Jartha fluff dotted randomly all around. I decided Adile had to be important somewhere and that resulted in me hurting Bloom D: (I'm sorry!) Massive love to anyone who reads this, especially as always Afroza-IX and Dodgy, you guys are awesome. Please enjoy this a lot...

John kept her held tightly in his arms, his lips brushing the top of her head as he spoke, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. It was only when her breathing slowed that he realized how tired of it all she was and he shifted slightly so that she was more comfortable, her head completely resting on his shoulders and his arms supporting her. Her eyes were ringed with a deep purple that was so dark it was almost black and at one point she shifted so that her arm was on her shoulder, slowly trailing along his collarbone and his neck. The feeling made him shiver and his mind wondered what it would feel like if it wasn't her hand but her lips.

Her shook his head, annoyed at himself for thinking that about her, about the vulnerable woman lying in front of him. She stirred in her sleep and her lips parted slightly, her skin flushed slightly. It seemed to be the first time she had slept properly in a while and he felt strangely honoured at being the one to make her feel better. He felt a stirring of desire deep inside his chest and he slid her sleeping form onto the bed before padding slowly towards the kitchen. He reached the kitchen and lifted a glass from the cupboard, filling it to the brim with clear water. He leaned his back against the work surface and took a deep draught of the icy beverage, rolling the glass against his forehead with a shaking hand. There was another tap on the door and he growled, the hair on the back of his neck standing to attention.

'If that's Adile again…' He walked to the door and wrenched it open, his eyes flashing with anger at Tessa who was standing on his doorstep.

'John? Where's Martha?' She was shorter than him but still carried an air of menace about her slim form and loom found himself recoiling slightly.

'She's… she's… asleep.' He finished lamely, walking back into his kitchen and taking another sip from his glass, trying to calm his jittering nerves.

'Why is she here, John? Why isn't she at home?' Tessa was furious and looked very much like she wanted to hit Bloom when she got closer to him. 'Well?'

'She needed somewhere to stay where she couldn't be hurt by herself or anyone. She was so distressed in that hospital she could barely cope. I had to take her in, Tessa, believe me I did.' Tessa stared at him and then backed down, her hackles slowly subsiding in the few moments she had been ready to kill him.

'Ok. John, we need to talk though. Come for a walk with me.' Bloom looked around and then sighed in defeat, rolling his eyes in her direction. 'Please?'

'Okay… let me just… leave Martha a note.' Tessa nodded sharply as Bloom dug around in his drawers for a pen and a scrap of notepaper, scrawling a quick note.

Martha, gone out with Tessa. Apparently we 'need to talk'. I'll be back soon.

He wanted sincerely to add 'I love you' on the end but decided against it, his pen refusing to move. He walked into her room and gently placed it on her bedside table, his hand lingering on the varnished wood as he watched her sleep. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead with his lips, observing the slight change in her breathing and the way she rolled over slightly, as if trying to get to him.

'See you later.' He turned and walked quietly out, closing the door delicately with a soft click on his way out. 'Okay Tessa, you've got me. What do you want?' She smiled at him and then walked to his front door, dithering by it as he shrugged his tight leather jacket on over the white t-shirt that showed his sculpted chest.

'As I said, we need to talk about Martha and why you're spending so much time with her.' He looked incredulously at her and opened the door, both of them clattering down the stairs to the lower floors and into the weak sunlight outside.

'Tessa, she's my friend!' Tessa folded his arms and glared disapprovingly at him; his eyes were half closed and he turned back to face her, running a hand through his hair. 'She's my friend and she reached out for me. She needed me when everyone turned her away. I was there for her and you know what? I care about her.' Tessa clicked her tongue and walked ahead of him, his eyes in the back of her neck with a grim smile. 'Tessa you have to believe me. I have no ulterior motives.'

'Yes. Because I believe you. John I've seen the way you look at her and I've seen the CCTV footage. I know what's going on between you two.' John spun around.

'Nothing's been going on between us, Tessa. Believe me.' He looked sincerely into her eyes, no trace of deceit in his own. Tessa turned and faced him.

'So why is she in your flat? Why isn't she on her own, or, even better, with a woman friend? I.e. me.' Bloom stared incredulously at her, his eyes flashing.

'Fine. She can if she wants. I took her in because I asked and she accepted that offer. She can't cope on her own and if she was with you then fine. You can take her in if you want. But I'll tell you one thing, she needed me; not someone who works with her or someone she would be embarrassed to talk to in work because of that. She needs me.' Tessa opened her mouth sadly and was about to say something when the shot rang out. Bloom dropped to his knees with blood pouring from his arm, his fingers struggling to control the rush. Tessa knelt beside him and applied pressure as hard as she could despite his constant swearing.

'Bloom I know this hurts but it's for the better. Just stay still we need to get you undercover so that they can't hurt you any more. Just breathe.' Bloom swore continuously under his breath and Tessa touched his arm gently. 'Come on Bloom.' Bloom hissed in pain as the blood rolled over his fingers in a warm sticky liquid that instantly stained his clothes and hands. Tessa grabbed his other arm and lifted him to his feet, pulling him into a shop doorway behind a parked van. He scrabbled in his pocket for his phone but Tessa beat him to it and was already deep in conversation with the emergency services operator. There seemed to be a lot of blood and his sight was wavering at the edges like he was underwater. 'Bloom? Stay with me now okay?' He nodded, the only sensation he could feel was the one on his hand where the essence of his life was spilling and staining the pavement a deep scarlet.

'Oh shit Tessa. What about Martha?' She didn't grasp what he was saying and he just wanted to shout Adile's after her! His heartbeat faltered and he pressed down even tighter on the gush, biting down hard on his lip as Tessa sat beside him on the cold, unforgiving concrete.

Sorry fangirls D: but you know, the story gets better after this. More fluff and fluff and fluff galore.

Reviews make me happy and make me update faster

Love youuuu

Erin