Know Your Limits

When they finally pulled away, it was because of lack of air. Jill rested her head on his shoulder, a smile on her lips. "We made it out!" She whispered in an excited tone.

He hugged her tighter to himself. "What do we do now?" he asked softly.

"Not sure," she answered, pulling away a bit, resting her hands on his chest. "My apartment was in all that mess." She gestured back to the direction of the city.

"Well, mine wasn't. You can go there with me, if you'd like," he offered, hands resting on her hips.

A smile played at her lips. "Sounds fun."


They made it to a road and walked until they were able to find a payphone. They called a taxi service and made it to Chris' apartment within two hours.

He led her inside, collapsing on the couch as soon as he could. She yawned. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired." He nodded in agreement as she sat down next to him, cuddling into his side.

"It's almost five in the morning," he pointed out. "We should get some sleep. I don't have a guest room, so you can take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

She clicked her tongue in dissapproval. "I'll only take your bed if you're in it too." Her eyelids were drooping with exhaustion. "I'm not going to have you sleep on the couch when it's your place. I'm fine with sharing the bed, but I'm not okay with you being out here."

"Fine," he replied, stifling a yawn.

"Any chance you've got some extra clothes I could sleep in?" She asked. They were lucky neither had fallen asleep yet.

"Sure." He was slow to stand but disappeared down the hall within a moment. When he came back out, he carried a small bundle of clothes in his hand. He had changed while getting the clothes, now wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. "Here. It's just a t-shirt and some sweatpants, and they're most likely big on you."

"Thanks, that's fine. Point me to the bathroom?"

"Second door down on the right."

She took the clothes and headed down the hall. She peeked into his bedroom as she passed, only a small corner visible from the doorway. She could see a large dresser next to a closet door, as well as a few framed pictures on top. She kept moving and went into the bathroom, changing quickly. When she emerged, she was in his clothing; a long sleeved white t-shirt that went down passed her hands and her hips, as well as a pair of gray sweatpants that pooled at her feet. She was glad the shirt was long because the pants were low on her hips.

She found Chris nearly asleep on the couch. She jabbed his shoulder and spoke, "C'mon. I told you I wouldn't let you sleep out here." She pushed at him a bit, getting him to sit up.

"I'm going, I'm going..." He mumbled, being led down to his bedroom. He fell onto the bed, pulling Jill down next to himself. She nestled closer to him, pulling the blankets up.

"Goodnight," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

" 'Night," he replied, placing his lips on her forehead.


Chris woke to someone knocking at the door as if his or her life depended on it. He slipped out of bed, pulling the blankets back up over Jill. "Where 're you going...?" she mumbled, barely opening her eyes to look at him.

"Someone's at the door," he told her. She nodded and her eyes slipped closed again. He headed to the door, which was still being pounded at. While covering a yawn, he opened the door. Behind it stood a slightly heavy set man, a magnum holstered at his side. "Barry?" Chris spoke, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see if you were alright," the older man said.

"Why?"

"The city is completely ruined. I've been checking on everyone. So far, only Forest is unaccounted for." Barry shrugged. "Someone said he might be a-"

"Chris?"
Both men looked back into the apartment where the voice had come from. Jill was leaning against the corner, looking out at them. Her hair was messy and she looked tired. "Jill?" Barry exclaimed, unbelieving.

"Barry?"

"Jill, what are you doing here?"

"Chris and I met in the city and we managed to get out," she explained, approaching, an arm slipping partially behind Chris' back.

"You two know each other?" the marksman asked.

"Yeah. Barry is the one who suggested I join STARS," Jill explained.

He shook his head, confused. "Here, come in, and we can talk in the livingroom," Chris invited, gesturing Barry inside.

The three of them stepped in. Chris and Jill sat on the couch and Barry took the arm chair across from it.

"So, tell me this story? From what I can see, you two are a bit more than friends," Barry stated, indicating the way the two before him sat. Jill, still tired, had cuddled up to Chris who had his arm around her. She leaned completely on him, finding him more comfortable than the couch.

"Oh, yeah... I guess we kinda are," Chris stated, almost surprised. He hadn't questioned any of it. It felt normal for her to be curled into his side or sleeping besides him in bed.

She smiled. "We haven't had much time to discuss it. Or even think about it, really." Barry chuckled. "Well, you two look perfect for each other. I hope it works out. But what happened in the city?"
A good hour was taken for the two to tell the story. Barry listened carefully, all the way from the handcuffs to the propane tank exploding. He laughed at some parts and frowned at others. When Chris and Jill finally finished, Barry's eyebrows rose.

"You two had one hell of a time in that city, huh?"

"You have no idea," Jill said. Good-naturedly, she added, "And when your handcuffed to a guy like Chris, who knows what'll happen."

"We wouldn't have gotten out if it weren't for you, Jill," Chris pointed out. "You did know about the tunnel."

Barry stood, interrupting them. "I'd better go. I have to check on a few more of the others. I'm glad to see your both okay," he stated. "See you later."

The other two spoke their goodbyes and listened for the door to shut. As soon as it did, she stretched up to give Chris a kiss. Pulling away, she spoke. "I've got an idea."

"What's that?"

"First, we get some food. Second, once we're done, we head to bed," she suggested.

"Isn't too early for sleep?" he wondered.

She smirked. "Who said anything about sleep?" She leaned in and whispered in his ear something that sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine. "Besides... I've still got those handcuffs."


AND... Fin. To those of you who have stuck with this until the end, I thank you.