as written by Knosis and Tiko
Chloe slowly uncurled from the corner she had hidden in the closet, stretching the cramped muscles in her legs and back. It had to be day by this point, and the sounds outside were calmer than it had been when they had arrived. Wonder how many had made it through the night?
Slowly, she peeked out of the room, sneaking out of it the rest of the way and shutting it quietly. She decided to try the main room to see if she could find a glimpse of Desmond or Brendan there. There were a few faces she recognized, some slack with sleep, others still grim. She neither spoke, nor bothered them to pass on through to check the other rooms in the building for Desmond, trying to catch his scent as she went. She would finally find him alone in a room.
"There you are..." She murmured.
From the look of it he had nodded off in the small chair in the corner of the room rather than the untouched cot. The sound of Chloe pushing the ajar door open roused him though and he looked around, bleerily taking in stock of his surroundings as he re-oriented himself.
He ran a hand over his face as he tried to shed the cobwebs of sleep.
"Choe what are you doin' 'ere?" he asked.
It was a silly question, and one he already knew the answer to, but it was all his half-awake brain managed to formulate in that moment.
Chloe smiled lightly. "Sorry, I woke you.." She entered silently and shut the door. "Just wanted to check up on you, but if you need sleep, I can just leave again.."
"No it's fine," Desmond said. "Long night is all. You know if there's any news on Baron yet?"
She shook her head softly. "I've not spoken with anyone.. I don't know how he fared the night.." She said quietly. "I do believe we would have known if he hadn't made it, though." She said.
The worry line formed on her brow again. "How bad is the pack..?"
He rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and index finger at Chloe's question. He didn't seem himself. The seemingly inexhaustible cheeriness had faded and he just seemed drained.
"Nieve and Marc didn't make it," he explained. "Some others might join 'em yet. How about you. How are you holdin' up," he asked.
The woman closed her eyes and bit her lip. She had known both those names, both those faces. They had been around quite a bit since her time with the Bloodstones. She had known neither one very well, but she knew it was hurting Desmond. And seeing Desmond like this was painful, even for Chloe. "I'm sorry to hear that.." She murmured. "I'm.. Fine, I suppose.." She answered honestly. "Worried. About a few things really."
"An' what things would that be?" he asked.
She sighed and let herself down to the floor, folding her legs underneath her. "I'm worried about Baron. I'm worried about Vanessa. I'm worried about you, and the pack. I'm worried about what tonight may bring. I'm worried about where I will go now that I can't go back to the Society without risking my own life. I'm worried that if something does happen to Baron, the rest of the pack with be out for blood and it will kill us." She sighed and closed her eyes again. "In general, I'm worried about everything at the moment."
No words of advice came from Desmond this time, no calming reassurances or promises that things would turn out for the best.
"That makes two of us for once," he admitted.
Chloe slowly stood up and walked over to Desmond's chair, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her grip was gentle, but in the soothing way. It was all she knew to do.
The gesture was unexpected, but perhaps not unwelcome. There was more to the gesture than the physical comfort for him though. He could smell her too and he closed his eyes briefly as she embraced him.
When she finally moved back his hands found her arms to keep her from drawing back too far and he stood up.
One hand moved to the side of her face as his eyes found her own, and his thumb traced her cheek lightly before he leaned in to kiss her.
This gesture too, was unexpected. One moment she was looking into his eyes with concern in them, wondering what she could do to see him smile again, and the next his lips were pressed against her own.
Heat rose to her cheeks, and she could swear that he probably could hear her heart pounding in the next room.
She didn't pull away, though, and after a moment of her mind catching up with what was going on, she leaned into his kiss gently.
It was all the encouragement he needed as his other hand found her waist and he stepped her back until the nearby cot bumped against the back of her legs. His lips grew more insistent against her own, and with a low growl he picked her up and lay her back on the cot. He leaned over her, his hand caressing the side of her face again, and his amber eyes searched hers for some sign that she wasn't okay with what he was doing.
She looked up into his eyes, her cheeks bright pink against the rest of her skin. But the wanting was evident, and made even more so when she pulled herself up enough to kiss him again, biting at his lip playfully as she did.
As their lips met once more, Desmond's free hand found its way to her side, tracing along her ribs as he lost himself in the intoxicating scent of her skin, and the feel of her body against his own.