A/N: This chapter rating goes up. Unlike the other two chapters this was fills in the blanks from what happens when Cookie leaves with Malcolm. This one is dedicated to just because. No beta, all mistakes belong to me. The characters ain't mine either, sadly.

The ride to her apartment was silent albeit the smooth jazz that played on the radio. She looked down at her phone to see three missed calls from Lucious, two from Jamal, and one from Hakeem. She sighed and looked out the window before speaking.

"Jennings."

"Yes ma'am."

"Your job. You protect people, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You ever get scared of dying on the job?"

"Not really. I'm doing it for a reason. If I die at least I died honorably." Cookie pursed her lips staring out the window until they reached their destination.

"You going to be okay ma'am." Jennings asked as he opened her door to let her out.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks."

He nodded as closed the door after her as she got out. Cookie began walking to the door before she turned around getting Jennings attention.

"Jennings?"

He reached for the drivers door handle before turning back to face her.

"Ma'am?"

"It's Cookie. Call me Cookie."

"Yes Ma-. Cookie. Goodnight."

She nodded at him before going inside. Once she got to her foyer she dropped her purse and keys on the table making a beeline to her bathroom, a hot shower was all she wanted. The scorching hot water hit her body like a cleansing wave. She stood under the showerhead, hands shaking as the tears she'd been trying to hold in finally fell. A sob ripped from her throat and she reached out to press her palm against the wall and willingly let the tears fall. Cookie Lyon was rarely afraid of anything but tonight was the first time she truly felt an emotion she hadn't been faced with before; fear.

She didn't text him back. Thoughts of what she could be doing ran through his mind. He was scared; he prayed she wouldn't do anything drastic as he grabbed the steering wheel tighter. He tried calling her again to no avail so he decided to call Jennings, despite it being 11:30 at night.

"Devaux. What's up?"

"Hey Andrew, did you drop Cookie off at home yet?"

He cringed inwardly at the use of Cookie around Jennings, if he suspected anything before he definitely knew something was up now.

"Cookie?"

"Ms. Lyon."

He heard the man laugh on the other end. "Yeah, I left her about an hour ago."

Silence.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah everything is fine. Thanks."

"Malcolm?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful."

He knew what Jennings meant by that and it would be pointless in denying it. However that conversation was something that would have to wait.

"Always."

He banged on the door loudly; grateful she was the only one on the floor.

"Cookie open up it's me."

Nothing.

He banged louder hoping to get her attention.

"Cookie! Open the door."

He heard a shuffling of feet then heard the locks turn and a chain being pulled when she opened the door he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he was relieved.

He looked at her eyes red and puffy, hair still wet from the shower, and face makeup free. She was dressed for bed wearing an oversized UPenn sweatshirt and fuzzy socks on her feet. She was adorable. Malcolm offered her a slight smile that she couldn't quite return and he instantly reached out and enveloped her in a hug. Her hair smelled like coconut and her embrace was soft she felt so small in his arms. They stayed like that for a while until he felt Cookies hands loosen from around his wait.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything. I jus-"

He silenced her with a kiss. It was soft, short and sweet. He grabbed her face into his hands and looked her in the eyes.

"You're welcome. Let's get you to bed."

He took her hand and led her to her bedroom letting go to pull down her bed covers and she followed closely behind. Once he was finished, he turned around to face her.

"Now get some sleep, I'll be out in the living room on the couch."

Cookie shook her head. "No. You'll sleep here with me."

"Cookie, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Malcolm. I said I didn't want to be alone. I meant it; all we'll do is sleep I promise. I just. Please." She looked down; she wouldn't look him in the eyes. This is the most vulnerable he'd ever seen her; the usually straightforward woman taking Empire by storm was almost childlike now.

"Okay." She looked up and gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes but it was good enough for him. She pulled back the covers and tucked herself in watching as he toed off his shoes and took off his suit jacket laying it in the chair in the corner of the room, he made his way back to the other side of the bed Cookie instantly sitting up.

"There's no way you are going to be comfortable sleeping in that."

"I'll be fine."

"Malcolm."

She was right. Sleeping in his suit pants and dress shirt would be uncomfortable as hell, but the truth was it was his armor. Lying in bed beside Cookie was already hard enough and took all of his self-control to not want her physically. How could he function if he was half naked in her bed with her? He tried to reason, the woman nearly died tonight and all Malcolm could think about was if she was wearing underwear under the sweatshirt, and if so what kind would they be? How her legs would feel wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her? How soft her skin would be, how she would taste? What kinds of sounds she would make?

He suppressed a groan.

"Cookie, I'll be fine."

She wasn't taking that for an answer because she threw the covers off and got her on her knees to the edge of the bed right in front of him and moved her hands over his shirt unbuttoning it. He didn't stop her, he just looked right into her eyes as she removed the buttons one by one before tossing the shirt to the side. Her hands moved to his belt as she unlooped it and went to unbutton and unzip his pants and pushed them down his legs. He stepped out of them until he was down to his boxers and t-shirt.

"Better." She smiled at him going back to her side of the bed and tucking herself back under the covers patting for him to join her and he did.

"Hold me."

Malcolm scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, he felt her push her backside against his groin and it took everything in him not to react. She linked his hands in hers as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Sleep." He said softly.

And they did.

She tried to listen to him but she couldn't. She felt his slow breathing brushing against her neck and her grip on his hands around her tightened. Every time she closed her eyes flashes of what just transpired mere hours ago fill her thoughts. She was terrified. The feeling of his arms around her was comforting it just wasn't enough. She sighed in frustration and moved to untangle his arms from around her, when she felt some resistance knowing he wasn't asleep after all.

"Where are you going?" He asked sleepily.

"Nowhere." She lied.

"Liar." He laughed lowly in Cookies ear. "You can't sleep?"

Giving in she relaxed against him. "Something like that."

"I can help you out with that you know?" She felt him smirk and for the first time that night she smiled a genuine smile and turned to face him.

"Oh really." She flashed her teeth as she looked at him. The moonlight cast a light glow on his skin and he looked positively handsome. Even in the darkness of her room she could see his eyes and the emotion they held. He didn't pity her; he felt for her, it was understanding lined with desire. He wanted her; all of her. They laid there in a comfortable silence before Malcolm propped himself up on his forearm and moved the covers down, positioning his body so that he hovered slightly over Cookie.

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"Yeah I can."

He leaned in to kiss her it was demanding, it was confident. It was damn good. His lips moved to her neck as his hands brushed against the sides holding the hem of her sweatshirt slowly moving it up. She sat up slightly and allowed him to pull the sweatshirt from off her body. He looked down at a half-naked Cookie Lyon clad in nothing but a bra and matching underwear; 17 years in prison had been kind to the woman.

"You're beautiful."

She blushed grateful that the room was dark; it felt more comfortable that way. Cookie wasn't usually one to have issues with her body but under Malcolm's scrutinizing gaze she was. She knew she wasn't supermodel size and since leaving the pen she gained quite the appetite and all the alcohol she drank wasn't helping her midsection. Her thoughts about her body were interrupted when she felt Malcolm's hand cup both of her breasts into his hands. His thumbs brushing against her nipples even through the fabric of her bra, his mouth soon followed suit. Placing kisses down her neck, the swell of her breasts he moved lower and lower and Cookie knew just where he was headed and she panicked. Malcolm must have felt it because he pushed her back down.

"Relax Cookie."

That's all he said as his mouth continued it's descend down her lower abdomen. His fingers hooked on the sides of her underwear as he pulled them down her legs and her breathing quickened.

Cookie could count on her hand the amount of times someone has ever given her head. When she and Lucious got married he never did, it just wasn't a thing. No matter how many times she'd willingly let him shove his dick in her mouth the feeling was never reciprocated. She wasn't expecting it either, no one ever did it just wasn't a popular thing to do in the 80s. However, their recouping a few weeks ago, Lucious was more than willing to go down, more than once too and Cookie couldn't believe she missed a good chunk of her life without it.

So while this wasn't the first time she received oral it was the first time with someone that wasn't Lucious and that's what made her nervous. She felt self-conscious for a second time in the night and it's like Malcolm could read her mind, he sat back on his haunches.

"Cookie?"

"Huh."

Even through the darkness she could see him clear as day.

"Relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Liar." He laughed as he bent down and kissed from her ankles all the way up to her inner thigh. She felt her legs tremble slightly at the anticipation. His hands gripped her hips as he ran the flat of his tongue over her. She threw her head back and let out a whimper. He pushed her legs further apart resting them over his shoulders for better access, and his tongue plunged inside her heat. Cookie moaned as his tongue worked miracles on her. She arched her back and gripped the sheets as his tongue thrust in and out just like his fingers had two days before.

"Malcolm." She breathed out.

On and on it went he never let up on his assault and all she could do was take it. His flicked his tongue over and around her clit before lightly biting and sucking it into his mouth, which set her over the edge.

"Oh my God." She moaned, tightly closing her eyes and turning her head to the side to bit down on a pillow. The man could do magical things with his lips and tongue not that she doubted it at all. When he inserted two fingers she thought she saw stars, he would not let up and when she tried to push away from his mouth he placed a hand on her stomach softly keeping her in place. She looked down to watch him watching her and it was the last straw.

"Oh God. I'm coming, Malcolm. Oh my God, yes," she moaned, her movements becoming more erratic her back arching as she pushed against his mouth.

Her body started to tense as his tongue flicked against her faster, in and out before sucking on her clit once more while her orgasm hit her violently and her juices spilled out on his tongue.

He felt her go limp and kissed his way back up to her mouth, coaxing her lips open allowing her to taste.

"Sweet. Just like a Cookie should be." He looked down at her laughing softly, and she joined him before he moved back to his position beside her once again wrapping his arms around her. He repeated his earlier words.

"Sleep."

She nodded, and a few minutes later her eyes closed and her breathing had evened out. She was finally resting. Malcolm placed a kiss to the back of her neck before closing his own eyes.

"Goodnight Cookie."