The day had been long and exhausting. As Sherry turned the key to her apartment and stepped inside she craved nothing more than to slip into a steaming hot bath and eat her body weight in take-out food. It was as she was deciding exactly what type of ice cream she was going to devour that she heard the sound of quiet voices coming from her living room.

Her bag slid from her shoulder silently before she tiptoed down the hall, wishing she still carried her trusty stun rod as she slowly turned the corner.

The TV screen lit the dim room with an old movie she didn't know. Sherry sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she frowned. She didn't remember even turning the TV on that morning...

She felt, rather than heard, the presence behind her. Her elbow came up sharply, directed at the jaw of the shadowy figure. It was easily deflected as she spun and raised her palm to strike her assailant on the ear, sending them off balance. Again the move was predicted and pushed aside with ease as Sherry found her wrists being forced above her head as her body was pushed against the wall, pressed against one that was much taller and stronger than herself. Her mouth opened to cry out, only to be silenced by warm lips and a tongue that wildly sought out her own. Sherry's eyes were wide open, her brows in her hairline as her heart skipped a beat. She knew this body, those lips...

The kiss ended with them both panting desperately.

"You're late," Jake practically growled against her neck as he nuzzled her heated skin.

Sherry bit her lip as she tried not to mewl in response. She'd already learned that it only encouraged him.

"Had to do a little overtime..." she began to explain only to yelp slightly as Jake's teeth nipped at her throat.

"You left me waiting."

Sherry could already feel the effect just his voice was having on her as she tried to press her legs together tightly. It wasn't just a statement of fact, or an admonishment of any kind. But his voice was thick with warning of what was to come as payment for his patience.

"I didn't know you'd be back so soon," she pointed out as a knee pushed between her own. Jake's thigh came up to almost lift Sherry off her feet as she teetered on her toes between him and the wall, A small gasp escaped her at the sudden pressure, especially as he began to rock slowly back and forth.

"We need to work on your fighting skills, you've gotten a little rusty. If I was some creep who'd broken in I could be having my way with you already."

Sherry tried to stifle the moan in the her throat but found it impossible as she thought of all the things Jake could do to her, all the things he'd done in the past...

She felt the chuckle against her shoulder as he ran his tongue along her collarbone, "You like that idea?"

Yes, she wanted to tell him. More than anything Sherry wanted Jake to make her forget everything except the way he could make her feel. She knew all she had to do was nod her head and he'd fuck her mercilessly up against the wall until neither of them could stand. After all, he'd done it before until she'd collapsed against him only to have him lower her to the floor and continue as she clawed at his shoulders. Jake had certainly introduced her to a world she'd never experienced before. Sherry had found each new visit more satisfying than the last. The power Jake had over her was intoxicating, and for once she wanted a little taste of being in control.

"Maybe," she smiled to herself as she felt Jake still against her, "Honestly I'm pretty beat from work. Besides, who said you could just let yourself in now? How did you get in?"

Jake's head rose from where it had begun to make its way between her breasts.

"You need to do something about your security," he told her flatly.

"Helpful," Sherry replied feeling a sudden surge of devious confidence, "besides, what if I hadn't come back alone tonight anyway?"

The fingers around her wrists tightened ever so slightly and Sherry considered if her little game was such a good idea. She'd only wanted to provoke the side of Jake she desired most. Her passionate, protective, possessive Jake.

Well, maybe she had. Just not in the way she'd expected.

"You're not the type to have a string of strangers in your bed," he told her with a worryingly unreadable expression which almost had Sherry regretting her words until she realised what he was insinuating.

"I could, if I wanted," she stated.

Her game had backfired as she grew annoyed that Jake didn't seem to think she lacked the appeal for other people to want to sleep with her. Which wasn't true at all. So what if her formative years had been spent mostly in isolation, even before being taken into the government's custody? Perhaps it had left her somewhat awkward at times, but she was attractive, smart and knew how to take care of herself.

"Or maybe I've been dating someone," she added haughtily, her feelings more than a little hurt by his assumptions.

Her arms dropped to her sides as Jake stepped back, letting her fall back to her feet with a sharp breath. "You could," he agreed as Sherry absentmindedly rubbed at her wrists, "are you?"

She didn't miss the twitch of his fingers or the clenching of his jaw as he spoke.

Sherry shook her head, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. She didn't want Jake to think she just sat around waiting for him when he disappeared for weeks or sometimes even months at a time.

"Do you want to stop... this?" Jake asked, the slightly icy tone gone from his voice and replaced with careful control.

"No," Sherry told him, slightly panicked at the thought of him turning his back on her now and walking away forever.

She realised she needed to know... what exactly "this" was to him?

When Jake was with her it was great, amazing even. And not just the sex but everything that came with it; having his arms around her at night and sharing a shower in the morning, which always resulted in her being late for work, unless Jake had already slipped out to bring them breakfast in bed where they would just talk. And Jake listened without making her feel weak, or stupid... or dangerous. He saw her for who she was and not all the terrible things that had been done to her.

"But..." she began, hoping her next question wasn't about to end the only good thing she'd ever had in her life, "is this all you come back for?"

She gestured vaguely to the skirt that was still pushed halfway up her thigh and the bra strap that was falling off one shoulder beneath her dishevelled blouse. Jake's eyes bore into hers when she finally found the nerve to look at him.

"Is that what you think?" he asked after an uncomfortably long pause, but without anger or accusation in his voice.

Sherry shook her head, wondering how she could explain just what it was she needed to know. She wasn't even sure what she needed to hear.

"It's just... you leave for so long and I don't know if I'm supposed to wait or if you're even coming back. We haven't spoken for weeks Jake, the last time I saw you was months ago."

"You know why Sherry-"

"I do," she interrupted. Of course she understood why Jake did the work that he did. He was trying to atone for a sin that wasn't his to be forgiven for, she knew how that felt. "It's just that I don't know what else you're doing..."

Jake's expression relaxed immediately as he realised what Sherry truly wanted to ask. Truthfully he was surprised the conversation hadn't come up sooner, but he just assumed she knew. Sherry was one of the most instinctive people he'd ever met and Jake thought he had made it clear after the fiasco in China how she'd saved him... how he'd turned his back on fifty million dollars just to prove to her that she had shown him a better way...

"Sherry, if you want to know if I'm sleeping with other people, just ask."

Her throat constricted tightly as it dawned on her that Jake was right. The horrible feeling that settled in her stomach every time he was gone... it was jealously. Jealousy at the thought of him doing what he did to her, to someone else.

Suddenly she didn't want to know. Jake was here, now, so what else mattered?

"Sherry, I'm not going to lie-"

The urge to press her hands over her ears like a child was overwhelming. Instead Sherry stared at the ground as Jake stepped forward and waited for the inevitable blow to her heart.

"I have been with a lot of women-"

How she didn't collapse in on herself, Sherry did not know. It felt like her chest had imploded.

"That's a little more honesty than I needed," she managed to say.

"I'm not done." Jake told her. "In my line of work if you're not fighting you need to keep your mind occupied, otherwise the memories... sometimes they can drive you crazy. So yeah, I kept myself busy. Tried a few things, learned a few things. You should know."

Sherry felt her cheeks burn. She knew he had to learn what he did somewhere, she'd just never thought too hard about where exactly that was. Or with who.

"But from the day I left you at that airport I haven't even thought about anyone but you."

Questioning blue eyes met grey as Sherry considered if he was embellishing just slightly to make her feel better. She'd been so nervous to admit to him after their first time together that it had been her first time at all, perhaps Jake didn't want to feel bad about being her one and only lover if he was... keeping himself busy during his absences.

"You don't believe me," he said, a little amused as she shrugged her exposed shoulder. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Once," Sherry pointed out as Jake rocked back slightly in surprise. She smiled as she gave a roll of her eyes. How could he forget? "You promised to run. You didn't."

The memory of J'avo falling from the sky around them almost made her shudder. She'd been so ready to die there and then, knowing Jake could escape if she could only hold them off for long enough. When he'd refused to leave her side she'd felt the usual rush of frustration at his stubbornness, until she'd caught the murderous glint in his eye as he shouldered her back. He'd been the first person in her life to try and protect her since Leon and Claire...

"And aren't you glad," he smirked, closing the space between them once again. He didn't touch her, his hands remained at his sides as he waited for Sherry to give him some signal to tell him it was okay to stay... or to go. "You're it for me super girl. I don't know how to explain it..."

The void that had been Sherry's chest was now filled to overflow as she knew that Jake was telling her the truth.

"You don't need to," she said softly, lifting herself to the tips of her toes, "just show me."

His hands were on her waist and lifting her higher to meet his lips in an instant. The kiss was different than before, still deep and demanding but filled with something new. Something more than just desperation and hunger. As Sherry's arms wound around his neck Jake's slid lower to the backs of her thighs. He pulled her from the ground with ease. Sherry's legs wrapped around his middle in a move so well known to them both that she was pressed against the wall with her skirt around her waist in an instant.

"Just so we're clear," Jake spoke against her mouth as Sherry pulled at his lip with her teeth, "this means you're definitely not dating anyone?"

Sherry laughed as she kissed him again, this time her tongue finding its way inside. She didn't come up for air until her head begun to spin.

"Most definitely not," she grinned.

"Good, 'cause I was worried for a second there."

"You jealous?"

"About to commit a murder babe, so yeah."

Sherry's smile beamed even though she couldn't help wondering just how serious Jake was.

"Bedroom?" she asked with a quirk of her brow.

"Not gonna make it that far," Jake shook his head as he released one hand from her thigh to reach between them both. Sherry heard the clink of his belt and the sound of a zip as his knuckles brushed against her soaked underwear.

She wasn't ready for him to be inside her, or as was more accurate, she was far too ready, just unwilling for the dizzying rush in her chest and her head to stop as blood pounded through her body.

Her hand slid over his chest and abdomen as she eased his fingers aside and took him in her hand. Jake grunted as she squeezed gently before stroking back and forth, revelling in his heat and strength as his eyes slid shut, his lips opening with a sigh.

Sherry wanted to kiss them again, but she also wanted to watch every last expression that crossed his face as she pressed the tip of him against her, knowing the only thing keeping them separated was the fabric of her underwear. The grip on her thigh was almost bruising and it made Sherry groan, growing wetter until Jake's eyes snapped open and practically began to glow with need.

"Off. Now." he told her, somehow managing to use one hand to slid them down her thighs to her knees. He pushed her harder against the wall so her legs were no longer around his middle but her knees pressed against his shoulders instead. There they stayed as he slid inside without warning or gentleness. Sherry felt her body spasm at the invasion and was grateful when he paused, allowing her to feel him filling her before being lost entirely to the rocking of his hips.

Sherry could only pant and moan as Jake began, angling himself so perfectly that every thrust sent electricity to the tips of her fingers and toes. She didn't want it to end, but it had been so long and she could feel the tension building already. She needed him, more of him, always.

"Please," she gasped, "not yet."

As always, Jake listened. He dropped his pace, slipping in and out in shallow, careful movements. The pressure subsided and Sherry opened her eyes to see Jake watching her with a smirk.

"You wanna take this elsewhere?" he asked.

Sherry nodded as Jake placed her on her feet. As she leant forward to kick her underwear form her ankle he swooped low and hoisted her over his shoulder. Sherry shrieked, gripping his shirt in her hands as he turned and walked down the hall.

"Couch?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Bed please," Sherry replied. It was where he did his best work.

"You got it," Jake nodded as his hand playfully tapped against her rear.

Sherry bit the tip of her tongue to stop herself mewling again. Jake knew exactly how to blur the edges of pain and pleasure. He knew how much she could take to not feel like a fragile little doll in his hands without pushing her beyond her limits. Because a fragile doll she was not.

He dropped her on the bed with a throaty chuckle at Sherry's indignant, "Hey!"

"Is that any way to treat the woman you love?" she teased before her mouth snapped shut and her eyes grew wide.

Jake only paused for a second as he considered what she'd said. He climbed on the bed and was resting on his knees, leaning over her with raised eyebrows as she watched, seemingly having forgotten how to breath.

"I don't remember saying that," he told her as his lips twisted upward.

Sherry propped herself up onto her elbows, bringing them nose to nose as she met his stare with her own.

"But you do... don't you?"

The kiss against her lips was softer than any he'd given her before.

"I do," he replied, his hot breath brushing over her cheek as he worked his way across her jaw and down her throat. Sherry wondered if he could feel the way her heart skipped a beat.

"Good," she told him shakily as his hand began to pull at the buttons keeping her bra concealed. "Because I love you too."

There was no way he could miss the way her heart thudded against her ribs as his tongue ran a line between her breasts.

The moment wasn't quite as dramatic or romantic as Sherry had been led to believe a proclamation of love was supposed to be, but what else did she expect from the hardened mercenary who was grinning up at her wickedly from the edge of her rumbled skirt. Sherry blushed as she remembered her discarded underwear. No matter how many times she was naked in front of him, his look made her feel like it was the first.

He disappeared beneath the skirt and Sherry's eyes closed as she arched against his tortuous movements. A hand on either thigh kept her in place as his tongue licked every part of her except the one that needed him most. She knew he wanted her to plead for it, Jake was a master of the tease.

Sherry held out as long as she could, her body quivering with anticipation as she urged him to touch her most sensitive spot.

He obliged.

His tongue pressed onto her, flicking upward firmly in a way that made her cry out.

"Again," she begged. "Don't stop."

She felt pressure at her entrance, pressing gently as he waited her confirmation. Sherry's hips bucked, allowing his fingers to enter her as his mouth continued its work. Jake kept them buried deep, curling them upward to press and rub against the part of her that Sherry could never reach by herself.

She fell apart. Gasping and grinding against him as her hands gripped at the pillow beneath her head. She turned her face to the side, muffling her pleasure as she felt heat spill from between her legs.

When she finally fell back, pushing at Jake's shoulders as his slowing licks and strokes overwhelmed her, her head spun as oxygen flooded back to her head. Jake kissed and stroked at her moistened thighs, enjoying the way they twitched uncontrollably with each touch.

"You need a minute?"

Sherry could hear the smug smirk.

"I need you," she breathed, reaching down to pull him up by his chin. "Inside. Now."

Sherry wasn't often demanding and as Jake rose up to lay over her he could see the look in her eyes was one of yearning need rather than a challenge for dominance. He pulled his unzipped jeans from his legs, taking the boxers with them before using one hand to effortlessly pull his shirt over his head.

Sherry's unbuttoned blouse was pushed from her shoulders, the skirt thrown to the floor beside it as her bra wrapped itself around her beside lamp, sending it tumbling to the floor with a thud as Jake brought himself back to her.

"You need to work on your aim," he said against her ear.

Sherry was too busy breathing in the scent of him as she pressed her face into his throat to care about the damn lamp.

"Mmm," was all she could find the strength to say.

Jake pulled back just enough to seek out her lips. Sherry would never have imagined being able to taste herself all over him would make her so aroused, but the scent of his and her own mixing as she allowed his probing tongue entrance to her mouth left her with headrush once again.

She could feel him pressed against her thigh. She was almost embarrassed by the slickness there, but if the way Jake was grinding against her was anything to go by he was revelling in it.

"You ready?" he mumbled against her messily, barely removing his tongue from her own.

Sherry's frantic nod was all he needed. This time there was no burst of electricity, no spasms. Simply a satisfied sigh as Jake took his time to move inside her. Sherry couldn't stop herself kissing and touching every last part of him that she could reach as his hips moved harder, snapping against her own with every intake of breath. It had taken practise to bring her to climax more than once, something Jake had undertaken with patience and humour when Sherry had squealed and bucked at the extra sensitivity.

What would have once felt so overwhelming it bordered on pain was now a familiar, burning build. Jake knew it was the teasing pauses that brought her to release, allowing her muscles to clench and relax until another unstoppable wave had her whimpering beneath him.

He loved to watch as Sherry closed her eyes tight, her mouth gasping as her head tilted back and exposed the throat he kissed and licked even as the bruises he left faded just as quickly as they appeared. It was something about her power he'd helped her discover. The reaction of her body healing the burst blood vessels intensified her orgasm. Even more so when he sucked at the soft flesh of her inner thigh or breasts.

He could feel the tightening of her walls and it was enough to bring him to his own finish with just a few more hastened thrusts of his hips. He relished the heat from where they remain joined as he half-collapsed beside her, not wanting to crush Sherry beneath his weight.

She tilted her hips to the side so they could stay connected as she rolled to face him, slipping his arm over her shoulder as she watched the rise and fall of his chest begin to slow back to its normal rhythm. He opened one eye to see her smiling dazedly.

"S'not quite what I had in mind when I was waiting for you," he admitted.

Sherry's smile faltered. Was he disappointed? It hadn't been quite as acrobatic or imaginative as their more recent experiences, but to Sherry it had been a perfect reunion.

Jake pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead, his hand cupping the back of her neck where he could feel goose bumps beginning to appear. He pulled her comforter over them both before continuing.

"Good though," he grinned as Sherry prodded him in the ribs.

"Stop teasing me," she grumbled sleepily, suddenly remembering her earlier desire for a hot bath and ice cream.

Jake had been the better option, there was no competition. But as her stomach growled loudly she couldn't help but feel annoyed as her forgotten hunger ruined their moment.

"Worked you up an appetite?"

Sherry rolled her eyes. He certainly didn't need anything feeding his ego.

"Just haven't eaten all day. Unlike you," she added with a burst of mischievousness.

Jake's brows wriggled at her in a silent "touché" as he finally began to disentangle himself from her. Sherry whined, pawing at his arm as he rolled out of bed and felt around for his jeans.

"I have served," he told her, "now I must provide. Where's the menu for that Pizza place you like?"

"They got shut down. Health code violations," Sherry explained bitterly.

Jake wrinkled his nose at the thought of the many meals he'd consumed from them, "Good thing we seem to have indestructible constitutions huh. Chinese food?"

Sherry had pulled a pillow into her arms and buried her face against it in place of Jake's warmth. She grunted something that sounded like an agreement as he left the room, flicking on the lights in the now completely darkened hallway. He smiled as he caught sight of her underwear crumpled by the wall and turned into the kitchen. It was as he rifled through the drawers trying to find the menus that he felt the phone in his pocket begin to buzz.

He continued to search with one hand as the other unlocked the screen to open the message blinking up at him. His hand stilled as his eyes ran over the words.

It was a job. A big one. More money than he'd been offered in a long while.

It was also halfway across the world, and a job that paid that well wouldn't make it a short trip, or a safe one.

No civilians involved. Just one group of hot-headed separatists losing the battle they never should have started in the first place, he read.

Jake's eyes moved from the screen to the printed leaflet now in his hand.

It was almost funny how easy his decision was. There was once a time he'd jump at the chance to make bank like that. Now...

His thumb hovered over the delete button for only a second before the message was gone.

"You okay?"

Sherry's voice almost caused him to drop the phone as he fumbled. She frowned slightly as he slipped it back inside his pocket, fiddling with the too-long sleeves of his shirt that she was now wearing. Jake nodded and held the menu up with a little wave.

"All good. So, what you having?"

"That was work, wasn't it?" Sherry asked, having watched him for longer than he realised and having seen the look of excitement on his face before she'd spoken. There were only two things that could make his eyes gleam like that, and only one involved herself. The other she'd first seen onboard a chopper shortly after confirming his negotiations for compensation with her superiors.

Jake shrugged and dropped the menu on the counter, sensing danger beginning to loom.

Not now, he thought to himself. Not when everything finally felt so good. So right.

"If you need to go... I understand."

Sherry was full of shit, and they both knew it. If Jake high-tailed it out of there now chasing a lifetime's worth of savings in cash he'd need it to pay for his own protection for the rest of his life. Sherry might be too soft to kick his ass, but the people who cared about her certainly wouldn't hesitate.

"Relax," he assured her, "I'm not going anywhere. Not even for a hundred thousand dollars."

Sherry's eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them, "You still make that kind of money?"

"Hey just 'cause I spend my time rescuing orphans and cleaning up the messes the BSAA leave behind doesn't mean I'm not still a much sought after asset you know."

Did she think he'd gone soft after all these years? He still had his reputation after all.

Sherry stepped around the small island counter between them looking thoughtful.

"You rescue orphans?"

Jake waved a hand idly as she smiled, "Yeah, I'm a regular hero nowadays."

Sherry laughed softly as she reached him, placing a hand on his bare chest as she pressed a gentle kiss just under his jaw.

"I'm glad you're not leaving just yet," she told him.

Jake returned her affectionate gesture with a kiss atop her ruffled hair, still sensing there was something not quite right.

"Something you wanna tell me super girl?"

Sherry placed a hand on the counter, leaning into it as she hesitated. Jake felt something cold wash over him as her expression grew more hesitant.

Had she lied before, when he'd asked if she was dating? He could admit he hadn't handled the thought well, imaging someone else in her home, in her her bed...

He didn't know what he would do now, if she had in fact been sleeping with someone else. Murder still sprung to mind.

"Could... could you say it too. The actual words please..."

Jake frowned, now very confused as she looked up at him with a slightly wounded expression.

"I said the words, but you didn't... I just want to know you're sure..."

Words? What words?

"Ah," he realised, relief washing over him as he finally understood. Why was she so nervous to ask? After everything they'd done in the name of those three little words, even if they'd only just admitted them now...

Except, Jake also realised, it had probably been a very long time since anyone had told her she was someone worth loving. Her parents relationship with her had been cold. He remembered her telling him so matter-of-factly how her own mother had initially refused to come to her side after she'd been infected by her father. Would they have been the type of family to exchange affections like that? Jake doubted it. But perhaps Claire at least?

If the slowly dying look in Sherry's eyes was anything to go by, Jake might just have been the only person to have ever told her she was loved without impending death or looming fear to force it. The thought stirred something within him. His life growing up may have been filled with many things; fear, hunger and endless cold nights. But his mother's love for him was something he'd always had, it was the one thing that had ever felt true and reliable even after she was gone. He couldn't imagine Sherry as a child, lonely... unloved by anyone.

He took the hand that was now drumming its fingers against the counter into his own and squeezed. He too suddenly felt a little nervous. Without the adrenaline coursing through him and the distraction of a half-undressed body, the moment didn't come quite as naturally as it did before.

But Sherry needed this, needed him.

"Super girl... Sherry..."

His other hand came up to gently cup her chin, tilting her face to look directly into his before he leant down to kiss her firmly. They lingered in the moment, ignoring everything but each other including the faded sounds of traffic through the open window, of which Jake made a mental note to fix before he did have to leave.

When they finally broke away Jake didn't hesitate for a moment when he spoke.

"I love you."

Sherry's smile was pure joy. She didn't doubt for a second that Jake cared for her, but to hear those words and know they were true...

They didn't know how, or if, their admission to each other would change things. But for the rest of the night they spent it the best way they knew how. Eating copious amounts of terrible food whilst curled up in Sherry's bed, talking for the most part, not talking for the rest...

Note: Attempt to shift my writer's block right here ^

Also, I have an account on Ao3 under the same name in case any of my work gets removed here. I need to get my other works finished but there could be more to this... be sure to add me for alerts if you're interested!

Title inspiration from Medicine by James Arthur.