No Longer Alone (David/Liz, R)
Title: No Longer Alone
Pairing/Characters: David/Liz
Rating: R (implied adult situations)
Word Count: 1466
Summary: She wasn't alone, not anymore.
Spoilers: 6.05 - Hydra
Notes/Warnings: It's schmoopy. I'm not ashamed. Please see additional author's comments for more (written to avoid spoilers here.) A special thanks to the ladies at n3_slashchat/slashchat for listening to me grumble about this fic. An even bigger thank you to julietm who's read this almost as many times as I have, who beta'd for me and who put up with me the past 8 months while I tried to write this! Thank you, TJ. You are the best.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
David wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing standing outside her door this close to midnight, but somehow he’d found his way here. He heard her when she called to cancel on him for the night, saying she wanted to be alone. But, he apparently hadn’t listened.
Something about the case they just finished haunted him. He kept seeing the look in her eyes, kept hearing the pain in her voice when she was in that interrogation room talking about the baby she’d lost. He’d seen her face when they watched the child they rescued board the plane with her mother, off to start another life… hopefully a happier one. And now, despite trying to give her the space she wanted, David needed to make sure Liz was okay.
Knowing she wouldn’t be sleeping, despite the late hour, he rapped his knuckles against the door and waited. Standing alone in the hall, he started to wonder if he should be here at all. She’d asked to be alone. Why hadn’t he listened?
Okay, he knew why. He hadn’t listened because he knew Liz and she thought she had to be alone. Considering her mess of a family who’d never really been there for her, he couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. But she had the team and, maybe more importantly, she had him. She didn’t have to be alone anymore and he wasn’t going anywhere tonight until she understood that.
He felt her presence behind the door as she looked at him through the peephole. He wondered, for a moment, if she’d even open the door before he heard the lock being undone and then watched as she peeked out at him through the small crack she’d made.
Even through the barely open door, he could see she’d been crying. She wouldn’t have admitted it because that was the real reason she’d canceled on him tonight. She didn’t want him to see her tears.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, wiping at her cheek as though expelling exhaustion rather than a stray tear that lingered.
David’s fingers ached to touch her but he couldn’t, at least not before she opened the door for him. “I know you canceled on me tonight for a reason, Lizzy, but I had to see you,” he began, rubbing one hand over his shaved head to keep from reaching for her. “I just… I had to know you’re all right.”
She stood there looking back at him and he wondered now if she’d simply close the door in his face. He studied her, leaning into the door and looking back at him, her gaze focused on his own as though she were studying him too. That’s why they were both damned good federal agents, he mused even as he convinced himself she was about to tell him she was fine and goodnight.
She surprised him when she gave him a gentle smile and her body softened against the door just before she moved to open it. He knew better than to hesitate and accepted her invitation with a smile that matched her own. Instinctively, his lips brushed her cheek as he slipped past her into the apartment. He found comfort in the way she moved into his touch, taking this as another good sign she wasn’t upset with him for coming there tonight. The first sign had been her opening the door.
He stepped further inside and looked around, even though he’d long ago memorized every detail of this room. When he saw every thing was where it should be, he looked back at her. She was still leaning against the door, her back to it now as she watched him… seemingly waiting for him to say something to let her know somehow every thing was going to be okay.
Instead of saying anything though, he moved around the edge of the couch and took a seat. He kept watching her in silence, letting the warmth of his brown eyes say all she needed to hear. She had to know he cared about her, he was there for her and he wasn’t going anywhere... no matter how long he had to wait for her.
Settling in for a long evening, she surprised him again when she crossed the room until she stood in front of the couch where he sat. She kept the small smile across her lips and moved herself over his lap, curling herself into him as though trying to hide from the world outside. David answered in kind by wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close and breathing her in… lightly kissing her temple and taking in the scent of her hair. She completely melted his heart by seeking comfort in him, letting him hold her as some of the tension she carried for this case slipped away. He didn’t expect any more than this for a while until she was ready but yet again, she surprised him when she spoke.
“The cases with kids, they’re just… they’re just harder,” she breathed, not moving to look at him but instead curling herself further into him.
David nodded against her. Yes, cases that involved children were harder on all of them but now he understood why they were even more difficult for Liz.
He felt her breathing deeply trying to calm her emotions and then she looked into his eyes, one set of her delicate fingers dancing over the back of his neck. “Now you know all my secrets.”
He knew she was referring to what he’d observed when she interrogated the suspect earlier. He could have said a lot of things but instead he smiled and kissed her forehead. “Does that mean you’ve got to keep me for a while? You know, because now I know too much?”
Her smile brightened at that as she answered, “Something like that… yeah.” She was still smiling as she moved to rest her head against his shoulder to just be held by him a while longer.
In the silence that followed, with his arms around her and his lips gently brushing her forehead, he somehow knew she was going to be okay.
He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, not saying anything and not needing to before he broke the silence by breathing her name. He heard her muffled reply and continued with care in his words. “Did you… did you have a name picked out for the baby?”
He tensed when he felt her pulling away from him but that tension was eased when she raised her head and she was still smiling softly… at him. He watched her nod, carefully nipping at her bottom lip as she often did when she had something on her mind, before she answered. “Aiden… whether it was a boy or a girl. It means…”
“Little fire,” David finished for her and again she nodded, looking back at him with admiration. He kept smiling at her for a moment and then couldn’t help but ask. “So if we have kids, we should keep that name off the table?”
He saw the light dancing through her eyes now as she looked back at him, both of her arms sliding around his shoulders. “If we have kids?”
“Why not? You’re beautiful and smart. And I’m devastatingly handsome and charming. Our kids would be pretty great,” he grinned.
She laughed then and the sound seemed to erase the last bit of tension from her body and from the room.
“You’re a good man, David,” she sighed and rested her head on him. One hand unwound from around his shoulders and carefully slid down over his shirt until she was playing with the button at his abdomen. She toyed with it for a while before she once again looked up at him. “I’m sorry I canceled on you tonight, but I’m glad you didn’t listen.”
“Me too,” he chuckled kissing the top of her head.
She toyed with the button at his abdomen until it slipped from the hole to expose the warm, taut skin there. Her fingers slipped in and as she looked at him, David watched her eyes take on that familiar dreamy quality. “Do you have to go tonight?”
“Not until you tell me to,” he sighed, his hand moving over her back.
She nodded at that, letting her fingers slide slowly higher under his shirt. “I don’t ever want you to go, David,” she rasped while her thumb worked loose another button.
“Then you really are stuck with me forever,” he replied in kind. “Think you can live with that?”
“I’m not entirely sure I can live without it,” she breathed and the honesty in her voice left David no choice but to kiss her - and not stop until dawn.
Pairing/Characters: David/Liz
Rating: R (implied adult situations)
Word Count: 1466
Summary: She wasn't alone, not anymore.
Spoilers: 6.05 - Hydra
Notes/Warnings: It's schmoopy. I'm not ashamed. Please see additional author's comments for more (written to avoid spoilers here.) A special thanks to the ladies at n3_slashchat/slashchat for listening to me grumble about this fic. An even bigger thank you to julietm who's read this almost as many times as I have, who beta'd for me and who put up with me the past 8 months while I tried to write this! Thank you, TJ. You are the best.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
David wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing standing outside her door this close to midnight, but somehow he’d found his way here. He heard her when she called to cancel on him for the night, saying she wanted to be alone. But, he apparently hadn’t listened.
Something about the case they just finished haunted him. He kept seeing the look in her eyes, kept hearing the pain in her voice when she was in that interrogation room talking about the baby she’d lost. He’d seen her face when they watched the child they rescued board the plane with her mother, off to start another life… hopefully a happier one. And now, despite trying to give her the space she wanted, David needed to make sure Liz was okay.
Knowing she wouldn’t be sleeping, despite the late hour, he rapped his knuckles against the door and waited. Standing alone in the hall, he started to wonder if he should be here at all. She’d asked to be alone. Why hadn’t he listened?
Okay, he knew why. He hadn’t listened because he knew Liz and she thought she had to be alone. Considering her mess of a family who’d never really been there for her, he couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. But she had the team and, maybe more importantly, she had him. She didn’t have to be alone anymore and he wasn’t going anywhere tonight until she understood that.
He felt her presence behind the door as she looked at him through the peephole. He wondered, for a moment, if she’d even open the door before he heard the lock being undone and then watched as she peeked out at him through the small crack she’d made.
Even through the barely open door, he could see she’d been crying. She wouldn’t have admitted it because that was the real reason she’d canceled on him tonight. She didn’t want him to see her tears.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, wiping at her cheek as though expelling exhaustion rather than a stray tear that lingered.
David’s fingers ached to touch her but he couldn’t, at least not before she opened the door for him. “I know you canceled on me tonight for a reason, Lizzy, but I had to see you,” he began, rubbing one hand over his shaved head to keep from reaching for her. “I just… I had to know you’re all right.”
She stood there looking back at him and he wondered now if she’d simply close the door in his face. He studied her, leaning into the door and looking back at him, her gaze focused on his own as though she were studying him too. That’s why they were both damned good federal agents, he mused even as he convinced himself she was about to tell him she was fine and goodnight.
She surprised him when she gave him a gentle smile and her body softened against the door just before she moved to open it. He knew better than to hesitate and accepted her invitation with a smile that matched her own. Instinctively, his lips brushed her cheek as he slipped past her into the apartment. He found comfort in the way she moved into his touch, taking this as another good sign she wasn’t upset with him for coming there tonight. The first sign had been her opening the door.
He stepped further inside and looked around, even though he’d long ago memorized every detail of this room. When he saw every thing was where it should be, he looked back at her. She was still leaning against the door, her back to it now as she watched him… seemingly waiting for him to say something to let her know somehow every thing was going to be okay.
Instead of saying anything though, he moved around the edge of the couch and took a seat. He kept watching her in silence, letting the warmth of his brown eyes say all she needed to hear. She had to know he cared about her, he was there for her and he wasn’t going anywhere... no matter how long he had to wait for her.
Settling in for a long evening, she surprised him again when she crossed the room until she stood in front of the couch where he sat. She kept the small smile across her lips and moved herself over his lap, curling herself into him as though trying to hide from the world outside. David answered in kind by wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close and breathing her in… lightly kissing her temple and taking in the scent of her hair. She completely melted his heart by seeking comfort in him, letting him hold her as some of the tension she carried for this case slipped away. He didn’t expect any more than this for a while until she was ready but yet again, she surprised him when she spoke.
“The cases with kids, they’re just… they’re just harder,” she breathed, not moving to look at him but instead curling herself further into him.
David nodded against her. Yes, cases that involved children were harder on all of them but now he understood why they were even more difficult for Liz.
He felt her breathing deeply trying to calm her emotions and then she looked into his eyes, one set of her delicate fingers dancing over the back of his neck. “Now you know all my secrets.”
He knew she was referring to what he’d observed when she interrogated the suspect earlier. He could have said a lot of things but instead he smiled and kissed her forehead. “Does that mean you’ve got to keep me for a while? You know, because now I know too much?”
Her smile brightened at that as she answered, “Something like that… yeah.” She was still smiling as she moved to rest her head against his shoulder to just be held by him a while longer.
In the silence that followed, with his arms around her and his lips gently brushing her forehead, he somehow knew she was going to be okay.
He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, not saying anything and not needing to before he broke the silence by breathing her name. He heard her muffled reply and continued with care in his words. “Did you… did you have a name picked out for the baby?”
He tensed when he felt her pulling away from him but that tension was eased when she raised her head and she was still smiling softly… at him. He watched her nod, carefully nipping at her bottom lip as she often did when she had something on her mind, before she answered. “Aiden… whether it was a boy or a girl. It means…”
“Little fire,” David finished for her and again she nodded, looking back at him with admiration. He kept smiling at her for a moment and then couldn’t help but ask. “So if we have kids, we should keep that name off the table?”
He saw the light dancing through her eyes now as she looked back at him, both of her arms sliding around his shoulders. “If we have kids?”
“Why not? You’re beautiful and smart. And I’m devastatingly handsome and charming. Our kids would be pretty great,” he grinned.
She laughed then and the sound seemed to erase the last bit of tension from her body and from the room.
“You’re a good man, David,” she sighed and rested her head on him. One hand unwound from around his shoulders and carefully slid down over his shirt until she was playing with the button at his abdomen. She toyed with it for a while before she once again looked up at him. “I’m sorry I canceled on you tonight, but I’m glad you didn’t listen.”
“Me too,” he chuckled kissing the top of her head.
She toyed with the button at his abdomen until it slipped from the hole to expose the warm, taut skin there. Her fingers slipped in and as she looked at him, David watched her eyes take on that familiar dreamy quality. “Do you have to go tonight?”
“Not until you tell me to,” he sighed, his hand moving over her back.
She nodded at that, letting her fingers slide slowly higher under his shirt. “I don’t ever want you to go, David,” she rasped while her thumb worked loose another button.
“Then you really are stuck with me forever,” he replied in kind. “Think you can live with that?”
“I’m not entirely sure I can live without it,” she breathed and the honesty in her voice left David no choice but to kiss her - and not stop until dawn.