Author's Note: Ice storms, am I right? ;-) So if this chapter jumps around it's because I started writing, and the power went out, and then the power came back on and I started writing again. It's just a mish-mosh is what I'm saying. My apologies for that! It's kind of sudden so I may end up putting a chapter between the last one and this one but who knows. I think the snow days were getting to me :-) Thank you to Jaywing25, Emador, biankies, and Guest for their wonderful and kind reviews! Enjoy!


An icy breath of air crept in between the blanket and his skin, alerting him to the presence of someone else in the room. He remained still and kept his eyes open, just waiting. The blade of the knife was cold against his chest, held directly over the place his heart would have been if anyone believed he had one. Her braid hung down and the frayed ribbon brushed his cheek as he waited.

"Since when do you sleep alone?" Her voice was determined and cold. He curled his fingers over hers and brought the blade even closer.

"Are you offering to keep me company?" She pulled back just the slightest bit but Spot held her hand tightly. He took advantage of her hesitation and grabbed her by both wrists, flipping her easily onto her back onto the bed next to him.

"Not interested," Tay told him as she tried twisting away from him. Spot shifted his weight, intertwining his legs with hers so she was pinned to the bed.

"Oh, doll, we both know that ain't true," Spot answered. He felt her pulse quicken at his touch and breathed in her familiar scent, overwhelmed with relief that she was there with him. Tay continued to fight him until he placed his hand over her abdomen and she grew as still as death.

Spot ran his hand over the slight swelling of her body, the only outward sign of her condition. Her skin felt as though it was on fire, he could feel the heat through the thin material of the dress she wore. He reached across her and lit the candle stub that was sitting on the small table next to his bed.

"Bit heavy-handed, ain't it, doll?" Spot asked. He looked down to where the knife remained tightly grasped in Tay's hand. He began to work the knife away from her and held it up to the light. "I mean, using the knife that killed your brother? Or should I say the one you think killed your brother? That is this knife, right? The one you gave me to kill Rook with."

"Don't even try," Tay told him. "I'm not listening to you lie to me anymore."

"Maybe I've changed," Spot answered.

"And I'm the Queen of England," Tay said sarcastically as she threw her arm up over her eyes.

"He wasn't stabbed. I did lie about that part," Spot began hesitantly. "There was a fight and he fell. I started the fight, but I didn't kill him."

Tay didn't lower her arm but Spot saw her chest began to rise and fall quickly as she listened.

"I tried to pay for you, I offered everything I had. Rook tried saying the deal was done but Kieran wanted to hear me out. Said he needed the money. The more, the better for him. They started shoving each other and next thing I know we're out on the street and Kieran was just…just laying there. There were a lot of people and Rook just shoved me and told me to get lost. Then he did the same."

Tay slowly lowered her arm and he could see the tears on her face. "Why couldn't you have told me that before?"

"I don't know." It was the only answer he could think of and it was probably the only honest one he'd ever given.

"All this time…" Tay began thoughtfully but she didn't finish. She just stared up at the ceiling somberly before turning toward him.. "We could just leave, you know."

"I ain't leaving Brookly and neither are you," Spot said irritably. Why was it every time he showed her the slightest amount of gentleness or patience she had to take it in a whole new direction? A direction he absolutely did not want to even think about heading toward.

"You can't keep me here. I know how long you spent looking for me. Just wait 'til I leave for good."

Tay reached for the knife Spot still held but he evaded her easily. He grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to look at him. He ran the flat side of the blade down her cheek, her neck, and continued until it rested against her stomach.

"Don't." Her voice shook even as she tried to sound forceful.

"My house, my rules, doll."

"I don't live in your house anymore," Tay challenged.

"Yeah, I heard you've taken up with Queens."

She was still so stubborn and so utterly useless at hiding from him. Winter had always been her ally as it tended to add a few days, or weeks, to his search. He'd kept his search fairly low-key to prevent her from hearing about it and searched her usual haunts on his own. When she didn't turn up at any of the familiar places, Spot had turned to his network of birds for information.

"I ain't taken up with them," Tay said carefully. "I just needed to get away from you."

"And yet here you are. You shoulda stayed with Sarah, or Race," Spot advised. "They might have helped you keep it."

"I am keeping it," Tay told him in a clipped tone. "You try and take it from me and I'll…"

"You'll what?" Spot asked. "Kill me? If you was gonna do that, I'd be dead already. It's what they sent you here for, ain't it?"

It just went to show how she continued to jump straight into situations without thinking. In her desperation to get away from Spot, Tay had managed to get herself in over her head with Queens. There was no doubt in Spot's mind that he was going to have to face facts and help her out of it.

"Or maybe you came for another reason," Spot told her. With one flick of his hand the knife landed on the floor, blade first. "Maybe you found out Queens ain't exactly the best place to be knocked up and on the run. Maybe you got tired of sewing circles and advice. So tell me, doll, what are you doing here? Because if I remember right, we already played this game once and you ain't exactly good at it."

"You don't know anything," Tay finally told him.

"I told you before, Anna," Spot murmured as he pressed his mouth against her ear. "I know everything about you."

Tay pressed her hands against his chest and futilely tried to push him away. "I don't believe you. You just lie about everything. You're hateful."

"Then what are you doing here?" He had forced her to say it before, but he wanted to hear it again. He needed to hear her admit that she loved him. Maybe it would help ease the constant fear he had that she would, once again, try and end her life.

Tay propped herself up on her elbows and blew out the candle. "I don't know anymore."

"That ain't really an answer, doll."

"I got a question for you, then," Tay said quietly. "Why didn't you kill me? I left Brooklyn, I tried to kill you…"

"You didn't try very hard," Spot interrupted jokingly.

"I've seen what you do to people who threaten you," Tay continued. "So why didn't you?"

There was a long silence as Spot lay staring up into the dark. He was startled when Tay reached for one of his hands and intertwined her fingers with his.

"'Cause I love you. Now shut up and go to sleep," Spot told her before he rolled over and pulled Tay against him tightly.