A/N: I'm still working on that RockNRolla fict, so updates are sporatic...and I started college classes again. Since this is my last semester, I get all the tough classes, so I'll update when I can.

But be happy! This is an EXTREMELY long chapter. I wouldn't expect a lot like this...I couldn't find a good enough spot to stop.

On that note: Enjoy more awkwardness!

/X\X/X\X/X\

Deciding that I needed a break, I got up from my chair, took my water, and went downstairs to lay on the couch. I brought a hand up to cover my eyes, then took a few deep breaths. When I felt that my heart rate was returned to normal, I got up and off the couch, then headed back upstairs. Setting my water back on my desk, I grabbed the paper I wrote the messages on and a pen. I crossed off the message for Phil since I already gave it to him.

Glancing up, I saw that Ian was behind his desk again. There was on frown on his handsome face as he typed something.

I stepped around my desk, then walked back to the office. After knocking softly, I opened the door and stuck my head through.

Ian looked up and his facial features softened. "Come in." He said softly.

I stepped through the door and closed it behind me, then I took a few steps over to one of the chairs in front of his desk to sit down.

"There were two messages for you on the answering machine." I started in a flat tone. He nodded, so I continued. "One said that the microwave you ordered is on back order and won't be here for another week or so. The other was from someone named Gene Fenstemacher. He left a number but no message."

I noticed that when I was reading off the messages, in my chicken-scratch handwriting, my hands were shaking. I blamed it all on Collins; he shook me up...er, quite literally.

"All right, thanks." Ian said softly.

I nodded this time, then crumbled the paper and threw it in the trash next to Ian's desk. Balling my hands into fists, I stood from the chair, then headed to the door.

"Jack, wait." Ian said.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob, then turned back to face him, leaning against the door. He stood from the chair and moved around his desk to stand in front of me.

"Are you okay? I mean, after being confronted by Collins." He asked. His eyes held...something. I wasn't sure what, but I could at least see a mix of emotions there.

"I'll be fine." I answered in a whisper, looking down to the floor.

Ian reached his hand down to lift my hand by the wrist. My heartbeat sped up again, but this was for a very different reason. He held my wrist lightly in his large hand and we both watched as my hand shook. I let it shake for a quick moment, then clutched my hand into a tight fist.

"Why don't you go home, Jack." Ian suggested.

I looked up to him for a moment with a helpless look. "Ian...I can't. I don't think I'd be sane long if I was left alone. I'd be thinking that Collins would do...something to get me or something like that." I paused to take a deep breath. "He gave me a business card with his numbers on it, telling me to call him at anytime."

Ian frowned again when I regaled the tale of what happened between Collins and I.

"I told him to leave you alone. Obviously, he didn't heed my word." He said. "What did you do with the card?"

"Threw it in the garbage. There's no way in hell I'm going to call him...again." I answered.

This evidently made Ian smirk a little. "All right, good. Go back to whatever you were doing. We'll get out of here in a little while."

Nodding, I made to turn, then remembered Ian was still holding onto my wrist.

"I'll need you to let go of my wrist before I can go anywhere." I said with a grin, even though I really didn't want him to let go.

"Oh, of course." He said as if he was in a trance and completely forgot he was holding onto me.

When he did let go, I turned, still with a grin, and opened the door. Crossing the floor back to my desk, I lifted the wrist that Ian had held and stared at it. I smiled inwardly.

Back at my desk, I finished off the rest of the water in my bottle. I tossed the bottle across my desk and next to Shippen's where the recycling bin was. I hit the edge of the bin and the bottle bounced under Shippen's desk, where I think it hit his leg...since he looked down.

"Jackal." He chastised.

"Sorry, Ship. You know I suck at basketball." I grinned evilly.

"That's not the only sport you suck at." He retorted, bending down to pick up the bottle and tossed it into the bin.

I rose an eyebrow still grinning. "What's that supposed to mean? You wanna take this outside?"

"No. It's just that you're not the 'sporty' type. You have more intellect, than brawn." He said.

"Whoa, big words. Did they hurt your brain to come up with?"

I turned my head to the other side of the floor, where I heard Phil start snickering.

"You wanna piece of this, Philly?" I asked him.

"Nah, Jackal." He said, then mumbled under his breath (but I still heard it): "I'll leave that to Ian."

My grin faded. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." He said with a straight face.

"Yeah...sure." I muttered, eyeing him. I looked back at Shippen. "Thanks for getting that for me, Ship."

"No problem, Jack."

I turned my attention back to my computer and surfed the net for a few things. I needed to find a birthday present to send to my father since his special day was coming up in a few weeks. When I narrowed it down to a few things, which took about two hours or so, I heard Ian come out of his office.

I lifted my head to look at Ian as he turned off the lights and locked the door behind him.

"Let's get out of here for the day. We'll come back tomorrow to pick things up." He said to all of us as he walked towards my desk.

I shut down my computer, along with Phil, Shippen, and Viktor, then grabbed my bag and the five of us went down the stairs and left the warehouse. I locked the door and set the alarm. Ian stayed near me as the other three said their 'good-bye's and left to get into their cars. After I was done, I grinned shortly at Ian, then we went to the back of the warehouse.

"Are you coming with me or are you bringing your own car to my apartment?" I asked.

God, I really wanted him to come with me.

"I guess I'll come with you. The less cars Collins sees at your apartment, the better...if he does know where you live." He replied.

Oh, thank you!

"All right. Hop in." I said, unlocking my car, and willing my heart to slow its pumping. At this rate, I was bound to have high blood pressure problems.

After getting in the car and starting it up, I turned my head to look at Ian before turning on the CD player and finding a decent song.

"Do you want to stop somewhere on the way back to get food? Since I don't have much." I asked, pressing buttons.

"If you want. It's up to you, really. You're driving." He replied.

I laughed. "You're right. I guess we could stop by the grocery store. Grab some frozen dinners."

"That's fine. Food is food." He said.

"Here, here."

I put my car in gear and we headed back towards my apartment. Along the way, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some food and other things needed for sustenance in my apartment. When it came to paying for everything, Ian gave me a hard time.

"Seriously, Ian. I'll pay. It's no big deal...and technically, it's your money anyway." I said to end the argument.

"Fine. But I pay for whatever you need next."

I wanted to laugh. Now that he said that, I might need a new car...or hell, another apartment.

Nodding my head with an eye roll, I paid for the food and we continued on to my apartment. When we arrived, I parked my car and shut off the engine. Before I even had my seatbelt off, Ian had gathered all of the bags of groceries (which was only about six), and was standing at the main door, waiting for me to open it. I quickly got out of my car to remedy that.

"I could have taken some of those, you know." I said, opening the door.

Ian just grunted, walking passed me and into the building. As he walked passed, I couldn't help but notice the way the muscles and sinew in his arms rippled as he carried the bags. A small chill ran down my spine as my mind wandered slightly, again, imagining what else he could do with those arms.

"Jack."

"Huh?"

I shook my head, trying to refocus.

"You okay?" Ian asked, looking behind him to me since he was at the foot of the stairs.

"Yeah, fine. Just...thinking." I answered.

"Well, think while you walk, please. These are getting heavy." He complained.

"I told you I'd take some." I smirked.

Again, he grunted, then we both went up the stairs and down the hall to my apartment. I hurriedly unlocked the door and let Ian go in first. I watched him as he went into my kitchen and set the bags on the counter. I took my bag off my shoulder and placed it next to the door with my boots after toeing them off. I then walked to the kitchen. Ian grinned at me shortly when I entered, then he left the kitchen to take off his own shoes, leaving them next to mine by the door.

I had started putting things in their rightful place (AKA: where I could find them again) when Ian came back to the kitchen and stood in the doorway.

"Anyway I can help?" He asked.

"Nope. I got it." I paused as I looked at the dinners. "Actually, you could shove these in the microwave...if you want."

"Sure."

He came over to me and took the dinners that I held out to him. Moving behind me, since my microwave was next to the refrigerator, he prepared our dinners.

Now, remember I said my kitchen was small. I wasn't kidding. If I took a step back, I ran into Ian. If I took a step to my right, I ran into Ian. So you could imagine that it was a little hard to put things away with the two of us in there.

I needed to put the dishwasher detergent underneath my sink, and in doing so, I would either have to bend over or squat down. As much fun as it would be to give Ian a show, I decided to just squat. As I did so, I realized that I was wearing one of my shorter-lengthed shirts.

So, Ian got another peek at my bare back again. No big deal. I wasn't affected.

When I stood up, I casually took a glance at Ian. He was smirking at me. Grinning back, I quickly turned around and continued to put the rest of the groceries away. After they were put away, I had to put the plastic bags somewhere and that somewhere was under the sink. Without realizing what I was doing, I bent over to shove the bags underneath. When I did realize it, I snapped the upper half of my body up (facing the counter) and felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. I turned my head slightly to look over my shoulder at Ian out of the corner of my eye.

Nice going, Jack. Why don't you just give him a strip tease and end this charade..? Or better yet, just jump on him and demand that he take you...?

As much as I wanted to listen to the little devil sitting on my left shoulder, I just walked as casually as I could out of the kitchen and down the hall to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and went over to the sink. Letting the water run as cold as it could get, I then splashed water on my face and neck. I grabbed a washcloth out of the linen closet and soaked it in water. Wringing it out, I then took it with me over to sit on the toilet seat lid. I put the cloth over my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

What the hell is wrong with me? Ever since Ian went on that treasure hunt and came back to stay at my apartment for an undefined amount of time, there's been a sexual frustration battle inside me. Yes, I liked him as a friend and companion, but could I like, or dare I say love, him as something more than that?

I didn't know how long I was sitting there lost in my thoughts, but after a time, Ian knocked on the door.

"Jack, are you all right?"

"Uh..." I had to clear my throat. "Y-yeah. I'll be right out."

I heard what sounded like a scrape on the door, then Ian's footsteps as he walked away.

Taking the cloth back to the sink, I hung it over the faucet, and took a breath.

"Suck it up, Jacquelin. And control your fuckin' sexual fantasies." I muttered to my reflection in the mirror. I then growled at my reflection.

With another deep breath, I unlocked the door and went back out towards the kitchen. Instead of actually going into the kitchen, I went over to the couch and sat down, folding my legs and feet underneath me. I took the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around my body tightly, even burying my head under it, too.

I heard Ian walk into the room.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked.

No, you're killing me with your presence! I wanted to scream at him. All thoughts of Tom Collins vanished when he was around me. ALL thoughts vanished. The bad part was that he had no idea.

"Yeah. And if I'm lying to you and myself, then I will be okay...eventually." I answered after a moment, still under the blanket.

Ian set something down on the coffee table, then walked away only coming back a few moments later to set something else down. He then sat down on the couch fairly close to me.

"If you want to come out of your nest, dinner's ready." He said softly.

I pulled the blanket off my head and looked at him, smiling slightly. He smiled back.

"Thank you, Ian." I said softly.

Nodding, he leaned forward and picked up the TV dinner of macaroni and cheese that I picked out and handed it to me, along with a fork. Freeing my hands from the blanket, I took both objects from him with a dip of my head as a thanks. I saw beer on the table: a bottle for me and a bottle for Ian. I leaned forward to pick up the remote for the television and turned it on, just so I wouldn't spew any words to Ian that I was going to regret. Once I found some sort of show that wasn't stupid or boring, I set the remote down next to me on the couch and ate my food. Ian did the same. Occasionally, we would reach out to take a drink of beer.

After finishing dinner, I set my garbage on the coffee table, then rewrapped myself in the blanket. Ian and I watched stuff on television for the rest of the night. I, for one, didn't want to do anything else. Part of my mind was still on Collins and his impromptu visit to the warehouse.

It was around ten o'clock when I had to know something.

"Ian, what are we going to do about Collins?" I asked.

Ian looked at me before answering. "I'm not sure. We'll keep an eye on him for now. That's about all we can do."

"What if he tries something...with me?" I had to know.

Still looking at me, Ian contemplated what I asked. Probably taking in every aspect of what that question entailed.

"Just remember that you have Phil, Viktor, Shippen, and especially me behind you. We'll look out for you, Jackal." He grinned.

Rolling my eyes, I chose to ignore the nickname, but nodded all the same.

"So, does that mean, I'll never get any me time with all you men around?" I asked in a joking manner, smirking, and looking at him.

Ian laughed. "We won't be around you all of the time. You'll still have your space."

"All right, good." I also laughed.

We then fell into another silence while we went back to watching some movie on TV.

About half an hour later, I started getting tired. With only a semi-conscious thought of what I was doing, I leaned over towards Ian and rested my head on his shoulder. But I didn't stop there. I snuggled up against him (since I was getting cold even with the blanket) and attempted to steal some of his body heat.

The little devil on my left shoulder was telling me to wrap the blanket around the both of us, but I chose to listen to the little angel on my right shoulder...if only a little bit. It was telling me to just go to bed and wrap up there to get warm.

"Getting tired?" Ian asked, and I could only assume he was attempting to look down at me.

"A little...and I'm getting cold. Hope you don't mind that I steal some heat from you." I answered.

Wow. That could have been taken a different way...and I only realized that after I said it.

"I mean..." I couldn't think of anything. "Yeah, that didn't come out right."

"I knew what you meant. Don't worry about it." He said.

Ian pulled his arm out from under my body and wrapped it around my shoulders. My heart sped up its pace. I leaned into him more and sighed. If I fell asleep leaning on Ian, then so be it. At least I was damn comfortable and thoughts of Collins slipped my mind.

I inhaled deeply (smelling Ian as I did so) and closed my eyes for just a moment...or at least what I thought was a moment.

I was having this dream that involved Ian and I in very compromising positions in my shower, when I woke up suddenly for some reason.

My eyes snapped open, but I didn't move any other part of my body. I was lying down on something that was not my squishy couch or my bed...and it was moving. Turning my head slowly, I looked up and saw Ian. Somehow he maneuvered me in my sleep so I was stretched out on the couch and lying on top of him, my head resting on his chest, my body following his, and I was situated in between his legs. The blanket was over both of us, but still mostly on me. Ian's right arm was wrapped around my waist, while his left was behind his head.

I was going to head back to my room after I got tired of watching TV, but now? Fuck that! I was going to stay right here.

Looking back up at Ian's face, I saw how peaceful he looked. He wasn't plagued by anything in his sleep that he was plagued with in his life. I wondered how he was dealing with Shaw's death, but I wasn't going to ask him about it. I knew the subject was touchy with him.

Looking over at the clock, I saw that it was almost two thirty in the morning. I laid my head back on Ian's chest and snuggled against him becoming comfortable once more, including bringing my right hand up to rest next to my head on his chest.

Just as I was about to drift off again, I felt something twitch against my stomach. Noticing where my stomach was, I realized that Ian was becoming aroused...in his sleep. He must have been having one hell of a dream. When I shifted slightly, Ian moaned and tightened his arm around me. I had to turn my face into his chest to keep from laughing out loud. I got control of myself and began to fall asleep again. Right before I visited the land of R.E.M. sleep, I heard something from Ian's mouth that I never thought I would hear (not in real life anyway): "Mmm, Jacquelin...Jack...Jackie Baby."

Jackie Baby? It sounded like an endearment to a lover...but I have to admit, I kinda liked it. Coming from Ian's lips, anyway.

I fell back asleep with a large grin on my face.

/X\X/X\X/X\

A/N: Ahahaha! Awkward!

Now, wasn't that nice and long? Even though not much happened...

Please review. And mad thanks to those who have read, reviewed, favored, and alerted!