Chapter Six

"I can't find my breath, can we just say the rest with no sound? And I know this isn't enough, I still don't measure up. And I'm not prepared, sorry is never there when you need it…"

Good to You By Marianas Trench

August 11th, 1907

"You can sleep in my bed; I'll take the couch." Blink murmured to her as she came out of the water closet looking much happier now that she was clean and refreshed. With that comfort taken care of, though, he could see the exhaustion plain on her face, in her shoulders, and the way she dragged her feet. Nodding at his words, too tired to argue, she shuffled to his bedroom and fell right on the mattress, not even taking the time to pull the covers over her.

Blink moved over to tuck her in, her soft snores letting him know just how exhausted she had been. Lightly, he brushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek as he gazed down at her. She was not a threatening woman, but given the feelings she gave him she might as well be. But, in sleep she looked so sweet and soft, he had to tamp down the urge to lay down beside her and fall asleep with her in his arms.

That urge should appall him because he never stayed after sex to cuddle. His brain was horrified at the very thought, but he found himself ignoring it in favor of imagining it actually happening. He wondered if she would wrap her arms around him…

Turning away from her and the ridiculous feelings that came when he looked at her, he grabbed his own change of clothes and went to the water closet to take his own cold bath. He needed it like a starved man needed food.

The cold did it's job, numbing his body and taking off the edge of his raging hormones. He was just laying down on the couch when he heard a whimper from his bedroom.

"Thomas?" Her voice was soft, but ragged as if she were on the verge of tears, "Thomas?" She repeated, a note of hysteria apparent this time around.

He bolted towards the room to see Katherine sitting up in the bed, her hands pushing her hair from her face, brown eyes wild in the soft light coming through the window. "Shh, Katy. I'm right here." He told her, sitting on the edge of the bed, taking her shaking hands into his.

She gripped his hands tightly, "Oh, what an awful dream. I was in the cell all alone, and Barkers was standing on the other side of the door laughing while you yelled out as he t-tortured you." She bit back a sob and pressed into his arms, which he willingly opened to encompass her shaking form as he tried to soothe her. "A-and then he opened the door and threw you in with m-me…but you were d-d-dead."

"Shhh, shh. I'm not dead. We're fine. We got out, it's all awright." He murmured to her, pressing his lips to the top of her head. He repeated this a few times until she stopped shaking.

Sighing, she pulled away to lay back and when he went to stand, she grabbed his hand, "Please stay with me?"

"Of course." He should have hesitated because although the cold shower had helped, it wasn't a miracle worker and being so close to her with all of their tension between them would be…to say the least hard.

Ignoring the warnings in his brain, his heart already there in front of him, he slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around her like he imagined earlier. He couldn't stop the smile as she turned around to face him, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she slung her arm over him and managed to lace her legs with his.

In minutes, her breathing turned even and relaxed, the nightmare long gone. He squeezed her just a little bit, to assure her he was there to fend off any others that would come along.

Her steady heartbeat relaxed him into his own sleep, as much as he wanted to treasure this moment with her, he found he could not fight off his own exhaustion to do it.


At the darkest part of the night, just before dawn, Blink found himself slowly being pulled out of his sleep by a wandering hand that was skimming along his side, up and down, and stoking a fire in the pit of his stomach. Gently, he answered her hand with a caress of his own, softly stroking her hair before trailing his fingertips along her neck, shoulder, down along her ribs before settling at the meeting of her trousers and shirt. He slipped his hand just under the shirt to feel her soft skin.

At his touch, she moved her head out from below his chin to seek his lips. He met hers halfway, claiming those soft, full lips as he pressed himself forward. She easily rolled with his body, letting him pin her to the mattress as he brushed her lips with his tongue and she let him fully in.

Using his arms to keep his weight from crushing her, he shuddered as her fingertips explored him pushing his shirt up to run along his sides and back. Neither spoke or let themselves think about whether or not this was a good or bad idea, they just let their instincts take over as they followed the call of their hearts.*


Katherine woke up slowly, her ears picking up a soft patter of rain on the window first, and then the deep, even breathing and heartbeat under her. She didn't move or open her eyes, only savored how happiness thrummed through her entire body at this very moment. Later, her brain would try to make her regret this, regret last night, but she vowed that her heart would not. No matter how the future turned out, she wanted to keep this moment for herself.

Blink sighed and rolled over, pushing her off his chest but wrapping his arms around to cuddle her against his body before settling down and continuing to sleep. She found herself tucked against him, his chin resting on the top of her head as she lay between him and the wall. Never had she ever been cuddled like this. The one and only guy who had gotten past her barriers had stayed around long enough to get his satisfaction before ghosting out of her life.

Yet, this notorious rake was snuggling her as if she were his dearest love.

Don't think too much into it, her brain warned her heart. But, how could she not? Hope had done what it always did, wormed its way through the cracks of doubt and given her something to hold onto. Katherine had grabbed at it with both hands.

Lightly, without really thinking, she kissed his neck. In response, he squeezed his arms around her before mumbling, "Mmm, g'morning."

"I think it's afternoon." She whispered to him, although it was overcast and raining so it was hard to tell.

He pulled away from her to look up and out of the window, "Huh. Ya may be right." He then proceeded to snuggle his face into her hair at the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms back around her, "Back to bed, then." He murmured.

His breath on her neck tickled causing her to squirm in his arms but he only tightened them, "Thomas," She started, exasperated but he cut her off.

"Don't squirm like that unless ya up for round three." His voice was half amused, half aroused.

"As good as that sounds….wouldn't it be round five?" She paused waiting for his answer.

"Round five for you." Was his retort.

"Ah, yes." Her voice was far smugger than it needed to be, but she couldn't help it. "But, really, you need to let go." Dropping her voice to a whisper, she told him seriously, "I need to use the water closet."

He pulled away slightly to meet her gaze, a devilish gleam in his ocean blue eyes, "Oh, ya do? So, I shouldn't tickle you here…" He unwrapped his arms from around her, but proceeded to go for her sides and underarms.

She shrieked with laughter and pushed away from him so fast, she slammed her back into the wall.

"Katy!" He stopped his assault to check on her and she took that opportunity to gain the upper hand and roll him under her. Breathless, he gazed up her in such an adorable fashion with his blonde hair a mess from their escapades, his eyes becoming hooded at her position straddled atop him. "Well, if ya wanted ta try this position all ya had ta do was say somethin'." He stroked down her back, his fingertips sending electricity and warmth through her whole body and she silently debated how much she actually needed to visit the washroom.

Bracing her arms on either side of his head, she quirked her head at him, "Why should we try it this way?"

Instead of answering her, he showed her.

She did eventually make it to the water closet. As she washed her hands, she glanced up at her reflection in the mirror and was surprised by how different she seemed to look to herself. Definitely happier. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair looked soft and wavy despite the mess to it, and she found it hard not to smile. Her eyes also twinkled in a way that was very becoming. Part of her, well really all of her, liked the effect that Blink had on her.

Drying her hands, she paused when she heard a knock at the front door. Blink stumbled out of bed, tossing on a pair of trousers before heading to answer it.

"What if it's one of Barkers gang?" She whispered before he got to the door.

He glanced at her before calling out, "Who is it?"

"It's Charlotte."

The woman's voice was like a bucket of icy reality being thrown onto Katherine. Before Blink opened the door, Katherine sidled into the bedroom and looked around for the trouser and shirt he had given her last night to wear.

"Hey." She heard him greet the woman.

"Where have you been, Tommy? It's been two days!" The voice and the use of his given name caused Katherine to clench her teeth in anger at her stupidity. Damn fool, he lied to you, she thought to herself, furious she had believed that she was the first woman to ever be allowed here. Yet, curiosity caused her to peek around the bedroom door to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

Of course, she was young and pretty. Blonde hair and green eyed, her dress hugged her body in all the right places and she was small and petite in the way men often liked their women. She was everything Katherine was not. She even gazed up in a sort of hero-worship way through blonde eyelashes that, even from here, Katherine could see were far longer and thicker than any woman had a right to have.

Katherine pulled her head back into the room and quickly began getting dressed. She was not getting involved with this man any more than what had already happened. She couldn't. Falling in love with a man who cheated and lied to her and would inevitably leave was not in her future, she was not her mother.

Dressed, ignoring the voices outside the door, she stared at the wall feeling the hope that had been present this morning slowly slide form her fingertips. Her brothers had found happiness, had fallen in love with wonderful ladies and had given all their love and loyalty to them. So, what was wrong with her? Tears began to prick her eyes at the thought, but she held onto her anger to keep them at bay. Glancing to the window, she wondered if she should just leave. Head towards Patrick or Sean's place and lie low with them until getting word to Brendon about his screw up. That way she'd be away from temptation, Blink wouldn't be caught up in her mess, and she could reclaim her life without some rakehell mucking it all up.

Thinking of no downsides, she noticed a pad and paper next to his bed and hastily scribbled a note on it before pulling on her shoes, the pretty, far too fancy shoes she had worn with her bridesmaid dress, and climbing out the window and down the fire escape.

She might have heard him yell her name, but she didn't turn back. Despite the rain, the streets were crowded and she easily lost herself among the strangers, her feet carrying her towards Brooklyn.

A/N: Oh, guys. I just broke Blink's heart and it feels AWFUL. Ugh. Anywho, I have an asterisk* in the scene above because I had to cut out the awesome sex scene in order to keep my rating down on this series. However, if anyone's interested, I'll probably post a separate story and rate it M and post all of the naughty scenes in it. Maybe include some cute little one chapter vignettes of snapshots of our couples from this series. If I do that, I'll make sure to let everyone know which chapters are the naughty ones and so forth.

Please review! I already started working on the next chapter so it could be up later this weekend!

Truly,

Joker is Poker with a J~