What I own: A gaggle of chick flicks that I can't bring myself to watch, an I-pod that doesn't work and a cakesicle maker.

What I don't: Rookie Blue. Nope, not mine. Not even in my dreams. I just play with them

Author's Note: Two in one day. I don't even know either. You can blame (or thank) MD14 for this one, she requested it SPECIFICALLY and I couldn't say no. Remember, this does NOT take place in order. This is a direct continuation of a prior chapter, though the odds of one chapter picking up exactly where another left off is very, very rare but… MARYS ASKED AND I HAD TO OKAY? OKAY! I don't THINK this is gonna cause any angst, although I did cry while writing it because… reasons. As always, not beta'd because allllll the reasons. But Janeycakes still wins. Questions? Comments? Scene suggestions? PM or find me on Twitter, I love to talk. I promise I will get on my review replies soon, I know I have been slacking like whoa. The song for this chapter is Angels in Everything by Blue October and MY LAWD THE FEELS. I hope I did it justice and I really, really, REALLY hope that y'all like this, it just… yeah. Enjoy.

The silence was heavy and nearly palpable as we stared at each other in the dark. Even the crickets had stopped chirping, that grating sound would be more than welcome at the moment. Crickets, cicadas, hell even gunshots. Something to break the silence.

I don't know how long we stood there for, in the quiet, underneath the stars, just taking each other in. My own words still ran in a constant loop through my mind. I always had words, no matter what and here, now, when it actually mattered? Nothing.

I watched him intently. He was bare chested, light cotton pajama pants low on his hips. I recognized them, had even worn them once when the doorbell rang early one Sunday morning. Judging by the wrinkles that I could see even in the dim porch light, they had been hastily thrown on. His hair stuck up in all directions and my fingers literally twitched, wanting so badly to smooth it down. But it was his eyes that had me captivated.

Sam Swarek was not one to show his emotions, not to anyone if he could help it. It's what made him so good at what he did, especially undercover. He once told me, in a candid, post-coital moment, as we both slowly came down from the exquisite high, that he could hide anything from anyone except for me and Sara. He could lie and dance around the truth about anything but we would always see the truth in his eyes.

I saw struggled to see it now as I watched the emotions flicker over his face in the dim haze of the porch light, one after another as I held his gaze, unable and unwilling to look away.

Seconds passed, maybe minutes, time seemed to move both lightening quick and painfully, fearfully slow at the same time as we stood, gazes locked.

"Are you, I mean- Did you?" He stumbled over the words and, had it been any other situation, I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

My words were still frozen somewhere in my throat, I could feel them stuck there, almost choking me but they refused to move. I nodded mutely, my bangs falling in front of my eyes as I fished in my pocket for that piece of plastic, retrieving it by the slender handle and holding it out wordlessly, the single word seeming to shine in the overhead light.

He reached out to take it and our fingers brushed together, just the smallest bit and I felt that familiar fire race over my skin, that yearning that I'd felt almost constantly since that night, every time I saw him.

Time stopped as we looked, seemingly into each other's souls, and the tears started again, flowing down my cheeks as I watched him stare down at the item in his hands, the barest hint of a smile visible from where I stood.

His movement was swift and he crossed the small porch in just two strides, wrapping his strong, familiar arms tightly around me and pulled me near. I collapsed into him, tears splashing into bare skin as I clung to him with everything that I was. He lifted me easily and I allowed it, reveled in it, in the closeness, the warmth, the sheer comfort as he headed inside, kicking the door shut behind us.

Settling on the couch, I remained on his lap, his hands absently stroking my back, the soft, soothing circles causing my sobs to subside as I gave in to the exhaustion that had been building for seemingly longer than I could remember as I let my eyes drift closed, his words whispered into my ear as I drifted to sleep.

"You will never have to be alone."