While Desmond rested, Lucy attempted to do the same as she lay on her bed. Even though Lucy knew she really shouldn't right now as she had more important things to do, her mind still wandered to Desmond. A small chill slid down her spine, she had no idea what she would do if Desmond were to get hurt again because of her. But the truth was, she also had other reasons why she didn't want him to go down the same road as Clay. It was those reasons that she felt weren't appropriate for the situation at all.
By now, Lucy had learned that emotional involvement was never very helpful on a mission. Being an Assassin for most of her life, she had trained herself to close herself off to some extent while she was in the field. Victims simply became targets, close friends became allies who had to be let go if there was no other way and people that needed to be saved became nothing more than objectives. When in the field, she would be friendly and caring, but always professional. It was a method she could work with and one that ensured that she always did her job well.
Still, Desmond was different, for some reason, she was unable to simply regard him as an objective. Perhaps it was because of the fact he tried to weather his predicament so well or the fact that he stood up for her when the occasion called for it. Perhaps it was even because of the fact that he didn't just expect her to save him and actually cared for her well being more-so than she had grown to care about his. He barely knew her and yet was already willing to risk his life for hers. All those things truly made it hard to label him as an 'objective'. He had managed to break the mould and stand out in a way she could no longer ignore.
Thoughts such as these weren't very welcome at the moment. She had always known it was bad news to mix business with pleasure and the last thing she could use was to develop feelings for the subject of her latest rescue mission. It wasn't if she hadn't been near a somewhat charming man before, after all, and it would probably not be the last time either. Yet, she also had to admit that Desmond wasn't like those other men she had met. He wasn't some male damsel in distress ordering her around like she owed to get him out of trouble nor was he like some of her ex-boyfriends who couldn't seem to accept the idea that she was an attractive blonde, an intelligent woman and a competent Assassin at the same time. Unlike them, he actually respected her and was appreciative of her unusual talents, viewing them as likeable rather than intimidating. It was unusual to her and, combined with his concern for her, made it quite understandable that she had somewhat of a soft spot for him.
After some thinking, she pushed off from her bed and headed for the bedroom across the hall. If sleep refused to come to her, she might as well go see if Desmond was alright. Carefully moving across the narrow hallway, as not to disturb any of the other sleeping residents, she swiftly made her way to Desmond's room. Part of her wondered what the hell she was doing. After all, if he preferred not to talk much, he had probably sought out solitude for a reason. If that was the case, it would be rather inconsiderate of her to invade his privacy. She quietly opened the door, peering through the small opening into the room.
A single, soft light was still on in the room and she could easily make out Desmond's form on the bed with his back towards the door. He was still dressed in his white hoodie and jeans, something that no longer surprised her since he had explained it was a habit. He was on top of the blankets rather than underneath them and seemed to be completely motionless. Perhaps too motionless...
A twinge of fear worked its way into Lucy's brain and without a second thought, she swept into the room. As fast as she could, she rushed over the bed, hoping she wouldn't find the same scenario that she had encountered with Sixteen. Yet, as soon as she came close, she realized her terrifying assumption had been premature. Now that she was near him, she could see him breathe and it was quite clear he was simply asleep. It seemed that ever since the bleeding effect had been activated in him, he had taken on more and more traits of his Assassin ancestors, including the habit of being much more silent and unmoving, even in his sleep... She sighed, her paranoia and fatigue really weren't helping her since it was obvious she had simply overreacted
Still, as her concerns were proven to be a false alarm, she decided to leave again. She had no reason to be here and disturb him if nothing was wrong. With that thought in mind, she turned around to go out of the room. Yet as she planned to do so, she heard some sounds behind her, followed by a small groan and a surprised voice. "Lucy?"
In all honesty, Desmond couldn't remember when exactly he had dozed off. It wasn't surprising really, though his time away from the animus helped calm his mind somewhat, his training sessions with Holliday still wore him out. Because of this, he had decided to sacrifice social contact to catch up on some sleep and he had been certain his fellow Assassin would be understanding of this choice. As such, he had become a light sleeper, so he was quite surprised to notice someone's presence in the room but relaxed when he saw that it was Lucy.
He sat up and wiped his eyes. "What is it? Has something happened? Did the Templars find us?"
The blonde woman simply shook her head in response, her answer coming out rather uneasily. "No, I just went to check on you to see if you're alright."
Desmond smiled at the sentiment and answered calmly. "Thank you, but I'm fine since I'm sleeping easier now." But again, he could tell that her demeanour was shifting and by now, he was starting to get suspicious. "Lucy? Are you alright?"
'This is it,' Lucy thought, 'no turning back after this.' She walked over sat on the bed and entwined her fingers together. "Desmond," Lucy started, "There's something I have to tell you."
Slowly and steadily Lucy began telling Desmond her tale right from the beginning. From her infiltration of Abstergo to her defection to the Templars, and finally the details of Operation Siren. Lucy looked to Desmond expecting shock, or anger perhaps both, but looking into his eyes she saw only sadness. The fact that he showed no sign of surprise meant only one thing. "He knows," she realised, "but how could he know and who told him." Part of her feared it was Michael.
When Lucy finished, Desmond sighed deeply, "I've been dreading this," he said finally. "I hoped and prayed that it wasn't true, I wanted so much not to believe it."
"How long have you known?" Lucy wondered.
"When we acquired the apple," Desmond replied. This shocked Lucy since she didn't expect him to know that long. "When Juno was trying to force me to kill you she showed me your meetings with Vidic and Operation Siren." He bowed his head, "when I saw those images it tore me up to think you would do that to me."
"The worst part is I almost went through with it," this made Lucy tense up at this revelation. "I listened to her and despite how much I didn't want to, I was thinking it was necessary for the greater good."
Desmond shook his head, "but a voice in the back of my head kept screaming no, refusing to believe it, telling me that it was just the Apple playing tricks on me. Seeing what the apple could do I knew it was possible. The more I thought about it the more I realised I couldn't and more importantly I wouldn't do it. How could I just murder the only thing that has kept me sane this whole time, the one who gave me the strength to keep going no matter the odds." Desmond cupped Lucy's cheek as silent tears fell from her eyes.
Lucy remained silent, unable to respond to as he continued. "I refused to believe that the person I had spent so much time with and had gotten to know was nothing more than a manipulative provocatrix. If I had done it than I would be no better than a Templar. How could I just end your life in such a dismissive manner?"
This took Lucy by surprise hearing Desmond's declaration. She then bowed her head, "I'm sorry that I hurt you Desmond I'll understand if you hate me and never wish to be near me again."
"Do you still communicate with Vidic?" Desmond asked.
Lucy nodded, "I've been trying to stall him for as long as I can and it seems the information I have sent him and Michael have been instrumental in helping me do that."
Desmond sighed in relief, "well at least we'll get a reprieve, for how long I do not. But I intend to take advantage of every second."
"So what will you do now?" Lucy wondered, mostly if he was going to tell the others."
"I won't tell anyone," Desmond assured her. "The templars might kill you if they suspect you have been compromised, "I sought Holliday's council on this and he'll hellp us."
"You told Michael?" Lucy asked shocked to know that the first person he told was Michael though considering their bond it wasn't surprising.
"Michael would be the only one in the group that would give me a non-biased opinion and encourage me to look at this from different angles, Shaun and Rebecca are assassins But I'm not sure how they will react to this and don't get me started on my father."
"You may regret that," Lucy pointed out. "Your father may think you're collaborating with the templars."
"My father can think all he wants, for all the good it did him. I have done many things I've come to regret but this isn't oe of them," Desmond insisted as he brushed a lock of Lucy's hair back behind her ear. "I would have deeply regretted killing you, yet the one thing I would regret more than killing you is that I never told you, I love you Lucy, god help me, Templar or not it can't erase how I feel about you. The fact that your were willing to speak the truth regardless of the possible consequences is enough to strengthen that feeling."
"What are we going to do?"
Desmond took her hand and clasped it tightly, "We'll do what we have been doing the last two months, handle it together. You and me, we will get through this, I promise."
It hadn't even occurred to her that she was giving him a grateful hug until the moment she felt him grow tense. Instantly, she realized her error and she was just about to back off with an apology when she felt him return it in an almost awkward manner. This, in turn, caused her to stiffen and if she hadn't felt embarrassed before, she certainly felt it now.
Even so, she couldn't help but find it strangely endearing as well. She knew Desmond wasn't a very touchy-feely kind of person, but the fact he apparently wanted to make her feel better certainly did her good. Desmond simply allowed it, slowly relaxing the longer she leaned against him.
He felt nice and warm and Lucy couldn't help but be completely comfortable. It was rare for her to be able to get this kind of comfort from anyone and as childish as it was, she decided to enjoy it for as long as she could. Soon, she found herself leaning into his embrace, even more, nuzzling his shoulder and thoughtlessly placing a small kiss on his cheek, once again without thinking about consequences.
The moment he felt her lips on his cheek, Desmond found himself doing a double take. They hadn't kissed since that fateful night at Monteriggioni. His next action was purely on instinct. He wasn't stupid. He knew that this wasn't really smart and that it wasn't really the time to make this kind of move. Not when time was of the essence and not when the fate of the world hung in the balance. Still, that information seemed to lose priority as he returned the gesture, rationalizing it by the thought that she was the one instigating and not him.
Lucy, however, was apparently encouraged by it and it wasn't long before she started to take it further, kissing him on the mouth as well. The feeling of that one fateful night returned as they drew closer to each other. Feeling her slim form against his own now, the thought of breaking this off was now rapidly slipping from Desmond's mind and he eagerly responded, holding her even closer while roaming his hands as far as decency allowed it, all the while wondering how it would be to actually go ahead with it and do such a thing.
He decided to push these thoughts aside, however, as the last thing he wanted was ruining the invigorating experience. As such, he decided to take it slowly and let her indicate just how far she wanted to take this. Yet that didn't mean he would just sit back and let her take the lead. Growing a bit bolder, he pressed his tongue against her lips, smiling as she parted them to deepen the kiss. She let out a pleased sigh at this and he seized the chance to carefully take hold of her and back toward the bed, seating himself on the edge and pulling her onto his lap. She didn't seem to protest at this and he took the opportunity to trail his mouth to her neck and throat, sucking on the skin in a languorous manner.
They broke apart and looked at each other with small smiles. "What are we doing?" She breathed out.
Desmond shook his head. "I don't know and right now I don't care." He leaned forward and kissed her again.
By now, it had occurred a million times in Lucy's head that this was probably not a very smart idea. What should've been just a friendly, reassuring act was swiftly threatening to grow out of hand and if there was anything they couldn't be using right now, it was a romantic encounter of any sort. Not when the Templars could be on their doorstep at any minute and the end of the world approaching.
However, she couldn't deny that what he was doing right now felt pleasant and being held by a warm and affectionate male was far more soothing than being in a cold room searching for clues and fighting sleep. Right now, she was tired and her mind could no longer process anything complicated. This, however, was simple and safe and it was something she craved more than anything at this chuckled when she heard him cuss quietly, obviously hampered by the turtleneck of her shirt. Instantly, she assisted him by pulling the fabric out down, However, as the firm material refused to give way, she soon opted for the more simple solution of sliding it over her head and throwing it onto the floor, remaining only in her sport's bra.
She fought a laugh as Desmond raised his eyebrows in surprise only to follow it up with an approving smirk, but she certainly didn't object as he continued his sweet assault. She found it amusing as he removed her hair from her trademark bun, letting it fall down over her shoulders, and tried not to become too inappropriate as his exploration of her. It was charming in a way and certainly refreshing from others guys she'd been with, yet she quickly decided that if her shirt was off, his would have to come off as well. Making sure he was occupied by kissing him on the mouth, she quietly sneaked her hands to the zipper of his hoodie and undid it.
Despite not being an Assassin, it was clear Desmond had taken good care of himself nonetheless. His body was in excellent condition, with strong and evenly-divided muscles that were the result of regular exercise. Here and there, the odd tattoo stood out, its patterns inked into his dark skin with elegant and painstaking detail, only accentuating his fit build. It was a sight that, combined with a great character, would be appealing to any self-respecting woman and she had to admit she was no exception.
For a moment, she felt a bit embarrassed about thinking like that, almost as if she was some teenager with her first boyfriend rather than a grown woman. Yet she quickly decided that such things mattered little in the light of their current situation. In a situation like this, she was allowed to take pleasure in things like these and feeling the way she did, she'd be damned if she didn't just take that change.
His respectful treatment of her made her more than willing to risk it and take this further than she usually would and she didn't think twice about it as she carefully slipped the hoodie off and leaned in again. He could feel her tug on his shirt and he simple relaxed, not protesting as she slid it off him. That was, until she suddenly felt Desmond grab hold of her shoulders and push her back a bit.
"Um, Lucy, are we sure this is a good idea…"
Despite having taken the lead, he hadn't quite been able to keep up with the pace of where the situation was heading. He still hadn't entirely wrapped his head around the fact that a simple conversation had somehow led to Lucy sitting on his lap, being affectionate with him in a way he doubted she would even be with a guy on a first date. As such, the indication that it might just even go further than that was enough reason to be hesitant.
It wasn't as if he wasn't enjoying himself. This was a lot more fun than it was sitting in the Animus and seeing Lucy in less clothes than usual was certainly a treat. Still, that didn't mean that it was the right time for this kind of thing. Not with two other Assassins in the near vicinity, the apocalypse waiting and the Templars possibly finding them anyway. Therefore, he felt he had to get that point across before doing anything else.
"We don't really have time for this kind of thing…"
He felt Lucy stiffen the moment he said this and part of him already regretted it as she leaned back a bit in thought. Judging by her expression, she clearly agreed with him on this and he figured his objection had perhaps brought her to her senses. Still, that thought soon perished again as she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her forehead against his and answering him in a soft, even somewhat embarrassed voice.
"I know…but I doubt if there will be any time for it later…"
Throughout his days as a bartender, Desmond had become quite a good conversationalist. Throughout dealing with difficult customers, and the occasional troublemaker, he had developed a sharp tongue and a quick wit. He could talk his way out of most situations by now. This, however, was the first time in his life that he couldn't immediately think of a proper response. And he had had to admit that he didn't mind it that much.
He knew that going through with this was stupid. That the damn solar flare wouldn't wait just so they could have some time to mess around. That he should probably argue it or flat-out refuse. But at the same time, he also realized he didn't want to do such a thing.
He had been alone for nine years now. Nine years which he spent in hiding, unable to allow himself any real contact or closeness with another human being. And only weeks ago, his lonely but peaceful life had been turned upside down and transformed into a madness he could still barely comprehend. He felt like nothing more than a lab rat now, one who was soon to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders in a practically foolish bid to save it from destruction.
He needed this. He was craving to get a small piece of humanity back in this chaos and it seemed the same was true for Lucy. She had a point. Seeing the way things were, there may well not be another chance for them to share something like this. If that were the case, then they might as well see where this would lead…even if both of them knew better…
The last of his resolve swiftly melting away, he opted to kiss her again. She was all too eager to respond and he let out a soft moan as she answered to his advances. Feeling her fingers on his skin was exciting and he held still for a while, becoming acquainted with it while enjoying their closeness.
Even though it clearly seemed that she wouldn't mind to go all the way with him, something told him it was better to let her decide when that would be. After all, it wasn't as if they had known each other that long and their interaction during that time didn't exactly qualify as 'dating'. Therefore, he decided to take it slowly and just see whatever would happen from her side.
Lucy seemed to agree to that approach as well, as she took her time familiarizing herself with his body. He saw no problem in letting her and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride at the look of approval he got. It was nice to know that he had managed to catch her interest and he let out a pleased sigh as she pressed herself up against him in another embrace.
He readily complied to it, wrapping his arms around her and descending his fingers down her bare back to the straps of her bra. He barely kept himself from becoming more adventurous in his quest, yet it quickly became clear that Lucy thought differently about it and he felt slightly embarrassed when she grabbed his hands and trailed them back to the constraining piece of clothing, before giving him a little smile.
"It's okay, Desmond."
For a moment, he hesitated, still somewhat embarrassed about the fact he was given permission to do things that were normally a part of his late-night fantasies. However, it didn't take long for him to get over that slight uncertainty and he quickly grew more confident, letting his own digits roam across parts he had previously not dared to touch. As this drew no protest, he decided to go for it and snaked his hands to her back, unhooking her bra and sliding it off her body, very much enjoying the sight it provided.
Despite the several scars on her body, a common feature in her profession, he had to admit Lucy had a great figure. She was slender, yet athletic, with the right amount of curves in all the right places. Her breasts were of a agreeable size, not too big or too small, followed by a slim waist and going down in broader hips and shapely legs, which were sadly still obstructed by the fabric of her jeans. Still, he decided he would worry about that later as he simply lowered his head and started to kiss her lovely mounds, savoring the feeling of them under his lips.
He could soon feel her relax in his hold and, being met with approving moans, he soon decided to step it up a bit. He brought his hands up as well, cupping her breasts and playing with them. It felt good, extremely good, and he couldn't resist the urge to take a nipple into his mouth, gently sucking on it. This elicited yet another soft moan from her and he found himself smirking against her chest.
He could barely remember the last time he had been with a woman like this and he had almost forgotten how good it felt. Lucy seemed to be enjoying it as well and her soft noises of approval were like music to his ears. He gladly continued on this task, letting out a pleased sigh as she reached out and started stroking his back and neck in the process.
This exchange of affection went on for a while and it suited Desmond just fine. He had never really liked to rush into things and it especially applied now. He knew women usually needed a bit longer to get in the mood and now he was here with someone like Lucy, he wanted her to like it as much as he did. As such, he decided to do his best to make it worth her while. Still, just trying to pleasure her was swiftly becoming harder as she started to grind her hips against his. She kept doing this and it was with slight embarrassment that he realized his blood had found a specific place in his body to pool.
Lucy had expected a lot of things when she had given Desmond permission to touch her, but what she was experiencing now was certainly above expectations. Rather than just going for it, he was taking his sweet time and she found herself unable to do anything else but just take it in. What he was doing to her breasts felt incredibly good and she could already feel herself growing aroused under the attention of his hands and mouth.
Still, despite being rather distracted by his incredibly enjoyable actions, the Assassin in her had remained well aware of her environment. As such, she had easily noticed the growing bulge in his pants. A smile spread across her face, amused by the fact he ignored it in order to continue his pleasurable ministrations on her. Still, she decided that no good deed should go unrewarded and quietly slipped a hand into his pants, wrapping her fingers around his quite evident arousal.
She instantly felt him stiffen, releasing something that held the middle between a groan and a curse when she added some pressure. She decided not to leave it at that, however, and slowly started to move her digits across the length. This soon elicited some more sounds of approval and it wasn't long before she felt him thrust to her movements, letting out the occasional small moan.
She could quickly feel him grow harder and she shamelessly increased her stroking, confident in the knowledge that he liked her attention. In any other case, this might have been more discomfiting to her, but right now, she felt completely at ease. If anything, she took pleasure in the fact she could do it with someone like Desmond, as well as the fact that he obviously appreciated this intimacy as much as she did.
Still, she was soon to find out that Desmond had a sneaky side to him as well. Before she was fully aware of it, his hands had descended from her chest to her rear and she let out a small gasp as one of them gave it a firm squeeze while the other had made its way into her jeans. She let out a small squeak when his fingers brushed across her most sensitive spot and tried to muffle the sound into his shoulder, only to hear him whisper in a low and teasing tone. "Two can play this game…"
For a moment, Lucy huffed at this, but soon decided to forgive him as long as he'd continue his ministrations. Feeling his digits move across that one tender area was swiftly causing her to grow slick and she instinctively pressed herself against them, wanting more. He was all too willing to give it and she found her having to bite back her whimpers in order not to wake her fellow Assassins in the other rooms.
On the other hand, she decided not to let up herself either and resumed caressing his member as her own form of retaliation. Desmond wasn't irresponsive of this and she heard him growl a little, causing her to step it up and grow a bit rougher in her handling. He didn't object to this, however, and she smiled when she felt him nuzzle a neck and plant a tender kiss onto the skin.
This mutual exchange of pleasure seemed to go on forever, with neither one of them willing to back down. In the meantime, she had managed to finally remove Desmond's jeans and boxers and at some point during the situation, her pants and undergarments had disappeared as well. She didn't even care anymore. This constant game of give and take had her incredibly aroused and judging by the erection pressed against her lower stomach, it was obvious the same was true for her lover. Consequently, she decided it was time to take this a little further.
Without any hesitation, she withdrew her hands, ignoring his frustrated grunts and wrapped her arms around him again, passionately kissing him on the mouth and grinding her hips against his. Letting out another snarl in response, Desmond immediately picked up on the message and she could feel his grip on her increase as he moved them both further on the bed. Still keeping his lips on hers, he lay down on his back, stroking her sides and hips in a loving manner.
His gentle touches felt good and Lucy felt completely relaxed as she lay on top of him, running her fingers over his bare chest. She saw him smile and returned the gesture, preparing herself for what was to come. She then shifted her weight somewhat, propping herself up on her arms and positioning herself. She then carefully lowered herself onto him, letting out a content sigh when she felt him enter her.
It'd been a long time since she had experienced anything like this and the feeling of him being aside of her was just amazing. Desmond obviously agreed on that one as well, as he tried his best not to move in order to enjoy the moment and let her adjust. However, it didn't take long for her to recover and after steadying herself, she started to rock her hips in a slow and sinuous pace.
The first movement felt like an unexpected jolt, causing a surge of pleasure to go up and down her spine and the ones after that felt even better. Soon, she had built up a pleasurable rhythm and everything around her seemed forgotten as she focused on the sensation coursing through her loins. Still, being absorbed in her own little world of delight, she hadn't quite expected her partner to become more involved in the act.
She sucked in her breath as she suddenly felt his hands run over her breasts again and she had to keep back another whimper when her movements were met by his thrusts, grazing that spot inside of her that caused her head to spin. On impulse, she bucked her hips back into his, eliciting another moan from her, and she looked down at Desmond in surprise, only to be faced with a teasing smirk.
"It wouldn't be fun if I just lay back and did nothing, would it?"
Lucy frowned at this, but she didn't even get the chance to say anything about it as her lover pulled her in for another kiss. She gladly answered it and she didn't protest as she felt his hands move to her buttocks, giving it another squeeze before driving himself into her at a fast and fierce pace, leaving her no other option than to go along for the gratifying ride.
Feeling her warmth and tightness around him with every movement, Desmond's mind was rapidly becoming a blur. If things had only been slightly different, he might have actually been ashamed of his actions and incredibly fearful that anyone might wake up and catch them. Yet as he lay here with a gorgeous woman on top of him, touching him everywhere and showing him more affection than he'd experienced in a whole nine years, this thought was nowhere near important.
Lucy was right. There might not be another chance for them to be together like this again. With the solar flare coming closer and the Templars on their heels, it could just as well be that one or both of them would not make it to the end. And with that thought in mind, it was better to explore the feelings they had for each other now than to be left wondering what could've been. They only had this moment , only a few hours this night to think about 'now' instead of a dangerous future. As such, he knew he was crazy if he didn't just seize that for all it was worth…
He continued to move himself in and out of her at a firm pace, ignoring the sweat that was forming all over their bodies, when he suddenly felt her tightening up around him, causing him to let out another contented grumble. He sensed she was close now and responded by gripping her harder and moving more forcefully, trying to stave off his own impending climax so she could enjoy it with him. In addition, he then quietly moved one of his hands down again, rubbing the one area that he knew would help him achieve that goal.
A few more strangled sounds came from Lucy's throat as he did so and he could soon hear her breath become labored as she pressed back into him more fervently. The clenching around him became more erratic and powerful and he could feel her entire form quivering as she finally reached that blissful peak, the sound of it lost in a searing kiss. Eagerly, he pushed back into her even harder, no longer holding back as he felt her move around him and reached his own heavenly ascend as well.
Still enjoying the waves of pleasure ripping through him, he lay back on the bed panting, trying to shake the haze while his heart was beating as if he'd just ran a marathon. Lucy obviously wasn't in a much better state, as she had buried her face in his chest and seemed to be gasping for air. Despite his muscles feeling sore, he managed to reach out and lifted her head towards him, hoping he hadn't been too rough on her and had hurt her somewhere in the process. "You okay?"
It took her a while to answer, but he quickly realized that he had simply been assuming the worst when a smile formed on her face. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
Feeling a sense of relief going through him, he simply countered with a smile of his own. "Just looking out for you."
She didn't immediately respond to that comment. Instead, she flushed her body against his, making herself comfortable and resting her head on his shoulder. This swiftly caused his body temperature to rise again, as did her eventual response. "I know you do and I appreciate it. I'm really glad you're here, Desmond."
With those words, she slowly closed her eyes, obviously very tired after what they'd just experienced together. Desmond couldn't blame her. He himself also felt pretty drained and he knew he would probably have another long day ahead of him tomorrow. With this thought in mind, he decided to follow his lover's example and drifted off as well, soon slipping into a deep, agreeable and much-needed sleep.
The buzzing of the alarm woke Desmond up from the most pleasant sleep he'd had in a long time. It took him only a moment to quickly recall of what had happened last night. Finally, he willed himself to open his eyes and saw he was naked in bed with an equally unclothed Lucy sleeping against him.
Desmond just lay there gazing at Lucy's sleeping form, to him she looked absolutely radiant. Instinctively he reached put and gently pushed back a stray strand of her golden hair. The action cused Lucy to moan softly and her eyes fluttered open. Desmond smiled and Lucy responed in kind.
"Morning," Desmond started.
"Morning," Lucy replied with a smile.
He leaned forward and kissed her deeply before pulling back. In response to that, he received a chuckle "I think it's safe to say last night wasn't so boring, now was it?"
For a moment, Desmond once again felt incredibly awkward, but this time, he quickly recovered and answered with a grin of his own. "I'd be lying if I said it was. The animus has nothing on this."
Slowly and reluctantly the pair removed themselves from the warmth of the bed and retrieved their clothes before heading downstairs. In spite of having had a relatively short sleep, both felt strangely relaxed and energized as they helped to load some of the stuff back into the van in preparation for the trip to the airport. She felt a lot calmer as if a weight had been lifted off her overnight and she could finally breathe again. Maybe it was because she had managed to take her mind off work for a moment or the fact that she simply felt safe in Desmond's presence. Either way, she felt better about the things that were to come. She could deal with it and do whatever was in her power to help her team out. They were going to make it and if not, then she would simply go down fighting. As they assisted the others in piling some crates they took notice of Holliday smiling at them knowingly.
"Hey Lucy!" Lucy was shaken out of her thoughts by Rebecca's voice and she looked up to see her friend, who simply smiled at her. "Need any help with that?"
Nodding gratefully, she waited for her friend to get the other part of the pile of crates and move it into the van. Still, her thankfulness for her help soon turned into an entirely different emotion as Rebecca spoke again. "You were with Desmond last night weren't you!"
That single, offhand comment was almost enough for Lucy to have a new set of crates fall out of her hands. While turning red out of both anger and mortification, gave her friend a semi-threatening look, one which the other woman shrugged off without a hint of intimidation despite the forewarning that followed.
"What I do when I'm not working is my business."
Even though her friend clearly got the hint, she still simply smiled at her while she moved in to help her. "Never said it wasn't. I'm just glad to see you happy again, that's all." Unable to immediately think of a comeback for that one, Lucy simply decided not to even bother responding and continued her task. That was until the peaceful silence was again shattered by another cheeky inquiry. "So, how was it?"
The moment that line was finished, the blonde woman froze to the spot. Before she could help it, she could feel her cheeks flush in the most guilty of ways and for the first time in her life, she really wished for the ground to swallow her for a minute. Still, utilizing all her years of training at self-restraint and composure, she simply turned around and mustered her most matter-of-fact voice as she walked away to gather some more stuff.
"We've got work to do. We gotta be out of here in an hour."
She could hear Rebecca snicker behind her as she walked away and she could swear it was getting louder when Desmond paced over to her and asked if she needed help a few minutes later. Shaun obviously still looked at nauseated as before at that point and she wondered for a moment who she was actually trying to kid here.
Still, she decided it mattered little at this point. What was done was done, she had indeed enjoyed it and most importantly, she felt no regrets about it. And she didn't feel she should either. She chuckled to herself as she simply continued to carry out her task with Desmond's help, having an unembarrassed smile on her face. Meanwhile, Holliday approached Desmond helping him carry the animus as he said with a grin, "it's about time angel eyes."
