Clive ripped the letter open, too impatient to be careful. In neat cursive, there was one line.

Mister Dove,

Every action has a consequence.

R.M.

His eyes widened, his chest constricting painfully.

Florafloraflora

He leapt to his feet, the letter laying forgotten on the carpet. He didn't have time to explain to Dimitri as he rushed out the door. Diving into his car, he sped off towards the tiny flat, his worry nearly consuming him.

Up the steps, careful not to make a sound, he walked quietly and quickly down the hall to her flat, his heart pounding. He waited outside the door, using all his will-power not to burst through and hold her. But when he heard the low-class accent of some man, saying horrible things about his Flora, he saw red. Not being able to hold himself back, Clive surged through the door.

The second man let out a surprised, "Hey!" but was cut off when Clive's elbow dug into his stomach. With a superhuman speed, Clive had already whirled around, yanking the other man off of Flora, who had backed herself into a corner.

The men fought as well as they could, but Clive was unstoppable. It surprised even him, as he had never felt such a strong desire to protect someone. They raced out the door, shouting a string of curses at Clive.

"We ain't gonna let this go! You'll be 'earing from us real soon!"

But Clive wasn't going to waste a second more of his time on them, and he quickly went to Flora's side. Her dress was torn up the side, and several finger-shaped bruises covered her arms. He was hesitant to touch her, but when she gave out, sobbing, he held her close.

"He was– he was going to– oh, Clive!" she choked out, burying her head in his chest. He rubbed her back gently, murmuring comforting words.

When she calmed down enough, she seemed to realized what she had done. She sprang back from him, regarding him warily. The action made Clive feel horrible.

"Who were they, Clive?" she asked. He wouldn't hurt her, she knew, and she needed answers.

He shrugged, letting out a huff of frustration. "I don't know. But Flora, it isn't safe for you here. They must've seen you and I, and…" he trailed off awkwardly, then shook his head. Now wasn't the time to worry about the state of their relationship. "The point is, you can't stay here anymore."

"I'm not leaving." Her defiance surprised them both. "This is my home, and I won't put my friends in danger."

He shook his head. "I can't let you do that. You could get hurt–"

"Since when do you care about whether I'm hurt or not?" she snapped, and Clive knew she wasn't just talking about those men.

He grabbed her arms, making her wince. "Now you listen here, you silly girl. You think I'm some bastard, and I know you hate me, but I am not letting anything happen to you. So, you can pout all you want, but I am taking you somewhere safe. So, you can either get up and come with me, or I can just drag you out."

She glared at him, but looked away as she stood up. Clive smirked in triumph. He would always win.

"Don't bother packing," he said as she made to go to her room.

She shot him an annoyed look. "Then what, pray tell, would I wear?"

He shrugged indifferently. "If it were up to me, nothing at all," he said, enjoying watching her jaw drop. "But like I said, don't worry about it. I'll buy you clothes."

"I can't let you do that!" she protested, but Clive was already pulling her out the door. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Wait. Clive? Wait. Where are you taking me?"

He turned to look at her, a roguish grin on his face. "My house, of course."


The drive to one of Clive's houses was awkward, to say the least. The small moment of camaraderie between them was gone; Flora refused to even look at him, her eyes fixed steadfastly out the window. As for Clive, he knew she had gone back to hating him, and he missed the ease in which they had both been at one stage dearly.

Flora was feeling confused. She desperately wanted to just throw her arms around him, but she quickly shook her head. Instead, she focused on where they were heading. She knew Clive was a private person, and in spite of herself, she felt a bit honored that he was sharing this with her.

Oh stop it, you spineless fool! she scolded herself. Remember what he did! He could never love you.

The truth hurt, she thought miserably. If she was being honest, she missed him terribly. She missed being able to prop her feet on his lap while he read the Sunday paper and she napped. She missed their comfortable routines, but most of all, she missed being able to trust him completely.

They arrived at a large, very comfortable looking flat. Everything was designer, Flora noted, to suit Clive's expensive tastes. She suddenly felt horribly dowdy in her torn, old dress, and a hot blush rose to her cheeks.

"You'll stay in the room down the hall, and you'll have your own bathroom. I'll lend you something to sleep in for tonight, and tomorrow I can take you shopping for clothes."

She nodded, slightly dazed at everything that had happened. Things had been going so quickly, and she was so tired she could barely comprehend it all.

"Thanks," she murmured, not having the energy to argue. As she brushed past him to enter her room, Clive felt it like an electric shock, and he had to stifle a groan. He shook his head. It wouldn't do to make their relationship any worse. It was already awkward enough as it is.

Realizing that he hadn't given her anything to wear, he quickly dug through his drawers. Finding a long shirt, he deemed suitable for sleepwear. Knocking on her door, he opened it, Flora no where in sight. He shrugged, leaving the folded nightshirt and towel on her bed. Just as he turned around to leave, there was the click of a door being opened, and there stood Flora in nothing but her underclothes.

They both stood there for a while, identical expressions of shock on their faces. He coughed, seeming to break the spell, and she jumped back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. He left with a smirk on his face as he listened to Flora's muffled scolding. "Dammit, Clive!" she yelled. "Can't you knock like a normal person?"

Well, at least he wouldn't have as many tense silences to deal with. Now, he had something to tease her about.


Flora finished showering and had changed into the clothes Clive had left her, and she was reflecting on the day. She wasn't happy about having to stay with Clive. He was a murderer, she kept reminding herself whenever she'd get too carried away with thoughts of reconciliation. But, she'd take being flat mates with him than getting kidnapped any day, so she was stuck here.

Padding out of her room, she looked around curiously for Clive. She needed answers.

He was sitting on a couch, a few buttons undone and his tie loose, and Flora had to bite her tongue to keep from having any…thoughts. A soft cough brought his attention to her, and seeing her in his shirt, that barely skimmed the middle of her thighs, almost made him choke on the coffee he had been drinking.

The Fates must be enjoying themselves. They'd been tempting him all day, he thought, half amused.

"You owe me some answers, Clive," she said.

He sighed, knowing this had been coming. "I do."

She sat on the other end of the couch, listening as he began his story.

"I was thirteen the night my mother died, Father had died a month after. I had no one. That's when I met Dimitri. He must've been, oh, around my age now. So, twenty-nine? He'd just become something of a big-shot in the business, and he was aiming to start his own company. He found me, took me in, and I suppose that's how I got started."

She nodded, her face betraying no emotions. "You keep saying 'the business'. What exactly are you doing?" she asked.

"Extortion, mostly. There's different 'gangs' so to speak, and sometimes we have to tie up loose ends with fights among them. Sometimes we make deals with them, to further our own profit," he answered.

"Oh God, Clive. You were thirteen!"

He shook his head. "Not when I first started. That came a few years later. I was around seventeen, then. Our company, Dimitri's and mine, is the leading one in England right now. Naturally, we'd get a bit of attention from the media and public, so we go under the guise of a law firm. And I do have a degree in law. So does Dimitri."

The look of pity and revulsion on her face was too much. He looked at her, eyes pleading, begging her to understand. "Flora, it was either that, or starve on the streets. I know you hate me, but you have to understa–"

"I don't hate you," she interrupted quietly. She fixed her gaze on him. "I was angry. And I… I can't trust you, you understand. But I see now, that you didn't have a choice."

He closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "Don't paint me to be a good person, Flora. Whatever the reason, I still did terrible things."

She shook her head. "I know you did. But I also know that you can always be the person you want to. You get to choose your life, Clive. You can try to tell me otherwise, but you do have good in you. I've seen it."

Clive took in her speech silently as she got up. "Good night, Clive," she said as she went back to her room.

That night, sleep did not come easy for either of them. Clive was wondering how on earth Flora could be so forgiving, and Flora was worrying about what she would do next. She had known, of course, that there were… mob groups in London, but to think she had carried on with the head of one for so long? And now she wasn't safe? She was thankful Clive has arrived when he had; she had not wanted to dwell on what would have happened had he not. That was twice he'd saved her now.

She thought back to their conversation back in the coffee shop, months ago, when she had found out who he was. No, it wasn't a coincidence that they had met again.

Maybe, she thought, maybe it was her turn to save him.

A/N: Hi, everyone! Here's a new chapter before I have to go back to school. I'll still update on weekends, though!

A super huge big thank you to: mizily, Seventh Sunset (maybe I'll write a Batman!Clive drabble!) Alice-pyon (Oh wow! Your review was a huge ego boost! Thank you so much), Emiri-Chu, and Ethera (Gah! You are amazing!) The support from you all is just wonderful.

So, what did you think of this chapter?