Movement In The Night

Katie stared and stared, hoping that time would pass by as quick as possible. It was hopeless. Everything ached including her battered mind. She was in limbo; not knowing was a feeling she didn't deal well with. Stu had fallen asleep on the bed half an hour ago or so she thought. Maybe he was resting his eyes. Whatever he was doing he looked peaceful, a drastic but pleasant change from the brute man she'd first experienced.

The only thing she was sure of was that she wasn't going to sleep. She didn't trust this man nor know him. The gun he'd thrashed around lay next to him on the bed, an arms length away if he needed to use it. She prayed to god he didn't have to. With no idea what crazy dealings he was involved with, she could only take his word that he was a good guy.

A bad guy wouldn't have saved her. A bad guy wouldn't have brought her to safety. But a good guy wouldn't have scared the life out of her and dragged her down a dark alleyway. Would he?

Clueless and trapped, Katie found herself staring at Stu again, wishing he would wake up. The silence was eating away at her, and the longer it drew out the more she was starting to surround herself with fear. Small noises outside sounded deafening. Each time a car would pass her heart lodged in her throat until silence resumed. With nothing other than the water from the bathroom sink to drink, Katie knew she couldn't venture out for anything a little more refreshing. She needed something to take away the dry burning in her throat.

After one last look at Stu, she turned her back on him and stepped towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?"

Katie turned back around to see Stu already standing up from the bed. Boy did the man have lightning fast reactions. His hair was a little messy from his nap on the bed, but he soon put the stray strands into place once he combed his fingers through.

Katie pointed towards the bathroom before she said, "I want a drink."

He nodded as if to grant her permission. She didn't need permission to do anything. If she wanted to walk out of the door right now she would. Maybe.

"Katie?"

"Hm?"

Still standing and apparently staring into space, Katie tried to appear at least like she was in control of herself. If she couldn't be in control of the situation, that would have to do for now.

"You were going for a drink." Stu raised an eyebrow and Katie only nodded.

As much as she hated to admit it, tiredness was beginning to settle in. Once she had closed the door behind her, she stared into the grubby mirror above the sink. Her body wanted sleep but her mind was fighting it. She wasn't getting any younger and late nights weren't as appealing as they used to be. Sure she loved heading out to the bar every other Friday night, especially if she got to see Felicity perform with her band. Those were exceptions. She loved her home comforts and right now, she was as far away from them as possible.

There was no other option than to drink straight from the faucet. It would do for now. As her thirst was quenched and her throat didn't feel like sandpaper, she felt a whole lot better. Not enough that she could relax but it was a start. She turned towards the door – Stu was probably stood at the other side keeping guard. He seemed to relish in action. Attracting danger and taking it on head first at the same time. She couldn't help but snicker to herself, men.

Maybe now was a good time to try and get Stu to explain who Farrelly was. It would help put her mind at ease if she at least new some of the details; plus it was only fair after what he'd done to her. Stepping out of the bathroom and into the room, Katie noted the silence. Stu was at one side of the room staring out of the window where the curtains didn't quite meet the wall. She wasn't sure what he could she but guessed no one could see him – he wasn't that stupid.

"What-"

"Shush." Stu held a finger to his mouth then held his hand up, making her stop in her tracks. She swallowed hard and her throat again closed up, dry and longing for water again.

Stu looked more intimidating as the dark shadows in the room swept over him. Poised and ready for action, his gun was gripped tightly in his right hand. "Don't move." Stu's voice was faint but she heard the request loud and clear.

Don't move. She could do that. She also wondered if she should move back into the bathroom to stay out of harms way. This was Stu's business not hers. His whole body was tense, muscles straining against his shirt. He looked mean and angry – like he was ready to kill somebody. This wasn't something she wanted to be a part of.

Stu crouched down on the floor and sent Katie a stern look. It pinned her to the spot and stole her breath. There was a moment of eerie silence before a loud bang sounded outside. The window shattered, shards of glass billowing into the room but stopped by the heavy curtains.

"Oh my god." No longer were her feet glued to the spot. She was flooded with concern especially as she saw Stu grimace and stumble backwards.

"Katie, no!"

She had only moved a foot when Stu hurtled towards her, throwing her down onto the floor besides the bed. They both landed with a thud on the old carpet, Stu pinning Katie down with all of his weight.

"If I tell you to do something, you do it. Understand?" Stu hissed, not at all moving from his position on top of her.

"But-"

"No." Stu shook his head, a hint of determination lingering behind his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for playing around. "If I say jump, you shut your pretty little mouth and jump."

Well, she certainly wasn't used to being spoken to like that and he had rendered her speechless. Stu however seemed completely at ease. Nothing fazed him. Not even a gun shot through the window. Katie felt herself shaking as adrenaline surged through her tired body.

"We need to get out of here."

"Wait, what?" Katie pressed her hands against Stu's shoulders in an attempt to get him off her. No luck. The wall of solid muscle was going nowhere. "You said we would be safe here."

"Did you not just see what happened? Things change, sweetheart." Stu had the nerve to grin. "Let's get out of here."

"And where the hell are we going?" Katie was silenced by Stu's hand over her mouth. He held his weight up with the other hand so he wouldn't hurt her.

"First you need to quieten down." Stu's grin had disappeared and his menacing glare was slowly slipping back into place. "We can get a ride from here back to my place."

Katie shook her head against Stu's hand. She wasn't going anywhere with him. She wanted to be at home, safe and sound in her comfy bed and under her even comfier duvet.

"You want me to leave you with Farrelly and his henchmen?" Katie narrowed her eyes. He wouldn't do that, surely. His hand still covered her mouth and as much as she tried to pull it from her, it remained stuck. Darting her tongue out she licked the palm of his hand then sunk her teeth into his skin. "Fuck."

"Get off me."

Stu snarled and lifted Katie up by her arm before grabbing his suit jacket and her bag. He took once quick glance around the room before fleeing. Katie was still barefoot, trying to keep up with Stu as he dragged her down more corridors. He almost pulled her down a narrow set of stairs and they found themselves at the back of the bar again.

"Stu." Katie tugged on Stu's arm, hoping to get him to slow down. Her heart was leaping from her chest in both excitement and exhaustion. She'd never felt such intense feelings in her life. "I have no shoes."

Stu stopped and glanced down at her bare feet then uttered, "Right." He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Stay put."

His jacket and her bag were thrust into her hands before Stu wandered back from where they had just come from without another word. The darkness of the bar finally settled in around her. She noticed how vulnerable she felt without Stu by her side. Surely she should feel safer, or was he really trying to protect her? The man was sending a million mixed signals her way she didn't have a clue. He had yet to tell her anything about Farrelly and why he was trying to kill him, but she'd press him on that when he returned.

Taking a quick look around the bar, Katie backed herself up against the wall. No, she didn't feel safe one bit. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes invaded her senses. The font of bar was filled with glasses and bottles that had yet to be cleared away, no doubt for some poor waitress in the morning. Finally she heard the footsteps and then the familiar click of the door opening. Stu was back hopefully with some suitable footwear.

"Finally…" Katie whispered, her breath catching in her throat as the figure walked towards her. She had to be seeing things. This wasn't her knight in shining armour, it was quite the opposite. She'd never seen such cold, piercing blue eyes before. The way they stared at her with deadly intent made her scared to the bone. He made Stu look like a boy scout, not a gun wielding bad man that dragged her down alleyways.

For the first time that night, she desperately wanted Stu back by her side.

A/N – Thank you ThatGirl54, xj0j0x, xVikingPunk, prettybaby69, charmedbyortonbarrett, Anon, ShannonTheAwesomeOne, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx and Nisi85 for the lovely reviews. You guys are the best :) Lou x