Title: Insane Commitment

Pairing: Boyd/Grace

Rating: TBC

Spoilers:

Summary:

Disclaimers:

Feedback: Commitment

Part Two - A Little Drop Too Many

Boyd flipped on the light as he entered his house, throwing his keys on the side table and kicking his shoes across the floor, oblivious to the little path of destruction he had left in his wake.

The bottle of scotch taunted him from the kitchen counter, daring him to drink it. As a rule he restricted himself to two glasses a night, anything more and he wouldn't be able to drive if he got a call out. More than four and he was likely to sleep like a baby.

Tonight he wasn't going to keep count.

Most of the time he liked living alone. He could come home from a long day, drop his clothes in a heap wherever he wanted and take long showers without someone complaining about him using all the hot water. The house could, and more often than not did, resemble the aftermath of a tornado. Occasionally he would spend a Sunday afternoon cleaning up, on occasion he would just go out and buy a few new shirts, always he promised himself he'd look into getting a cleaner. Six years on he still hadn't.

As much as Boyd liked company, he wasn't particularly a social person, more of a take away and footie kind of man. Alone, he could sit with a tray on his lap and not have to make polite conversation over dinner, or actually cook.

Of course all that had changed in recent months. Grace had taken him to Greek Tavernas, Italian bistros and even an Ethiopian café. They had sampled wine and eclectic food and talked more than he thought it was possible with one person. Three nights a week he had slept at Grace's, returning home in between for fresh clothes, long showers, and more often than not to watch the football without her constant taunting when his side lost. Somehow or another his shirts got washed and ironed and his socks ended up in little sock balls. It was strange, it was sweet and had opened his eyes to a whole other side of Grace.

Of course they both had needed their space, the combination of working together and sleeping together a little too much at times leaving them both a little frayed. It also meant the evenings they actually spent together were fun and relaxing, and a welcome diversion from the stressful cases they worked.

He would actually miss the home cooked meals and her falling asleep against him while they watched the news. She would snuggle up until he wrapped his arm around her and rested his chin on top of her hair. He would miss waking up next to her, and finding her wrapped up in a bundle of the layers of sheets and covers she insisted on having on the bed while he lay semi naked.

She had a slightly compulsive concern about her cleaning ritual which he had learnt to deal with by not being there. The thing he would miss most of all he decided was walking into the bathroom and catching her naked and vulnerable in the shower and the bashful expression she would give him.

Boyd rose to his feet, deciding that he would be better off keeping the bottle beside him if he was going to get maudlin.

Pouring himself another glass, he stretched out on the couch. She had managed to get under his skin in the short time they had been . . . Whatever they had been doing. Against his better judgement he'd let her in and it had ended.

What he wouldn't miss were the arguments, which seemed to have clouded the last two weeks. He hated to see the hurt that flashed across her face when he said something a little too close to the bone. The sad thing was that he could not seem to help himself. He couldn't, or wouldn't, he wasn't sure which, handle his feelings for her. Instead he had cemented the wall around him by provoking arguments and pushing her away, knowing that the more he pushed the more likely she would walk away all together.

An image of her face as she walked out of his office earlier that evening flashed through his mind and he drained another glass before picking up the bottle.

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Grace poured herself a glass of wine from the open bottle in her fridge. Taking a lengthy sip, she contemplated what to do next.

She was too old, and had been through too much bad break ups in her youth to sit and wallow. And she was a generation too far removed to go out and sleep with the first guy who flirted with her. Of course she also wasn't very good at telling when a guy was flirting and by recent experience she should avoid men for a while. They either turned out to be deranged torturers or didn't really understand her work, or it seemed were unable to commit. There was always the option of revenge but, and she had tried to ignore it, she loved him too much to try and hurt him. For everything they disagreed about there were five things they shared in common. A thought that scared her at times. She couldn't even blame him for the break up. They were equally to blame.

Slipping out of her shoes, she headed upstairs to run a bath. The idea of laying in a tub of scented bubbles, drinking a glass of wine seeming soothing and sensible, and she was sensible. Except maybe for getting involved with a man she knew had avoidance issues. Otherwise she might have hung on a little longer, tried to break down the walls he had built around himself, rather than just tunnel through when he allowed her.

Throwing her dirty clothes in the laundry basket she sat on the edge of the tub while the bubbles rose to the surface. Instantly her thoughts turned to him.

Boyd hated baths. It took too long to fill a tub and for a man with no patience it seemed a colossal waste of time when he could shower in the time it took for the water to flow. She hadn't planned to fall in love with him, dating him had been the last thing on her mind, and after six years of working together the idea that they would want to seemed insane. Nevertheless she had and she wouldn't regret the few months they had actually spent exploring each other.

Losing Mel the way they did and his complete refusal to deal with it had led him to her. Saving Spencer's life had re-evaluated what was important in his life and it was him who had decided that she was important. As she sank into the tub full of hot water she wondered where he would turn now that he had effectively edged her out of his life.