February was then over, with March bringing sunnier weather with it. It still could be very frigid, and of course there were many rain-showers, but Lawliet was thankful for the clear bright Tuesdays that he shared with Anna.

Along with the sun, he had come to two conclusions.

One: Lawliet had been correct on assuming he wouldn't be able to get the passionate kiss he had shared with Anna on her doorstep back in February. They had kissed briefly since then, but nothing as intense as that moment had been. Lawliet found himself thinking more about her lips than anything else...

And that brought him to the second conclusion: He was firmly avoiding the subject of him going back to his old life. He had received two other messages from the person who had contacted him before, revealing that he knew who he was. But he had not opened them. He hadn't made the decision yet and felt like he needed to make it before venturing on further with this person.

So in other words, he was still conflicted. But at the moment, he just wanted to focus on Anna - how she made him feel, how her kisses made him melt inside with a warm fire, and how she had consumed him up like he normally did cake. She had taken hold of him - mind, heart, soul - and had no intentions of letting him go. Not that he honestly could say he wanted her to.

He could only hope that she felt the same way about him. And by the way she responded to him - the way that from the beginning she had been interested in him - he could successfully assume that she did.

It was raining the day that Lawliet had shown up at Anna's apartment building. He had taken a cab, not particularly fond of the rain drenching him when he was planning on sitting on Anna's furniture throughout the day. Anna had suggested they spend the afternoon at her place, wanting to cook for him and watch some movies - or as she had said, just hang out.

They had yet to make a label on their growing relationship, but seemed content to just refer to each other as their boyfriend and girlfriend in their minds. To Lawliet, she was his girlfriend. He didn't need to say it aloud for it to become true. Plus, with the way she still wanted to kiss him, made him believe she felt the same.

Upon knocking on her door, he fidgeted in his ratty sneakers - finally feeling uncomfortable enough with them to slide the heels down a few weeks ago, so only his toes were hidden inside the soles. He didn't think his heart would ever stop racing at the anticipation of seeing Anna again - even if there were only week intervals between their visits.

She swung open the door, after clearly hearing all the locks unfasten, and graced him with her signature grin. Her eyes sparkled at him, happy to see him there. He took a moment to eye her attire, unable to stop himself before he knew what he was doing. She wore purple cotton shorts, revealing her beautiful complexioned legs, and mismatched bright colored socks of orange and yellow. Her shirt was more of a tank-top, black, with little Japanese styled creatures upon it. Her blond hair was styled up onto the top of her head in a messy up-do, strands curling around her cheeks. She wore an oven mitt on one hand and held the door open with the other one. She was delectable, he thought.

Would it be appropriate to draw her in and kiss her right then and there before even stepping foot into her apartment?

"Hiya Lawliet!" She said cheerfully, leaning forwards and kissing him on the cheek. His cheek warmed with heated tingles and his lips curved upwards, smelling not only the aroma of her strawberry shampoo but the smell of what lay ahead for them wafting from inside her apartment. "I made your favorite!"

One of Lawliet's (almost non-existent) eyebrows lifted at the declaration, but allowed her to pull her into her apartment with an enthusiastic tug.

"It smells delicious Anna," he told her as she released his hand to close the door behind them.

"Thanks!" He watched her walk into her kitchen, fiddling with the stove and such. She seemed to comfortable cooking, he thought with a small smile. A finger rose to his lips in thought.

"You can sit down, if you want," Anna said without turning around from what she was doing. "I'll bring you some tea in a moment."

Lawliet was okay with standing there and watching her, but decided to be polite and sit down on her sofa. Kicking his shoes off, he pulled his legs up to his chest and stared ahead at the television. She was watching the news - which was odd, since she had informed him that she didn't watch it.

After a moment or two, Anna appeared at his side, handing a cup of tea in his face - which he took appreciatively - before placing a full bowl of sugar cubes on the coffee table in front of him.

"You're watching the news," he stated, without questioning and he glanced up in time to see Anna blush and a dark shadow to reach her eyes. Lawliet was immediately interested in the answer now.

"M-my father is missing," she said, disturbed by this revelation. Lawliet's hands that held the cup of tea became frozen and he stared up at her through his large dark eyes.

"Why do you think he'll be on the news, Anna?" he asked her carefully but with curiosity.

Anna pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, looking uncomfortable with a glance in the television's direction before adverting her eyes to the floor. "My mother called me last night. She told me that they have investigators trying to find him and they called her to see if she knew where he was. She hadn't heard anything from him in a few years, not since I was almost kidnapped. I refuse to answer his calls and he seemed to give up a few months ago..." her voice trailed off as a wave of emotion took over her eyes and face. Lawliet made a slow move to fill his cup of tea with sugars, processing this information into his analytic mind as she explained all of this.

"And you think something happened to him?" he assumed thoughtfully, staring down into the sugary liquid, stirring as many sugar cups into his cup that he could.

Anna exhaled a shaky breath and fidgeted in his peripheral vision. "Possibly," she admitted. "He might have done bad things, but he's still my father and I don't wish bad will on him. I have a bad feeling about his disappearance. Normally, when he would disappear, he would end up back at his father's house - working for him at the pub my grandfather owns. But apparently, not even my grandfather knows where he is."

Lawliet drank from his cup, swallowing the thick syrup before looking up at her from under his dark bangs. "Has the investigators called you to question if you know anything?"

Anna stared back at him through wide blue eyes. "No. Nothing. They just got in touch with my mother yesterday though, so I am sure they will call possibly today or tomorrow."

Lawliet didn't nod or even look outwardly responsive. His mind was thinking of all the possible scenarios that her father could have done in order to disappear so thoroughly. Catching her eyes beginning to glimmer, he reached out to take her hand in his. She always felt so warm, compared to his seemingly cold skin.

Anna pressed her lips together tightly, as if attempting to hold herself together in front of him. This woman was possibly the most selfless person he had ever met in his whole time of existence. Bad things had happened to her, yet she did not wish any harm on the people who had done those bad things. It was refreshing and confusing all at the same time.

Lawliet gave her a serious, comforting expression. "Anna, if your father had died - they would find his body."

Anna choked on a broken sob, her eyes overfilling with tears and she looked away - but didn't release his hand. "I-I know," she said through a hoarse voice. "I-I just hope that he... I don't want anything to happen to him, Lawliet. I want him to be happy."

Lawliet felt a harsh lump in his throat and gently pulled her hand towards him, squeezing it gently with his before drawing the back of her hand to his mouth. He gave it a, hopefully, comforting kiss and wished he could make her feel better. Gods, how he hated it when she cried.

Anna looked down at him through tears, giving him a small sad smile at the gesture. He felt relieved that he could at least make her feel better a little. "I have to go check on the cake," she murmured and Lawliet released her hand so she could walk away from him.

He looked back at the television screen, a thumb coming up to his lips and he bit harshly down onto the fingertip. Perhaps, with his own investigation, he'd be able to find out what happened to her father... But that would mean he'd be returning to his old life, wouldn't it? In a way... He bit down harder.

Suddenly sounding improved than before, Anna called from the kitchen. "The cake's done! Do you want two strawberries on top?"

Lawliet's mind distractedly returned to the present. "Oh yes please."

A few silent minutes later, Anna handed him a small plate of a large piece of strawberry shortcake - two strawberries atop a dop of whipped cream. He couldn't help but smile softly down at it. He took the plate and gave her a quick smile.

"Thank you for baking this for me," Lawliet told her with full appreciation in his voice and Anna returned the smile, her eyes brightening fondly down at him - despite the small puff around the eyelids.

"I'll bake you anything you want," she told him before sitting herself down next to him, placing her cup of tea in front of her and digging into her smaller piece of cake.

Lawliet's heart fluttered a little at the statement. "You are too good for me, Anna," he said, slicing the cake with his fork before stuffing a huge bite into his mouth - and good gods, had he gone to heaven?

Anna giggled and Lawliet was then fully relieved that the topic of her father was temporarily forgotten. "You're just saying that because I made you strawberry shortcake."

Lawliet glanced at her with a teasing glint in his eye, that she caught, and laughed at. "Oh you know I'm right," she joked with a wink in his direction before a comfortable silence fell over them, both eating their cake - Lawliet finishing his much larger piece before she had.

"Okay, I can't watch this anymore," she suddenly muttered, putting cake down on the coffee table to grab at the remote. She promptly turned the channel - turning it to a dramatic detective show. Lawliet then watched her turn the channel again - after groaning to herself - until she finally found a cartoon of sorts.

Sighing to herself, Anna dropped the remote to the table and leaned back in her seat next to him. Lawliet didn't have anything comforting to say - his mind focusing on what he'd be doing that night when he left her apartment. He'd find her father. His eyes dropped to her unfinished cake, staring at the lone strawberry she had yet to eat.

When she made no move to pick the plate back up to finish eating, her eyes fixated on the television screen blankly, Lawliet asked: "Are you going to finish your peice of cake?" in hopes to distract her from her current thoughts.

Anna blinked and looked down at the plate in front of her before giving him a suspicious smile. Lawliet held back a triumphant smirk. "Why? Do you want to eat it?" she asked him in amusement, her blue eyes narrowing playfully at him.

His heart felt lighter at the sight. "Possibly," he said casually, feigning disinterest. "Given that you aren't going to eat it."

Anna giggled and leaned over, picking the plate up and pinching the strawberry between her index finger and thumb. She glanced over at him, making sure he was watching, before she slowly lifted the fruit to her lips - taking a small bite out of it. Lawliet wondered if there had ever been a more erotic sight until just then.

Sure, it was innocent enough and he highly doubted she had meant it to be arousing - but suddenly, as if someone had turned the heat on in the apartment, he felt extremely warm all over and his face grew hot.

Anna caught his gaze, but misinterpreted it, wrapping her pink lips around the fruit to take another bite. Then gave a small, "mmm". She literally had no idea what she was doing, did she? He swallowed thickly, feeling something he hadn't necessarily felt in quite a long time. If truly, ever.

When all that was left was a green stem, she dropped it to the plate and then handed over the rest of the shortcake that had a small spot of whipped cream. "Here you go," she said through a grin, her lips glossy from the strawberry juices.

Lawliet couldn't help himself. Not after what he had just witnessed. He leaned over promptly, ignoring the plate of shortcake and took her by surprise, pressing his mouth over her lips. He sounded a small moan of delight, tasting the strawberry on her mouth. His eyes closed. She quickly kissed him back and leaned into the touch. He used his tongue, sliding it across her lips in order to taste every inch of them - wanting to take the taste of strawberry and her lips into his mouth as thoroughly as he could.

He wasn't thinking. Not really. Surely there were a few thoughts in his mind, but it was focused on what his mouth was doing. She hesitantly opened her lips, and he about groaned into the kiss. His tongue, which was still swiping at her lips, was then touched by the warm organ that resided in her own mouth.

It tasted even better than her lips had. She tasted of not only strawberries, but sugar, tea, and something that screamed Anna. Everything he absolutely loved in one glide of the tongue. His heart was pounding loud in his ears, the fact that shortcake was being offered to him prior now absent from his line of thinking. One his hands, that had been on his knee, moved on it's own - capturing her jaw line with gentle fingertips. She breathed through her nose, sending little tingles over his cheeks as their tongues experimentally licked at each other.

His tongue was now firmly in her mouth, seemingly demanding as he tasted her. His tongue moved past her tickling tongue, moving over her cheeks and down her teeth - making sure to be as thorough as he could. What this woman could do to him, with just her mouth.

But he needed to breathe. He was practically eating her face off at this point, and he became aware of what he was doing from the lack of oxygen. Slowly, he pulled away from her lips, a small wet sound sounding from the breakage. His eyes slid open, looking into her heavy blue eyes that sparkled merrily at him, with a small hint of surprise and... was that arousal as well?

In order to redeem himself, he took the forgotten plate in her slack hand and pulled the shortcake to his knees. "Thank you," he told her, his voice sounding strange to his ears. It was throaty, if not husky. As he finished off her cake, distractedly thinking that it tasted no where near what her mouth had, he could feel her eyes penetrating into the side of his face.

Plate empty, he leaned forwards to put it down on the coffee table. Upon her long period of silence, he turned to look over at her - and was startled to see the intense heat in her blue eyes. They were a shade darker than normal and he blinked once. What was she thinking about?

He didn't have much time to ponder that question, because she was sliding over to him and then her hand was on his cheek. Once again, she felt extremely warm to him and he found himself leaning into the soft touch. She gave him a small smile, her thumb caressing his cheek fondly. No one had ever touched him in such a way before, not how Anna had for the past couple months. He never wanted it to stop - now that he knew what he was missing.

As if time was moving slowly, she leaned toward him - his eyes never leaving her face as his heart began to pound harshly in his chest again - and pressed her forehead against his. The strands that had fallen out of the knot on the top of her head tickled his face, but he was beyond caring. She then moved even closer to him, her knees that had been pulled up underneath her now used as support to kneel beside him, practically in his lap. Her other hand moved to his other cheek and he had to concentrate on remembering how to breathe.

Her small fingers slid through his hair, removing the strands of his own hair from his face. Her eyes were downcast and he watched her face, his lips parting slightly in order to breathe a little easier. Her fingers slid over his scalp, feeling him. The only sound in the room was their breathing, their hearts, and the faint sound of the television.

Not wanting to be left out, he took the moment to touch his fingers to her. He touched her waist, lifted to reach him better. Her own breathing hitched when he did so, and he couldn't help but feel proud of himself that he could omit such a reaction from her. He gingerly slid his fingers up her waist lightly, feeling just how thin her shirt actually was. Her fingers on his head pressed a little harder, but not enough to hurt. He swallowed thickly, before holding her by the ribs, loving the warm feeling of her lithe body.

Not being able to stand another minute, he closed the gap between them once more and kissed her. It was open mouthed, a little desperate, but deliberate as he slid his tongue into her mouth hotly. She slid her own against his, wanting to taste him just as much as he did her. Her fingers slid from his hair, clutching to his shoulders to support herself as they kissed.

Lawliet was one hundred percent certain he'd never get tired of kissing her.

Unfortunately, fate intervened and a phone ringing halted their movements. Anna broke apart from his mouth, her eyes opening and blinking once at him before realizing that it was her own phone. Lawliet watched her silently, his mouth feeling swollen and a little wet from their intense kiss, and allowed her to slide out from his hands to stand up.

"Excuse me," she murmured to him before moving to the back of the apartment, the phone still irritatingly ringing until she answered. Lawliet was still a little dazed, but listened in on what she was saying.

"Hello?" It was then that he heard a thud and he turned around in his seat with interest, seeing her mouth agape and her eyes wide, staring down at the cellphone that she had dropped to the rug underneath her feet.

"Anna?" he asked her warily and she snapped her gaze to his.

"It's my father," she said simply, the fear and shock on her face evident.

Lawliet forced himself from his seat on the couch and stood, shuffling over to her. He bent down and picked the phone up from by her feet, to stare at the number. It was a private number and he never trusted private numbers, unless they were his.

He vaguely heard a voice through the line, but covered the receiver with his hand. "You should speak with him," he told her, his voice sounding too much like his old self for comfort. "You might be able to learn where he is."

Anna swallowed visibly with nerves, but she nodded - complying with what he was telling her. She took the phone from him and held it up to her ear. "Turn the volume up," he suggested, wanting to listen - just in case. She nodded again and did as she was told before she took a deep breath.

"Dad?"

"Anna! I thought we had lost connection for a moment. Is someone there with you? I thought I heard a voice," her father's gruff voice said loudly through the phone and Lawliet lifted his thumb to his lips in thought, staring at Anna. Anna glanced up at him and he shook his head slightly.

"N-no, I'm here by myself. Where are you dad? No one can find you," she said, her words trembling.

"I got into some trouble, baby. This isn't even my real phone. I threw mine out."

Anna let out a shaky breath and Lawliet shifted a little closer to her. "Are you on the run? What did you do?"

"I can't tell you that baby. I just wanted to tell you... if something happens to me, then I need you to know that... I l-love you," he said, sounding rather emotional for someone who had no part in his daughter's life.

Anna choked on a sob but tried to keep herself composed for the phone call. But Lawliet could see her tears. "Nothing's going to happen to you dad. Don't talk like that. I... I love you too, okay?"

Despite everything this man had done to her, Lawliet was still very surprised to hear her say that with such conviction and honesty.

"Thank you baby. I-I'm sorry I'm not a good father... but I wanted you to know that -"

"Stop dad, I don't want to hear you degrade yourself. Please," Anna pleaded with him, beginning to shake uncontrollably. Lawliet noticed and placed his hand over hers that held the phone, keeping her from dropping the device. His heart wrenched for her despair.

"You've always been too good for your own good, baby. Don't ever change okay?"

Lawliet was feeling like this was some sort of final goodbye to his daughter. His instincts were on full alert and he had a feeling that this man was not going to be alive for much longer. He bit hard on his thumb.

"I promise, dad. Just - take care of yourself," she told him with a sniff.

"I'll do my best. One more thing before I have to get off, baby -"

"Anything."

"Don't tell anyone that you spoke with me. I don't need any interference."

"Okay I won't - but will you please tell me what is happening to you?"

"I'm sorry baby, I have to go. I love you," he said quickly, as if something was advancing on him or forcing him off the phone before he hung up swiftly.

"Dad? Dad!" Anna supplicated hastily into the phone, but to no avail - he was already gone. Anna looked up at Lawliet hopelessly, as if he could do something about it.

Lawliet bit hard once more down onto his finger before removing it. "Perhaps we should get in touch with the police," he wondered aloud to her. "Maybe they could get a hold of him before he-"

"I promised him Lawliet," she interrupted, bursting into tears. Her cellphone dropped onto the floor again and neither of them picked it up. She threw her face into her hands, shaking her head - as if hoping it would stop everything from happening.

Lawliet still felt like perhaps someone could stop him, if they were to tell, however he felt a wave of affection for her right then at how loyal she was to people she cared about. Did that mean that if were to trust her with his true identity, he could trust her to keep it a secret?

Feeling rather helpless, he stood there and watched her cry for a moment. He should comfort her. This was possibly the hardest thing she had gone through. He slowly moved forwards, closing the gap between them, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She immediately leaned into him, removing her hands from her face to hold him around his ribs, tightly to her. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck then, and he could feel her tears dampen his skin - but he wasn't planning on moving until she calmed down.

If she needed someone during this time, he would stay as long as she needed him.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed writing kissing scenes to this extent before... L what are you doing to me?