Caveat: I have no TE involvement at all, just a very big fan. Don't own nothing so get off my back! lol

- Heaven's Burning -

by Mia Ai-no-Tora

Chapter Two: "Night Knight"

"Nooooo!" The shriek ran through her ears and outward into the darkness, and she flailed until the blanket fell off onto the floor. Sweat permeated her skin, slipping from her hairline onto her brow and into her eyes, salty and stinging. She blinked away tears and fear, trying to focus as to her whereabouts. She breathed heavily as she tried to calm her racing heart, one hand bunching up the material on her chest, the other searching for the wound on her thigh. To her surprise she found gauze covering her left thigh and she frowned all the more, confused beyond all doubt.

"It's all right, you're safe." She held in a gasp as she shook from being startled at the matter-of-fact male voice that came from her right, then someone sat down on the bed in front of her. "Having a nightmare were you? Here," A hand reached for hers, warm, calloused yet firm. She only shook slightly as the darkness-masked stranger closed his fingers around her own, then grasping it around what felt like a cup, almost hot to the touch. "You woke up just in time to drink my hot cocoa." She heard his smile.

"Could...Could you turn on..." Her voice was scratchy.

"Way ahead o' ya." He had a slight accent - Boston or Chicago - or so it sounded to her. As soon as the words escaped his lips was when the light came, the lamp that was on the night-stand to her right. She squinted at the sudden onslaught to her vision, her irises turning to small pinpoints. Then she saw him. It was like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. She remembered how she held her breath at the sight that was the same now. She saw the lips first, plump and naturally swollen as though he were born to kiss, the charming blue eyes and devil-may-care smile. The short dark hair that sat atop his head was tousled as though he had just recently woken up too even though it was still dark; no morning light emerged from the curtains which was also on the right wall. Indeed, he was handsome yet there was also something that made her look twice; a small, centimeter long vertical scar center-right of his forehead.

He noticed her studying him and he frowned a little. "Is there something on my face?" In result he wiped his hands all over his face, pinching his nose, rubbing his lips and cheeks. She giggled a little and wondered why she'd never seen him around before. At that, her gaze went down to the drink in her hands as she lifted it to her lips. The warm liquid seemed to seep into her soul to comfort, and she closed her eyes - only to see her attacker coming at her with a flash of his blade. Her eyes shot open, her face clouding in alarm.

"Hey - you okay?" He leaned forward in concern.

"Yeah...yes. I just...was attacked at the park - he cut me first, grabbed my purse and ran off...I guess I must've fainted or something..." She broke off, taking a deep shaking breath before looking up at him. "I guess you...rescued me then?"

The handsome man shrugged half-heartedly, picking at a torn hole on the heel of his sock of the foot that he laid on his knee. "That's me, your nutty knight," he grinned slightly. "You were unconscious when I found you, a half a foot long cut on your thigh. You tell me." He seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say then immediately turned to her again. "Oh yeah, my name's Creegan. Call me David, Creegan. David Creegan. Creegan David. Whatever suits your preference."

She raised an eyebrow, her curiosity about this man heightening. He had the mannerisms of an adolescent, seemingly impassive, yet he was a full-grown man from what she could see. "Piper," She smiled slightly at the James Bond introduction. "Hallie Piper. Call me Hallie or..." She jumped slightly when he jerked his hand toward her, and she slowly reached out only to have him grab it quickly in a firm shake. Her cheeks warmed.

"Pleasure, Ms. Piper," She watched his lips pronounce her name. He grinned with such free wry humor and released her hand. "Well, unless you prefer Mrs. Piper..."

"You were right the first time." She indicated by her ringless marriage finger.

His brow twitched. "Oh. I didn't look..."

It was her turn to cough uncomfortably. "Well...you would have had to in order to get me into this sweater." He met her eyes, then after a moment smiled. "OK, so yeah, I'll admit to peeking a little. Call me a pervert if you want, not like it changes anything."

"What, like you took advantage of an unconscious female?"

"That, and you have a beautiful pair of breasts." Before she could reply, he got to his feet and headed for the door. "Don't let that get to your head though - I've seen better." He laughed heartily and she didn't know exactly how to react. She watched him until she couldn't see him anymore, then finally felt the hot burning of her cheeks that probably wasn't from getting a fever. She was awed at the shamelessness this man seemed to radiate. "So, don't you like need to take a major leak or something? You probably don't realize just how long you've slept." He spoke louder than normal so that she was able to hear him as he clinked wares in the kitchen, then the sound of the faucet came on, then the opening and shutting of a microwave door and the low hum as it heated something.

"Oh..." She cleared her throat. "Well, how long have I been sleeping exactly?" She sat there staring at the doorway until he reappeared, returning to his place next to her.

"I'd say about a day and two nights, this night being the...second night," He cleared his throat by coughing loudly without turning away and covering his mouth, and she wondered whether or not this guy was still in college or something.

At the news, she seemed stunned. "What? I never sleep that long...I've never slept for that long before..."

"Wounded," he reminded her by patting lightly on her thigh. "I guess you've never been young before then?" He seemed to have this playful mischief highlighting his every notion and it made him even more attractive then he already was.

"Of course I have," she said with certainty, staring down into her cup. "I've just always been one of those kids who liked to get up early. I always thought I'd miss something if I didn't, and I just thought I'd have plenty of time to sleep away my life whenever my death came." Hallie then nursed her cocoa. He frowned in thought at that, his gaze faraway.

"You're right...I guess you didn't need a close encounter to make you see just how precious life is before it gets taken away."

Her gaze was suddenly directed to his scar, and she wanted to ask and was about to when the microwave beeped loudly, signaling whatever was in there was good and hot. He got up once again and disappeared into the kitchen, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow like a dog ear marking a page of a book. She tried to finish the rest of her drink, trying to retrace her steps before she got mugged on the way home. It was a man, that much was for sure. His deep voice grunted as he'd pushed at her for her purse, the strength and force that could only come from a male. She shuddered at the thought that he could have done something far more than the knife cut and the robbing of her purse.

Then there was Danny. He was her cousin, her only family she had left. She had just visited him from the hospital - the doctor said it wasn't looking good. The cancer was spreading. Time was not on either of their sides. She was startled as a tear fell from her eye into her cup, and she looked up quickly to see David standing there, quiet with sympathy written in his deep eyes as he watched her. He sat down next to her again, a little closer this time and he held his mug between them; she could feel the warmth of his breath, his light musky scent. Almost if not incredibly comforting.

"Hungry?" Was his question.

Funny, she never thought that that was what he was going to ask. Something like are you all right, or what is it? Do you need to call someone? But no. This...David Creegan, with a photograph of a pair of little girls framed on his night-stand, and with his own ring finger bare, was quite definitely something else.

She took a deep breath and attempted a smile, sniffling a little. "Yes. Yes I am." And he left for the kitchen just as quickly as he came.

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Notes: Don't you just love how Creegan just says whatever comes to mind? I did my research on Jeffrey Donovan's character by watching/reading all the stuff that makes Creegan tick down to the latest interviews and I found it quite fascinating. The ability to say whatever comes to mind is something very fun to play around with - no matter what, there's no need for editing as to whatever he feels. Awesome. Oh, and I'd appreciate feedback very much!

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