A/N: Okay so I haven't finished the last chapter YET. But I'm now writing about 3 chapters ahead so I figured I could afford to post. I'm on the start of Chapter 25 now and I'm so excited for you guys to read what I've been working on. Combine all of those things and basically I have no self control. That's good for you guys though! You get a chapter! yay!

Happy reading!

angellwings

Chapter Twenty-One: Burst Your Bubble

Lucy walked through the backstage entrance minutes before she was due on stage, giving her just enough time to touch up her make up and straighten her rumpled outfit. Bringing Wyatt to a show was affecting her ability to be prompt and present. Not that she really gave a damn.

He winked at her as she left for the stage and the he took his place in the wings. He had a little too much fun with their game, if there was such a thing. She should have known that no challenge would hold him back for long.

The show itself was successful. Given her mother's voicemail and all the drama in her life lately she half expected Carol Preston to interrupt the band's set and demand to talk to Lucy. When the final note of the last song played, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She ran off stage and straight into Wyatt's arms.

"Alright, groupie, take me home," she ordered with a wink of her own, mimicking the one he threw at her as she took the stage earlier.

"With pleasure, ma'am," he replied as he gifted her with a rare teeth baring smile. He was handsome all the time, but he was especially handsome when he smiled and she felt fortunate to ever be on the receiving end of them.

She bid goodbye to Celia and the band and made a quick exit with Wyatt. She, selfishly, wanted to spend her evening with him. She didn't care what they did, as long as they were together. He had no objections to that either. They were on their way home when her phone rang again. She eyed it warily and recognized the number. It was the number the detective investigating Noah had given her. She answered, keeping a firm grip on Wyatt's hand as she did, and was informed that Noah had been in police custody for several hours.

They arrested him after they located his surveillance equipment in an apartment across the street from Jiya's. The equipment was a lower level than the equipment in the photos they surrendered. But they found photos of her all over the walls and plenty of Noah's fingerprints to place him inside the apartment. The detective assumed that Noah had recently limited his operation to one man, but they were still investigating.

Her police protection would be assigned the following day after Noah's bail hearing. He made sure to point out that she was free to return to her apartment at any time. He was certain that there was no longer anyone watching her.

She relayed everything to Wyatt as she hung up, but he still looked wary.

"One man operation my ass," Wyatt said with a glare as he checked the rear view mirror. "He knew we were coming. Somehow, he knew."

"Do you think that's why my mother called? Because they arrested Noah?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow as she glanced behind them as well. Would there ever be a day when she was no longer looking over her shoulder?

"Probably," Wyatt said with a nod. "It would make sense. From what we know, I doubt she would be happy about that." His hesitant gaze slid away from the road and over to her. She knew he could read her anxiety in her body language. He could always read her too well, from the very beginning. He must have decided a change of topic was necessary because suddenly the subject of Noah and her mother was forgotten. "So, where do you wanna go, Lucy? Your apartment or mine?"

She squeezed his hand and then brought the back of it to her lips for a quick kiss. Would she ever be able to thoroughly express how grateful she was to have him in her life? Probably not.

"Yours, tonight. Mine, tomorrow."

She loved living with Wyatt but she really had missed Jiya. They had just hit their stride as roommates. Lucy's circle of friends was purposefully small and Jiya unceremoniously barged right in. She wanted all the time with Wyatt she could get, but she didn't want to forget her friends. That was an issue for tomorrow though. Not tonight.

"Besides," Lucy told him as she checked her texts. "Jiya's at work right now and probably will be all night. And I'd rather go on living in our little bubble for tonight. As screwed up as this situation has been, living with you was the best part."

Wyatt's face lit up at her words and he nodded his agreement. "I know. Having you around made up for the circumstances. You're always welcome to come back and stay with me anytime you want. I would never say no to having you in bed next to me," he told her with a smirk and a wink. It was a disarming combination on anyone, let alone Wyatt Logan.

If Lucy wanted one more night in their "bubble" then he would be happy to give it to her. There wasn't much he wouldn't give her, honestly. Just the two of them all night long sounded good to him too. They weren't going to think about how this would be different once she moved back to Jiya's. That was an issue for tomorrow.

Tonight, they ignored the world. Which is how they ended up snuggled together laying across his couch. Her in one of his hoodies, her underwear, and bare legs and him in a t-shirt and boxers. She was tucked between him and the back of the couch with her chin resting on his shoulder and her legs tangled up in his. They were half heartedly watching an action movie he found on one channel or another, and quietly soaking up all the one on one time they could get. This was how he preferred it anyway. He preferred to have her relaxed and content and in his arms. He was more comfortable in this lazy intertwined position than he had a right to be, but he was almost certain that the novelty of being this intimately close with Lucy Preston would never wear off.

Their game in his Jeep earlier that night was exhilarating but laying with her in the complete peace and quiet of his apartment was just as addictive as any kiss or caress. Lucy Preston allowing herself to be truly vulnerable in his presence would always mean the world to him.

He felt her very lightly bite his shoulder through his t-shirt and turned his head away from the TV to meet her playful eyes with his contemplative ones.

He smirked and chuckled. "You rang, ma'am?"

"You're awfully quiet tonight," she said as she trailed a soft touch across his chest. "Anything wrong?"

Her hand stopped to rest low on his abdomen and he held her gaze for a long moment as he marveled at how casual all of this was now. This felt like his norm, even if he knew it wasn't. How did she do that?

"No," he told her. "For once in my life, nothing is wrong." He leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers. "Life feels...right."

The hand on his chest traveled upward until he felt her palm gently resting on his cheek with her thumb gliding across his skin. "Like you're where you're meant to be?" She asked.

He nodded and closed the distance between them for a slow open mouthed kiss. When they pulled apart he felt Lucy press her face into the crook of his neck and his shoulders. Quickly followed by the barest touch of her lips and tongue to his pulse point. God, she knew exactly what she did to him. She had to. His hand, that rested just under the fabric of her borrowed hoodie, squeezed her hip tighter and pulled her as close as he could.

"You know, I denied you an awful lot of kisses at the club tonight," Lucy said as she pulled back to look at him.

"You were being a bit difficult," he told her with a smirk. "Didn't hold me back for long though."

"No, it certainly did not," Lucy replied, flushing slightly before her expression turned sultry. "But I'm not denying you any kisses now."

"Is that a hint?" He asked, amusement filling his voice.

"More like a suggestion," she said with a one shouldered shrug and a soft smile.

He wasted no time kissing her again. Slowly and intrusively. They weren't in any rush. The two of them had been on a roller coaster of emotions since they met. They had more highs and lows than other relationships that had been established for years and they only met just over a week ago. Tomorrow, she would be going back to her own apartment. He knew it wouldn't change anything between them but he would miss having her in his space. He was much too used to her already. If this was going to be her last night living with him then he was going to enjoy every last second, even if that meant excruciating slowness.

His free hand found its way into her dark tresses and took extra care to feel it between his fingers and under his palm. He committed the silky texture to memory, learning her more and more over time. He began learning her with his hands and his touch from that first dance at Celia and Dave's wedding. He remembered everything about touching her. He remembered the frenetic energy of that first night, her smaller and smoother hands in his callused ones, and how it led inevitably to the crash of electricity in her bedroom. He had no notion of the night ending up there when it began but by the time they left for the bar he knew his resistance was futile. He had no defenses against Lucy Preston and he hoped he never did. He wanted her to be the one person he never guarded against. He needed her to be that person who saw all of him, good and bad.

He wanted and needed her, that was the bottom line.

When she was safe he felt at peace. When she was at risk his stomach churned and twisted in ugly knots. When she was happy so was he. She was his baseline. His emotions and mental well being would take their cues from her from now on. They were linked for as long as he lived. Even if she kicked his ass to the curb at some point, he would have a sixth sense for Lucy Preston until the day he died. This was his reality now. She was his reality now.

He would always have his job. That was an essential part of him and a part of the man who raised him. He wasn't letting that go, but since meeting Lucy he realized his priorities had shifted. First and foremost, was her safety and comfort. Second, was his own. There would be nothing to stop him from getting to her when she needed him. No obstacle too great or battlefield too wide.

She was his family. Should Noah or anyone else come for her they would be in for a world of hurt. He would make sure of it.

The next morning, Lucy gathered her things and they stayed in for breakfast. Wyatt left the bed to cook but brought the food to her when it was done. They sat impossibly close as they ate, legs outstretched and overlapping. The level of intimacy she shared with Wyatt was completely foreign to her. It was comfort and solace and refuge. She needed him like air and she feared for anyone who tried to take him from her. Her protective nature had only revealed itself with Amy and Celia so far in her life, but she knew Wyatt had earned that protection from her as well. If her mother and Noah thought she would be easily separated from him then they were very mistaken.

She heard from the detective again. Noah's bail hearing was set for late in the afternoon and if he were granted bail then officers would be sent to her apartment to be posted at her door. She was grateful for that. There was no way bail wouldn't be set for him. He had no past offenses and he was established in the community. Wyatt had gone over that with her in detail to prepare her for the decision. By nightfall, Noah would be back on the streets. That seemed to be a given.

Jiya was on her way home. She was letting one of her colleagues cover for her as Dave and his team were gone again and Jiya should have been working in their absence, but Jiya insisted that this one time would be fine. Besides, she said, the team would likely be gone for hours anyway. Gone where, Lucy didn't know. But she was excited to spend time with Jiya again. She missed her friend.

After breakfast, she and Wyatt went their separate ways for the first time since she moved in. As Lucy drove back to her apartment she felt like she was missing some essential part of her. It had been just over a week and already Wyatt was too important to lose. He was going to go to the gym, shower, and then come over to her apartment. He planned to be there at least until the officer's made it to her front door.

Celia was already there with Jiya, waiting for her. Her friends all knew today would be stressful and so they were making time for her. This situation proved to her that she had more family than just her mother or Amy. She was blessed and more grateful than ever in spite of all the stress that Noah brought in to her life.

"Oh my god, my roommate is back and my world is right again," Jiya exclaimed as Lucy stepped through the front door. She surged forward and crushed Lucy with a hug. "I've had no reason to use my fire extinguisher in days. I have missed you."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, I think? I missed you too, Jiya."

"Where's loverboy?" Celia asked as Jiya released her from the hug. "I'm surprised he's not attached to your hip."

"He'll be here in a couple of hours. He's going to the gym. It seems I may be distracting him from his normal routine," Lucy answered with a grin and a shrug, her face completely unapologetic. "Oops?"

"So, wait," Celia asked with an eager smile. "You mean we have a couple of hours of girl time? Jiya, get the wine. I want the scoop on whatever Lucy and Wyatt did before the show last night. For an hour. In his Jeep." Celia looked like the cat that ate the canary. She knew she could pull that story out of Lucy as long as Wyatt wasn't around.

Lucy blushed and shook her head. "Cely!" She admonished.

"It's not just her," Jiya added with a chuckle. "I wanna know too. Spill."

God, she both loved and despised all of her friends. But wasn't that how it should be? "Fine, but there better be a lot of wine."

There was nothing better on a tense day than a long work out and Wyatt was definitely tense. Noah would be granted bail and he would be able to pay it, or someone would for him. He was involved in something big and Wyatt had no doubt whoever was pulling the strings would make sure Noah wasn't held for long.

Even with police protection, Wyatt planned to be at Lucy and Jiya's all night long. That's what he was preparing for now. After his workout, he went to the store and now he was back to shower and pick up all the necessities before leaving his place for the rest of the day.

He put the groceries down on his breakfast bar and then put away the things that would need to stay cold. He jumped in the shower, changed, and packed his duffle. He was a moment away from grabbing his keys and loading the Jeep when a knock sounded at his door. He wasn't expecting anyone. He supposed it could be Mrs. Marcus. She came to him when she needed help with a task that was too physical for her.

But he was anxious and worried and really just wanted Lucy in his field of vision again. Whoever this was needed to state their business and go on their way. He needed to be at Lucy's side right now and he wasn't in the mood for any further delays.

In his haste, he didn't bother glancing through the peephole on his door. Which meant he was completely unprepared for the person that greeted him on the other side.

"Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, we finally meet."

He quickly schooled his face to mask his shock but fear and panic were still welling up in the pit of his stomach. He never imagined actually being face to face with her.

"Ms. Preston," Wyatt said with forced politeness. "Lucy's told me a lot about you, ma'am."

"None of it good, I'm sure," Carol Preston said as she gave him a cool measuring stare. "I think it's time we talk, don't you?"

Well, this couldn't be good for him.