A/N: OK, so I think it's kinda short, but I figured that if I added anything more that it would over do it, even thought it's a little slow. As always, any constructive criticism is welcome AND thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I honestly didn't even expect to get five, let alone over twenty! Thankyou!

P.S. Inspirational song for this chapter "Inflatable" by Bush. Not exactly the lyrics, but the general mood of the song.. bliss.

Water pattered against the cool tiles quietly, the sound almost hypnotic. Leon sat motionlessly on the floor of the shower, his knees bent up to his chest, head bent to the side and resting on the tiled wall. Lazily he brought a hand up to slick his hair away from his face, ignoring the water beating down on him. All the lights were out and the room felt almost alive in the darkness.

Whether it was the fact that he had grown used to the temperature, or the water was running out, Leon felt chilled. Long fingers toyed with the metal watch band around his wrist blindly.

He swallowed thickly, tipping his head back underneath the spray of the shower. Letty was in bed, had been for the past two hours, and was sleeping soundly, content in the knowledge that Vince was no longer in the pain he was before. He was showering in Vince's ensuite so he wouldn't wake her.

Leon smiled bitterly to himself. He knew better than to think Vince was in the clear. After pretty much cornering that nurse three days earlier, he knew better.

Nerve endings too damaged… chronic pain… never fully heal…

The words ran through his head over and over like they were on repeat, taunting him. "I could have helped him… And I never even tried." He whispered to himself. The sound echoed off the dewy walls of the shower cubicle, making it sound so much louder. His eyes burned with repressed tears. His chest hurt. Leon shifted his position so his head rested on his knees, his fingers coiled around his ankles loosely.

I didn't even try. My own big brother, and I didn't. Even. Try. Unlike Jesse, who was like a brother, Vince was his brother. His blood.

Growing up, Vince had lived with their father in Echo Park while he had spent the majority of his youth in Miami with their mother. The only times they had seen each other was every second Christmas. That is until Leon was seventeen and Vince was almost twenty. That was when Leon had rescued Jesse from the abusive foster home he was in and the two had worked their way across the country, ending up with nothing more than the Jetta and fifty dollars. Needless to say when they ended up on Vince's doorstep at one in the morning, starving and exhausted, Leon had gotten his ass kicked… Then he was offered the spare room and Jesse the attic apartment. The three had been almost inseparable since.

He bit down on his bottom lip as he felt himself start to shake. No, he thought, ignoring the pressure behind his eyes, I will not cry. Have to be strong for Letty. Gotta be strong for V.

Unfolding his legs, Leon stood carefully and turned the shower off. He knew that even considering sleep would be a futile gesture. Towel wrapped around his waist, he padded out into Vince's room and navigated his way around the bed. Not surprisingly, as Vince had always been rather anal about his domain, the room was immaculate and tidy. The only thing out of place was the black and yellow guitar laying across the bed, the hard case propped up beside the closet, open and empty. Having never even touched the guitar before, Leon was surprised at it's weight when he picked it up. What did you expect? A bag of feathers? Carefully, he unhooked the strap and folded it up, putting it aside for the moment. He sat down, the guitar laid across his thighs. His fingers ran along two of the nylon strings reverently. Vince's ability to draw some of the most incredible sounds out of something so.. inanimate.. had always amazed him. Hell, he'd even tried to teach him a few times on an acoustic over the years, but Leon never had the patience to learn. He smirked. Vince actually had more patience than he did when it came to music. All Leon knew about it was whether he liked the way it sounded or not, but Vince… Vince lived for it. He loved his music more than his car.

He would be heartbroken when he found out that he may never play again.

"Better put you away, baby." He muttered to the guitar, carefully placing it inside the case before locking it shut. He looked around the room once more, then walked out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Letty buried her face in the pillow, the scent of her own shampoo and Leon's cologne assaulting her nose. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side, feigning sleep when she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

She could hear Leon moving around the room and cautiously cracked one eye open. The bare stretch of his back was facing her and he was looking toward his feet, buttoning his jeans.

What is he doing? It's only… Two thirty!

Silent in her observation, Letty watched his fingers deftly catch his chain back around his neck, then run through his messy hair. She closed her eyes when she realised he was about to turn around, an old black t shirt hanging from his fingers. The bed dipped in front of her, bringing her just a little closer to Leon's side. He radiated warmth, even in the coldest of times, and now was no different. The heat coming from his body was like a furnace. He had been in that shower for almost two hours and judging from the pinkish tinge she could make out in the dim lamp light, the water had been scalding hot. Worry twisted her gut painfully.

"Letty? You awake, girl?" His hand was stroking her head gently, like a small child's would when they touched something delicate. He smelled like a mixture of soap and deodorant, with a hint of toothpaste. She decided not to reply. Let him think I'm sleeping, she thought. He must have believed her silence because his weight shifted. "Ok, Let." His hand remained on her head.

Letty fought the smile of pleasure at the feeling of his thumb brushing her cheekbone. Warm lips pressed to her brow, the hot puff of his breath against her eyelashes tickling slightly. It was the first time he had ever kissed her skin, always opting for her hair, or, in a move that was uniquely him, the inside of her wrist. Only when she was wearing something with long sleeves though. Still, he was the only one she knew of who did that. Wait, she thought suddenly, Vince does it too..

"If you can hear me in your little dream world in there," Leon whispered close to her ear, "I'll be out back." He kissed her cheek this time and stroked her head once more, then rose from the bed. Seconds later the door clicked shut.

She waited a good half hour before she even considered following, then slipped from the bed and shoved her feet into a pair of Leon's scuffs. The shoes were miles too big on her, so her walk was reduced to a shuffle. Once she reached the kitchen, she looked out the window. The garage light was on and Vince's Maxima was missing from the driveway. She could see the barest hint of the front bumper sticking out from the garage.

"What on earth is he up to?" she asked herself, her face close to the glass. Stepping outside, she winced at the screech of the screen door and folded her arms across her ribs, beneath her breasts. All she was wearing was one of Vince's old football jerseys, bigger and baggier the better, and her underwear. The cool air hit her legs, a vast difference from the warmth of inside the house and her skin prickled with goosebumps. There was moisture in the air again and occasionally, the sky would flash distantly.

Reaching the garage, she looked down at Leon kneeling on the floor. "What you doin', Le?" she asked softly when she saw the scalpel in his hand. If he hadn't heard her come out the door, unlikely as it was, she didn't want to startle him.

He glanced up at her briefly, thumbing the turned up edge of the decal on the passenger side door of the Maxima. "I talked to V the other day about this," he replied, "He gave me the ok."

Letty stepped toward him until she was close enough to touch him. "I didn't mean the car. I meant, what are you doing out here at three in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep." His hand curled around her calf, rubbing at the bumpy skin. "Why are you out here? I didn't wake you did I?"

Stepping away from his touch, Letty shook her head, trying not to notice the fluttering in her stomach at his touch. "No, only woke up a few minutes ago.. Wondered where you were…"

He frowned up at her, wiping his hands on his thighs. "You want me to come to bed?" he asked, standing up. Letty inwardly smiled. Seems his protectiveness was spilling over in her direction as well.

"Would you?"

"Sure," he looked down at the door, "Just gimme a minute to clean up." Turning away from her, he went about tidying the small work space he had been using.

Letty watched quietly, her fingers playing with a section of hair that had come loose of her ponytail. Her teeth caught her bottom lip as he bent over to pick something up from the floor and his pants stretched tightly across his behind.

Oh.. My god, she thought dumbly, I just checked out Leon's butt. She jumped, startled when he took her elbow in his hand.

"You alright, Let?" His green eyes sparkled at her, worried.

Giving him an uneasy smile, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm just tired is all." She apologised, rubbing her eyes for effect. Leon's concerned expression softened. His arm slipped around her waist.

"Let's get you to bed then."