**The Lester parts I've started adding to the chapters are for vampireluvr15, my eternal lover of all things snarky :D
Chapter 6. You'll Make It Through
"I know it might seem frightening, to have the world fall apart right under your shoes. Trust me, you'll make it through." 3Oh!3
"Move in with you?" Abby tried to harness the shock in her voice.
Truthfully the idea of being with Stephen almost 24/7 was incredibly inviting, he made her feel safe, and even though they'd only been a couple for a short time, she was pretty sure she was in love with him.
"Just until things settled down with your dad, he doesn't know who I am, he wouldn't be able to find you if you were at my flat," he said.
It was a good idea, she knew that, he was right about her father not being able to find her, or at least she hoped he was, her father could be very resourceful.
"I'd feel like I was imposing," she argued.
"How is it imposing when I'm asking you to?" he retorted.
"You're sure?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he grinned, and she knew that he knew he'd won.
"Alright then I'll do it, when should I bring my stuff?"
"You can move in tonight if you want," he said, "The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned."
Abby agreed to pack up some of her stuff and start staying at Stephen's that night. Neither of them had an exceptionally large amount of trunk room, so they'd gone to the Home Office and borrowed the silver truck they normally used when hunting anomalies.
"Connor, are you here?" Abby called when they got to the flat.
Connor came downstairs wearing a white tank top and red print boxers.
"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, jumping off the last step, "Stephen," he acknowledged him with a brief nod of his head.
"Connor," he replied returning the nod, "Nice legs," he joked with a laugh.
"What are you two up to?" Connor asked, coming to stand next to Abby.
"Packing up some of Abby's things, she's going to stay with me until things settle down with her father," Stephen answered, resting a hand on Abby's shoulder.
"That's a little unnecessary, don't you think?" Connor asked raising an eyebrow, "I mean, I'm here with her."
"Actually, I think it's completely necessary and besides, she's already agreed."
Oh dear god, Abby thought, she could practically feel the testosterone levels in the room rising.
"Connor, it's fine, Stephen's just worried, and truthfully I want to do this. Why don't you have Duncan and Tom over for a Star Trek marathon or something?" she suggested, trying to calm things down.
Abby followed Stephen to his flat in her car, she'd actually never been to it before. He led her up three flights of stairs, carrying her two duffle bags over his shoulder and the aquarium with her lizards in his arms. She quickly slid the key into the door he nodded to, and stood back to let him in.
The apartment was a lot neater than she'd expected for a bachelor pad. A sectional sofa and flat screen television dominated most of the living room, Stephen sat the lizard's aquarium on a table beside the door. The kitchen and living room were basically one large room and off the kitchen was a hallway which he led her down. It was short and led into a large bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. The large queen sized bed looked incredibly comfortable and inviting.
"Feel free to do what ever you want, I'll move my clothes around and make room for you to have a couple drawers, and there's plenty of room in the closet. I'll crash on the couch."
"Don't be ridiculous, this is your place, I should be the one crashing on the couch," she replied.
He walked up to her, their bodies only inches apart, "No way, I'm the guy I'll sleep on the couch," he replied stubbornly.
"You are impossible," she sighed, "Look, it's a big bed, why don't we both just sleep in here," she said hoping to compromise, "Just keep to your side," she joked.
He stepped even closer, she could feel the heat radiating off his body, "If that's what you want."
"Yeah, it's ridiculous for somebody to sleep on the couch," she said slightly breathlessly, turning to unpack.
Abby Maitland you are… affected, she thought to herself.
That night she lay on her side of the bed staring at the ceiling, trying to pretend she still wasn't affected by his closeness. When she woke up the next morning she wondered into the kitchen to find Stephen leaning against the counter, already fully dressed, with a cup of coffee in hand. She hadn't thought about the fact she was still wearing a light blue tank top and dark blue bikini cut panties until she saw his eyes flick up and down her body.
"Coffee is on the counter," he told her.
She walked over and picked up the mug he'd sat out pouring it full, then adding cream and sugar.
"Lester is the only person I know who can drink coffee black," he said, "it's too bitter for me."
"Me too, I won't touch it black."
She went back into the bedroom and dressed quickly so they could get to the office.
Lester
James picked up his phone and dialed the inner-office extension for Jenny, he let it start ringing then switched to speaker and sat the handset down.
"Yes," she answered curtly, he could tell her end was on speaker as well, because he could hear the rapid clicks of her keyboard.
"Jenny do you know if that group of nitwits I'm forced to call a team have arrived yet?"
"I know Connor and Nick have…" her voice faded off and he could hear her heels clicking across the floor, "The lovebirds are here as well," she said coming back on the line, referring he knew to Stephen and Abby.
Lester couldn't manage to completely stifle a small laugh.
"Good, do assemble them downstairs, I have an announcement to make and someone to introduce them to."
He hung up the phone and stood up, straightening his tie and walking to the door. Thank god someone besides me is on top of things, he thought. Truthfully, he preferred Jenny to Claudia, not that he'd ever voice that aloud for fear of being murdered by Cutter.
"Are you coming Captain Becker?"
It's all turned out so well hasn't it, he thought wryly. Well at least they had a bigger building now, their offices really were too cramped, and a new member of the team who didn't seem to be as much of an idiot as the others.