Home Comforts

Knowing she had to say something soon, Katie tried to find the words that just wouldn't leave her mouth. A bounty hunter. She didn't exactly know what his job entailed, but catching bad guys seemed to be a huge part of it. Farrelly was dangerous, but what the hell did he want with Stu? So many things were unanswered, but it was too late to even start questioning Stu. She'd make sense of it in the morning; she had no other choice. She tried to keep note of everything they passed, but her eyes were sore and she was tired. Keeping them open and her mind alert was becoming a hard task.

"Are you still awake?" Stu's voice was rough, not surprising after the night they'd had.

Katie turned her head towards Stu and said, "Yeah."

"You haven't said anything in a while." Stu stole a glance at her before looking back to the road. He looked exhausted just like she did.

"Is your back okay?" Honestly concerned, Katie reached over and lightly pressed her hand against Stu's bicep.

"Not really." Stu shuffled slightly in his seat, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly.

Pulling her hand back Katie uttered quietly, "You need to go to a hospital, Stu."

"It's fine, there's a first aid kit at my place."

Sounding more alarmed than she expected Katie said, "Your house? Is that where we're going?"

"I'll take you home as soon as I know you'll be safe." Katie nodded, knowing she had to trust Stu. "We're almost there."

Another mile driving and they finally started to slow down. Nothing but trees and open space surrounded them. Katie stared in awe at the grounds they'd pulled up to. A huge wrought iron gates blocked their path along the gravel driveway, but Stu climbed out of the car and pushed a few numbers into the pad on the wall next to the gate. After a moment, the gates started to part and Stu clambered back into the car.

"I usually have a button on the dash, but since this isn't my car..." He trailed off and took a few looks into the mirrors, scanning the area for any immediate threats or danger.

Huge trees lined the driveway, shielding the house that sat proudly on the grounds. As the wind blew and shook the trees, Katie was able to make out little pieces of the house. But as the driveway curved around, the house came into view. It was huge, and beautiful. The walls were white stone, and grand set of steps leading up towards the door. Two tall stone columns sat either side of the doorway at the top of the steps, providing support for the covering above.

"Do you live here alone?" Katie asked, the implications of her question clear in her tone.

"Sure do, when I get the chance to be here." Stu looked her way as he pulled up outside of the house. "It's secure."

"So we'll be safe this time?" Katie couldn't take her eyes off the house but she heard Stu turn the engine off.

"I'm sorry about that."

Katie was grateful for the apology, but it still didn't take away the fact that Farrelly was still out there, probably wanting to hurt Stu. "It's fine."

"It's not." Stu unbuckled his seatbelt and turned in his seat so he could face her properly. Katie stared up him, amazed that his green eye still managed to shine in the darkness.

"I can't believe you thought I was working for that crazy man."

Stu ginned and laughed, "I can't either now. He's tried to set me up before."

"I hope you catch him." Katie smiled then opened her mouth to ask him more about Farrelly, but he quickly exited the car before she could. He walked around to the passenger side, pulling the door open for her. He took her hand, pulling her into the cool night air. Slamming the door shut, he took charge and made her follow him up the steps. All she could see were the blood stains on the back of his shirt. She was still wishing he would go to a hospital to get himself checked out, but he was stubborn.

Stu dropped Katie's hand to pull out a set of keys from his pocket and silently opened the door; he crept in, reaching around the wall to turn off the alarm. Katie followed close, keeping herself glued to Stu's side. Without thinking she curled her arm around his, scared that if he left her line of sight he'd disappear.

"You're fine here." Stu said as he flicked the lights on. The hallway was flooded with bright light, illuminating the spacious but bland hallway. There was nothing welcoming, no pictures on the walls or even splash of colour.

"Are you sure you live here?" Katie stepped further into the hallway, letting Stu shut and lock the door behind them.

"It's lacking a few furnishings, but one day I'll call it home." Stu held onto her arm to stop her wandering farther into the house. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No, I'm good."

"Great, then we can get some rest." Stu laid his hand on Katie's back and gave her a reassuring smile. "Follow me."

Katie wasn't going to do anything but and in all honesty she didn't want to be left alone at all. She followed Stu up the stairs, leading to a corridor what was painted a warm cream colour. Still no pictures were anywhere to be seen but she daren't ask why. She didn't know the man and it wasn't really any of her business. She continued to follow him and he pushed open one door, flicking on a light in the room. Katie almost gasped in shock at the colour filing the room. The bed had a crimson coloured bed sheet, the pattern a patchwork of red fabrics some with metallic hints. The carpet was cream, but a thick rug was laid out at the foot of the bed; in front of that was a dresser which had a small LCD TV sitting on it. The walls were coated with a deep red paint – it felt warm and inviting.

"Make yourself at home." Stu turned around in the room, arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you have anything I could borrow to sleep in?"

Stu nodded, "Sure, let me go find something." He left her alone, returning a minute later with a shirt in his hand. "Here, have this."

Katie smiled as she took the folded white t-shirt from Stu. "Thank you."

"I'm just across the hall, so come get me if you need anything." Stu didn't say anything else; he left the room and closed the door behind him.

Katie unzipped her dress and let it fall to her feet; she pulled the shirt over her head, it swamped her but it would be perfect for sleeping in. She didn't expect to sleep for long, but it would be better than nothing at all. Then when it was light out and safe, Stu would take her home. That's what he'd promised and that's what she expected.

Without turning the light off, Katie kicked off the shoes she had been given to borrow then crawled onto the bed and laid her head on the plump pillows. It was comfy, but not comfy enough. Her mind wouldn't settle and the harder she tried to make herself sleep, the more her body fought it. So she lay there, staring up at the ceiling. In the quietness of the house, she heard a groan. It had to be Stu, there was no one else with them. Sitting up she tried to listen more clearly. She heard it again and decided to investigate. What if it wasn't Stu? What if Farrelly had followed them – determined on killing Stu?

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she crept across the room and quietly pulled the door open. Stu's room was almost opposite hers. His door wasn't quite closed and there was a sliver of light coming through the crack. She heard the groan again and knew it was Stu. She continued forward, unable to stop herself.

The crack in the door allowed her just enough space to peek inside. Stu had his shirt off, a wet cloth in his hand as he tried to clean the blood on his back. He grunted in pain. It felt wrong, seeing him like this, seeing a weakness in such a strong man. His shoulders were wide, thick with muscle that bunched when he moved. He was such a big man, and Katie was sure he could catch Farrelly with his bare hands.

Gently she knocked on the door, not wanting to startle him as he cleaned up his wounds. They looked bad; really bad. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "Come in."

Katie didn't hesitate. She pushed the door fully open and stepped in the room. Now she felt silly, stood there in just one of his t-shirts. What was she supposed to say? He'd only left her for ten minutes and here she was back again.

"I understand if it's hard to sleep, come sit down." Stu grunted again as the cloth swiped over a cut.

"Can I help? I know you won't be able to reach some of those cuts." Katie stood there in his bedroom and slowly he trailed his gaze over her, pausing on her bare legs for a moment.

Stu nodded and said, "Thanks." He held out the cloth to her and gladly she walked over to him, taking it from his grip.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of him seep into her skin. He felt good under her touch. The blood on his back had dried and when it was all cleaned off, it didn't look as bad, some of the cuts were deep but it was nothing that wouldn't heal.

"There you go." Katie uttered and Stu turned around, gently squeezing her arm whilst taking the cloth from her.

"Make yourself comfortable."

Stu left her to go into the en suite and Katie took the opportunity to look around the room. It was similar to the room he'd given her but a blue theme ran through this one. Again the bed looked comfy and Katie moved around it, sitting on the side to test the hardness of the mattress. It was soft and after hesitating for a moment, she brought her legs up onto the bed. Make yourself comfortable. She scooted down thebed, letting her head sink into one of the pillows. She could hear the tap in the en suite running, and just knowing that Stu was a mere few meters away somehow made everything better. She'd close her eyes – just for a moment – then maybe when he came back, Stu would keep her mind occupied.

A/N – Thank you boston246, Nisi85, ThatGirl54, charmedbyortonbarrett, xj0j0x, prettybaby69, xmollymayx and xFindTheEnigmaWithinx for the awesome reviews. Lou x