{He caught me with the sweetest lullaby; He made me feel all glorious and divine}

The first time she had seen him, work shirt half-buttoned and sleeves rolled up to show off hours of working in the industrial heavy labor, a fire had ignited itself in her belly. His forehead glistened with sweat, the drops of liquid beading down his chiseled jawline and rivulets streaming down the hollows of his throat. The immediate pull she felt towards this man was overwhelming and she paused in her own household chore of sweeping her doorstep to watch him as he worked diligently on the task he had been given. His dark hair was slicked back with only the occasional rebellious strand hanging in front of his forehead, mussed and dirty from a long day's work. The heavy pounding of her heart and the shakiness of her legs rendered Blake weak and her teeth worried her bottom lip as she watched on. Nothing and no one had ever invoked such feelings within her and it was there that she decided that she had to see him again.

It would be a week before she did and another two before she mustered up enough courage and wit to speak to the man. A distant bell chimed in the distance, signaling for the industrial workers to take their break. The minute it had sounded Blake had patted down her skirts for any lingering dust, out the door and down the landing steps so quick that she had no time to remove her apron. Pushing aside her humiliation, she did her best to saunter up to the man but in the back of her mind she imagined she looked more like a gazelle learning to walk than an attractive woman with her head on her shoulders.

Yet still when she approached the man spared her a glance, and it was that glance that shook Blake to her bones and melted her into a puddle of goo on the spot. He was more beautiful up close. Now she could see the toned muscles in their every detail, could see their every movement which each breath he took. She stood a few paces from him but could still feel the heat radiating off his body on her face, encasing her as if it were his actual embrace. From a distance she had failed to notice the red-tinted highlights in his dark hair, shining from the light overhead.

The feeling from weeks past returned, only fiercer. Her entire body aflame she felt as if she were in the very presence of the Sun itself. She had half a mind to shy away from his beauty and warmth, but it was her own desire that kept her in place. She had made up her mind. She came here with a purpose. Hands bunched in her skirt, the color bleached out of it leaving it a flat and dull blue, Blake spoke.

"I've prepared some lemonade….if you're thirsty, that is. A hardworking man like you needs to stay hydrated and well-cared for, after all."

The man said not a word, instead choosing to lean against a stack of flat boards that were being used for the project. In his hands he wrung a ratted rag, gray and stained. Blake's gaze fell, watching the movement of his wide, strong hands. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip and her eyes glazed over as her mind conjured up hazy imaginings of other things he could do with those hands.

"What's your name, Miss?"

Startling from her reverie, a hot blush crawling up her neck and fanning out on her cheeks, Blake tightened her grip on her skirt, creasing the fabric. "Blake. Blake Belladonna."

A change occurred in the man, an easy smile drawing on his face. This sent the young woman into another blushing fit and, the heat almost too much to bear, she directed her gaze at the pavement below her feet. The rapid pounding in her chest affected her breathing and she was sure that she must've appeared a hot mess. No man would ever find a stumbling little girl attractive and the brunette feared she had dashed her chance with him before they had even had a real conversation.

Thick fingers plucked her chin from her chest, inclining her head back to gaze into the man's eyes. He was much taller than her, especially at such a close proximity as they were. Her breath caught in her throat and her stomach ached. Cheeks aflame and head swimming, she could only tremble as she spoke his next words, gazing down at her with such warmth that she could have evaporated into the air on second's notice.

"Pretty name for a pretty dame."

If her heart hadn't already given itself to him before, it surely had now.


After their first encounter, Blake became more confident in his presence. Their routine became a daily one: she would invite him over for a drink during his break and bring in chairs from her kitchen so they could sit on the landing and overlook the rest of the housing of the Sinclair Deluxe. They chatted rather lightly at first, only bothering to ask how the other's day had gone and mention any news going 'round Pauper's Drop that had everyone in a tizzy that week. Adam (he had given her his name the second time she had invited him over, apologizing profusely for his rude manners) would tell her what kind of work he was doing that particular day or badmouth whichever abercrombie managed to get on his wrong side that day. Construction talk normally bored Blake, but she remembered to smile and laugh at the right cues and nod her head sympathetically when called for. While his jargon had a tendency to put her to sleep, his smooth baritone voice was something she could listen to for days and never tire, like any of her favorite records.

Time went on and while their relationship grew more comfortable, the heat burning within Blake did not. If anything it intensified. Every look, every word spoken, every brushing graze was gasoline to the fire and soon enough Blake feared she'd burn until there was nothing left.

She wanted more. She needed to feel him, to be close enough to always feel him. Never in her life had she craved something so much and the mere thought of them together in the way her body cried out for was enough to send her mind reeling in a heat-filled frenzy.

Her indecent thoughts prodded her, urging her to take the next step, but her fear quickly extinguished such urgent thoughts. She was but sixteen and he was a man of twenty, mature and looking for the same in a companion. A little girl like her would never be enough to satisfy him despite how she wished it otherwise. But the gruelling the truth did nothing to stop their chats. Blake had gotten her taste and was nowhere near ready to give it up.

Overtime their bond strengthened and their talk transformed from the small chats you'd have with a distant friend to one you'd have with someone you had shared a life with for years. Adam's life on the surface had been brought up a few times, the trials and tribulations he had endured same as the ones down here. He had seen Rapture as a utopia, a way to escape his torments and poverty as had been advertised. But once his arrival he realized it was not the gold-paved road he had expected and soon was thrown back into his life of hard labor and constant work with little reward. His bitterness was masked by indifference out of precaution of being overheard by the wrong person and being sought out by one of Schnee's "ass-kissers". But the rage of being treated as a pathetic underling would get him riled up from time to time and Blake prided herself with how quickly she was able to soothe him with just a touch or a hushed plea.

Soon enough their talks were not just limited to his break times but after his day's work as well. When the dark of night settled over the tenements and the clang of the landing's metal steps shook and banged, Blake would carefully tiptoe with bare feet out to the landing, making sure to not disturb her slumbering father. After stepping outside their apartment door she would find Adam seated on the cool floor of the small terrace and she would take her place beside him, picking up their conversation where it had been left off earlier in the day. Blake loved any moment she got to speak with Adam, but if she ever had a preference she would say she liked their night talks more. Because in the dark blanket of night, Adam's hand would find its way somewhere on her person: her waist, her thigh, and on the very rare and joyous occasion it would grasp hers warmly in his.

It was those moments where Blake could never imagine that she would ever be happier than she was right then.

One night their conversation had settled on her and she squirmed in her place, uneasy with the new topic.

"Oh, I'm not half as interesting to talk about. I've lived most my life here, in Rapture, right in this very apartment. Never strayed much from Pauper's Drop. There's no excitement in my life. Never was, never will be." Ashamed she looked down at her lap, her plain nightgown reflecting her life. Frowning, she tucked a stray black curl behind her ear and leaned on Adam's shoulder. "I'd much rather listen to your stories again."

Adam sighed and the rush of his breath warmed her ear, the dull aching throb in her tummy started up again. She felt that familiar pull again, to be even closer, to feel his body pressed hers in the most intimate of ways. But these thoughts were dangerous, as she had to constantly remind herself, and she found way of distraction by plucking the fraying hem of her nightgown.

"Everyone has a story, Blake. And I wanna knows yours." A rough hand crossed over and cupped her cheek, pulling her to face him and gaze into his eyes. The ache grew stronger and Blake heard a quiet rip; she had pulled too hard on one of the frayed edges.

And so she told him. She told him all of it: how her family moved to Rapture when she was eight years old and how her family immediately ran into financial trouble and were forced to settle in poor Pauper's Drop. She told him of her parents marriage struggles that followed because of her father's excuses for not finding work and her mother's departure soon after. She shared how the past few years had just been the two of them, her father drinking his sorrows away and her going around and doing small errands and chores for a bit of cash to make sure they didn't end up on the streets. She told him everything and by the time she was finished, her shame had overwhelmed her and the first trickle of tears had dripped off her lashes and down her cheeks.

It wasn't until she had spoken her life story aloud with another person to hear that she realized how sorry and lacking it was. She was just as uninteresting as she had earlier claimed and soon enough Adam would surely lose all interest in her. He would leave her just as her mother before him had, and she'd be alone with her deadbeat dad once more, heartbroken and hopeless.

A large hand behind her neck guided her to rest on Adam's shoulder, the wetness from her cheeks immediately soaking into his work shirt. Her feeble hands reached up to grasp desperately at his shirt, her grip settling on his firm shoulders. Their steady support held her as her body trembled, with the sorrow and fear that she would be left with nothing once more, yearning forever but never being satiated in her lust for something better. Hard arms encased her, pressing into her back just below her shoulder blades and steadied her shakes, her sobs stifled in his chest.

And so the rest of the night passed by with her sobbing her woes into the arms of the very man she loved yet feared would leave her behind.


The bell for break had only just rung when Blake heard the tell-tale rattling of the metal stairs. Quickly dusting off her dress and untying her apron, leaving it in a careless heap on the kitchen table, she walked out to greet Adam. Only upon her stepping out of her apartment she was immediately yanked into a strong embrace and lifted the air, eliciting a startled shout from her as the perpetrator spun her around twice before setting her down on her feet. Head spinning from the sudden motions she looked up at Adam, his grin splitting his face in two. The heat in her chest melted her heart at the sight and she returned with her own smile, not nearly brilliant as his.

"What's got you so worked up all of a sudden?"

His hands were still resting on her waist and she felt the spots where he was touching her heat up rapidly. Her body grew warm and fuzzy and her mind dizzy. They'd known each other for at least three months now and have touched plenty of times, but each touch from him lit the fire within her anew and she always had a hard time calming it down. The only thing that sobered her thoughts was the fact that his bubbling excitement is what was prompted him to hold her the way he was and, unintentionally, her smile died just a little.

"I just got offered a job. One up in the rich part of Rapture!" Her heart sank with those words and she found herself unable to keep the smile on her face any longer. Tears brimmed the edges of her eyes and suddenly his hands were scorching her, hurting her the longer she remained under his hold. The day had come…

"I can finally leave this shit hole!"

He was leaving her.

And suddenly she was thrown back to the day she had first talked to him, stumbling and nervous, heart like a hummingbird in her chest when he looked at her and said those awfully wonderful things…

Only now the things he said were needles in her heart, stabbing it and bleeding it out as she felt her legs shake so hard they almost gave out underneath her. Her throat tightened in on itself, restricting her air as the tears pushed through, begging to be released. Biting her lip she willed them away and cleared her throat, ignoring the dead weight in her chest.

"That's good, Adam. I'm happy for you."

She felt a rough tug on her hair, making her wince from the smart of some strands being pulled out before her long, black hair cascaded down her back and curls spilled over her shoulders. She lifted her head to reprimand him for ruining her bun, but the words died on her lips the moment they touched his. Her mind went utterly blank, shock preventing any process of thought as his rough lips moved against hers. Instead her body reacted to him naturally, responding eagerly to the kiss, her body going limp in his arms at the sheer relief. This is what she had been waiting months for.

They pulled away too soon for Blake's liking, the warmth of Adam still present on her lips, but more as a ghost of the real thing than something to satiate her in his absence. Her fingers curled in his work shirt, bunching the fabric in her grip, attempting to bring him back. But he stood strong and Blake could only internally cry at being apart from him when she wanted nothing more than to taste him for as long as she lived. Her body ached for more, the fire in her stomach now out of control and consuming her in its flames. She became emboldened and pressed closer to him, their bodies forming a thin line where they touched, the only thing separating them.

Rough fingers brushed across her cheeks, coming away with wetness. Blake blinked. She hadn't even noticed her fallen tears in her sudden euphoria and looked away from his eyes, ashamed at letting him see her cry again. But Adam prompted her to lift her head to him again with a gentle nudge and she complied to his whim just as she always had and always would if that was what he so wished. He leaned down, pulling their faces closer again and Blake expected another kiss, her heart giddy.

Instead he whispered three words that would change Blake's life forever.

"Come with me."

She didn't hesitate.


The next day Adam was gone, with her still in Pauper's Drop. He had told her he would be going ahead, to ensure all the preparations for their tenement were arranged just right for her arrival. In the meantime she was to stay behind, slowly preparing to transition from one life to the other. Initially when he had said this Blake had been reluctant, not wanting to let him go for even a second. For months they had seen each other every day; a week was almost too much to bear alone. Adding onto that, her fear of being left behind and forgotten within the span of the week curled her fingers around him tighter, scared to think that once he made it up to the classy part of Rapture he'd find a nice, beautiful dame, one that put her to shame.

After much reassuring via sweet talk and rough kisses, Blake let him leave. On the day of his departure she watched him walk out of Sinclair Deluxe, one suitcase in hand and a hat atop his head. She stood up on her terrace, broom handle clutched close to her chest to soothe it's aching as she watched his back get smaller and smaller until it had disappeared, the image of it ghosting through her thoughts. Afterwards she felt as a ghost herself, sluggish and transparent. She went about her normal daily chores, but found that they were difficult to fulfill with Adam intruding on her thoughts. Every second of every minute, with each exhale and inhale, each tick and each tock, he was there. His dazzling smile and dark eyes plaguing her down with each movement and making it nearly impossible to carry out a simple task such as walking from one end of the room to the other.

Later on that night, she found herself sitting on the terrace in her nightgown, eyes roaming over the darkness of Sinclair Deluxe, watching the streetlamps flicker due to poor circuitry that was a blessing to have (some of the poorer districts still resorted to oil lamps). It wasn't until her eyes began to droop and her heart slowed to an almost catatonic state that she realized that she had been unconsciously waiting for Adam to have their typical late night chat. With this revelation she decided it best to go back inside and turn in for the night. So with a heavy heart and burning eyes, she went back inside, dove deep underneath her covers, and tightly shut her eyes. The next thing she knew, it was morning.

This routine continued for days, her sluggish demeanor noticeable in all her movements. At one point it seemed that her father had caught on to her behavior, giving her a curious glance from the corner of his eye from his spot in his armchair. But, as per usual, that curiosity flickered out within seconds, returning to his half-full tumbler and chipped knobs on the busted radio. He never did much anymore, not since her mother left. He'd sit in his spot static and silent, only moving occasionally to refill his glass or to hit the radio when too much static came out. It was a miracle if he ever even noticed that she was still alive and moving around and a blue moon when he actually stepped outside. If not for her, he probably would've withered away years ago.

Blake chewed her nails as she sat on the edge of her bed. If she left him, would he waste away in this apartment, left and forgotten by those he called family? There'd be no one else to care for him - he had no friends to speak of, no one that came to visit him. He could very well sit in that sunken in chair for a week before it even occurred to him that she was no longer around. Surely he would starve, never remembering to eat without her to prompt him. Perhaps she could ask one of the neighbors to care for him in her absence.

Blake shook her head at the thought. It would be wrong and selfish of her to ask them for such an extensive favor for an undetermined period of time, since she had no intentions of returning. They had their own families to provide for. It went against all of her morals to ask more of them, when already they had been so kind to her growing up with her deadbeat father and absent mother.

So the question was this: Which did she value more? Her father? Or her freedom and chance at a better life?

Without another second to spare, Blake had doven under her bed and pulled out her suitcase, coughing at the disturbed dustmites now floating freely in the air due to the disturbance. Using her hands to wipe the rest off she flicked open the latches, opening the barren suitcase. Inside was nothing but a few trinkets from her childhood, things she cast out without a second glance as to what they were. Then she lifted it to her bed and began pacing around the room, snatching at the necessities. Clothes were folded neatly and placed in the bottom, only a few dresses that weren't as faded as the others. Her hairbrush went in next, then some shoes, and a few ribbons for her hair from when she was young that she couldn't bear to part with despite having not worn them in years. Once she had finished her packing she frowned and looked at her room, not much different than it had been just a few minutes ago.

She really did have nothing.

Well...she would soon enough. Adam had promised her all the nicest things that she had seen those beautiful women wearing in those magazines and much more. He was giving her the opportunity to escape her dull fate, to leave behind her life as her father's caretaker and to become her own person. And as foolish and loveblind she may be, she believed him with her full heart. Not just because she loved him, but also because it was her only shot.

The clock on her dresser ticked closer to night time and the first bubble of excitement brewed in her tummy. Adam would be back the next night to come whisk her away, off to a life full of light and luxury. No longer would she be doing chores and caring for someone who rarely had a life to speak of. This was her time to become more than the poor girl who everyone offered sympathy because of her poor upbringing. She'd become someone new. Someone she could be proud to be.

And it would be with Adam at her side, guiding her hand along the way and loving her the way she loved him.


The next night couldn't come quickly enough. Blake had tried to focus solely on her chores in hopes that time would pass her by, but she couldn't resist the temptation to throw glances at their clock every other minute. She would always revert to pouting when the clock wouldn't be at a time she wanted and had to stop herself from accusing it of slowing down on purpose to delay her from leaving. She had half the mind to throw it at the wall and watch in satisfaction when it burst into a million little pieces. But such actions would not speed up time nor win her any real victory in doing so, so she continued to busy herself around the apartment, cleaning what needed to be cleaned and even what didn't.

Soon enough evening came and she prepared a hearty dinner, enough for tonight with leftovers that would last a few more days. Just in case. After picking through her already small portion, stomach too full with butterflies to force food down, she ran to her room and sat on her bed. The clock on her dresser taunted her like the one in their living room, the hands moving agonizingly slow while her teeth worried her bottom lip, hoping for Adam to come sooner and take her away from this cramped space. It had only been a week since she had made the decision to leave and already it seemed she had outgrown this place. Any moment longer and surely she would suffocate.

Just when she felt she was going to go cross-eyed staring at her clock she heard the muffled clanging of metal and immediately jumped from her bed, grabbed her suitcase and threw open her door in one fluid motion. She tiptoed across the room in order to not wake her sleeping father lest he try and stop her and opened her front door.

The sight waiting for her almost brought her to her knees.

Adam stood there, looking much like he had when she had last seen him, but the air around him was so different it was almost as if he were someone she had never met before. A familiar stranger, he was. His clothes lacked all the dirt and sweat that came with being a construction worker and the rips and patches that came with living in poor Pauper's Drop. His bright white shirt was crisp and new, pressed to every crease. His slacks weren't baggy or frayed and fell straight on his slim legs, the pinstripes streaming down them almost glistening with novelty. Atop his head was a black, richman's hat to replace the brown, paper boy's hat he had left with, his dark locks curling underneath the brim. He was dressed to the nines and Blake physically felt herself swooning.

His arms opened upon seeing her and Blake immediately threw herself into them, clutching him in an intimate embrace. She wanted to convey how she had missed him so dearly and how awful her life had been since his absence, nevermind how temporary it was. But the words would not come. And from the way he hugged her back said that he understood because he felt the same way. His heart beat intensely underneath her ear and Blake smiled in knowing that it beat for her in such a manner. She was truly the luckiest girl in the world.

Hesitantly they both pulled from the embrace and Blake squirmed under his gaze when she noticed that now he was the one giving her a lookover. Adam had changed so much and she...well she had no room to change in this small apartment of hers. Surely after seeing all the wonders and beauty of the big city she would be plain in his eyes and he would revoke his offer, leaving her on this very doorstep alone and heartbroken.

Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box coated in purple velvet - the color of royalty. It was a small box, hardly bigger than the palm of his hand, and he brought it between them, ducking his head down to whisper to her gently.

"I got something for you."

Blake blinked and threw her head back to look at him. "For me?"

He gave her a dazzling grin and she melted all over again, like the first day they had met. "Who else?"

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Blake let slip the fears that had been plaguing her all week. "To some beautiful dame, of course."

Thick fingers clutched her chin, lifting her head up to look him in the eyes and she felt her chest ache and her breath go hot at the look he gave her. "Ain't no dame mo' beautiful than you, darlin'."

And with that her fears had disappeared and so had the distance between them. His lips fell over hers in a sweet kiss, one of lovers reunited after a long absence. Her heart leapt to her throat and tears sprung to her eyes as Blake lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, keeping him with her for just a moment longer, to ensure this was all real. That this was all hers.

Eventually he pulled from her, eliciting a low whine of discontent from Blake to which he chuckled at, bringing out a bright pink blush on her cheeks. He raised his hand higher and her attention was once again brought to the small box he was presenting her with. Gingerly, she plucked it from his hand and cradled it in both of hers, rubbing her fingers over the soft fabric. This box alone was fancier than anything she owned and merely holding it gave her a sense of her life soon to come. Feeling giddy she thrust open the lid of the box and gasped.

The box was filled with a cushion made of velvet much like the outside except this color was a deep blood red. In the middle there was a hole cut into it and resting in that hole was a gold-trimmed brooch. Intricate carvings lined the outer oval, the detail impeccable and well-crafted. The inside was an opal black with a golden silhouette of a bird in flight, wings spread far and wide. Plucking it from the box she held it in her fingers, running her thumb over the smooth surface of bird. It felt warm in her hand. Logic told her that this was because the box had been sitting in Adam's pocket, but her heart preferred the silly fantasy that the bird was alive in her hands, ready to take off at any moment.

Like her.

Handing the box back to Adam, Blake unclasped the pin in the back to clip it to her dress until firm hands stopped her. Adam took the brooch from her and bent down to pin it to her dress, right in the middle underneath her collar. Once finished he took a step back and whistled to which Blake laughed. Her hand came up to stroke it again, still warm and fluttering. Picking her suitcase back up, she knew she was ready to go. Adam offered his crooked arm to her, prompting her to take it. She reached to do just that but hesitated with a frown. Before Adam could ask her what was wrong she reached one hand behind her back and yanked the knot undone on her apron, letting the cloth fall to her feet before she kicked it aside. With a smile she finally accepted Adam's arm and they skipped down the steps and out of Sinclair Deluxe, out of Pauper's Drop, and towards their new future together.

{Invite me for a trip}


A/N: And now here's the next installment for my Bioshock AU! I've been working on this one for awhile (in fact, I'mstill working on it). It'll be a long one. Expect another chapter sometime soon...hopefully.

As you may have noticed, we are currently delving into Blake's past which I've never really touched up on in any of my past fics. But, fear not. You're about to get her full story now. And a lot of it revolves around Adam as you can see. (Tauradonna shippers eat your heart out.)

So, clearly this fic takes place before Down Here in Rapture.

Right now Blake is around 16. And in other parts of the timeline, so is Yang (who is about to lose her mom D:). I'll write another fic that goes more in depth of Yang's story that's not just a brief storytelling session in an abandoned shop. So that means you'll get backstory before her mom dying, the aftermath of that (including Ruby's kidnapping), and even after all of that (basically how she came to be a detective).

Tl;dr: I've got so much in store for you guys ;)

ALSO, I would really, really love if I got some feedback on this. In fact, the only reason I'm uploading it so early (I'm not even halfway done with it right now because I keep losing motivation) is because I feel like if I get some feedback from you guys I'll be able to keep writing for this AU. So please? Pretty please?