A/N: Update time! Big thankyou to betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, Jet, Jada91 and Danifor reviewing - you guys are the best!

As usual, dont own Leon, though I do own Ruby, Cade and the fairy design mentioned in this and/or any previous chapters. They're mine.

Leon ran his fingers over the slightly swollen skin of Ruby's lower back, carefully smearing the antibacterial cream over her new tattoo. After almost a week of working over designs with each other she had picked one of the first ones he'd done.

The fairy was laying on her belly with her head pillowed on one arm, the other stretched out in front of her with her feet kicked up in the air. Her skin was tinted a pale, pale blue and her hair was black with cobalt highlights here and there, an errant lock hanging down over her eye. Her eyes were closed, as if in sleep, and she wore matching bracelets of bells around her wrists and the same around her ankles. Her huge butterfly wings were spread out above her in a sea of purples, greens and blacks. She wore no clothes. On either side of her there was a border of tribal vines that stretched out to either hip.

It had ended up a little larger than she'd anticipated – the fairy itself was more the size of his hand, from the heel of his palm to his fingertips.

Ruby looked back over her shoulder when she felt his fingers tracing over the wings.

"Are you having fun back there?"

He smiled softly, snapping the lid shut on the tube of cream. "All finished." He stated. "Does she still hurt?"

Ruby nodded. "It feels swollen."

Leon hummed when he went to lower her shirt back down, noticing it would rub over the most swollen part of the tattoo – her wings. The outlines were almost 3D'd. It was like when you inflated a balloon with a design on it, then let all the air out and the design was still standing out – that was how it looked.

"It is," he murmured, "-I'll see if I've got something for you to put on that wont rub." He peeled her top up over her head and tossed it aside, going in search of something different for her to wear.

Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently. Leon had sat with her the entire time she was being inked, quietly watching his art being permanently put onto her skin. The tattooist had even expressed interest in Leon doing some work for the shop but he'd politely declined. The only place he liked seeing his art was on custom commissioned vehicles. Ruby's tattoo was the exception. His art was personal to him – it didn't sit well as it was that someone else was copying his work in the first place. Ruby suspected Leon would have done it himself if he could have. She smiled as he turned back toward her, one of his sweaters in hand. It was a little chilly out that day anyway – the wind coming up off the ocean had a cool bite to it that could send you from warm to shivering in moments. She was grateful they'd gone back to Angie's afterwards instead of her place.

When he held it out to her, he had a thoughtful look on his face. "Can I ask you something?"

Ruby frowned quizzically, sliding her arms into the huge sweater. It was soft to touch and she just knew that he hadn't bought it for himself. It screamed 'gift from a woman'. He caught the look on her face and smirked.

"Tala – she bought a lot my of clothes for me. I couldn't be bothered with it."

She smiled, touching the soft fabric, her fingers barely peeking out from beneath the sleeve. It hung loosely off one shoulder, the rich dark green colour a sharp contrast to her pale skin.

"She's a good sister."

Leon nodded, sitting beside her. "She is." He answered, righting the shoulder of the sweater. "So – my question."

Ruby nodded, tucking her feet up beneath her. She felt warm and secure now – her body swathed in the soft green sweater. Her skirt hung in layered black tiers over the edge of his bed.

"Go ahead, precious."

He cleared his throat. "I called Vince the other day – finally. Yes I was sober don't interrupt!" he rushed out when he saw her mouth open. She closed her mouth and grinned, waving her hand for him to go on. He nodded once and went on.

"Well Christmas is coming up next month and I really don't feel like driving all the way back to LA just for a few days.."

Ruby blinked, fear starting to swell in her chest. "You're going back for good?" she asked in a small voice, playing with the cuff of the huge sleeve. Leon had quickly become her closest friend and the thought of him leaving hurt more than she thought it would.

"What? No – I was thinking of asking them to come down here." He told her, leaning back against the wrought iron bed end. "Do you think they'd be up for it?" he asked quietly, obviously thinking of how he'd behaved over the past two years, let alone the past three months.

Ruby almost sighed with relief when he said he wasn't leaving, then the excitement of the possible visit of his family set in. She bounced on the spot, unable to refrain from clapping. She winced at the dull throb in her lower back and stopped moving.

"Ow," she mumbled, poking her tongue out at Leon when he chuckled. "-stop laughing."

Leon held his hands up in a non threatening gesture, legs kicked out in front of him. Not one to like having big dirty boots on the bed, even if it was his bed, Ruby tugged the laces free then eased his shoes off and threw them on the floor.

"At least you didn't get yours slammed in a door the day you got it done."

She baulked, ringed fingers reaching out to touch the perfect ink that adorned his arm. "Who did that?"

His face darkened. "Dominic – he said it was an accident but the prick meant to do it." He looked at her hand on his arm, remembering the pain. "Fuckin hurt too." He shook his head. "Now – what were you getting excited about?"

Her face took on a brighter expression now and Ruby clapped again. "I think you should definitely ask them – I'm sure Cade would love to see them and Angie's always saying she'd like to meet them."

Leon quirked a brow, watching her reposition herself at the opposite end of the bed and flick the television on with the remote. "What about you?" he asked, crawling up to flop beside her. "Do you want to meet them?"

Ruby gave him a blank look. "No – I have no interest in your life or the people who care about you." She answered blithely, then slapped him. "Yes I want to meet them!"

He rubbed at the tender spot on his stomach and grumbled to himself about unstable red heads.

She gave him a half smile and shook her head. "You want me to smack you again, Le?"

He rolled off the bed and to his feet, starting out of the room. "I'll go call them now then." He muttered, disappearing into the dim hallway. Ruby was still watching the doorway and shaking her head when a sleepy Cade appeared, his little fist rubbing his eyes. She gave him a tender smile as he toddled over to the side of the bed and fisted his hands in the covers.

"Up." He implored, his big brown eyes sleepy and soft. Ruby leaned over the edge and lifted him onto the bed with her, wrapping her arm around him as he curled up against her side. He looked at the television and then up at her.

"Why no colours?" he asked.

Ruby grinned, rolling toward him more to face him. "Well this is a really old movie, baby." She looked back at the TV to where Frankenstein was playing, the sound down low but still audible. The rain poured outside and drowned out most of the movie's dialogue anyway. "They didn't have colour film back when this was made."

Cade looked at the TV a moment longer then dropped his head against her shoulder, immediately conking out. Ruby giggled and kissed his head, stroking his hair away from his face. He was the only one she'd ever met that could go from conversation to sleeping in almost an instant. When he slept he slept like a log too.

"Well it looks like.." Leon trailed off as he walked into the room, pausing mid step. "Where did he come from?"

"He just wandered in now while you were making your call." She looked back at the television, seeing the pictures but not really watching. "How'd it go?"

He climbed up onto the bed beside her, his hand moving to rub Cade's back as he lay down.

"Vince is going to talk to Tala when she gets in from work – which roughly translates to 'we'll be there'."

"Did you ask Angie if they could stay here?"

Leon hummed, gazing blankly at the television. "She said it was fine – I'm surprised you didn't hear her scream. She was a bit excited."

Ruby grinned. "You don't sound overly enthused over it though," she turned to look at him, "-why not?"

"If you had a six foot three, two hundred pound man coming to visit who wanted to hit you – you wouldn't be too excited either."

She blinked rapidly. "He's big."

"Yes – he's big – and he hits like a fucking ten pound sledge hammer at full swing." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "It'll be great fun."

Ruby pat him on the head, going back to the old movie. "Stress less. It can't be that bad."

Leon snorted. "Yeah, if you're you."

"You're being over dramatic." She retorted distractedly, actually starting to become interested in the film.

"I am not."

"Leon!"

He frowned and dropped his head back against the pillows. "Fine." He muttered. He watched the television for five minutes then sat up. "This is fucking horrible, Rubes.."

She shook her head, her hand slipping up to cover Cade's ear. "He's going to have the foulest mouth on a two year old soon enough from listening to you."

Leon got a strange look on his face and rubbed the back of his neck. "Funny you should mention that."

Ruby grinned, turning to face him fully. "Oh this I have to hear – tell me."

"He sort of," he cleared his throat, "- called Marissa a whore yesterday."

Before she could stop it, Ruby snorted with laughter and collapsed against the pillows in a fit of giggles.

"Oh my god – that's not funny." She giggled some more. "That's horrible."

Leon was unable to keep a straight face watching her giggle and snort into the pillows. She had to be the most uninhibited woman he knew. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

She looked up at him with twinkling eyes, smiling. "What did she say?"

"She came storming out to me and told me what he'd said, swearing and trying to intimidate me." Leon sniggered. "I had the hardest time not laughing."

Ruby calmed slightly, stroking a sleeping Cade's head absently. "Well? How'd you handle it?"

He smirked. "I told her that I'd taught Cade not to lie to people – then I asked her what the problem was."

"Oh, you antagonising shit."

Leon nodded. "It shut her up," he shook his head slightly, touching Cade's head, "- had to take him aside later and tell him not to say grown up words though."

Ruby stared at him for a moment, then dissolved into a mess of giggles. "He called her a whore."

Nodding, Leon shook with silent laughter. "I fuckin know.."