Rufus guided Lily into the black town car that had pulled up outside the opera. she was shaking in his arms and he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. She held him tightly and he did not let her slip from his grasp. her head was buried into his shoulder and she let out little whimpers as he ran his fingers through her hair whispering reassurances in her ear. 'Its ok baby, your ok, I've got you' silent tears ran down her porcelain cheek and he kissed the top of her head and thanked god that jack had not managed to go any further with his evil scheme. that he had not succeeded in taking away Lily's soul, as he was sure that's what would of happened if Chuck hadn't of saved her when he did.
They pulled up to the apartment block and he held her up as he walked her into the building and into the elevator. He got a good look at her then. her mascara stained her cheeks, her lipstick smudged at the edges and her hair ruffled and falling out of its elegant bun. And at that moment Rufus had never felt so much hate bottled up inside him towards one man. Lily was finally his again, he had waited so long to be able to say that she belonged to him, and he almost took her away from him. At that moment She let out a sob, and he enveloped his arms under his jacket and around her body, feeling her silk evening gown cling to her shaking body 'Rufus' she sobbed into his neck 'what if I had lost you...what if he had...' Rufus lifted up her head and looked into her bloodshot eyes 'Never gunna happen Lil, I love you too much to let you go again' As the elevator doors pinged open at the apartment Lily's body gave way underneath her, and Rufus bent down and lifted her into his arms in one fell swoop. she sobbed into his shoulder as the shock of what had happened dawned on her.
He carried her straight upstairs to her room and he laid her down on the bed. not letting go of her for a second he lay beside her, spooning her body inside of his holding her as she cried. 'I love you Lil' he kept whispering in her ear 'so much, nothing is gunna tear us apart this time' Lily shook her head 'but he almost...he almost...' Rufus nodded 'I know baby, i know, but he didn't, I've got you now' she turned to look at him and he placed a kiss on her forehead. she stared deeply into his eyes. 'I need a shower' she said quietly. Rufus nodded and sat up still not letting go of her hand he pulled her to her feet. He pushed his jacket off her shoulders, and she let him undo the zip to her gown she had loved so much earlier. Now it was tainted with him. he took off her underwear guided her into the bathroom, still holding her hand. He reached into the shower and turned on the water 'there you go baby' he said moving towards the door 'your not leaving me are you?' she said, a panicked look on her face.
Rufus saw the fear in her eyes and shook his head 'of course not, I'm just getting undressed' he stripped down and found her hand again with his as they stepped inside the shower together. She let down her hair as Rufus found the soap. She stared at him for a moment, and moved forward to pull him into her arms ' i love you' she said through the water 'thank you' Rufus kissed her neck as they held each other. They stood under the beating water for 15 minutes washing the night out of their lives forever. Rufus didn't want to let her go and Lily couldn't let him go. They washed each other slowly and gently, not a single word spoken between them. After they got out Rufus towel dried her body and then wrapped her in her dressing gown, wrapping a towel around himself. He Searched through her draws for her pyjama's and found nothing but silk slips and negligee's. and it was definitely not a night for those. in the corner her spotted one of his T-shirts from the night before. his own Lincoln hawk T-shirt of all things. but it was perfect.
He silently slipped it over her head and she looked down at what he had dressed her in. She smiled and looked up to him. 'You belong to me' he told her 'and your not allowed to ever take that shirt off so that every guy on the upper east side knows it!' He brushed her wet hair out of her eyes as she let out a small laugh and looked into his eyes. 'i think i can agree to that!' she laughed. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She was still his. She always would be, because nobody could possibly ever love her like he did. he had her soul. And from now on he was making sure he protected it with everything he had. He tucked her up into bed and laid next to her, running his fingers through her hair and holding her so close to him, letting her know she was safe, she always would be with him, until she finally fell asleep.
Rufus held Lily as she slept through the night. He didn't sleep a wink. He couldn't, nor did he want to, he just watched over her. He knew she was having nightmares because her eyes flickered and she made little whimpering sounds. She even called out for him at one point, to which he just held her close and whispered sweet reassurances in her ear. It seemed to calm her. She lay on his chest and he could feel her heart beating, it helped calm him as the anger still surged through him. He knew he hadn't liked Jack, but never, not for one moment would he have had him down as being capable of such evil. As he lay there he went over what had happened that night, why hadn't he noticed she was gone sooner? Why hadn't he gone after her? Why had he let her out of his sight for one single moment? He clenched his fists together, squeezing the expensive sheets into a wrinkled ball. He was barely able to contain his anger, he hated Jack with every fibre of his being. How dare he think he could, touch her, hold her, force himself upon her. He swallowed hard, as the image of Lily stood in that bathroom, scared and shaking, calling out for him plagued his mind.
His heart had stopped the moment he saw her and he could barely form any words. All he could do was remove her from the situation, to make sure she was okay. If he ever saw him again he was sure he would kill him. If he ever even spoke to her, looked at her, he would make Jack sorry. He wanted him to feel as scared and powerless as he had made Lily feel. He couldn't imagine how scared she must of been. He looked down at her, she slept with a wrinkle in her brow, which she only ever had when she was worried or scared. He remembered that from when they were kids, it all suddenly made sense now why she slept with her eyebrows furrowed together like that in their last months together. Lily never liked to show anyone she was scared, or sad, she wanted to seem strong and in control of every situation. Even to him, she hated anyone to see her weak. He hated Jack all the more for making her feel weak. He wanted to punch him, so badly. He wanted to kick and hit him so he had to cry out and beg him to stop, like he had made Lily do, just like he had made Lily feel. He gritted his teeth together, if Lily had not been in his arms right now he would have thrown something, or punched a pillow, let out some of his anger and frustrations. But he couldn't, this wasn't about him, it was about Lily. And Lily needed him, he had never seen her need him so much before, being there felt good, that's all he ever wanted when it came to her. To just be there with her. She was more important than him, her needs came first.
The sun rose early, he could feel Lily starting to stir in his arms. He watched her until her eyes opened. They found his instantly and she gave him a sad smile 'Hi...' She said in a tiny voice. 'Good Morning beautiful' He said to her, giving her a warm smile. She swallowed and looked up at him, 'it wasn't a dream was it?' She asked, already knowing the answer. His breath caught in his chest, as he had to fight back his own tears. 'I wish it was baby' he told her. She rested her head back on his chest, and he bent his head down to kiss the top of her head. Still holding her tightly. He wished he knew what to say to her to make things better, to take away all her fears, he'd give anything. They lay in silence for a while. Just listening to the sounds of each others breathing, slow and steady. He held both arms around her, pulling her tightly into him and rubbing her arm, reassuring her. She enjoyed laying with him. It had been so long since they had done this. Laying here now, it seemed so right, they still fit so perfectly into each other, she had her spot and he knew exactly where she belonged. She couldn't contemplate now, how she had lived so long without this. Without having this closeness with somebody. Without being able to lay in silence with someone and feel content, even after everything that had happened last night, she knew she was okay, she had Rufus, and he had made it all better, just like he always knew how to.
'I've missed waking up with you' She told him, tracing her fingers over his chest. He looked down at her and smiled. Not just because he felt the same, because he did. But because he knew that his Lily was still there. She was okay. 'Me too Lil' He replied smiling. 'Me too'.