So what now? (Katydid50 x 5Bulletproof-Marshmellows)

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Feeling him shift rather suddenly which made the springs in the mattress coil tightly before he got off the bed. Opening her eyes slowly, she didn't understand what the big rush was all about. Blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the bright light that the morning sun provided, she heard the sound of him vomiting. Of course the sound of an angry/surprised cat was accompanied by all of this. Sitting up after another moment or two, she pulled the sheet up to her collar bone and the remaining sheets already covered the rest of her body.

Hangovers couldn't be wonderful. She never drank enough to get drunk so didn't know what it was like first hand to wake up in the morning and have your guts spill out for the next half hour or so. Everyone was different though and thankfully he seemed fine after a few minutes. Probably a large migraine hit him. Getting up, she wrapped the bed sheet around her body as she picked up her clothing that littered the floor. Guessing that he would appreciate something cold to put against his head to ease the pain, she got dressed quickly and then walked out the door, heading towards the kitchen.

It was colder here than in the bedroom and she shivered a bit, the strong smell of alcohol was still ever present in the living room as she passed it. Walking up to the refrigerator, she opened the freezer and looked to see if there was possibly an ice cube tray somewhere in there. Finding one, she pulled it out and after a minute or so she got enough ice cubes out to put it on a small wash cloth that was clean as far as she could tell. Wrapping the ice up with the cloth, she stuck the tray back into the freezer after filling up the empty squares with water from the sink.

She tried not to think about the fact that it was very possible that he didn't remember anything.. What would he think then? That she had come to his home to use him for one night? She sighed and ran her fingers through her tangled hair even though they got stuck several times. Elenore went back to the bedroom, briefly seeing the broken bottle by the front door. It was how it had all started.. Lowering her head, she then glanced over at Daniel once she reached him and handed him the neatly wrapped ice cubes. "This should help you." she said softly.

The words he had said to her still rang in her mind. He did care. Her eyes looked towards the night stand that had the bandages on it. She still needed to do that. Walking over to it, she gently picked the materials up. Elenore was unsure of what to say to him. He probably wasn't in the mind set to talk right now but she might as well bandage him up and then maybe clean up a little bit before leaving. She looked like a big mess, she was sure of that. Her clothing was wrinkles and one of the buttons from her shirt was missing. On top of that her hair was worse than a rat's nest. Yeah, her kids would definitely want to see her like this.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she looked over at him, he looked rather miserable. "Do you want anything to eat?" Elenore asked him, her voice was still low. She wouldn't mind cooking something for him either but she didn't plan on eating anything at the moment, she wasn't hungry.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel pulled one leg up to him, bent at the knee. Resting his elbow on his knee, he hung his head, holding it up with the palm of his hand resting against his eyes, successfully blocking out all of the sun's light. Not that it did much. His head still hurt like there was a tiny man inside, pounding against his brain with a mallet. The sound of the bed shifting reached his ears but it didn't register as anything other than noise, grating against his already aching brain.

More noise, the sound of footsteps, then nothing. Blissful silence. It didn't help much but any kind of relief, no matter how small, was wonderful. However, it didn't help the thoughts that raced through his mind. The headache made it difficult to think but he had no choice. Elenore was here. In his house. He could assume she'd spent the night. Judging by the fact that she had been in his bed and he was naked, he couldn't deny what he knew to be true.

At the sound of her returning footsteps and her words, he frowned weakly before lifting his head and cracking open an eye to see what she was talking about. The first thing he saw was the cloth she offered to him, most likely containing something, judging by the shape of it. Following her arm up, he saw that her hair was a mess and her clothes were wrinkled but, other than that, she looked like nothing at all had taken place. He wasn't sure whether he should be upset about that or not. He couldn't have been very good if she didn't show any signs of their... activities.

Taking the offered cloth bundle, he found his suspicion had been right. He could feel the coldness already. Lifting it, he pressed it between the upper half of his face and his hand, once again closing his eyes. If he weren't hungover, he would have been embarrassed and self-conscious to be completely naked in front of her but, as it was, he didn't care. His head hurt like there was no tomorrow and his wounds hurt, except for the one on his forehead which was quickly becoming numb. The one on his leg, however, was pounding just as much as his head. For a moment, he considered getting drunk again, though to a far lesser degree, just to get rid of the pain and to make him sleep. He had done that in the past, slowly decreasing the amount of alcohol over a few days until he didn't need to anymore. But something told him that wouldn't be a very good idea.

Goosebumps had broken out over his skin and, even though the ice felt good over his eyes, the cold around him was making him hurt worse. Unsteadily and blindly climbing to his feet, he stumbled over to the bed before all but collapsing on it and pulling the sheets back over him, up to his upper chest. He lay on his back with one arm draped over the cloth bundle. At her question, he just groaned before whispering, "No. Feel sick." Anything he ate would probably come right back up and he didn't want to risk vomiting in bed. As it was, he didn't quite trust himself not to choke on anything. He didn't want to be sitting up and if he ate laying down, he'd probably choke.

Laying there with Elenore sitting on the bed beside him, it felt right, even with his migraine. It felt like she belonged there. But that was ridiculous. He was no good for her and definitely wasn't good for those kids of hers. It couldn't work. In a last ditch effort to prove his suspicions wrong, he asked in a whisper, "What happened last night?" He hoped beyond hope that he was wrong and it was just a misunderstanding on his part.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

When he got up and lay down, she rubbed her temples. To be honest she would love to sleep for about five more hours but that wouldn't be possible. It was already almost seven and the kids had to be at school by eight. This was a big mess but she didn't regret being here.. staying the night.. or sleeping with him. It certainly didn't seem like he remembered anything though. Lying down beside him almost seemed like it would be an invasion of his privacy now, but then again she was already in his bedroom. "Hopefully it will pass soon.." she said softly, knowing that any noise was going to hurt him now.

Hearing his whisper, her head turned towards him before she lowered it slowly. "I came to see you.." she paused briefly, running her fingers through her hair as she closed her eyes. "You said something about me being attractive.. and I pretty much said the same thing back. I wanted to bandage your wounds.. but instead I ended up kissing you. Things got heated and we made love." wrapping her arms around her waist, she looked at the wall. She remembered his lips brushing against her skin.. his arms around her.. feeling his hips pressed against her own. To say the least she remembered every detail. Her eyes closed once more. "You said you cared for me.. and..." she looked over at him, "I care for you.." biting her lip, she looked back at the wall.

Swallowing, she lowered her head again. "I.. I'm going to have to leave in about an hour.. take Grace and Nicholas to school.." her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't know what to feel at the moment. She wanted to be with him but it was possible that he could just throw her out at the moment.. she doubted he would do that but he could cut off all contact with her. If he didn't remember.. what was he going to do now? Elenore knew she was probably just stressing about nothing at the moment but she couldn't help it.

Taking in a deep breath, she tried to relax but it wasn't working very well in the end. "I would like us to have a relationship.. but.. it's up to you." she told him. After all now that he could take into account that she had three children, she didn't make a whole lot of money, and she didn't have a house, and that.. might be enough for him to tell her to get out of his life. Who would want to be with a single mother with three children? Rubbing her arm since she was cold, she then turned towards him. "Call me tonight.. when you're feeling better." she added.. that way they could at least discuss this.. and if he didn't call she guessed his answer was a no.

Her eyes returned to the blank wall and she ran her fingers through her hair several times until it was a bit straighter. She still had no idea what she was going to tell her family and she did feel a bit guilty for leaving them like that without a warning. Getting up, she looked over at him, tempted to kiss his forehead but she had no idea how he would react to that. "Do you want me to bandage your wounds?" she asked him, unsure if he would even let her.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel just groaned weakly when he heard Elenore's soft voice saying that his sick feeling would hopefully pass soon. She had no idea how much he wanted that. It was a lesson learned. He wouldn't be having anything to drink for a long time. Oddly enough, his hangovers hadn't seemed as bad in his younger years. Perhaps it was his body's way of telling him that he was no longer a spring chicken, even if the few gray hairs he had recently spotted in the mirror did that well enough.

When Elenore started to answer his question, he lifted the makeshift icepack further up his face and cracked open one of his eyes. He thought it was pretty obvious that she had come to see him but he didn't comment, not having the will to lest it make his headache worse. However, at the news that he had told her that he found her attractive, he groaned again, a whimper mixed in and he closed his eye again, lowering his icepack back over it. He could hit himself for being so stupid and he would too, once his hangover was gone. At the news that she found him attractive as well, it was all he could do not to roll his eyes. He wasn't attractive. He had more scars than a war veteran, both physical and psychological. At the news that her intending to bandage his wounds had turned to kissing and then sex, he tapped his temple with a knuckle, the best he could do as far as punishing himself for being so stupid with the state his head was in.

He thought the story was over and her following silence reinforced that idea but then she spoke and he truly wanted to hit himself, hangover be damned. He sighed quietly. There were so many things he could say to that. The truth was, he cared about her too, more than he should have, more than he had any right to. And it made him indescribably happy to hear that she cared about him too. But it couldn't work. It just... It couldn't.

At the news that she had to take her two eldest children to school in an hour, he didn't react or respond. That was another thing. If he came into their lives, it wouldn't be for a short time. But those kids deserved someone they could look up to, someone they could rely on. He wasn't that kind of guy. He had done horrible things, been the kind of guy that made parents fear letting their kids out of the house. At any moment, he could snap and revert back to what he had been. There was no stability about him and that's what kids needed most, what they needed and deserved. What Elenore needed and deserved.

He listened to her take a deep breath, waiting patiently for the words he knew would come. She wanted a relationship with him. Oh how much he wanted to return the sentiment, to tell her how much he cared about her. He wanted to draw her down beside him and just hold her until his hangover went away, then kiss her until she couldn't even remember her own name. For a moment, images flashed through his head. A broken bottle on a wooden floor. White bandages. Elenore's face, her hair a mess. He could only assume they were from last night. Her next comment, about him calling her that night, pulled him from his thoughts.

At the feel of the bed shifting, his curiosity got the better of him and he lifted the icepack again, half opening an eye to look at her looking down at him. At her question, he whispered, "No, but an aspirin or two would be welcome. There's a bottle in the bathroom cupboard."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

When he groaned in response to her explaining what had happened between them, she realized that he wouldn't have acted that way at all if he hadn't been drunk. She wasn't quite sure what to think of that and she didn't really want to spend hours thinking about all the different things that could have happened. Seeing him tap his temple, she frowned before rubbing her eyes a little bit since they were starting to close. Hopefully he wouldn't go down a guilt trip after this.. after all she had gone into this willingly, even added a bit of fuel into it as well.. not that he would remember.

He still stayed silent after she told him she cared about him. He was staying silent as ever and it made her uneasy. Silence was something she usually embraced when she knew all was well but this was a completely different situation. Of course he had a hangover but.. she still wished she could get some words out of him. Anything really besides what he had given her so far which didn't add up to anything good so far.

If he called her then perhaps they could talk then. Or at least she hoped they could talk then. Brushing her hair away from her face, she rolled back slightly onto the heels of her feet before she finally got a response out of him. Aspirin. Nodding her head, she headed for the bathroom. Leaving the door open so some light could come in since she didn't know where the switch was, she then opened the cupboard and found the bottle that he had spoke of. Taking two out, she then put the bottle back and went to the kitchen to get some water, walking past the cat in the process. How had he gotten back into the house anyway? It was a mystery to her but he looked nice enough that she wanted to pick him up and pet him. At the moment she had something to do though.

Coming back to his bedroom with a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other. Sitting down beside him on the edge of the bed, she gently took the hand that he wasn't using and placed the aspirin onto his palm. "I brought some water for you too." she said softly, holding it for now since she didn't know if he wanted it or not. Some people could take their pills without drinking anything.

Hopefully he would be able to fall asleep for a few hours after this so he wouldn't have to stay awake during the worst part of his hangover. She could clean up the bottles that were lined up along the living room wall and then by that time she would probably have to leave. Elenore would definitely wait for him to call her.. and hopefully he would feel better by then. Maybe Micheal would help him out a bit.. then again she could see him scolding Daniel for drinking so much. The thought made her smile and shake her head. Those two had an interesting friendship.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel remained still as he listened to Elenore walk into the bathroom. While she was busy with that, he was busy trying to work out how he could salvage the situation. They couldn't have a relationship. He couldn't do that to her. But he still wanted to be her friend. But how many friendships had been ruined by sex? He knew this was going to strain their friendship and he didn't think they had known each other long enough for their friendship to withstand something like this. How could it?

The sound of Elenore's footsteps came to him once more. Her leaving the bathroom and walking somewhere. To the kitchen? Probably. The majority of people couldn't swallow pills without something to drink, himself included. He had never really been on any kind of medication aside from painkillers so he had never gotten the hang of swallowing pills without water.

The sound of a meow came from the kitchen and he grimaced. Max would no doubt be bugging him again soon. The cat's first loyalty was always to his stomach, a fact which he shared with most human men as well. He'd have to ask Elenore to shut the door before she left. He knew that soon after he took the pills, he would be out like a light. He also knew it would be rude not to see her to the door, at least, but Elenore would understand.

When Elenore returned, he rested the icepack on his pillow before slowly lifting himself to sit up. After all, he couldn't take the pills lying down. That was just asking to choke. Reluctantly opening one eye, he took the pills she gave him before popping them in his mouth and taking the glass of water. He managed to get the pills down in a couple of gulps before he set the half-empty glass on the bedside table. With a whispered thanks, he laid back down and returned the icepack to his face. The following silence was almost more than he could bear but it was a comfort to know that she was there.

His mind played over what she had told him. She cared about him. She wanted a relationship with him. She found him attractive, a fact which he was still having trouble believing. She wanted him to call her that night, but he couldn't wait that long to get off his chest what he was thinking, hangover or no hangover. With a sigh, he pulled the icepack up enough that his eyes were uncovered. Opening them both, he focused on her face.

"Elenore," he whispered. "I do care about you, more than I should, and nothing would make me happier than being with you. But I can't. I'm no good for you and I care about you too much to put you in a bad situation." Which he no doubt would, unintentionally of course. He glanced away. She wouldn't believe him without some kind of proof. She would argue that he was a good guy. Then it hit him. Looking back at her, he said, "I assume Nicholas didn't tell you what happened the night before last." He didn't want her to think badly of him but this was the only way for her to realize what he was really like.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She watched carefully as he drank the pills. Hopefully they would help him. The bed looked comfortable enough that she was tempted to lay down beside him and spend the rest of the day with him but she knew perfectly well that it wasn't possible. Blinking when his eyes met her own emerald ones, she tilted her head to the side, wondering why he was straining himself like this. In a moment though the reason became obvious.

A smile appeared on her lips when he told her that he cared. She didn't think that she would ever get tired of hearing those words from him. "Daniel.." she frowned. He had done so many good things while she had known him.. why did he still think that? Why? She wanted to knock the idea out of his head. She wanted to be with him and she was certain that things would work out if they worked together. Closing her eyes when he mentioned Nicholas, she lowered her head. Elenore had already come to the conclusion that someone had gotten seriously wounded.. or perhaps even killed that night.

"No.. He didn't." she told him. "Whatever happened.. it won't change the way I feel about you." she added before sighing softly and moving so that her back was against the head board and her legs lay out in front of her on the bed. She sat next to him, knowing that he was probably going to tell her what happened.. and she simply waited. What else was she supposed to do? Elenore only hoped that the police wouldn't come to his door and take him away.. but even if they did.. she would write letters. Wait for him if he wanted her too.. and even if he didn't she still would.

Lowering her head to look down at him, she wanted to wrap her arms around him but that would make it difficult to leave. More difficult than it already was. Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the wall, her hand on her lap. She remembered how he had looked when he had opened the door. Misery was written all over his features then.. he had been surprised as well to see her there.. even more when she had stepped inside. She wouldn't have left him in the state that he had been no matter what.. and she hadn't.

Elenore just wished he would understand that she wasn't going to leave him because of his past whatever might be in it. She knew what he was like now. He had protected her son with his own life. His wounds proved that. His regret proved that he had morals. He had good morals.. he just had some bad instincts.. or maybe they were good.. she didn't know.  

[Katydid50]

The way she was looking at him, Daniel was tempted to clam up, to simply tell her to forget he had said anything. She wore her heart on her sleeve and he could read her feelings in her expression as easily as he read words off pages. Her delight in his returned feelings was obvious, which only made it all the harder for him to assure himself that he was doing the right thing.

When she spoke, he merely shook his head, though slowly so as to prevent his headache from getting any worse. The aspirin was already starting to kick in and it was a major relief but he didn't want to make the steadily decreasing pain worse again. "Please, just... listen to what I have to say before you try to convince me of anything." If he, somehow, didn't manage to convince her of what he was like, he knew without a doubt that she would continue to try to convince him to see himself her way... forever.

As she got herself comfortable, leaning back against the headboard with her legs stretched out before her, he used the time to gather his thoughts.

"I had ditched my truck almost immediately,[b/]" he said finally after staring down at the bedsheets for nearly a minute. "The best way to move around in the inner city is on foot. Most of the places you can't get to by road." He paused again, his mind flashing back to that night before returning to the present. "It was nearing the time when we were supposed to be back at your place. I was passing by this alley way and I, well, I found him. He wasn't alone." He broke off at that, glancing away. He could see Damien and Nicholas as clearly as if they stood before him. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to look back at her. He had tongth to finish what he had started.

"You have to understand just how much danger Nicholas was in. If I had been even a minute later than I was... Well, I'm sure you can imagine what would have happened." He couldn't bring himself to speak the words aloud. "But there's more to it than that. I knew the guy. I'd known him for years before I left the city. We had always been rivals, at the best of times. Anyway, I went at him. He came at me too. We fought and I..." His face had lost all emotion during the story but, now, his expression went hard as stone as he looked away, his cold gaze fixed on a spot on the wall in front of them. "I killed him."

What else was there to say? Daniel was killed a man, a man that he had known. He could have crippled Damien, knocked him out, incapacitated him. But he hadn't. He'd killed him, slit his throat like some soon-to-be butchered animal. How could Elenore possibly think he was a good guy after that?  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Her lips sealed as he asked her to listen. She would. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the details to what happened but in a way it was necessary. Her heart was pounding steadily in her chest. Elenore stayed silent as he began. She didn't know how long it would last but she would stay through the whole thing. Maybe her ears would deceive her and he would start saying something completely different. Who knew?

She blinked. Time seemed to be going by slowly. She had a pretty good idea on what his last sentence would be. How the story ended. He wasn't alone.. those words echoed in her mind. Nicholas what did you get yourself into. She lowered her head and looked over at him, watching how much he was struggling to continue. Elenore couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to come to terms with crimes.. she wished she could help him somehow.

Her eyes returned to a blank spot on the white wall. She didn't want to think about what could have happened to Nicholas. Goosebumps appeared all over her skin. She would have hunted down the man himself then. Made him pay. Her thoughts came to a halt when Daniel said he knew the guy. He knew him? As he went on to explain, she got a part of his past. He didn't talk about it much but she had pieced some of it together by now.

Looking at him once more, she noticed how hard his expression had become. Her eyes softened a bit before he spoke his final words. He wouldn't have killed.. if it hadn't been to protect her son.. A cold silence lay there between them for a few seconds before Elenore moved to lay down beside him, gently taking his hand. Her palm against his own and fingers lined up with his. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he deeply regretted what he had done.

Instead of saying anything though, Elenore simply looked at their hands before she moved hers slightly, her fingers moving between his own and coming down. Nothing she could say at the moment could explain how she felt and the silence seemed to fit there though now it wrapped around them instead of falling between them, almost like a blanket.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel didn't say anything after that. There was no sound in the house, nothing at all except the sound of their breathing and of his pulse pounding in his ears. What was she thinking? What was going through her mind? Did she finally understand why he couldn't bring himself to act on his feelings for her? Could she get her head around why he thought of himself as a bad guy? He hoped so. He hated the idea of her not wanting anything more to do with him but, if that's what it took to keep her safe, so be it.

He took her silence as a bad thing. If she had accepted what he had done, she would have continued to try to convince him that he was good, right? Her silence must have been a bad thing. At any moment, she would climb off the bed, put on her shoes and walk out the door, and probably out of his life. Within a minute she'd be gone, as soon as she got over her shock. But that wasn't what happened and no amount of words could describe his surprise.

She didn't get up to leave. In fact, she did the opposite. He openly stared as she laid down beside him, taking one of his hands in her own. Her hand lined up with his, her palm with his finger and her fingers with his. Her hands was slightly smaller but it, mostly, matched up. Forcing down the shock that had left him momentarily immobile, he swallowed thickly. This couldn't be happening. She hadn't rejected him because he'd killed a man. He didn't know how he knew but he just did. She had accepted him because he'd killed a man... for her son.

As her fingers slid up his hand, he watched as they interlocked with his own. He swallowed again, feeling himself start to choke up. It wasn't sexual. It wasn't hot or steamy. It wasn't physically pleasurable. And yet, it was the most intimate thing anyone had ever done to him. To think that she could know what he was capable of and she still wanted to be with him pleased him more than she would ever know, so much so that he thought he might actually start crying.

He looked away, swallowing again and again until he could do so normally. Any threatening tears receded and only then did he look back to her. "I care about you, Elenore, more than I have any right to," he whispered. "But you have to understand that I'm dangerous. There's no guarantee that I won't wake up one morning and revert back to the way I was. I want to be with you but I won't allow myself to put you or your children in danger." With that, he reluctantly pulled his hand away from hers.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore saw his reaction.. he was shocked. How could she reject him when he had protected her child? Her children were the closest thing to her and not just because they shared the same DNA. She would do anything to keep them out of harms way.. to make them happy. To make sure they had enough to eat.. that they had a safe place to sleep, that they wouldn't have to worry about someone abusing them in their own home. Sure, there were plenty of things that she could improve on but she did her best to keep them safe.. even then that wasn't enough.

Her eyes stayed on their hands, wondering what he would say. She could hear his head turning away. Did he want her to leave? He swallowed several times, it had reached her ears in the silence that still existed in his home. Closing her eyes slowly when he spoke. That you have any right to? She had three kids to feed.. she had no right to hang that around his neck as well. It was unfair.

Feeling his hand pull away, she looked over at him before pushing herself up with one arm, sitting up beside him with the upper half of her body facing him. "I know that you wouldn't do anything to harm my children. You've had plenty of chances but you haven't done it." she looked away from him, turning her head towards the wall that was in front of both of them. "I realize fully what I'm getting myself and my children into." Elenore said in a low voice. She cared for him deeply and her feelings weren't just going to vanish into thin air one day whether he realized that or not.

"I trust you." she looked at him as she said those words. She believed he wouldn't break her trust either. Lowering her head, she sighed softly before getting up, guessing that she might as well clean up a little bit before leaving. She couldn't forget about her responsibilities even though she did want to stay here.

"I would stay with you.. but Grace and Nicholas need to get to school." she said softly before she walked over to his side. Leaning down she kissed his forehead gently, being careful not to touch his irritated wound. "Take care." her voice was barely above a whisper. She also hoped that he wouldn't drink anymore but considering how bad of a hangover he had no, she doubted he would be reaching for a bottle of alcohol any time soon. Looking down at him, she smiled slightly and then headed out of his room.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel hated this. He didn't want to push her away but he had to keep her and her children safe... from him. Just the thought hurt but he knew it was true. She may have trusted him but he didn't trust himself. He couldn't promise her that he wouldn't wake up from a nightmare and lash out. She or her children could end up seriously hurt. He had done a lot of bad things in his life but he refused to have something like that on his conscience.

He had looked away when he'd pulled his hand away but he looked back to her when he felt her shift. Watching as she propped herself up on one arm, he listened to her words, a quiet sigh threatening to escape him. Of course he wouldn't hurt her children. He wouldn't do anything like that, at least not intentionally. It was the unintentional that he worried about. When she told him that she realized what she was getting herself and her kids into, he had to hold back a cold laugh. She had absolutely no idea what she would be getting her and her family into. Even if he never did anything, there wasn't anything to say that someone from his past wouldn't come looking for him. Seeing Damien again had just reinforced that fear.

When she told him that she trusted him, he couldn't hold back a wince. That makes one of us, he thought. She didn't know his full history. He did. He knew he couldn't be trusted not to go back to that. That was why he had to protect her. Because he knew and understood and she... simply refused to.

As Elenore started to get up, he simply watched her. He wanted nothing so much as to reach out, grab her and draw her back down beside him. He wanted it so much that his fingers twitched to do exactly that but he forced them to remain where they were. At her words, he merely nodded. She had a family to see to. She had to get her eldest two to school and then she would have to get to work. He wouldn't be showing up that day. He knew that already. The night before, he had seen to everything with work, saying he wouldn't be coming in for a couple of days. At least he had managed to do one thing right.

He remained still, curious and starting to get extremely sleepy as the aspirin truly kicked in, as she walked around to his side of the bed. Surprise was not sufficient enough to describe how he felt when she leaned down and kissed his forehead but shocked wasn't necessarily the correct word either. The sigh he had held back early escaped him but he didn't say anything as she bid him farewell and left.

As he laid there, he waited and listened for the sound of the front door opening and closing. When he finally heard it, he sighed again and draped his arm over his eyes, lifting it only when Max jumped up on the bed beside him. The orange tomcat didn't bother him like Daniel had imagined he would. Instead, the tabby simply looked at him. "Don't look at me like that," he muttered. "It was for their own good." With that, he turned over so he had his back to the cat, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him.
((Did you want to do a timeskip to when Elenore realizes she's pregnant?))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She left his room and went into the living room. Looking at all the bottles, she gathered them up and put them into trash bag before she sweeped up the glass that was by the front door. The liquid was left there since she hadn't been able to find a mop. With all the glass gone, she picked up her purse and glanced towards the small hallway that lead to his room briefly. She didn't know when she would be able to come back and if he would allow her to come in even. Yes, he cared but he was still pushing her away due to the fact that he thought he would harm her and her children.

Lowering her head, she then left, locking the door behind her so that no one would disturb him besides his cat. The next couple of weeks all seemed a bit hazy, like she had gotten lost in a fog. She took her kids to school, except for Deserai who went to her Great Aunt's, went to work, avoided Ruggles at all costs, went home, cooked dinner and went to sleep. Sure, there was the grocery shopping and random errands like that but most of it was simple and the same thing over again. She had been feeling sick lately though she didn't think a whole lot of it.. that is until she realized that it had been a little over a month since she had slept with Daniel.

Sitting on cold tile floor of her bathroom, she held the phone in a shaky hand. At first she had been happy, excited even to the point where she was crying, now she was afraid. What if he didn't want the child? She would keep her/him either way. Raise and love the child as best as she could. Elenore had dialed his number several times now but never pressed the little green button that would make her phone call his own. Biting her finger gently, she was nervous. It was still early in the morning and she had rushed her kids to school and Deserai to Rose's house. She had even called in sick. Biting her lip, she brushed away one of her tears of joy that lingered on her cheek.

Taking in a deep breath, she finally called him. Hopefully he hadn't left for work yet.. she needed to meet with him in person.. but where? Her home? No. Yes? Maybe.. Or maybe she could meet with him at the lake.. but would she be able to get that far? Elenore still remembered the trail. No.. it probably wouldn't be the best place to tell him. Hearing the phone ring since she was waiting for Daniel to answer, she ran her fingers through her hair nervously before she got up slowly and went into her bedroom where she sat down on the edge of the bed. She took in another deep breath, since she felt so happy and nervous. Calming down slightly, she glanced at the clock as the digit at the end changed to an eight.
((Sorry I didn't post in the past two days >.< Was dealing with family stuff ))  

[Katydid50]

The weeks followed quickly for Daniel, although they didn't seem like it at the time. After he had finally gotten over his hangover, he had returned to work without a fuss. The receptionist asked if he was feeling better. He told her that he was. That was it. No one else seemed to have even noticed he had been gone, except for Elenore of course. He didn't avoid her like he knew he should have. He still wanted to be friends with her, even though it was quite awkward between them at first. Things slowly settled back down and life moved on as if nothing had ever happened.

Or so he thought.

It was a couple of weeks after they had slept together that Elenore called. Daniel had been woken up that morning by Max, meowing and pawing at his face, bothering him until he got up and gave the cat his damn breakfast. He was tempted to go back to sleep but knew he wouldn't be able to. After showering and shaving, he started to make his own breakfast, a plate of bacon, eggs and toast. He didn't much care for eggs but he had heard somewhere that they were good for him. He had just put on the bacon when the phone rang.

Frowning, he looked away from the frying pan which was currently spitting grease everywhere. He walked over to where the phone hung in the living room. Who could possibly be calling their early in the morning? He was pretty sure there was a law against it or something. Sure, it wasn't that early and most people in his position probably would have left for work already but he left as late as possible to ensure that he still got there on time. Anyway, the speed limit was pretty fast out there and he hadn't seen a cop on any of their roads in four years. He wasn't worried about going a little fast.

Picking up the phone, he was thrown back to the memory of the last time someone had called. It had been Elenore. Michael had stolen the phone from him and they had ended up wrestling until Daniel finally got the phone back from him. Looking back on it now, he couldn't help but smile. "Hello?"

((It's alright. Bleh short.))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Hearing someone pick up the phone, she grinned before hearing Daniel's voice. Was it wrong to be so happy? She didn't know but she was pretty sure nothing could spoil her mood at the moment. "Daniel?" she already knew it was him so it was a stupid question. "Are you busy?" she asked him, biting her lower lip several times nervously and trying to calm down at the same time but she was already pacing around her bedroom. Walking out of her room, she went to the kitchen and thought about making coffee for herself but she was already so energetic that would only make things works.

"Can we meet up somewhere and talk?" Say yes, say yes. If he said no, she didn't know what she would do. Talking about it at work wasn't something she desired to do especially with Ruggles walking around that place and stalking his workers until they were alone. The thought made a chill run down her spine.

Then a thought hit her.. he had done his best to make sure things went back to just being friends between them and it killed her.. but she forced herself to go along with it. She had spent more than one night staring up at the ceiling wishing she could feel his arms around her again but it never happened. He probably wouldn't share her happiness in the deal.. She had to tell him though, it was his child too. Wrapping her free arm around her abdomen protectively, she then sat down on the couch that was in the living room.

Waiting for a response she took in a deep breath and leaned back, closing her eyes for a few moments. Hopefully her excitement spill through the phone and reach him otherwise he would know something had happened. He probably wouldn't be able to guess what it was though even if he did sense it. Looking up at the ceiling, she didn't know if he would want to meet up at his home after what had happened that night only about a month ago.
((It's okay.. mine isn't much longer either >.< ))