Monica shivered, significantly colder with the power off. She guessed that meant there had been some kind of heating system going on earlier that she hadn't noticed until it was suddenly taken away.

"Do you want me to try getting the power back on?" Roni offered.

"It-It-It'll just go out again," Monica answered. "Or not come back on at all."

"Right." Roni 'hm'ed. Where did her brain run off to? Resetting breakers wasn't a guarantee. "Well, get under the blankets, then, before you freeze." She moved one hand to pull the covers back, giving room for the other woman.

"You, too," Monica insisted. While it was not blackout dark, as it was day time rather than night time, it was still dark enough that she was more trusting of her sense of touch than her sense of vision.

"Alright," Roni murmured, as she shifted to move the blankets further, so both could be under them. It took some finesse maneuvering, as Monica didn't seem interested in letting go of her for even a brief moment, but she managed. Once under the blankets, she found they were even closer than before. "Hi," she whispered, touching the tips of their noses together. Even in the dim light, she saw Monica's smile.

"Hi," the redhead whispered back. "Is it bad that now that the power's out and it's pouring outside, all I want to do is snuggle and make out with you?"

Roni laughed softly. "I would have preferred being able to brush my teeth first, but I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I don't think it's bad to want that."

"Now I'm worried about my own morning breath."

Roni cupped her cheek. "You don't have any, darling. None that my nose can detect, anyway."

Feeling a little more confident, Monica nuzzled into Roni's hand before claiming her lips gently with her own. Eyes fluttering shut, Roni's thumb stroked along her cheek as she returned the kiss just as gently, leaving the pace and intensity in Monica's control. It deepened, languid, lingering, and passionate. At one point, Roni's tank hiked up, letting their stomachs meet, eliciting sighs of contentment from both women. Monica's hand slid into Roni's hair just before the kiss broke.

"Can I ask you something?" Monica asked, still a bit breathless.

"Mmhm."

"Why do you live above your bar?"

Roni sighed. "There's many ways I could answer that. Convenience, security, financially practical, but the truth is...It just hurts to stay in a building after what made it a home is gone. For a home to turn into just a house, yet filled with all the memories of a home, visual reminders at every turn… I just couldn't bear it. My bar has always been my bar. When I wasn't living up here, I would rent it out, but most people didn't last long, as my hours clashed with when they wanted sleep or to have some quiet time...Or occasionally they'd be locked out because only I have keys to my bar. It was always more hassle than anyone found it to be worth. So… As soon as I pulled out of the shock of loss and could function without desperately clinging to the memories, I sold the place and settled in up here. Usually… I don't let people up here. It's usually their place, or the bathroom in a pinch. I don't let people in this much. But, then again, I don't usually close down my bar for anyone, either. You're different. Maybe… Maybe because I wanted you to know you could trust me, I don't know."

"Oh." Monica blinked. "What happened to her, if you don't mind sharing?"

"She...She was a sleepwalker, of all things. One of the few adults that still were after childhood. She didn't usually do anything too crazy. A few times she would just be reading books, and the only sign that she had been sleepwalking at all was the fact that she never remembered what she had read the following day. But then...One day, I guess she tried to drive. I was working late and she had assured me that she would be fine, I shouldn't have listened, but she was my wife, and I believed in her. She had lasted her whole life with it, she knew more about it than I did. There were no warning flags that I shouldn't have trusted her with her own safety. But, this time, she did something crazy, and tried to drive. Which...I guess could have gone badly a million different ways, but this was the worst. It was snowy and icy, and the garage door was stuck, which made the car stuck inside the garage. So, not being awake, she just...sat there, not actually driving anywhere, but the car was on." Tears filled to the brim of Roni's eyes, and her voice tightened. "The car just filled with carbon monoxide and killed her, long before I could have gotten home to try and stopping her. I might have died too, because I went in the garage when I couldn't find her anywhere else. I got my ass to a hospital, well...I got her ass to a hospital, and they insisted I go. They knew I was the only one that could be saved at that point, but I was still hoping for a miracle for her..."

Monica's eyes filled with tears as well, one even falling. She held onto Roni tightly. "I don't sleepwalk," she croaked out, as some form of reassurance. She didn't know what to say. Sorry wouldn't quite cover it.

Roni laughed wetly. "Good to know."

"Roni...I...I don't even know… How do I even respond to that? That broke my heart."

"Yeah, shattered mine for a while." Roni sniffed. She brushed Monica's tear away. "I'll accept more kisses, if the mood isn't ruined."

"Not ruined. Just changed." Now, when Monica kissed her, it was with the intent to make them both feel alive. A kiss of no promised tomorrows, only the current moment being guaranteed.

Roni felt the scars in her heart being smoothed over. A kiss like that, reminding her of how very valuable time was, only made her greedy for more time with Monica. She didn't want a moment to be wasted.