent and image just didn't leave as quickly as her impatient body, no, he was left squatting on the floor, staring at the doorway unable to pick up where he'd left off.

Henry's head fell immediately. A sweaty sauna moment was just the kind of scene he envisioned in his more passionate dreams. It was something straight from a cheap porno and yet he couldn't keep his imagination in check. This was terrible. Now all he could see was her soft smile, while she was wrapped in a sweaty towel.

What the fuck was wrong with him? Ashley was really beginning to get irritated with Henry. These last few months he'd been walking in some different universe where they never crossed paths. He was always conveniently somewhere else when she wanted to have an ice cream moment, or gun round moment or just talk to him.

Was it a woman? Was it some werewolf thing he couldn't tell her, because he didn't trust her with that stuff? Whatever it was it was seriously irking her, because it depraved her from his company. Besides him, all she had were the big guy and her mother, and both were centuries older than she was, so barely any fun to have around. They used to do fun things together, or just hang out, and now Henry had retreated so far into his shell that she was beginning to think he could go psycho werewolf on her any moment, which would – of course – lead to her kicking some sense back into his head. Even that option was infinitely better than this.

She peeled the clothes off her back with care, wary of her sore shoulder. The girl in the mirror looked back with an exhausted expression and a pout. Here she was: over twenty, single and very lethal, but she was still spending her Fridays at home alone. A part of her was beginning to itch for some space, some privacy, something of her own that wasn't a part of the Sanctuary. Sure, she didn't seem to meet any interesting guys, since they all paled to what she had seen and couldn't handle her hands on approach. Then again, she hadn't been that eager to get away from home while things had been okay between her and Henry.

Yeah, Henry... She'd had a huge crush on him when she'd been 14 and even though she no longer had romantic daydreams of him and her riding off into the sunset, she did feel that sting of jealousy whenever he left the sanctuary for a date with some well-groomed and tall woman. Of course part of the crush had been the werewolf thing, because she'd thought it was so cool and he made her feel safe – Yeah, her, who usually made everyone else feel safe.

Now she wasn't bad looking was she? Ashley evaluated herself in the mirror for a second before she wrapped a towel over her naked form. Sure, if looks were all she was, she would've had a whole harem by now, but doing what she did and being the way she was, most guys ran away from her, not towards her. She didn't have her mom's admirable temper and quick wits. She was more of doer and going-by-instinct kind of girl. Apparently that type was the mutant breed, very much like having a third eye boosted one's dating market value.

Henry had always given her confidence. He was so brutally honest that you could get praise for your strengths and a worried speech for your weaknesses. He was cute and handsome in that kind way of his. Also, nipple piercings were just damn hot.

Ashley's smile died with that thought, as she realized what she'd done. He was like a big brother, even if they weren't related by blood. To him, she was always that annoying kid following him around curiously. Even if she could see him for the handsome guy he was, he probably still saw her as the kid who'd built herself armour out of cardboard to fight against dragons when she was six – So not sexy.

She sighed, grabbing her six-pack from the ground and stepped into the shower room, leaving all but one bottle outside the sauna. Then she slipped into the warm oblivion, instantly feeling more relaxed. She threw her towel on the highest bench and laid herself over it, taking a sip of her cool beer before closing her eyes and allowing herself to give in. Oblivion was so much better right now than swooning over Henry.

Henry looked at Magnus with suspicion. "And you want me to talk to her?" he asked, sensing a world of pain approaching. No one said no to Magnus – at least without injury – when it was about her daughter.

"Please Henry, just talk to her. She's been distant lately and it's not like her," Magnus explained, leaning against her desk and clearly struggling to find the words. It wasn't easy to admit that Henry was a better choice to approach her daughter as of late. But the truth remained that Helen had already tried several times and Ashley wasn't talking. She and Henry were close since childhood, so maybe he knew how to weasel a confession out of her.

"I know she doesn't have a lot of friends and spends most of her time in an environment that doesn't encourage her to find company of her own age and I realize it's my fault for not putting her in a public school, but if she trusts someone, it's you Henry."

Whoa, what a compliment, Henry thought with a sarcastic inner voice. He also happened to be the guy who'd made a habit out of undressing her in his mind every time she stepped out of her room in those red leather pants. The thought of giving Ashley a talk for Magnus did not sit well with him. A talk would require privacy, alone time and close proximity and... the list of dangerous ingredients was never-ending!

Henry tried to clear his throat in order to decline the honor respectably, but Helen's strict expression didn't give him any leverage. "Henry, please," she put excruciating weight on her 'please' leading him to believe that it was no request.

Okay, so there was always plan B. "How soon would you like me to… because this is kind of a bad time…" he started explaining, only to get her irritated voice – which was by the way, eerily similar to Ashley's irritated voice – to respond. "Now Henry – Before she sets off for the weekend to god knows where again."

Clearly, this Ashley thing was bothering Helen quite a bit. Magnus wasn't going to let him wriggle out of this now was she? "Great," he said, putting on a brave smile as he signed his death warrant, "I'll go find her."

His smile vanished and was replaced with a face of panic as soon as he turned his back to Magnus. This was a problem, a powder-keg just waiting to explode. And yet Henry could feel worry creep into his thoughts too. He hadn't even noticed Ashley was acting strange. How could that be? Had he been too concerned with his own problems?

"Ashley!"

A deep voice startled her awake and she turned to her side on the wooden bench. "Mmmm?" she made a noise to acknowledge she was fully – or at least almost – awake. She must've fallen asleep in the warmth, exhausted from a long work week. Well that and her miserable problems.

"It's Henry, can I come in?"

It was like someone had hit the brakes, she was suddenly immediately awake: Henry, in her private sauna sanctuary. Wait, she had invited him to come over, but he hadn't seemed even remotely interested, so why was he here again? She rubbed her eyes a bit, swearing immediately afterwards as her sweaty knuckles only induced sweat in her eyes and it stung like a bitch.

"What do you want?" she snarled at him, irritated that she'd fallen asleep and that she was completely unprepared for Henry's sudden appearance – Also that her beer was now warm.

"You invited me in, remember? Also beer's still cool in my end." Ashley could hear the hopeful smirk on his face from his voice. But he had a point: the company was nice and cold beer was even nicer. Ashley pulled the towel beneath her around her naked body for some modesty and sat up.

"Come in," she called and a moment later he stepped in. Oh boy, he was fine. Ashley couldn't help staring at his lean body with appreciation. He'd removed the piercings, so they wouldn't get heated, and his towel was hanging mighty low. Definitely tasty, she thought and reached for one of the two cold beers in his hand. Henry handed the other to her, then sitting down at a distance from her, his other hand settled firmly on the middle of his waist as it held the towel still.

"It's hot in here," he winced upon sitting on the bench and took a quick gulp at his beer.

She was leaning on the wall, eyes closed, and the bottle was having sex with her lips. He could see bruises all over her tense muscles, but luckily most were old as hell. They didn't distract one bit from her attractiveness though: she was a goddess of carnage.

"The heat works wonders on my headache," she laughed, finally taking a breather from the bottle and opening her eyes. She really enjoyed being here, he could tell. She was relaxed and carefree – there were no signs of Magnus' 'distant and gloomy Ashley' description.

She was observing Henry as well, taking notice of his unusual shyness around her. He was sipping his beer nervously, still gripping the ends of his towel in his fist that rested suitably on his lap. Henry was everything but calm: she really couldn't find a relaxed muscle on his body.

"So you came," she tried to converse, but found the contents of her beer more fascinating than watching him struggle to find the words. The sweet taste of alcohol numbed her worries and tasted brilliant in this dry heat. Ashley put the bottle down for a moment to throw some more water on the sauna stove. This released a hot moist cloud that tickled her skin deliciously.

Henry was watching her make out with the bottle again. It was just too damn sexual. If the guys at the add department could see this, beer sales around world would sky rocket. Also putting this on a loop on Youtube would definitely get lots of horny fans. His lips felt so dry when she finally stopped to up the heat in the small space they were invading together.

This was going to be even harder than he'd thought.

He cleared his throat, "Yeah, I figured we could chat and have beer and…" his eyes travelled down her neck and collarbone and between her breasts, following a drop of sweat. "Spend some time together," he finished nervously and took a long gulp from his bottle.

"Really?" Ashley raised a brow suspiciously. Henry looked like was preparing to evacuate from his skin and split any second now. That if anything made her feel worse. She really hadn't needed another display of this, now had she? She could be off somewhere on her bike by now, breaking some jaws or fighting a few rounds at the ring for some extra money, but instead she was here with this Henry: almost a stranger.

He could tell she'd been here some time already, since her towel was beginning to press against her body from all the moist. Of course this sight was doing no favors to his calm. Henry tried to lean backwards and relax like she was so clearly doing, but he found it next to impossible. Maybe it was just better to talk?

"So how're things going?" he asked, trying to stare at the motionless sauna stove like it was more interesting than her hot body.

"Fine," she replied, also taking her eyes off him. She could tell why she thought about him like that every now and then. If she'd run into him on any other circumstances, maybe he could've been an interesting guy: Someone to defy her mom with, steal kisses from and share a whole lot more. Childhood burdens weren't doing her any favors apparently.

"Just fine?" he was fishing, but then again Ashley wasn't the kind to talk about anything she didn't want to, so a little fishing was required to get where he wanted.

"Yeah," she assured, wiping beer from her lips. "A-okay."

A moment of silence fell upon them, Henry quietly looking at her while she raked her hair with her hand, and Ashley thinking about how all of this was beginning to remind her of the way a certain person usually operated in order to make her confess her troubles. Yeah, this whole setup was just screaming Helen Magnus. Damn her…

Ashley turned to Henry abruptly, leaning closer to him with a piercing glare. "My mom sent you didn't she?" she asked dryly, already knowing the answer to this question. "Great," she sighed as Henry failed to find words for her.

"You know, I might be friendless, without higher education, and lacking a boyfriend, but I'm having a great time here most of the time. I'm just getting so sick and tired of this 'Ashley is a baby' routine you guys keep pulling." Now her voice was threatening, and god forbid, her authority over the situation was just damn sexy. Henry loved it when she took charge, all confident and breathing hellfire all over.

"Hey, hey!" Henry moved his hand between them, forgetting about his towel for a moment. "Nobody thinks you're still a kid… okay maybe your mom, but we get you're an adult," Henry tried to calm her down, but he could see the pent-up rage rearing its violent head.

"Oh yeah?" she asked cynically. "This is your way of saying, 'way to go Ashley, I'm so proud you're over twenty now and can take care of yourself'."

Auch. She was hitting him with a hammer all right. This wasn't how he viewed her at all!

"You know when you found out you get hairy once a month I was there for you. Good to know that lasted as long as you happened to decide to bail on me." As soon as she'd said that she regretted putting it that way. Some distance didn't mean he'd abandoned her; it was just that she felt very alone as of late. She'd sit atop of the city and just look down and wonder if all she was ever going to do was hunt monsters and abnormals.

"Hey!" His voice became more intense immediately and his eyes claimed her full attention. "I'm here for you now," Henry said, placing his hand over hers on the bench. His hand felt good on hers, like it belonged, yet she withdrew her hand from his quickly, retreating from his side.

"Not the way I'd want you to," she confessed, looking away from him and clearing her throat. So now she'd said it. Damn, she didn't feel any better – Just as hot and messed up as before. So this was the point where he would do the whole 'you're like a little sister to me' speech and she'd have to bear with him, so he could have his peace of mind after rejecting her. Maybe Henry would be nice and settle for a 'not my type' if she growled at him?

Henry just stared at her. Really? REALLY? Ashley was actually saying she fancied him? He just couldn't believe it and yet, the Luke Skywalker on his shoulder had vanished and he was no longer consumed with the thought of being a very, very bad man. Relief washed all over him. There was nothing wrong with any of this!

"Just say it and let's get it done," Ashley barked at him, still avoiding looking at him in the eye. "I'm too young, yada yada yaa, you like chicks with skirts… I get it okay?" Just spare me the humiliation, she added in her mind, already feeling the prick of embarrassment. Her mom would probably find some Freudian theory to explain her interest in Henry with and cure it with therapy, if she knew.

"No Ash," he smiled kindly back at her, "It's not about the Skywalker thing. You're amazing."

Ashley's head turned to him and she could see he wasn't just saying pretty things to keep her from crying, he actually meant what he said. Suddenly she was very aware of her body, the heat around them, the moist towel clinging onto her skin and the very admiring way Henry looked at her. Then he had to go and open his mouth to ruin it.

"It's because of the Jekyll & Hyde thing," he confessed, ashamed and disappointed. He was an abnormal and she was a sweet young girl. If he lost control, he could tear her to pieces quite literally. Sister or no sister, he wasn't risking her having to experience his dark side of the Force.

But Ashley just looked at him for awhile, like she was trying to grasp what he was saying. Then she punched his shoulder. The pain made him snarl and look at her with surprise. He was trying to do the right thing here!

"Really? Really? You think I care one bit about the fact that you're dog-boy?" she growled at him.

"I care!" Henry threw back, theirs eyes now locked on each other. The whole world was outside and unreachable to them. All the awkwardness that had plagued their interactions was gone and all that was left was determination on both sides: Ashley's to prove he was an idiot and Henry's to prove she was better than his mess.

Henry just didn't quite expect to be pushed against the wall and get climbed on. She was quick though, acted before he could protest. Once she'd positioned herself on him, she pressed her lips against his, knowing full well that if he really wanted her as much as she wanted him, he'd give in.

Henry sunk into her kiss, enjoying her weight on his hips. Sure the position was difficult, but all he could focus on was her presence, the feel of her skin on his. She tasted like salt and grain – courtesy of the beer she'd been drinking. His hand climbed her back, trailing her spine when she picked it up and moved it to cup her ass. The towel was still between them, but even that didn't help Henry to regain his sanity. Oh, how he'd dreamed of this moment.

"You think you can hurt me?" she asked, between kisses, as she kissed his lips, nose and forehead and even his eyes, sipping the salty drops of sweat from his face. There was defiance in her voice; she knew her worth, her skills and weaponry. She was no damsel in distress, waiting to be wolf-food. No riding hoods here, just the hunter. By all accounts he should've been more scared of her than she of him.

"Ashley," he called to her, trying to separate them just for a moment, just to think. She didn't let him. "I can't control it yet," Henry breathed, pleasure tickling him all over as she rubbed her body against his.

"I'll put you in your place," she promised, biting at his earlobe gently. Really, how did she know how to do all this? She was making him downright crazy! Henry knew she was aggressive in her approach, but this aggressive?

He pushed her a bit, enough to separate them. "Stop it. We shouldn't start anything we can't finish," he warned her. He was at his most serious and still it was easy to see his conviction rested on her shoulders. He was too weak to fight her in this.

"I have no intention of stopping," Ashley retorted, pulling at her towel and releasing it on the bench. She was now straddling him naked.

"Admit it," she whispered, "You can't make me fear you."

Henry sat up, causing her to cross her legs around his back as she moved as well. She looked at him daringly, like this was some game between kids. He was supposed to be the adult here, the conscience, and yet he was finding it more and more difficult to resist her. His eyes kept returning to the shape of her breasts, her strong abs and round ass, just admiring every damn detail. She was eyeing him equally, running her hand down his hairy chest playfully.

He moved, pinning her beneath him and locking their lips for a far more feral kiss than the ones before. She wanted to go wild, so he would. He'd show her exactly what she wanted to get herself into. Ashley smiled into his kiss, moving her hands to his waist and slowly pulling the towel away from him. Underneath its protection he was already fully aroused, had been from the moment she'd climbed on him and urged him to let go. That was his Ashley: always in for a challenge, always raging on unchecked like a force of nature and always very much in charge.

"I've wanted you for so long," he confessed when he finally withdrew his lips from hers and ran his hand through her hair. "I can tell," she moaned, scratching his back with her nails, as his hard on pressed against her stomach. Then he kissed her again, surprised as her tongue greeted him between her lips and slithered inside his mouth, exploring its surroundings playfully. Their tastes mixed inside their mouths.

He took some distance as he moved to the right position and searched for an opening with his fingers. She spread her legs for him, already wet and willing. Their lips parted in anticipation and they looked at each other as if asking whether to go there at all. She gave him a slight nod signaling him to move and as he moved into her, she yelped either in great pain or pleasure – he couldn't quite tell which – immediately biting her own lip so hard that she drew blood. Tension seemed to vanish from her body seconds later and she even thrust her hips against him, making him shiver through-out as well.

Henry hadn't quite imagined this could happen, but he was fully savoring every second, tracing his fingers across her body, bringing his lips to her breasts and sucking them delightfully slow. He soon noticed she was quite loud in her approval and actually had to silence her moans with his own mouth, in fear of someone walking in on them. Or maybe she did it on purpose, he thought, upon realizing her eyes didn't stop following him no matter what he did.

She bit him and clawed him, unable to lie down and take the pleasure in. He could tell she wasn't used to this kind of attention, that somewhere deep down she associated violence with sex and with pleasure. He tried to restrain her hands, but even then she didn't hold back one bit and even bruised his chest.

"Ash, no biting," he said playfully, putting some distance between them by pressing her down and moving up himself. He admired her for a moment, framing her face with his hands. He still couldn't quite grasp what was happening here.

"Henry," she begged, moving her hand behind her head and pulling him close again. "Don't stop now."

She wrapped her legs around his waist for deeper penetration and it seemed to make her moans louder at least. He also heard joyful laughter, as she enjoyed herself, embracing the sensations that had felt foreign at first. And when the hard bench underneath them began to hurt her back, she pushed him backwards and settled him against the wall, sitting on his lap.

He began a steady rhythm that she broke after a while, putting more weight on her knees that supported her on the bench. She then pulled his hand to her, showing him how to touch her just the way she wanted. He felt clumsy, but when he learned to recognize how she responded to his touch, he began to push her to her limits, adding the pressure and her pleasure.

Henry could hold himself off – he was the master of self-control after all –for her pleasure, even if reading into her expressions and breathing was difficult when his own heart was pounding. She was rocking them both to sweet oblivion. Everything felt like a haze from there on: This beautiful eternity of swift pleasure and pain equally exhilarating.

Afterwards they just lay there together, Ashley with bruised knees aching and Henry with bite marks across his chest. Her breasts were sore and her throat dry, but the afterglow was like a familiar hum, singing her to sleep. Henry's senses couldn't process anything else; he was lost in her scent, in the feel of her skin. This felt good, like it fit just perfect.

"Whoa," he said exhaustion clear in his voice. "As good as you imagined?" she asked, listening to his heartbeat with her ear pressed to his his chest. "Better," he responded with a smile, his hand resting on her breast as they were spooned together on the bench. He sunk his face in her sweaty hair, thoroughly enjoying the smell.

"You know we can't tell anyone about this right?" she asked a moment later, efficiently returning him back to reality where this whole relationship was doomed from the start. His fear returned quickly and his confidence wavered. He almost wanted to say no and hold onto her tightly, but he also knew she was right.

"Yeah, I know," Henry admitted. Helen still saw them as nothing less than siblings. She was human and he was the big bad wolf – not exactly someone even he would want Ashley to end up with. And they still didn't understand enough about his second nature.

"I wish things were different," Ashley spoke to him softly, smiling off to the distance sadly. She couldn't voice a single excuse to support her statements – she just knew this was a bad idea the same way he did. The passion between them was exquisite, but in reality being together was more than passion.

Ashley turned around so that they face one another. She ran the back of her hand over his sweaty brow, watching as the anguished look on his face slowly vanished. "It'd be kinda weird if we were involved," he finally said, averting his eyes from hers and making her laugh. "Yeah totally," she replied, desperately wanting to break the tension here.

He sat up straight after, leaving Ashley to bite her teeth together, in an attempt to control her feelings. The real reason nothing would ever work between them was her – of course. She was too fucked up to be with anyone right now. She needed that space and that piece of her own that no one else could touch. Sadly it wasn't Henry.

Henry was taking a deep breath in order to pull himself together, because despite everything he didn't feel any better. Now that he'd had a taste, he wanted it all.

-fin