May 5, 2019

Hiya! So I'm writing this before having the chance to watch 2x19, which distresses me a little (haha. A lot, honestly.), but a couple of folks mentioned that they were enjoying the light fluff I've included lately, so though I thought about skipping this one or turning it into an unrelated one-shot, here's a sort of fluff-centric little chapter for fun, since I've got a deadline to make on another project and that one's all dark and gritty so it was nice to escape with these folks for a bit. Haha. Big plot stuff coming next, though, I promise!

Fallon had been crunching numbers all morning, and Liam was bored of it. He couldn't blame her, of course, and he knew that this was Fallon's life before him, and was going to be her life regardless of who she was with or why. And he understood why she was doing it now, especially.

She'd been digging through her own funds and looking at the value of Morell Corp since CA had acquired it. If she didn't get the company back she would have to start over from scratch. So she was working to determine how much she had to offer without breaking her own personal bank, or if it would be cheaper to just found something new.

He didn't really try to distract her, but it seemed that every time she looked up, he was being distracting nonetheless. Or, Fallon thought so anyway. She realized after a little while, though, that it was just her impatience about Jeff and the fake information they needed that had her so distracted. And, of course, how unfairly attractive her boyfriend was. Just when Fallon started to think that maybe she'd just take a little break to bother Liam, he announced that he was heading out.

"What? Where?"

"I'm meeting with my mom," he told her, leaning over her where she sat on the couch with her laptop on her thighs. He kissed her before she could question that even further. "It's no big deal, Fal. I'll be back in time for dinner."

She narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "Is this you asking me to cook before then? Because if I burn this apartment complex down, I'll be able to blame it on the guy who lives here."

"Oh yeah?" He laughed a little. "He wouldn't tell on you?"

"See, I hear he's in love with me," Fallon explained nonchalantly, shrugging. "So I wager he wouldn't blame me. I don't exactly have a lot of practice, yet."

Liam shook his head at her, grinning. "He is, indeed. But how about you text me what you want and I'll pick it up on the way home? You'll get more done with me gone anyway."

"So you noticed," she mused, not even embarrassed.

He mmhmm'd before grabbing his keys. "I'll see you later, sweetheart."

She smiled at him as he left, and was actually rather surprised to find that she indeed got more work done even after knowing that he'd gone to see Laura. It occurred to her that she hadn't actually been able to ask him why he was going, and that bothered her, but as she got further into her pitch and the paperwork surrounding it, the thought drifted away for the time being.

She eventually came up with a dinner idea that she thought he would like as well, sending her suggestion to him. He agreed a few minutes later, giving her a heads up that he would leave soon and try to be back within the hour. She decided to get some laundry done, gathering the things they'd taken on their trip that didn't have to be dry cleaned.

A few minutes before the hour was up, Fallon heard a sound she hadn't expected: a low rumble in the distance.

Her hands froze halfway through folding her pajama pants, and her eyes shifted to the window across the bed from her. A flash of light went up in the distance and Fallon turned sharply on her heels, disappearing into Liam's bathroom.

He came home later than he'd said he would, and found the strong, controlled woman he knew sitting on the couch, evidently pouring herself an obscenely tall glass of whiskey. His brow furrowed as he closed the door behind him, but then he saw the way her hand was shaking.

"Fal?"

She looked up, only just realizing he was there, and he instantly registered just how frightened she looked. Liam set down the to-go bags of food and rushed over to crouch next to her, his hand on her knee.

"What happened? Is it Adam?"

Fallon shook her head, just reaching for her glass. His hand stilled her, though, and she turned to him with an expression that almost looked like begging. "Liam..." Her eyes flicked to the window, and he understood as soon as a bolt of lightning flashed and she flinched, turning away from it.

He lifted up, sitting down next to her on the couch so he could pull her into his side. She let out a quiet gripe when the thunder came, shaking the windows with the strength of it. "Hey, it's just rain," he told her. Liam kept his tone gentle, trying to be soothing, but he didn't really understand.

"I know," she agreed, her voice almost unbelievably fragile. Of all things for a woman like Fallon to be upset by, he hadn't expected this. She tucked her face against his neck as a lower-pitched rumble sounded outside. "I usually have pills I can take to calm me down."

"I don't have—"

"I noticed."

He almost cracked a smile at that. At least some part of her sharpness remained, even when she was distressed. It struck him as amazing that she was more afraid of this than of Adam's threats. Protecting herself from Adam was something she could control, he supposed, at least for the most part. But weather? It would do whatever it pleased and she couldn't stop it.

"You're all right, Fallon. We're inside. It can't get you here."

She shook her head against his shoulder. "That's not necessarily true."

"Maybe not. But you're strong, sweetheart. You're just as powerful as any storm."

Fallon tilted her head back to squint at him, evidently trying to decide if she believed him – or, perhaps, even agreed with him. Her whole body jumped when a crack of lightning came down, and Liam realized he wasn't going to be able to just convince her out of her phobia.

"I brought food, so why don't we just turn the television up loud, try and eat, and when it passes you can tell me about what you were working on today, hmm?"

She shrugged a little, and did her best not to complain when he got up to get the containers he'd brought home with him. He grabbed the remote as well, passing it to her. She put on their usual go-to, perhaps figuring that Gordon Ramsey would end up shouting over the storm, and as soon as Liam sat back down, she forced her way under his arm to lean into his chest.

Liam attempted to reach around her with his form, but just ended up sighing and resting his arm around her back instead.

"Sorry," she told him, setting her container down and taking his. "Here," she held it up so he could eat from it one handed.

He looked confused at first, but chuckled under his breath as she attempted to turn her attention on the television. He didn't start eating like Fallon expected him to. Instead, he held a bite up for her, nudging her arm with her free hand. "C'mon, you said you were hungry."

Fallon just sort of grumbled, but accepted the food to keep him from getting more frustrated with the situation. The next roll of thunder seemed quieter at first, but then a sudden, deeper wave followed it, and Fallon swore she could feel it in her bones.

"Why does it scare you so much?" Liam asked, sounding genuinely curious underneath his still slow, calming voice.

She frowned, taking a moment to consider how to explain it. Her head dropped back against his shoulder, and the next time he saw a flash of lightning, Liam squeezed her a little closer before she could panic too hard.

"Well," she began slowly, "You know Georgia gets a lot of tornadoes. We've seen a- a lot of them while living here. But one of my earliest memories is of an especially dangerous storm. We were down in the cellar, and I remember I was so confused. Steven was trying to distract me with a card game, but Alexis kept walking upstairs to get service on her phone so she could call Blake. Anders was the one that stayed with us. And I kept wondering if my dad was okay. Or if my mom just... wasn't going to come back." Fallon shrugged a little. "I didn't understand how they worked, really; I just knew that tornadoes could kill people."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I can definitely see how that would leave a lasting impression."

Fallon set the takeout container on the side table next to them, suddenly wrapping herself around him. "I know it's ridiculous at this age, but... when it's bad like this, I just need to know that my people are safe. And you were out there, and late, and I just-"

"I'm sorry, Fallon. I would've checked in if I'd known."

She shook her head again, embarrassed. "It's fine, Liam. I know it's an overreaction, but it just... I can't help it."

Liam drew her into his lap, amused at the way she flicked her hair over her shoulders to get it out of her way as she curled her arms around his neck and dropped her forehead against his. "I've got you," he told her quietly. His hands slid up her thighs and around her back to give her a squeeze. "Do you want me to keep an eye on the radar while you eat?"

"Surely someone has made a tornado warning app or something," she suggested, cracking a smile. At the sight of that, Liam leaned in for a kiss, which she didn't break until thunder came on again. She turned to glare at the window, which was now being splattered by the rain almost constantly.

"Eat," he encouraged her, kissing just below her ear before helping her sit back on the couch beside him. He was pleased to see that she went straight for her meal, and that – though she didn't go too far – she wasn't trying to hide against him anymore. Whether she was faking it to make him think she was fine, Liam couldn't tell. But he was proud of her regardless, and decided not to comment on the change for fear of her closing off a little.

The storm raged on for hours, but Liam kept a steady eye on the radar whenever Fallon wasn't looking. She didn't need to know how many different colors were showing up over Atlanta. She inevitably went for the glass of whiskey that she'd poured earlier, but they shared it over the rest of the evening, during which Fallon filled him in on her theory: unless something changed and she somehow gained some sway over the current CA board, it didn't make sense to try and barter to get Morell Corp back. It wouldn't be worth the money in the end, for her.

Liam was prepared to support her either way, and made that known. All of their earlier talks about moving seemed more up in the air – not because they'd changed their minds, but rather because Fallon needed to do more research before she could pick a city that she felt she could succeed in. And it was as Liam had said before. He could write anywhere, and his ties to Atlanta lied in his mother, if she didn't return to New York once the company had made it through its first quarter in new hands safely.

When their glass was empty and the rain started to subside, they found their way to bed. While Liam had always been one to prefer closeness, even in sleep, Fallon tended to start close and then give herself a little space before finally drifting off. She seemed to do just the opposite that night, using Liam himself as her pillow.

The storm was long gone by the time an alert lit up Fallon's phone, but neither of them woke to see it until several hours later. And when Fallon did wake, it was still dark out. She shifted slightly as she waited for any sign of the rain, but there was none.

"What time is it?" Liam asked groggily, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes.

She glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "About five. It's quiet, though."

He tugged her closer to his chest, murmuring, "I'm proud of you, you know."

"For what?"

"You slept through it, even without the pill you mentioned."

Fallon shrugged, playing it cool. "Well, you helped.

A smile broke out across his face. "I think usually calling someone a pill is an insult, but maybe that what I am, now."

She shook her head automatically, looking up at him fondly. "No, that's not what you are, Liam. You're-" Fallon stopped herself, surprised by her own thoughts. She could see the way confusion started to eek its way across his features, but the word she'd wanted to finish her sentence with was overwhelming for her.

"I'm what?"

"I... I mean, you're-" She faltered again, and he pushed himself up on his elbow to really look at her. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought that her cheeks were turning red - not to mention the fact that she couldn't quite meet his eyes. "Look, it's nothing bad. It just had this bittersweet sort of feeling to it and I didn't realize I felt that way about it. And, frankly, it's probably far too much for how short a time we've actually been-"

"Fallon, you're not making any sense." He brushed her hair back, then tried to coax her into lifting her chin and really looking at him. "Whatever it is, you can say it. You know how long I've felt this way."

"Do I?"

Liam's smile made her relax a little, but she did so even more when he joked, "I think I might've started falling for you the moment you first insulted me on that bench."

"That's ridiculous," she told him, shaking her head.

"Just say what you wanted to say, Fal. I can take it."

She pursed her lips for a moment, but finally nodded. "I was going to say that you're not just someone I come to when I need something. Not anymore. And I think we both know I wanted things to be different a long time before they actually were. But you're... you're sort of... home, for me." His eyebrows flew up and she rushed to clarify. "I mean, I don't have the manor anymore, or most of my family, and I've heard people say that home really means a variety of things depending on how you look at it, and-"

He reached over to draw her into a fervent kiss, which quickly turned slow and loving, as they both poured everything they felt into the embrace. When they needed to break for air, he turned on his side to rest his forehead against her temple and speak into her ear. "You're the same for me," he assured her, smiling as she pulled his arm across her waist.

When they woke again in the morning, Fallon quickly pulled up the message from Jeff – and it was like a spark - from their conversation and the text message - had ignited something in Fallon once more. Liam could practically see the fire being stoked by her need for revenge against Adam, and evidently they had what Jeff, and Michael's sister, thought would be enough.