John opened his eyes, hauling in a deep breath as he watched Anna's side and shoulders rise and fall with her gently breathing. He squinted and turned over his shoulder, grunting at the pull of muscles in his back, and noted the blinking time on the clock before settling back into his pillow. Sighing to himself, he reached out to delicately brush his fingers through her hair to shift a hair from Anna's back. As his fingers moved over her skin, she shuddered slightly and the blanket shifted down her back to expose more of it to John's gaze.

Taking another look to confirm the time on the clock, grinning a bit to himself as he confirmed their time, and leaned forward to kiss over Anna's back. The purring noise she let out gave John encouragement to continue kissing down her spine until he reached the rise of her ass. John grabbed the blanket and flicked it back to expose the rest of Anna's skin and she shivered in the flash of chill. But as John continued caressing his lips down her legs she settled again.

The heating skin under his lips guided John to lift her leg and trace more kisses toward the inside of her thigh. Anna twisted slightly and John worked her knee over his shoulder as he traced his lips higher. High enough that Anna's body tightened and her knee bent more securely over John's shoulder with each quest of his mouth closer to her folds. Folds he took into his mouth to suck deeply.

Anna jerked under his care, her voice rising into a huffing cry as her eyes fluttered open. John kept his fingers holding carefully to her thigh, to better control the angle of his tongue, and met Anna's eyes with his own. Her eyes blinked as she tried to take in the sight between her legs but John did not give her the time to fully comprehend the actions until her body tightened again under his tongue.

John licked the length of her, tasting and torturing her with gentle strokes of his tongue through her folds before beating steadily at her clit. One deep suck left her howling out as she leaked around his face but John just drank around her until she settled to a steady vibration in his arms. Arms he adjusted as he slid out from between her legs.

He spread back on the bed, his arms behind his head, and grinned as Anna attempted to breathe at the head of the bed. "Good morning."

Her eyes flicked toward the clock before meeting his again. "It's not morning. Morning is where the sun is coming up."

"Not that you'll get that much here in the winter." John sighed, "I do hope you don't mind my imposition."

"I'd wake up at any hour of the day for that kind of imposition." She turned fully onto her back, lifting up slightly to look him over. "You've got a bit of a problem to solve here."

John pressed his shoulders into the mattress and lifted up to see where Anna's hand sculpted down his thigh. He shrugged, settling back onto the mattress, "I can handle it. I spent most of my teenage years in various states of aroused so…"

"But if you don't have to endure it." Anna let her hand continue brushing down his leg to massage around the base of his growing arousal. "Then why should you? Why should you suffer?"

"Are you making an indecent proposal Ms. Smith?"

Anna curved her lips into a smile. "Why not? You're the only one who can make indecent proposals."

"I never said I was."

"Well then," Anna shifted herself sideways, her hair falling over John's skin to tickle and drape where it would only excite him further. "I guess I'll just take the initiative this time."

"I did wake you up."

"Not as up as you'll be."

She swallowed him in a moment and John's hips bucked off the bed. Her lips closed around him to create more suction and she suckled slowly to his head and let her tongue delve into the slit before pulling off. John gasped for air as she did, seeking a moment to regain his senses, but Anna offered no reprieve before inhaling him again so she could graze with her teeth and wrap with her tongue.

John's chest rose and fell, caving all the way to his stomach before trying to inflate again but nothing he did could fill his lungs enough to not blacken the edge of his vision. Every motion left him unable to focus or comprehend anything while his fingers dug divots into the sheets under him. But with the edge of his senses intact, John reached for Anna's leg. She slid on the sheets, breaking from him for a moment to gaze back over her shoulder at him, but her eyes rolled back into her head as John positioned her legs on either side of his head.

The nip of her teeth around the base of his erection distracted John for a moment, his fingers trembling against the skin of her thighs, but he brought her hips down with a bruising grip to let his tongue stroke over her again. Anna broke from her hold on him, raising up to arch her back as she ground her core down on his mouth. John sucked deeper, running over the paths he traced minutes ago to enjoy the taste of her all over again as her nails bit into his hips.

But his moment of victory faltered when Anna leaned down again, her legs spreading around his head to bring her closer to his tongue, and took him in her mouth again. With her fingers massaging deep into his thighs, holding tightly to his hips, and licking at his base to his sack and back, John could barely continue with his attempts to bring her to a rise faster than he responded to her. Even the addition of his fingers to find those spots inside her that would send her over the edge only seemed to speed him up as quickly as it did her.

He thrust into her mouth, gritting his teeth a moment to stop himself falling under her persuasions, and lifted his mouth to suck at her clit. Anna's mouth pulled away from him, her nails digging furrows into his thighs, and she shattered around him. As her body shook in his grip, John shifted from under her and slipped her forward so her sensitive nerves drew along his arousal. They jerked together for a moment before Anna lifted on her knees to take him inside her.

Holding tightly around her waist, keeping her back tight to his chest, John bent his legs to thrust into her. She shifted and ground into his hips as they moved together to try and find a way to bring them over the edge again. John's hands moved over her torso, massaging her breasts to send her into a series of spasms in his arms that tightened the cling of her vaginal walls around him. And when his other arm turned to bring his fingers to dance at her clit, running over himself when he withdrew before another deep thrust, Anna twisted and bounced on him.

John tried to bury himself as deeply inside her as he could, kissing and nipping over her shoulders but Anna's slick, sopping heat drenched and scorched him until he came in a rush. She followed in the stutters of his motions, rocking and gyrating on him until her cries echoed and merged in the confines of his room. They shifted and bucked into one another until John collapsed back onto the bed.

His feet hit the headboard and he tried to move as Anna rolled to the side. Pushing a hand through her hair as she leaned up on her elbow, she grinned at him. "With that kind of workout I think I'm ready for this wedding."

"I hope so." John closed his eyes a moment before sitting up again. "We just…"

"Just?" Anna clawed through her hair before frowning at him. "Just what?"

"We didn't use anything. Not tonight or just now so…" John shrugged, managing to sit up and look down at her. "Not that I was entirely responsible in the moment but… If you're not…"

"I've got a pretty strident regimen." Anna shifted, sitting up as well. "It's the kind of thing you look into when you've gone through what I have."

"I don't doubt you and I hope you don't-"

"I'm not going to do either of us the disservice of letting you finish some noble attempt at saying you don't think I'm a slut and that you would support whatever baby could come of an unprotected sexual event." Anna slid off the bed, "Especially since I'm sure you mean every word."

"You do have a habit of making my attempts at being noble feel hollow and rehearsed." John moved off his bed, pulling at the covers to get them into place as Anna gathered their clothes from the floor. "It's a bit of a mood killer."

"It's a bad habit of mine." Anna held up their clothes. "I've spent too long taking care of myself to allow someone else to take care of me."

"You don't want anyone to take care of you?"

"Would you?"

John shrugged, catching the pants she threw at him. "I think it'd be nice to have someone to rely on occasionally."

"I guess you and I have very different reactions to the betrayals we've suffered in our love lives." Anna sighed, "I think my shirt's in your hall."

"And mine's completely ruined."

"You've only got to reattach a few buttons."

"No time for that now." John pointed to the clock. "How much time do you need to get ready for the wedding?"

"I'm a bridesmaid."

John shook his head, "That doesn't answer my question really."

Anna laughed, "I guess not. Aren't you one of Branson's groomsmen?"

"Yes but I just need a shower, a comb, and a suit they already rented for me." John shrugged, "If you're willing to wait then I can get ready and take you over the Crawley's house."

"It'd basically tell them all I spent the night at yours."

"They'd figure that out when I try to snog you in the coatroom."

Anna lifted a shoulder as she worked her shirt over her arms. "I think it's tradition that the bridesmaids get the dresses ripped off by the teeth of some randy groomsmen so I'm not opposed to that."

"Good." John grabbed his things. "Because I'm looking forward to it."

"Get yourself sorted and I'll see if you'll be the groomsman worthy of getting his teeth into my dress." Anna sat on the edge of the bed as John gathered his things. "It's a nice dress and I need to be selective about who gets to rip it off my body."

"Makes me want to put in a bit more effort." John held this things, weighing them in his hands. "You don't mind if I shower and change then or-"

Anna tilted her head to check his clock. "I'll just nap. It's not until two so I've got time to get ready."

"I thought you intimated that it would take forever for you to get ready."

Anna shrugged, "It's all about motivation. I want to see what I'm buying."

John snorted, "I won't take too long."

He hurried into the shower, leaving his destroyed shirt on the counter after hanging his suit on the door. Within ten minutes, and skin both scorched and frozen by the temperamentality of his shower, John stood before the mirror carefully combing his hair and applying his cologne before shaving. The door cracked and he turned to see Anna, holding her phone out. They mimed at each other a moment before she pressed the button for speaker and left the door open to allow steam to escape and her to enter.

"Could you repeat what you just said?" She held the phone toward John as he leaned closer to her while continuing to shave.

"I'm saying that we finally identified the woman we found at the latest crime scene." The voice on the other end of the phone crackled and John frowned.

"Branson?"

"John?"

"What are you doing? You're getting married today!"

"And if I didn't get this finished then I wouldn't be alive to marry Sybil."

"If you don't get your ass to getting ready then Sybil'll kill you." Anna pulled the phone back. "But what's the name of the woman?"

"She was a prostitute who worked that street often enough that we finally found a neighbor willing to admit that he knew she was called Ethel." Anna looked up at John, her eyebrows going up as Branson continued. "With those details we found her record."

"Solicitation?" John suggested, bringing his razor down his chin and checking over his face before patting his cheeks with aftershave. "Or something else?"

"For the moment just solicitation but there's a suspicion that she was linked with a man named Charles Blake."

Anna shrugged at John as he sighed, leaning on the counter. "The CI who turned on us to the Russians?"

"I was never sure of that." John snorted, "Don't go throwing stones. There is a possibility, given the fact Ms. Parks's also got a drug charge that puts her in possession of some of the product an old friend of yours used to sell."

John drew a hand over his face. "What else has our tech genius unveiled?"

"A location for Mr. Blake. I'll text it to Anna."

"See you at the wedding." Anna said into the speaker before turning off her phone. "Want to go on a little adventure?"

"Before the wedding?" John shook his head, "I'm not suicidal."

"It won't take long."

"Says the woman who, the last time she investigated a location, got us knocked unconscious and rescued embarrassingly by the rest of our precinct."

Anna lifted her hands, "I admit, not my finest hour but-"

"Anna." John faced her, "I promise you that if we get through this wedding in one piece and no one dies there, the first order of business'll be to track down Charles Blake and try and find out more about the drugs in Ms. Parks's system."

"When he referenced drugs was he talking about-"

John nodded, "Branson's not exactly one to let things go when he could milk them for the rest of my natural life."

"Sounds cruel."

"It's only fair." John gave a smile, "I'm the one who brings up the time Robert almost shot him when he found out Branson was dating Sybil."

Anna scooted onto the counter as John walked around her to get on his suit. "Who is Charles Blake to you?"

"He was a CI who, at the time, swore he wanted to help us take down the arm of the Russian mafia here in Dublin but," John tucked his head into an undershirt and pulled his pants on under his towel before snapping it free to hang over the shower rod. "I found out he was playing us for a higher position in their organization. Burned me bad and it wasn't exactly helpful that it came on the heels of me trying to prove that I wasn't a traitor to the cause when the case with my ex-wife became public knowledge."

Anna sucked the insides of her cheeks a moment, "Do you remember the part of our deal where we were going to honest with one another?"

John held at the collar of his shirt, pulling it over his shoulders so it hung straight before buttoning down the line. "Are you doubting my honesty?"

"No." Anna shook her head and cringed, "But Charles Blake didn't betray you for a higher position in the Russian mob."

"Don't tell me." John finished with the buttons and went for his cuffs. "He's another of your agents or whatever."

"He's part of Special Branch, yes, and we told him to burn the bridge with you so he could get us more information."

"It's an internal matter."

"It's an international matter since the Russian mafia is working a human trafficking ring from Kiev to Kansas and we're a critical part of the transfer processes." Anna stopped, holding up a hand. "Okay, I realize that we're not on the same line as far as importance and I'm not diminishing the work you're doing. I'm just saying what orders came down to him and from whom. That's what I know."

"Do you know Blake the way you know Talbot?"

Anna shook her head, "I've never met him. But I could try and arrange a meeting through his case officer. It'll make for an easier exchange since they know your face and might assume you're going for recontact and kill you."

"And you're the better option?"

She only spread her arms, "I'm an attractive woman. What'll think I can do?"

"If they knew anything about you then they'll know what you could do." John jumped into his trousers, tucking the tails of his shirt into the waistband. "I do."

"I don't plan on sharing those details with them." Anna hopped off the counter. "And you do clean up well."

"I've not even put on my tie." John reached around her to snag his watch from the counter. "Call your contacts and get a meeting with Blake. By the time you're done I can drive us to the Crawley house."

"Done." Anna opened her phone, eyeing John as he finished. "Just so you know, you'll definitely get a chance at my dress."

John snapped his teeth together as Anna left the bathroom with the phone to her ear, "Yes, this is Anna Smith. Service number eight-twenty-three-juno-foxtrot-delta-alpha. Requesting contact with the case officer working Charles Blake in Dublin. Yes I'll hold for transfer."

Finishing with his tie and accouterments, John exited the bathroom just as Anna held up a sticky-note on her finger. "Got it."

"Perfect. Now lets get this wedding finished so we can find your psycho."

"Not sure I enjoy the accusation that he's my psycho but I appreciate the sentiment." Anna grabbed her things as they moved down the hall, sorting through their coats and gloves by the door. "You'd think we hadn't had sex in forever."

"Not like that, no." John pushed his arms into his sleeves, unbuttoning his coat to allow for more maneuverability before he wrapped his scarf over his throat. "But I thought you were excellent, if that's any consolation."

"Not sure I need consoling about it." Anna pushed her fingers together to secure her gloves. "But I'll take your compliment."

"I'm not exactly the best at giving them out, am I?"

"You're trying and that's what counts."

"Why does that sound like what women say when they have to fake their orgasms so a guy doesn't feel shitty about himself?" John shook his head, handling his keys. "All ready?"

Anna checked her pockets. "I think I'm leaving with everything I came through your door with."

"That does include your dignity, right?"

"I never lost my dignity in this house." Anna winked at him, "I've not had anyone give me three orgasms in a row so I guess that's something worth the risk of all the stink-eye glares I'll get when I come through the Crawley doors in yesterday's clothes with you on my arm."

"I could wait five minutes."

"I never came home last night and if I know Sybil, which I admittedly acknowledge that I don't know her as well as I do Mary, she didn't sleep last night."

"Too nervous?"

"It's not every day that we have the favorite Crawley child marrying a rumored anarchist."

"That was a long time ago." John defended, bracing himself as they hurried out the door to his car. "The weather's only getting worse."

"I've heard that Winter only loses its grip on Spring when it's snatched from its cold, dead hands." Anna ducked into John's car, shivering as he turned the engine over to get the heater going. "But at least the wedding's inside."

"They almost made it sound like a tragedy when they had to use their house."

"The cleanup'll be terrible."

John waved Anna's argument away, pulling into the light morning traffic to drive them to the Crawley house. "Because they can't afford the cleaning crew the way they hired the decorators and the set-up crew."

"That almost sounds like jealousy for their money."

"I'm not jealous of any man's money." John shook his head at her comment. "Every person eats at a table or in front of a TV, sleeps in a bed, usually has a sofa, and uses a kitchen. Size of those things doesn't matter because the bigger it is the more you've got to clean. That's all that means."

"What a prospective." Anna leaned her elbow on the door to look at him. "Are you truly not jealous of them?"

"No."

"Not at all?"

"Are you?"

Anna shrugged, "I was jealous that there are things Mary never had to worry about that I did when we were growing up but now I realize she just had different worries than I did. Worries I'd never want."

"Like the idea that if we all put our troubles in a pile we'd simply pick up our own again because we realized we couldn't manage anyone else's."

"Exactly." Anna sighed, "I wouldn't wish my troubles on anyone so maybe it's a bit more generous than just that we're scared of the challenges of others."

"Maybe a combination of both?" John worked them out of the city and toward the suburbs. "But I'm not jealous of Robert for the same reasons you think differently of Mary. I've served with him and I don't envy the kind of pressure he's under or the things he's had to endure."

"Then I guess the best we can do, for our friends in this case, is to be there for them." Anna straightened in the seat. "We're here."

John pulled the car around the house and parked in the back. "Figured out what we'll say?"

"Late night at the office?" Anna suggested before John shook his head and pointed out her window. "What?"

She turned to see the group of Crawleys gathered on the stoop. "I think they already know."

Anna cringed, "I think they do too."