"The Scavenger Bride"
Chapter 11: Stay With Me

The night wore on and before long we agreed on one last question, from him to me. "Okay, you better make this one good, West, 'cos we got work to do after this," I giggled.

"Umm…." West leaned back and thought for a moment. "What was your favorite thing to do when you were a child? I mean, was there one activity you did on a constant basis that you really liked?"

"Aah," I smiled. "Good one." I sighed, sipping my beer and leaning against the fridge to think for a moment. "Dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yes."

"As in…."

"Well, as it so happens," I motioned for the radio. "Big band swing."

"Really?" West was impressed. "Was it difficult?"

"No, no, actually, once you got the hang of it, it wasn't that bad. Oh, perfect!" I got excited when 'Jump, Jive and Wail' came on. "C'mere, c'mere." I motioned for him to join me.

"Wha-" his jaw dropped. He composed himself almost instantaneously and frowned. "No. Absolutely not. I can't-"

"Oh, whaddaya mean, you can't?" I grinned. "You ever try?"

"Well…. no, but…."

"But what, Herbert? But you're brilliant? C'mon, please?" I begged, making the most pitiful face I could, and to my delight, he got up with a sigh and a smile.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

"You're gonna be great. C'mere. Okay. Put your right hand….. here…" I placed it on my left hip, sliding my left arm around his shoulder. I grabbed his free hand. "Okay. You gotta feel the rhythm. You feel that?" I helped him along, tapping it out on his shoulder and starting to move a little with it. He went with it, and nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay. You ready?"

"No."

"Good. Now just follow me. Here we go."

It was a little awkward at first, but it didn't take long for him to pick it up. He looked down at our feet and smiled.

"Hey, look at that, Herbert, you've got it!" I laughed.

He kept smiling, too, and pretty soon felt bold enough to spin me around. We kept dancing, too, but eventually the song came to an end, and he slowed a little as a new one came on.

"Ooo, 'In the Mood!' Oh, no, you're not done yet, West. C'mon! Doctor's orders!"

He didn't fight it. He shrugged, laughed and just kept going.

We were tired soon, and fortunately for us, the radio had mercy on us, playing something slower: 'A Kiss to Build a Dream On.' I leaned in against him, resting my head on his shoulder while trying to steady my breathing. I lifted my head moments later.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been doin' this all your life," I smiled.

"You did say it wasn't too difficult," West returned the smile, making me giggle.

He held me to him, and I could feel his lips brush against my forehead. But it wasn't long before the music picked up a little and he swung me out and made me spin, bringing me back into him. West was grinning, and I was blushing again. He studied my face, inches from his as my heart began to pound.

"You're doing it again," he murmured.

"Doing what?" His voice wasn't the only just above a whisper.

Leaving my hand on his chest, he reached up and gently traced a finger down my cheek, and the blood came rushing back all over again. I grinned in realization, burying my face in my hand, but he moved it away and our eyes met. Leaning in, he kissed me, making both of us tremble slightly. It was intense, and almost a little frightening, but intoxicating, and I had to pull away a moment or so later, fearful of being sucked in, when I knew I'd made a promise to him. I buried my face in his neck, smiling.

The song was over soon, and I upheld said promise. I helped him clean up and we took the remainder of our beers downstairs to work. We were down there for hours, and I was positively toxic by the time we called it a night. I had just enough energy in me to wash my face and brush my teeth before actually going to bed, and when I came back out, West was heading into his room.

"Herbert," I smiled. "You're actually using your room."

He smiled back tiredly. "I am. You were right, it- it is much more comfortable."

I nodded, giggling. "Thank you for dinner, and thank you…. for everything."

West thought it over. "I had a most pleasurable evening. And you're welcome."

"Oh, I'm glad," I smiled. "Well. Goodnight, Herbert."

"Goodnight, Imogen."

It took me some time to fall asleep; I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. When sleep finally found me, it stayed for some time. But my eyes eventually fluttered open, and I couldn't place what it was that caused me to wake so randomly. My alarm read ten after three, and the full moon shone brilliantly down through my window. I swung my feet over the side of my bed, coughing, and I winced, realizing my throat was dry. So I got up and shuffled for the kitchen, looking to get some water.

The dim little personal lamp in the living room was aglow, and I realized I'd forgotten to turn it off before going to bed. So I got my water, chugged half of it and went over, shutting it off. I turned around to head back to bed when the silhouette in the corner caused me to cry out and jump. "Who's there?" I demanded frantically, shaking.

"Imogen, it's me," West's soft voice reached my ears, and he stood up, coming to me. His face came into view via the moonlight outside; he looked tired, but concerned.

"Oh, God," I sighed, putting a hand to my heart. I set down my water, not wanting to spill it. "You nearly killed me, Herbert, what- Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I couldn't sleep," he told me quietly. Our eyes locked and I suddenly felt my insides quivering. "You're cold," he put his arms around me, furrowing his brow.

"No, I'm not." It was my turn to shake my head. I could barely speak.

His voice was a whisper. "Then why are you trembling?"

I practically threw myself at him, kissing him with everything I had and wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled me towards him hungrily. Moments later, I took his hand and led him away to my room. Once there, he lifted off my shirt and tossed it aside, and he lay me back on the bed. The adrenaline was kicking in; breathing hard, I pulled him towards me, begging silently with another kiss. He leaned into me, planting soft little kisses down my throat, my chest, my stomach. His hands were everywhere. Eventually, after he removed his shirt, I couldn't take any more. My nerves made me a live wire, and my entire body was on fire as a desperate little moan escaped me.

"Herbert, please….." I finally whimpered, tugging at him, bringing him back up to have his warm lips meet mine. He took pity on me then, giving us both what we so desperately craved.

xxxxxxxxxx

Consciousness settled slowly upon me the next morning, piece by piece, and in the hazy light of the rising sun my tired eyes struggled to clear. Even with the dim light, it made my still-weary eyes ache, and I squeezed them shut for a moment. I was on my side, legs pulled up towards me; I shifted sightly, and Herbert did, too, the strong arm around my waist pulling me in towards him even closer. There was a warm breath in my ear, making me giggle, and I was surprised at how it didn't bother me anymore. I turned over to face him, only to find he was still asleep, but it wasn't moments before his eyes fluttered open languidly. When they registered what was in front of him, they snapped open, and he gave a little gasp. With that, his arms were gone, and he was scooting away over my double bed.

"Herbert?" My heart sank as I reached for him. "What's wrong?"

His eyes lowered guiltily, nearly panic-stricken. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Shouldn't have done what?" My heart bruised, and I didn't know why I had to even ask. I knew what he was going to say, and it hurt. His eyes fluttered back up to meet mine.

"I'm sorry. I can't- I can't." He sat up, searching for his clothes, but I grabbed his arm and he turned to look at me.

"Why not?"

For a moment, the longest moment I could recall experiencing, it seemed, we looked at each other without speaking as Herbert gathered his thoughts. "I…" He swallowed hard. "It's just, I'm….."

"What?"

"I'm scared." His voice was barely audible. I knew his arrogance would prevent him from ever admitting anything like this, but it was because of this, not in spite of it, that I believed him.

"Herbert… you don't need to be. Nothing bad is going to happen. Why are you scared?"

When he spoke again, he spoke slowly, softly. "You know what happened to me. My mother. My father. My friend. Every time-" He made a little sound then, hanging his head. "And anyway, my work. I can't."

"And you know what happened to me." Tilting his chin up to look at me, I asked him if he was guilty of what we'd done.

"Guilty?"

"Yes. Did you or did you not have a good time last night?"

"Wh- that-that's beside the point."

"Answer me."

"Fine," he sighed, aggravated. "Yes."

"And do you care for me?" The sixty-four million dollar question. I braced for impact.

Herbert silently and adamantly shook his head and the wind was knocked out of me. "I refuse to answer that question," he answered solemnly.

"Why?" I asked him harshly. I was so sick of all the screwing around (figuratively, at least). "Do you or do you not care for me? The question is a lot simpler than you're making it, you know."

"Don't."

"Herbert-"

"Please. Please don't. I just-" He wasn't crying - I'd been convinced for some time that he just didn't have any tear ducts - but if it'd been anyone else, I was sure they'd have been in tears. So I stayed quiet. I understood. He slid back down into the pillow, shaken, and I lay down with him, facing him and taking his hands in mine.

"If you're afraid of something happening to me, well, you needn't be. Because nothing will."

He stared at me silently for some time, taking in what I'd had to say, until he finally spoke again. "There is one other thing," his eyes never left mine.

"One other….?"

"You asked me if there was anything else you could do to repay me for saving your life. There is something." I nodded, encouraging him to continue, and when he spoke again, his voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Stay with me."

"Always." A tear escaped me, sliding across my nose and into the pillow. I pulled him towards me and kissed him then, and we stayed entwined together for a long time that morning.

xxxxxxxxxx

MUSIC:

Of course, there's Louis Prima's swing tune, "Jump, Jive, an' Wail," which is so much fun, as well as Louis Armstrong's sweet song, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On."

But there's one song that has played a huge part in terms of inspiration; it is "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. The song is PERFECT. The lyrics, to me, come from Herbert's pov: "When you feel my heat, look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide…. Don't wanna let you down but I am hell bound, know this is all for you, don't wanna hide the truth. No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come…. They say it's what you make, I say it's up to fate, it's woven in my soul, I need to let you go. Your eyes they shine so bright I wanna save that light I can't escape it now unless you show me how….." They both have demons they're fighting: their past.

And last but DEFINITELY not least, we have "The Promise," by When In Rome. You know this song. :D It is BEYOND PERFECT for this scene where he asks her to stay with him.