Clara glances up from her journal and noticed that Aiden wasn't inside Quinkie's anymore. She could hear loud chatter coming from behind the restaurant. Putting her journal back in her pocket, she was about to step out of the car until she realized she was completely barefoot.

She searches the car for something to wear on her feet. She finds a pair of brown low boots in the back seat. They looked like they were brand new. She slips them on before stepping out of the car. She looks around in search of Aiden.

She could the voices a bit clearer now and it sounded like they were swearing or throwing insults at someone. The snowfall began to quicken as she makes her way towards the back of the restaurant. She stopped dead in her tracks, horrified by what she saw.

There were four young looking boys surrounding Aiden, who was being held by a bigger, muscular man. Each one of them was taking turns punching and kicking Aiden where ever they pleased while one of the boys filmed the whole thing with his phone camera.

"Nice costume," one of them said sarcastically.

"You think you're the vigilante or somethin?" Another boy mocks him before throwing another punch into his gut. Aiden winced at the impact.

The blows he was receiving wasn't good for his already fractured ribs from previous fights he had gotten into in the past.

Clara watched from a distance and she couldn't bare to see him get hurt any longer. She started pacing towards them and by the looks of their punches and kicks, these kids didn't even look like they knew how to fight. They were just a bunch of punks looking for trouble.

Once she got close enough, one of them had already thrown another punch towards Aiden's jaw. There was blood already trickling down his mouth from the blow. This only frustrated Clara even more as she crept behind one of the boys and slams her fist into his temple. He passed out instantly and collapsed onto the pavement.

They all quickly turned their heads towards the noise and they spot Clara glaring at them with her fists clenched.

"Get away from him," she warns, glancing at Aiden still being held by the bigger man before turning her attention back to the four punks in front of her.

"What the hell?" One of them blurted out while throwing his hands up in the air. However, his protest came to a halt once he caught sight of Clara. He looked her up and down as if she were eye candy.

"Is this your girlfriend?" He chuckles while making eye contact with Aiden.

Aiden knew who he meant as he managed to open his eyes and see Clara. He feared she would be hurt next.

"You're lucky that you're pretty, otherwise I would have beaten the shit out of you for knocking out my friend."

If Clara hadn't been trained to take on this many people, she would have felt intimidated, scared even. But she wasn't scared, not one bit. Struggling to stay awake, Aiden flickered his eyes over to Clara and worry immediately consumed him when the boy began walking towards her. Just by the way those men were looking at her made him even more stressed out than he already was.

"Clara...no," he chokes out before being interrupted by a swift kick in his calf by the man that was behind him.

Clara gasps after seeing Aiden getting hurt again before turning her attention back to the boy that was approaching.

"How about we show you what we do to bitches like you."

Right after finishing his sentence, he attempts to swing at her. Clara quickly grabs a hold of his wrist and twists his arm before striking him in the nose with her other fist. Blood began to trickle down his nose and he looked as if he would pass out any second. Clara presses her foot against his stomach and kicks him to the ground.

She glares at the other two boys who had just witnessed what she did. The larger man didn't leave his spot while the third boy still had his phone out and recording. Clara turns her attention towards the two boys pacing towards her. The boy on the right held a baseball bat while the other was bare fisted.

The boy with the baseball bat charged at her and tries to swing at her face. Clara was quick to react by grabbing the bat with one habd and raising her knee towards his gut. He loosens his grip on the bat and she pulls it out of his hand before striking him across the head, knocking him down.

She could hear the other boy from behind running towards her. She quickly turns around and swings the bat at his face, instantly making him fall backwards. Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps sprinting towards her. She turns around and she could see that the man had let go of Aiden and tossed him into the snow.

Aiden was trying his best to stay awake. If he had the strength, he would get up and help her, but his injured ribs prevented him from standing. Clara was about to swing the bat at the man, but he knocks it out of her hand and presses one large hand around her throat, squeezing it tightly.

Clara struggles to breathe as he pushes her against the brick wall. Clara desperately tried to pull his hands away from her neck, but he had a firm grip on her. After a few seconds of struggling, she began to feel dizzy. She felt like she would pass out at any moment.

She moved her legs around in an attempt to kick him. She got lucky when her foot slammed into his groin. He lets go of her while stumbling backwards and holding onto his private area. Clara caught her breath and wasted no time as she picked up the baseball and swung at the back of his head. He tumbled onto the ground only to be met with another blow to the face.

Clara repeatidly hit him again and again until he was completely imoblie. She would have lost complete control of herself is she hadn't heard the shaky breathing coming from the young boy struggling to hold his phone up right. She stops and aims the bat towards him.

"Drop the phone," she says sternly.

If he were to run away with the footage on his phone, Aiden and Clara would be exposed. The boy obeys and drops his phone into the snow. Clara kept her glare on the boy until he turned around and started running away. He nearly tripped while he ran, but he didn't stop. Clara watched him until he was out of sight.

She paced towards his cell phone before smashing it with a single swing. His phone was left with a crack on it's screen. Clara looks around at the bodies, satisfied with her work before glancing towards Aiden who was gazing up at her, shock and surprise written on his face.

Clara rushed over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked concerned. She kneels down to his eye level.

"I've never been better." He gazes up at her giving her a smirk. "How did you do that?" He asked as she reached her hand out to brush some snow out of his hair.

"It wasn't that hard," she laughs a little, "Trust me, they did not know how to fight."

Aiden chuckles knowing that she was right. Regardless of nearly getting his ribs fractured again, he's seen tougher men. Clara extends a hand out to Aiden, offering to help him up. Aiden complied and took her hand. Clara pulls him up as gentle as she could. Aiden winced at the sharp pain from his ribs. Clara frowns at his condition almost feeling bad for not showing up sooner.

She spots his cap sticking out of the snow and reaches down to pick it up. She brushes the snow off with her fingers before placing it over his messy dark brown hair. She rests her right hand on his cheek which made Aiden smile warmly. He stared at her, an unrecognizable emotion displayed in his eyes. Clara found herself getting lost in his gaze as well. It only lasted for a moment until Clara cleared her thriat and spoke up.

"Um...let's get out of here."

"Yeah," he nods.

Clara takes his arm and wraps it around her neck, helping him walk. Aiden clutched onto his ribs while gritting his teeth in pain. He had broken ribs before, but he worked his way through it. Those kids only brought the pain back, but it would subside eventually.

Clara spotted the bag of food sitting on the ground and she slowly reacges down and grabs it. Her food had to be cold by now, but she'd still eat it. Clara leads Aiden away from the restaurant and towards the car. She takes Aiden over to the passenger side and gently places him inside the car. Regardless of Aiden reassuring her that he was fine, Clara wasn't having any of it.

Making sure that he was seated properly, she gets in the driver's side and starts up the car. She glances over to Aiden and she noticed some blood was still on the crook of his mouth. She opens the glove compartment and searches for something to wipe it off and finds a set of napkins. She grabs one and reaches towards the blood. Aiden was confused at first but realized what she was doing.

Clara presses the napkin softly against the corner of his lips and gently dabs the blood. Aiden didn't protest and simply watched her, a look of pride in his eyes for taking on those idiots. Once she was done, she noticed that Aiden was staring at her intently.

"What?" She grins sheepishly. "There was some blood on the corner of your mouth."

Aiden smiles, showing a little bit of his teeth before shaking his head and facing the road. Clara rolled her eyes while turning towards the road as well. She began driving, checking on Aiden occasionally. She catches him smirking at her.

"What is it now?" Clara turns her head towards him.

His smirk turns into a grin. "How did you learn how to fight like that?"

Clara looks away from him while trying to hide her smirk.

"I might have taken some fighting classes while I was out," she explains, "I wanted to learn how to defend myself.

The main reason was to be able to take down guards while stealing jewelry. According to her father, it was a strategy to keep people out of her way, but a part of her wanted to take those classes because she actually wanted to learn how to fight. If she hadn't taken those classes, she and Aiden would have been beaten down.

"Well you sure as hell did a good job. You beat the shit out of them."

Clara smiles proudly to herself. "They deserved it."

After sharing a good laugh, Clara had almost forgot where they were supposed to go now.

"So where should we go?"

Aiden lets out a sigh. "I guess we could look for another place to stay, but I can't keep running from them foeever. Eventually, I'll have to leave Chicago at some point. I really hate to drag you into this shit. You might as well leave while you can."

Clara tilts her head to one side while gazing at him.

"Are you suggesting that I should leave you?"

He nods, looking at her with a saddened expression knowing that his lifestyle was too dangerous for her. He'd have to do this alone again. She shakes her head with creased eyebrows, bemused my his suggestion. She wasn't going to leave him to fend for himself.

"Aiden, I'm not going anywhere. I've gone through stuff like this with you before and I'll go through it again."

"But I don't want you to get hurt-"

"I won't. Don't worry about me. I know that I got shot and you had to believe that I was dead, but there's no way I'm going to leave you in the dark to get hurt. You want to keep me safe and I understand that, but as weird as this sounds, I want to keep you safe too."

Aiden lets out a low chuckle.

"You don't have to protect me. I can handle myself."

"Oh, so you're saying that I didn't have to protect you from those kids that were beating you up? Because I could have left you there, but since I'm so nice to you-"

"Okay, okay. Maybe I do need some help, but you don't need to stay just because you feel like you have to."

"Aiden, I'm helping because I want to. You're in a tricky situation right now and I want to help you get through it."

A smile forms across Aiden's face. He felt something come over him. He couldn't describe it. It was a weird yet funny feeling, but it only lasted for a few seconds before he returned back to his usual state. Aiden didn't want to argue anymore. Instead, he turns his head back to the road, grateful for her help.

Clara spots a hotel after a few minutes of eating while driving.

"We could stay there," she points towards the hotel. Aiden nods before she pulled in the parking lot. She puts the car before catching Aiden getting out of the car on his own. Clara offered to help but he only said, "I'm fine."

Clara rolls her eyes before stepping out of the car. They walk inside the hotel. It look decent, not too dirty or too clean. They approach the woman at the counter and Clara tells her that they could only afford one room. She nods and Clara was about to hand her some cash until Aiden pulled out a few twenties and placed them on the counter.

Before Clara could protest, the woman gladly took the cash and went to go fetch their room card.

"I could have paid."

Aiden's brows creased.

"Clara, I put you through hell today and you saved me from getting my ass kicked. I owe it to you."

Clara opened her mouth to say something but the woman had already come back with their cards and hands them over. Clata takes both of them and thanks her before heading towards their room. Once they reached the elevator, Aiden's arm quickly returned back to his ribs. Clara looks at him concerned.

"Are you sure you don't need to receive any medical attention?" She says after pushing the button for the floor they were going to. The doors closed before Aiden spoke.

"I'll be okay. Relax. You worry like my sister does."

He didn't know what caused hik to say that. He hasn't seen his sister and nephew in two years.

Clara was a little surprised that Aiden would compare her to his sibling.

"Well maybe you're sister has the right to worry about you because of your lifestyle and I have the right to worry because you almost got your ass kicked today."

Aiden couldn't hold back anymore as he let out a whole hearted laugh, amused by what she said. Aiden almost felt carefree until the sharp pain coming from his ribs hit him again. He winced, his smile faltering as he clutched his ribs. Clara frowns and places her hand on Aiden's shoulder. He turns to her and gives her a reassuring smile.

The elevator came to a halt, reaching the 6th floor. They exit the elevator before heading towards their room. Luckily, the hallway was empty so Aiden wouldn't have to cover up his pain.

Clara pulls out her card after stopping at their room and unlocks the door before stepping inside. Clara immediately goes to the restroom considering that she hadn't gone this morning.

Aiden settled on the couch and he made himself comfortable. He looked around the room lost in thought. Where would they go from here? Aiden had thoight about leaving Chicago for a while now. He could use a break from the fixers, but would Clara come with him?

He dragged her into a disaster again and it seemed like she had no intention of leaving his side. He'd have to put up with her for now; although, he didn't mind her company. It was good to have someone around for once.

He finds the TV remote sitting on the table in front of him and he switches on the TV. A hockey game was on. Watching both teams compete against each other and the crowd cheering them on made him feel nostalgic. He remembered watching hockey with his friends. Him and his friends would always be obnoxious while cheering for their team.

Aiden chuckles beneath his lips remembering his mother barging into the living room and telling them to quiet down or he'd be grounded from letting his friends come over again. And then he remembered Nicky always wanting to watch the game with them. Of course, Aiden wouldn't let her join because he didn't think it was cool for his sister to be around his friends.

He regretted doing that and he wished he could see her again or at least find out how she's doing. But he couldn't do that. He just couldn't. He'd put her and Jacks in danger again.

Clara came out of the bathroom and sees Aiden sitting on the couch.

"You watch hockey?" She asks while making her way towards the couch.

"I used to when I was younger, but I grew out of it," he says while gazing off into the distance.

Clara sits beside him and stares at the television screen. "What got you into it?"

"Well I wasn't die hard about it. I liked it because my friends did."

"So you just went along with what they did, huh?"

"Yeah, but they, neither did my family, know what I did outside of school so they didn't always have an influence on me."

Clara cocks an eyebrow. "What did you do outside of school?"

Aiden turns his gaze towards her.

"I grew up in a rough neighborhood, so I ran along with an ugly crowd," he says with an unknown look in his eyes that Clara couldn't place. Perhaps it was regret.

"You mean like a gang?"

Aiden sighs. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I only did it for my family. There were only two options where I grew up: you stood up or you got beat down. So I learned how to fight and use guns."

He went on to tell her about how his father was never around because his mother had driven him and his sister away from him back in Belfast. He went on to tell her that he became just like his father. He would commit crimes just for his family.

Clara found some similarities between them. She would also commit crimes for her family too while she was in the Black Dragon. They had more in common than she thought. Aiden spent an hour or two talking about memories with his Nicky, Jacks, and Lena. He mostly talked about good memories and hearing them made Clara feel bad about her involvement in Lena's death. Aiden took notice and quickly changed the subject.

"I remember you told me a couple years ago that your dad used to steal from other people's cabins when you went camping."

"Yeah," she thinks back, "He'd always do that everytime we went camping. I think that was the only reason why he ever did take me camping. Since I was a child at the time, he'd always tell me we were looking for treasure."

Clara smiles.

"I later found out that he was doing it because we needed money. We were poor at that time and even though my mother didn't approve of the idea, he still did it and I know now that he was doing it for us."

She missed the old days with her father. She used to think of him as a gentle, kind man, but now she didn't know what to think of him. Was he actually her father or was he just some killer who only cared about business? She didn't know. Clara took note of her short silence before clearing her throat.

"That was when police started to find out that he was stealing from other people and my mother and I had to leave Quebec, my home country. My father didn't come with us because he was working in some business and he had to keep up with it so he left his own family behind because of work," she says with furrowed eyebrows.

She still held a grudge against him for dragging her into that business. Still, she didn't think she could stay mad at him forever. He was the only family she had left. Clara regains her composure and spoke again.

"After we made it to America, we moved here and from there I went to school and lived a normal life, only without a father to bury all the boys in the backyard," she rolls her eyes and smiles before continuing. "But when I was 19, my whole world changed."

Clara's smile began to falter and Aiden could see sadness in her eyes.

"My mother got breast cancer and I made sure to visit her everyday. One day, however, I visited her and she looked completely wore out. She had...no hair left on her head. She was dying."

Clara could feel tears begging to push through but she held them back. She didn't want to cry in front of Aiden. That would be awkward. Clara took a deep breath before continuing.

"She told me that she loved me no matter what I was and she died right in front of me. She died all because cancer is a bitch." She grumbled angrily, her voice beginning to crack.

Her lips form into a frown and her brows crease in frustration as she looks away from him while holding in her tears. She sat in silence while trying to calm herself down but failed. A few seconds later, she suddenly felt a warm hand being placed on her shoulder. She turns her head towards Aiden. He had a look of sympathy as he gently massaged her shoulder.

Clara was a bit surprised by his action, but she she gives him a small smile. Aiden removed his hand upon seeing Clara's expression soften.

"Listen to me telling you all of these sob stories. You're probably getting tired of hearing me talk, aren't you?"

Aiden instantly shook his head.

"No," he says with creased eyebrows, "I like hearing you talk."

She was taken aback by his compliment and she gave him a skeptical look.

"Really?"

"Mm hm," he nods.

He liked the sound of her voice mostly because of her accent. He found it intriguing in a way. Clara felt her cheeks go warm from his compliment. Wait, why was she blushing? Usually when someone gave her a compliment, she would just brush it off and either say thank you or ignire them. But not Aiden. He made her feel different and it was almost if everytime Aiden gave her a compliment or just simply smirked at her, her heart would skip a beat.

"Well thank you for listening," she smiles genuinely. She was thankful that she could talk about her past knowing that Aiden was listening to her. "It's not everyday that I share my past with someone."

Clara turned her whole body around so she was now facing him.

"I liked hearing you talk about your past too. It's interesting." She says, "I can tell you really care about your family."

He grins.

"I guess you can say I'm overprotective."

Clara chuckles beneath her lips. Her eyes meet his green ones and she stares at him almost in admiration. Regardless of some of the ugly things he's done, he was a good man wanting to do what was right. That was a quality that she liked in him.

They sat in silence, both of them getting lost in each other's eyes. Clara found herself getting closer to him and before she could stop herself, her lips were already on his. Aiden's eyes widened. He was taken aback by her bold action, but he found himself giving in as he too closed his eyes and kissed her back.

Clara sighed as her hands explored his chest before she reached up to his face. She could feel his rough stubble as she ran her thumbs across his cheeks. Aiden tilted his head and leaned in more to deepen the kiss. Clara moans beneath her lips as the kiss got more passionate. His hands wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.

Suddenly, it hit her. She realized what she was doing and quickly pulls away while panting for air. What was she thinking? Why did she have to just jump up and kiss him like that? She thought she was a complete idiot for doing that.

"Um..," she rubs the back of her neck trying to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I don't know why I did that."

She glances back up at Aiden but surprisingly he was just sitting there staring at her with an amused grin on his face.

"It's okay," he says softly, tracing circles on her waist with his thumbs.

Clara found his tone of voice soothing so she managed to calm herself down. Aiden still held her close trying decide if he should let her go or not. Just by looking at him, she wanted to kiss him again, but she held herself back.

They both sat in silence not really knowing what to say to each other. There was a look in her eyes practically begging him to kiss her again. Aiden moves his hand up to her cheek and gently caresses her face.

He moves closer and closer to her until he was just inches away from her face. He was practically touching her lips when he whispered, "Do you want more?"

Clara could feel her heart beat quicken because of how close he was to her. The sound of his voice was so rough, yet seductive that she couldn't help but say, "Yes."

And just like that, his lips were on hers. Clara instinctively wraps her arms around his neck as she adjusted herself onto his lap. She glides her tongue along his bottom lip asking for entrance. He opens his mouth a bit more so she had better access to his mouth.

Clara began to explore his mouth with her tongue, wanting to taste him. All of him. Clara reached her hand upward to feel his hair but his cap was in the way. She was in the midst of getting it off when she broke the kiss.

"May I?"

Aiden lightly chuckles and nods. She removes it and tosses it aside before crashing her lips onto his once more. Soon the kiss became more passionate and Clara was losing control of herself as she felt a strange sensation between her legs. As she began to remove Aiden's jacket, he knew where the kiss was headed and he stopped.

"Clara, are you sure this is what you want?" He wanted to make sure she was willing to go through with it.

"Absolutely." she says without hesitation. "Besides," she trails her index finger along his lips, "You owe me for today."

Aiden smirks. He liked this seductive side of her. Satisfied with her answer, Aiden picks her up, the pain in his ribs forgotten, and he carries her towards the bedroom. Clara had her legs wrapped around his waist. She was preoccuping herself by planting soft kisses along his neck and jawline.

He groans as he sets her down onto the bed and climbs on top of her. He crashes his lips onto hers and began to kiss her passionately. Her tongue darts into his mouth and his tongue makes contact with hers. Clara moans softly as their tongues began to dance. Just by hearing her moan, Aiden became more and more aroused as his lips reach her neck.

He began to press soft kisses along her neck. He bites down on the piece of skin where her pulse was, making Clara gasp in surprise.

"Aiden.." she mutters softly.

Her nails lightly dig into his hair as he sucks on the skin before planting a soft kiss on it, leaving a dark red mark on her neck before going back up to her lips. Clara's moves her hands towards the bottom of his sweater, feeling his soft skin before lifting his sweater up. Aiden straddles her while lifting up his sweater over his head before tossing it aside.

Clara took the time to admire his toned upper body. He wasn't too muscular, he had more of a slim figure, but she still admired the view. Aiden catches her staring and he smirks.

"Enjoying the view?"

Clara bites her lower lip and smirks. "Maybe."

Aiden leaned foward and began to kiss her again. Clara reached down to pull up her shirt and she breaks the kiss to take it all the way off. She tosses it and she was only left in her lacy black bra. Aiden stops in his tracks while admiring her cleavage and her slender figure.

"Damn, she's beautiful," he thought.

"Enjoying the view?" She teases him.

"I am," he slightly licks his lips before returning to her lips. This time the kiss was more rough.

They began to take the rest of their clothes off and they had the moment of their life. When night came, Aiden and Clara were cuddling nude under the bedsheets. Clara rested her head on his bare chest, running her fingers along his skin while Aiden had his arm draped around her back. Clara gazed up at Aiden who was already staring back down at her with complete adoration in his eyes.

"So..."

"Yeah," he replies.

They both share a laugh before Clara raised the question.

"What are we now?" I mean I know we're definitely not friends anymore."

Aiden thought about it before replying, "We could be more than that if you want to."

Clara's face immediately lit up and she smiled.

"I'd like that," she says before resting her head back onto his chest.

Before they knew it, they both fell into a deep sleep.