In Too Deep

(Chapter One: The End Of Innocence)

It had started innocently enough. A few years earlier when her mother had died, she had left the comforts of her city for the funeral. The burial took place in a small town where the deceased woman had spent most of the early years of her childhood. She being an only child, with no other relatives, was left with all of the responsibilities as usual. She had never really been close to her mother, their relationship damaged before she was even born. Her mere existence spawned of her mothers pain. She stood there, alone as she did so many times before. Greeted by those who had known her mother as a child, but never her.

The visitation had finished late and the service early the next morning, she checked into a cheep hotel room and out of sheer exhaustion had just collapsed across the bed when she heard the knock at the door. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she sat upright at the end of the bed slipping her black heels back onto her tired feet. Who the hell could it be?

She opened the door and shifted her tired eyes up to see him standing there. She stared at him for a moment, unable to speak and trying not to break down. She wouldn't, she couldn't, she refused. Not in front of him and not over her. She hated herself in this moment for the sorrow that churned in the pit of her stomach. The woman never loved her. Not the way a mother does her child. She never held her or hugged her or comforted her when she was scared. Only drank and hit and yelled and blamed and hurt. She tried to forget all of this now. To push it all to the back of her mind and focus on him. The only good thing in her life. The only one who ever really cared about her. The only family she had ever had and they shared no blood.

His eyes were tired, too. It was late now and she knew he had been up since early that morning. It was storming outside and his shirt was soaked from the rain and clung tight to his skin. His hair was wet and though it was short kind of stuck out in an unusual manor. His shiny black shoes were covered in mud and she had never been happier to see anyone in her life.

She stepped aside holding the door open to invite him inside and out of the rain. He stepped in and kicked off his shoes as she handed him a towel. She watched as he patted himself as dry as possible. She then tossed him a big tee shirt she often liked to sleep in. One of his anyway, she was sure. She had probably borrowed it from his locker at work after a workout and just held on to it because it was so comfortable. He unbuttoned his white dress shirt and dropped it to the floor. She noticed each muscle in his chest and abdomen and arms as he dabbed the towel over them, before pulling the tee shirt over his head.

Her eyes rolled up to look into his. They were more than blue in this light, azure with little flecks of green. He stared into hers for a moment, seeing the pain she was trying so hard to hide. He reached out one arm to comfort her, but she pulled away from him retreating to sit upon a desk across the room and stare out the window into the storm. He watched as her body trembled slightly unable to contain it's emotion and tears began to stream down her face. He approached her once more and reached out to her placing his hand on her shoulder expecting her to shrug him away, but she didn't move.

"Why are you here?" She asked softly.

"Cragen said you got a call. You just took off. You didn't call. I was worried."

"I'm fine. I just have to get a few things in order. I will be back tomorrow afternoon." She exhaled slowly still refusing to look at him.

"I thought you could use a friend," he said brushing a tear from her cheek.

She shifted her eyes down to the floor and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered turning her eyes to gaze into his as more tears fell.

He reached out to her pulling her into his arms and holding her tight as she buried her face in his once dry tee shirt and broke down. He picked her up gently in his arms and carried her to the bed. He sat her gently down on it and laid her head against the pillow as he slid off her heels and slowly removed her stockings, then brought the blankets up around her. He turned out the bedside lamp and held her hand as she closed her eyes. When he was certain she was asleep he leaned in to kiss her forehead, then stood up and walked quietly toward the door.

"Don't go," she sighed softly as she raised herself to look at him in the dark.

He moved back over beside her and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm just going to go to my room," he replied kissing her hand. "I'm right next door in 208." She stared into his soul. Her pretty brown eyes had always had a hold on him. And seeing them sad broke his heart.

"Please stay with me," she almost gasped and he could tell she was fighting off tears once more.

He took a deep breath as she raised the blankets and slid over making room for him to slide in next to her. He would have done anything to ease her pain. He laid down beside her in the bed and put his arm around her as she pulled the blankets back up around them. She rested her head against his chest and he tightened his arm around her holding her tight.

It all started innocently enough.

But a few hours later when he awoke in the dark to feel her forehead against his chin, he reacted. Maybe this was where it all started. He pressed his lips softly against her forehead and then without thinking slid his nose along hers until their lips met. It was quick. But he didn't even realize he had done it until her eyes shot open and stared back into his. She laid there for a second staring back at him. He could feel both their hearts pounding in the silence as the thunder crashed and boomed outside. But here, in this room, in this bed, with her in his arms, they were safe from the world outside. She took a heavy breath as he waited for her to push him from the bed. But she didn't. She just stared at him looking like a lost child with no where to turn, cold and afraid. He watched as a fire began to burn in her eyes. She blinked them slowly to wipe clear the confusion of the night then she leaned in and touched her nose to his. Her face just sort of hovered there for a second, teasing him. Close enough he could feel the flutter of her eyelashes on his cheek, but not really touching him. They both breathed heavy for a minute as they contemplated their next move.

He felt her nose brush against his again as if inviting him then they both leaned in and their lips met once more. He was not really sure who had kissed who this time. But it didn't really matter anymore. Their lips were pressed firmly together and their tongues tangled. They gasped together, as they explored each other. He moved his hand along the seem of the black dress she was wearing and unzipped the back. He felt her reach for his belt buckle and heard it clank as it hit the floor. She raised up in his arms as he slid her dress out from under her body and tossed it aside. He slid her bra off her shoulders and dropped it into the floor where it came to rest beside his pants and tee shirt.

He stopped for a second and looked into her eyes, but the pain and fear he had seen earlier were gone. Now there was a longing. An ache that he could feel when he ran his fingertips over her body. She wanted this as badly as he did. He kissed her tenderly and slowly giving her the chance to stop him before this went any further, but she didn't. Instead she reached for him. Touching him with her fingers and kissing his chest, before moving her hands down to remove his boxer shorts. He reached down and let his fingertips dance across her belly like they had wanted to so many times before. Then her hand met his and guided it down to the waistband of her cotton panties. His fingers twitched there for a moment as he stared into her soul, neither of them saying a word. Then she pulled his face to hers and she kissed him. He had never tasted kisses like hers or felt such passion. He moved one hand across her belly and the other dipped into the small of her back as he slid them both downward removing her underwear and dropping them into the floor beside her bra.

Before he knew it, they were making love. She held tight to him, as he moved on top of her. Moving slow and hard inside of her. She was so warm and so soft and smelled so good. She stared deep into his eyes and this drove him crazy. She moaned as he gently bit the skin of her neck and she moved her fingers in his hair. He could focus on nothing but her gentle moans as she leaned her head back and clawed her fingers down his back. She was enjoying this as much as he was. Her soft pants soon became heavily breathed screams of passion, muffled only by his lips on hers. He felt her toes as they curled tight against the calf muscles in his legs. They quickly sped their movements and their breathing until he could feel her tighten around him. He put his hand against her chin and pulled her face in to kiss him. A few more thrusts and he watched the flicker in her eyes as they both reached their climax.

He laid still above her as they both panted heavily trying to catch their breath. Moments later he rolled over and laid beside her in the hotel bed. He turned his head to look at her, but she was looking away. Almost avoiding eye contact with him. He reached his arms around her body pulling her tightly into them and held her there. He had expected her to struggle, but she was too weak. The long day and their more than satisfying sexual experience had completely drained her. She laid still once more, her head against his chest, until she drifted off to sleep in his arms.