Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Be The Man

I've been holding back my love

For reasons I can not define

I'm still the man you want

It's just hard to tell you so

Rag 'n' Bone Man - Be the Man

Antonio Dawson: Long shot but are you awake?

Maggie O'Neill: Not such a long shot. Despite the fact it's 2am I am awake. The question is why are you?

Antonio Dawson: I'm having a bad night. I just wanted to see if you were up, talking to you used to help when things got bad...

Maggie O'Neill: Waking up with you used to help me alot too. You always had a way of making me feel safe.

Antonio Dawson: Maggie, I always told you that I would keep you safe, that I wouldn't let anything hurt you. I'm sorry I couldn't keep that promise.

Maggie O'Neill: I'm coming over. You had better be wearing pants. x

Antonio hadn't expected Maggie to actually turn up on his figurative doorstep after the two of them had conversed via text but here she was standing in the doorway of his bedroom clad in her black quilted jacket, Hello Kitty pajama bottoms and black leather combat boots. Her jaw length waves were loose and tousled falling across her pale features as she tucked his front door key safely into the right zipper pocket. At that moment Antonio didn't think he could have loved her any more than he did. She had dropped everything to come here tonight, to be there for him. He felt like an asshole summoning her but the truth was he was scared. Even now he could still feel his heart pounding against his ribs like it was a hammer, vibrating against his skin.

"I didn't think you'd come." Antonio said quietly from his position in the double bed.

He was dressed in a grey wife beater that hugged his boxer's physique, that sexy roman numeral tattoo was on display across his left tricep. His black hair was disheveled, it fell over his handsome features as he leaned back against the headboard. His dark gaze was downcast, his right hand came to rest upon his left wrist, his calloused thumb smoothing over the white scars that were etched into his flesh. He looked lost in that moment, like he was reliving something that Maggie couldn't see. She didn't have to ask what it was, the two of them had endured something terrible together, they shared both the experience and the memories.

"I can't stay away when I know your hurting like this." Maggie murmured, unzipping her jacket and stripping it from her shoulders, revealing the white Hello Kitty tank top underneath.

Antonio watched as she hung it on the hook on the back of his bedroom door. The gesture was startlingly familiar, a habit from when she'd been a permanent fixture in his life, he wanted that again for the two of them. He wanted to fall asleep beside her and wake up with her every single day. He wanted to have her by his side and to support her the way she had always supported him. Moments like this reminded Antonio of where they had been before the incident with Cooper, he had always wanted a life time with her and they had been on their way to achieving that. His feelings hadn't changed in their time apart, in fact they had been reinforced. He didn't say anything when she stepped towards the bed, nor when she slipped underneath the sheets.

Instead he turned on his side, placing his head upon the pillow until the two of them lay face to face, simply looking into one another's eyes. Antonio was losing himself himself all over again in her presence. His scarred hand reached out, capturing her dainty fingers gently before he placed her flat palm on the place where his heart resided deep in his chest so she could feel the steady thump as he spoke.

"It still belongs to you." He told her quietly. "And it always will."

Gabriel O'Neill was a gentleman. Kim had known that from the moment they had met and despite the fact it was one of the things she loved the most about him, it could also be one of the most frustrating. He had spent hours wooing her in the jazz club. His coarse hands were constantly on her, touching her softly as he guided her onto the dance floor. She had lost track of the time they had spent simply holding one another and swaying from side to side. There was a whole universe in those cobalt blue eyes of his, one that she found herself drawn to. She knew after tonight, there would be no way she could ever turn back. If there was ever any doubt about her feelings towards him, it had washed away in the moments she had spent captivated by this wonderful man.

As usual he walked her home. Their fingers had been entwined together, their steps light as Kim had guided him towards her apartment door. She knew she was tempting fate by inviting him in but being around Gabe was like a compulsion, Kim simply couldn't help herself. They had spent hours on the couch simply talking, he had graced her skin with tender touches. They were always too brief and fleeting, she always wanted more from him but she had promised herself that she would be patient. He had to come to a decision on his own accord, she wouldn't make it hard for him.

That was until he kissed her.

The moment their lips met, Kim had lost all sense of rationally. What had started as slow and tentative became desperate and full of yearning until Kim found herself on her back on her comfortable deep red sofa, Gabriel's skilled hands trailing deliberately along her supple clothed curves. They were still fully dressed, although the top two buttons of Gabe's white shirt had come undone revealing a small expanse of his firm chest.

He broke away for a moment, his cobalt blue eyes staring into hers as his thumb smoothed over her moist, silky lips before cupping her cheek.

"I want this with you." he told her earnestly. "I've never wanted anything so much in my whole entire life."

Kim exhaled deeply, her own delicate fingers reaching up and trailing along his strong jawline, tracing the fine stubble that was beginning to form. She wanted him more than anything right now, she wanted to feel his skin on hers, hear his moans in her ears as she stroked and kissed every contour on sensuous his body. She had never longed for somebody the way she did for him, she craved his touch like no one else before him.

"We can't." she whispered, her voice ragged as Gabriel's lips brushed the pulse point of her wrist. The motion had never seen so sensual or seductive but just that touch was almost enough to make Kim's resolve snap completely. "I want you so much..."

"I know." he murmured, leaning forward until his nose trailed down hers, their lips barely inches apart. That unbridled heat was building up between the two of them once more as Kim stared into the depths of Gabriel's beautiful soul. "One day I promise you'll have all of me."

Kim's fingers threaded through his thick auburn hair drawing him even closer as she breathed against his lips.

"Until then I'll just take a little at a time."

Hi guys, thank you for supporting this story. I've been really busy with my blog and with picking up Heart Lines again.

Lauren: My heart did too. I just wanted to hug her so much! I hate the fact she went through it but I wanted to show the realism of that sort of life. Kelly has such an amazing range, he's tough but he has so much heart and it makes me fall in love with him sometimes and I do feel like he gets the shitty end of the stick in the series. I just want him to be happy. OMG I love Gabe so much, it's like he loves her but he has this sense of duty.

Anime: I love Kayla too, she is just such a sweetheart! Aw Roman and Severide make such a great team and I have no doubt she will be protected by them. Everyone will want to murder Mike for this but for Kelly it's more important to look after Kayla especially after everything she has been through. You'll have to wait and see what happened with Gabe and Kim.

Soccer: I love Kelly too, he gets emotionally battered in the series and I think he deserves to have someone to love him.

Nat: I really wanted Kelly to be there for her in this chapter, he is so great as a shoulder to lean on in the series and I truly believe he will care for Kayla like a brother. You will have to wait and see on Gabe and Kim.

Western: I'm glad you liked him in this chapter, I really loved writing him.